Sometimes, when he saw her so exhausted at work, he would ask in confusion,
"It's just a job, why do you have to push yourself so hard?"
She would immediately become serious and respond with utmost gravity,
"When it comes to work, you have to be meticulous and careful. It's my livelihood!"
He would laugh, pulling her into an embrace and kissing her,
"If you lose your livelihood, so be it. I can take care of you!"
Whenever he said that, a shadow of sadness would flicker in her eyes, and she would shove him away, pouting and muttering,
"I don't want to stay at home all day like a secluded housewife and not even realize when someone steals my husband!"
He had always thought her sadness was because she minded being kept at home, but now, upon reflection, it seemed that sadness was actually a kind of insecurity and fear!
