The next day I woke up very late, awakened by the sound of knife sharpening.

I rubbed my eyes and went to the kitchen, discovering my husband chopping something vigorously by the counter, the sound so loud as if he was venting his anger.

There was soup simmering in the pot, and upon closer sniff, it had a fishy smell.

Just as I was about to take a closer look and ask my husband what he was doing.

He suddenly turned around and smiled at me. That smile almost scared my heart to a stop.

My husband's face was speckled with blood, even his teeth had traces of red stuff, and his eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept all night.

I was so shocked I couldn't speak, just stood there with my mouth open, looking at him in terror.

"Honey, I bought lamb bones from the market this morning. I'm making lamb bone soup for you for lunch."

I breathed a sigh of relief and joked, "The way you did it, I thought you were cooking human flesh."

My husband affectionately moved closer and said, "How could I feed my precious wife human flesh?"

At lunch, my husband served me a full bowl of lamb bone soup.

But when he gave our son some lamb bones, our son refused to eat it.

My husband looked fierce, his face turning angry as he scowled at our son and said, "Will you eat or not?"

This action triggered some unpleasant memories in me. I immediately slammed my bowl and chopsticks on the table and went back to the room.

Our son mimicked me, flipping his bowl and chopsticks, and trotted after me away from the table.

……

I was forced to recall some bad memories.

In the past, my husband wasn't as considerate and gentle as he is now. On the contrary, he used to be abusive.

He often beat me black and blue, with bruises all over my body. I'd still have to go to work the next day with my injuries.

Every time I couldn't endure the beatings anymore and wanted a divorce, he would kneel down, slapping his own face fiercely, promising never to hit me again.

I'm a weak and incapable woman, forgiving him time and time again.

When did he start to change?

Maybe it was one time when he injured my leg, and I went to pick up our son. On the way, we passed a toy store. Our son wanted the new toy, broke free from my hand, and ran to the toy. My injured leg couldn't catch up with him, and he was swept away by the crowd.

Our son went missing.

I got angrier at my husband than I had ever been before.

Fortunately, our new neighbor Xiao Zhao ran into my son after work and brought him back home the next day.

Since then, my husband changed and never hit me again.

……

Back in the bedroom, our son obediently lay on my lap.

I stroked my son's head, over and over, as if I were caressing a treasure.

I thought about what my son said to me yesterday: "Dad wants to kill you."

Then I thought about what my husband said to me: "Be careful of Duo Duo."

Reflecting on my son's unusual behavior, I knew I could no longer sit and wait for whatever was coming.

I had to find out what my husband and son were really talking about.