Panic rang out in Merril’s ears and her heart pounded frantically in her chest. She recognised the confident, quick steps of her husband and her body temporarily froze in shock. She looked at the helpless, trembling hands in front of her and heard the loud ticking clock reverberate against the bare walls.

She jumped to her feet and snatched the plastic stick from the vanity. Glancing at it once, she threw it into the trashcan near the stem of the basin. She recklessly reached into the messy trash with both hands; ruffling and rearranging a pile of damp tissues, wrappers and something oddly gelatinous. Satisfied that her secret was sufficiently concealed, she pulled down the flush lever on the toilet and proceeded to wash her hands clean.

Intrusive by nature, Dengwe barged in through the door he had flung open just as Merril reached for the pale blue towel on the metal rod.

“I need some tablets for a headache, where are your things?” he asked in a thin, weak voice, barely making eye-contact.

Shaken but not deterred, Merril forcefully brightened up her disposition, cleared her throat and expertly prepared herself for the role of the ‘perfect wife’. “Ah, sorry, my love. Relax in the lounge, take off your boots and I’ll bring the tablets with water to you.”

Still looking at the same spot on the ground, he vaguely cocked his head in agreement and backed out of the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him.

With the click of the lock, Merril felt herself exhale deeply. She hadn’t realised that she was holding her breath. Her heart and breathing rates began to normalise. Could it be true? Did she really get away with the deception of the decade? She couldn’t help the wicked smile of self-satisfaction that spread across her face as she took one last look at her appearance in the mirror.

Before taking the medication to her husband, she retrieved a black refuse bag and emptied all four bins located around the house. Taking the half-full, tightly secured black bag to the curb, she had a spring in her step as she remembered what she had seen just moments before she chucked the pregnancy test away: one blue stripe, not pregnant!

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