Husband is a famous surgeon. Father-in-law is a billionaire. There are also 3 step mothers-in-law and 13 siblings.
My parents are dead. I don't have a proper job. I am some problems too.
To make it worse, he sounds like an estranged son. That's so dramatic. I knew that he was not an ordinary person, but I didn't expect this.
What did I get into? Why didn't I choose mental asylum that day?
"Nell?" Eli squeezes my hand. "Are you okay?"
"Is there anything else?" I don't think that anything else can shock me anymore.
"Wife, will you find me disgusting if I…" He seems to be hesitating a lot. I look at him. His gaze is shifty. He can't seem to bring himself to meet my eyes. Why is he acting like this? We are already married. I am already stuck with him.
"Little Marshmallow, if you don't say it, she's going to kill you in the future," The Devil tells him a condescending voice.
Eli tilts his head, dejected. He seems to be afraid of whatever he's keeping inside him. I wonder what it could be.
By any chance, does he have a fiancee or something? A fiancee is not bad. What if he's already married? No, he told me that was single and 32. Then, what? I want to know now.
What if he does have another woman? He's too handsome. I don't much about him. We got married suddenly. Damn! I don't even know his birthday.
There's still a possibility. I give him a look over. He's looking down with puppy eyes. I have the urge to give him a hug and tell him that there is no way that anything about him can disgust me.
However, I can't give in. I want to hear it first.
"Say it." I straighten my back and cross my arms. "You can say it to me today. I won't get mad. I will accept everything about you, even if it turns out that I am your mistress."
He opens his mouth wide and stares at me expressionlessly. "You, my mistress?"
"I hate men who lie to me." I squint my eyes. "But today, I won't do anything and listen to you."
Tomorrow, I might try to kill you. But let's worry it about tomorrow.
"You are my only wife." He lets out a heavy sigh. "I have never seen anyone else as a woman except for you and there won't be anyone else either. I can't think of being with anyone else other than you."
I shouldn't be doubting him, but he's making me nervous. "Then, what's disgusting about you? Before I start imagining crazy things, you better tell me now."
Eli becomes silence. He looks at his fingers uneasily. This silence is annoying. It makes me anxious. How bad could it be?
It's strange. It was easy for him to say that he loved me. It was easy for him to speak about other crazy stuff. He even blackmailed me into marrying him. But he can't say his secret to me.
If I was a normal person, I would have said comforting words and told him to say it when he found the courage. I have tried acting normal all my life. I am tired of pretending to be something that I am not. That's why I am not going to be a nice person when I don't feel like being nice. If he hates me for it, then I will face that hate. "If you take another second, I am going to… get mad at you tomorrow."
***
Eli curves his brows, creasing his forehead. Get mad at him tomorrow? Should he take this chance? She wants to take a step forward in this relationship with honesty. It must have been difficult for her to speak about her past. Why is he being a coward in front of her?
He's afraid that she might find him disgusting.
But it's too late to turn back. If he doesn't tell her, she might think something worse. How did she even think that she could be his mistress? She will be the only woman in his life.
"Tell me!" Nell clenches her hands and yells at him, "I am trying not to get mad at you. How bad could it be?"
"I have been deceiving you," Eli whispers.
"Deceiving me?" Her voice is emotionless, not giving him anyway to guess what's on her mind.
He gets down on his knees and bows to her. "I knew that it was wrong. It was one of the reasons why I hesitated to get close to you. When I found you that day, I didn't want to care about it anymore."
She isn't saying anything, but Eli can't raise his head. He squeezes his eyes shut. She already promised to stay with him. She might get mad or hate him for the rest of her life.
"I AM NOT A HUMAN!"
There's not a response at all. He waits for a while. Did she not hear him? Eli peeks at her. Her expression becomes neutral when she notices that he's looking at her. She's hiding her emotions and thoughts, just like he hid it when she told him about her past.
He's been an idiot.
How will she show her heart if he hides his true self from her? If he doesn't show himself, he can't expect the same from her. Eli smiles at her and says, "I know that it's hard to believe."
"If you are not a human, then what are you?" She is rather calm. So usual of her. Whether she believes him or not, he can't tell. The restlessness in his heart is rising.
A regret appears in his mind. Maybe he shouldn't have said it. It's too late to stop now. But he wants to be honest to her because he wants her to be honest with him.
The cat is also too quiet, watching him with interest.
"I am a ghoul. Each member of my family is a ghoul. My family doesn't live in this world." Eli meets her eyes and reveals it to her. "Ghouls are a type of dark creatures who eat flesh including humans. We like to eat raw flesh the most. We live longer than human beings. I am actually 632-year-old."
"What the hell!" The Devil jumps off the bed and stands in front of him. "I have seen you eating raw meat, but I didn't expect this. You are worse than a Fae."
Who cares about a cat's opinion? He only wants to know what his wife is thinking.
"632…" Nell rubs the space between her brows. "I don't know what to say. Your sisters also said that they were ghouls."
Eli shuts his eyes. "I lied to you. Belinda and Siouxsie were telling the truth."
"How do I believe you now?" She shakes her head. "I have heard of cases where someone starts believing that they also have problems because they are living with someone who has problems. Is this like this?"
She's always doubting what she's seeing and hearing. Even he's been taking advantage of her weakness. Now, she's doubting him too. "I can see the cat."
"Ha!" The Devil points at him accusingly. "I knew it. This ghoul was pretending not to see me. Are you going to eat me too?"
"Really?" She leans against the wall with a faint smile on her lips. "Where is the cat right now?"
"Here." Eli grasps the scuff of the cat while ignoring the cat's scream. "I can see your Devil."
"Little Marshmallow!" The Devil lifts his claw and tries hard to scratch Eli's face. "Put me down at this instant."
"I started seeing him since yesterday." Eli lets the flustered cat go. "Do you believe me now?"
She shakes her head. "I could be imagining this."
"You damned woman!" The Devil scowls at her. "Why would you not believe this ghoul?"
"Why don't you keep your mouth shut?" Nell eyes the cat coldly. "Get out of the room and give us privacy."
"Hmph!" The Devil walks out of the room. "Asking for privacy from me when I can easily hear your thoughts? It's ridiculous."
"Just get out," Nell mumbles to herself. Whether Eli is speaking the truth or not, she feels upset. If he's mocking her, she should be disappointed. If he is telling the truth, then she doesn't know what's the reality anymore. A person might believe something to be true and then, it might turn out to be a lie later. Eli's truth might be a lie. It could be his truth. Then, what's her truth?
The cat leaves. She doesn't say anything for a long time. Eli is not a hallucination. The people from the hospital could see him. Evie could see him. She's been contacted by his sisters. He hasn't disappeared like her mother. The cat is here. He is also here. "Did the strange things that I see are also real?"
"That day at your house, it was a leprechaun. I took him to Benny." He answers her with a meek voice, "Benny is also not a human. I will take you to meet him if you want to see him."
"Prove it to me then." She narrows her eyes. "If you are a real ghoul, then show me something that humans can't do."