Elizabeth didn't know how to react and opted for silence instead. She sensed Anthony swallow before he cautiously let go of her wrists and took a step back. She pretended to massage her wrists, even though he hadn't harmed her in any way. Instead, they both seemed to have suffered injuries during their altercation. Some of her nails were broken, and her fists were bruised from a few frustrated punches that connected with his tough physique. She turned to face him and was taken aback by the sight of blood. He had scratches on his hands and face, including a deep and angry-looking one on his neck. Additionally, his muscular forearms bore bite marks, and there was a darkening bruise on his jaw. When he saw her eyes land on the bruise, he ruefully rubbed it.
"You pack a mean punch," he said sheepishly, before looking down at her hands and swearing softly.
"You've hurt yourself."
He lifted one and grimaced at the bruises and broken nails. Elizabeth withdrew her hand from Anthony's grasp; she was unsure of what his strange behavior meant and certainly didn't trust it. His eyes darkened at her mistrustful glare, and he put his hands in his pockets. She pushed past him and headed towards the staircase.
"Elizabeth..." She stopped, but didn't turn around.
"I'm truly sorry for what I said. It wasn't true."
She knew his apology was insincere. Although he had never admitted it, she knew he held her responsible for the baby they had lost early in their marriage. The fact that she hadn't conceived since had only intensified his resentment towards her. She continued to look away from him and snorted,
"I'm going to bed," despite her apology.
"Yes."
He backed away from her and put his hands deep inside his pants pockets. She turned away from him and held her head high as she climbed the stairs to the second floor, acutely aware of his eyes penetrating into her back.
Anthony's degrading remarks had touched a nerve, and as she approached one of the guest rooms, tears began to well up in her eyes. Elizabeth always felt guilty about the baby she lost after only 10 months of marriage and 5 months of pregnancy. She believed the miscarriage was her fault because she didn't want it when she first learned she was expecting, and worse, she had been ashamed to realize that even though she was heart broken after the baby had been lost, she also felt a sense of relief. She hated herself for feeling that and believed there was something wrong with her for wanting to end the life of her own child Anthony and she both experienced the loss of the tiny life separately, never talking about it. She had never expressed her feelings to Anthony. Her suspicion was that he had known all along which only served to increase his disdain for her.
Justin and Danielle weren't even aware that she was pregnant, despite the fact that she experienced extreme depression after the miscarriage and overcame it on her own. She had felt so ashamed of her response to the baby that she had never told them, believing that her actions were unjustifiable. But Tony's vicious teasing tonight had simply pushed her over the edge, and she was embarrassed to think back on how completely she had lost it.
After a quick shower, she only wore the pajamas she had quickly grabbed from her chest of drawers in the master bedroom.
She sighed, trying to shake herself out of her melancholy mood. Despite the drama of the day, she dozed off quickly. she was asleep for an unknown amount of time when she heard pounding on the door. Elizabeth sat up right away, shoving her tangled hair out of her face, before getting out of bed.