I Blocked My Husband and Went to the Highlands

Naomi! Do you even think of me as your husband?

I dug at my ear, moved the phone a little farther away, and spoke in a light, breezy tone.

What's all the yelling about? It's just a trip to the Highlands. It's no big deal.

No big deal? You're going to Weibro alone with another man? Naomi, have you lost your mind?

His voice trembled slightly with anger.

I scoffed, completely out of patience.

"Neil, I'm not asking your permission, I'm telling you. The tickets are booked. We leave tonight."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Watch me."

And with that, I didn't give him another chance to roar.

Hang up, block, power off.

One smooth, seamless motion.

The world went quiet in an instant.

I tossed the phone onto the sofa, looked at the suitcase already packed beside me, and a smug smile curved my lips.

Won't let me go?

I'll go anyway.

There's nothing in this world that I, Naomi Fox, want to do and can't.

Neil and I had been married five years, and everyone said I'd married a good husband.

He was gentle-tempered, patient, and gave in to me on almost everything.

When I didn't feel like cooking, he'd finish a grueling day of work, put on an apron, slip into the kitchen, and make me a home-cooked dinner of several dishes and a soup.

When I wanted crawfish from that place on the west side of town in the middle of the night, he'd say nothing and drive forty minutes across town to get it.

I blew through my paycheck every month, but he'd handed over his debit card to me long ago, with my birthday as the PIN.

He took care of ninety percent of the housework.

My mom always said I must have built up good karma in a past life to have found a man as good as Neil.

I'd nod along, but privately I didn't buy it.

Wasn't it only natural for him to be good to me?

A man earns the money, supports the household, and dotes on his wife. That's just how it should be.

All I had to do was be beautiful.

And precisely because he was so good to me, so without limits, I only grew bolder and more reckless.

My male best friend, Ernest, was the first thing that set off our conflict.

Ernest was my college classmate, and we'd always been close, close enough to share one cup of bubble tea and eat from one bowl.

At first Neil went along with it and was very polite to Ernest.

Until one time, at a company team-building event, I drank too much, and it was Ernest who took me home.

When Neil got back from working late, he found Ernest sitting on the edge of our bed in the bedroom, wiping my face with a towel.

Neil's face darkened on the spot.

He said nothing, just politely and coolly saw Ernest to the door.

After the door shut, he turned a cold face on me for the first time.

"Naomi, keep your distance from Ernest from now on."

I still wasn't fully sober, and with the liquor in me I blew up.

"What's that supposed to mean? You don't trust me? Ernest is my best friend!"

"A best friend gets to come into our bedroom? Gets to sit on our bed and wipe your face?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a firmness that left no room for argument.

"I was drunk! He was just taking care of me!"

"He can take care of you in the living room. The bedroom is our private space, and I don't want a third man in it, especially when I'm not home."

That was the first time I realized that the gentle, docile Neil had limits too.

But I didn't take it seriously.

If anything, I thought he was blowing things out of proportion and being unreasonable.

We had a huge fight, and in the end I slammed the door and went back to my parents' house.

I figured Neil would apologize within a day, the way he always did.

But I waited three days, and he didn't so much as call.

My mom saw me moping and sighing around the house all day, and finally couldn't help asking what was wrong.

I told her the whole story, exaggerating every detail.

I thought she'd take my side and rail against Neil, but instead, when she finished listening, she slammed her chopsticks down on the table with a bang.

"Naomi! You're the one in the wrong here!"

I froze.

"Mom? Why are you taking a stranger's side?"

"What stranger? Neil is your husband! Was anything he said wrong? What man could put up with his wife's male best friend just wandering into the bedroom whenever he pleases? It's only because Neil has such a good temper. Someone with a short fuse would've hit somebody long ago!"

My dad chimed in from the side.

"Your mother's right. Naomi, you crossed a line on this. Between friendsespecially friends of the opposite sexyou have to know how to avoid any appearance of impropriety. For Neil to hold it in until now was already giving you plenty of face."

I was so angry I couldn't eat.

"Are you two even my real parents? What did he brainwash you with?"

Just then, the doorbell rang.

My mom went to answer it, and standing outside was Neil, loaded down with bags of fruit and health supplements.

When he saw me, his eyes shifted away, and he greeted my parents first.

"Dad, Mom."

My mom immediately put on a warm face and welcomed him inside.

"Oh, Neil's here, come sit down."

I let out a cold snort and turned my head away.

Neil sat down beside me, lowering himself.

"Naomi, don't be mad, come home with me."

My dad cleared his throat and spoke to me.

"Naomi, Neil's come all this way to bring you home, so stop throwing a tantrum. You were the one in the wrong to begin with. Hurry up and apologize to your husband, then go back with him."

Apologize?

Why should I?

The anger inside me flared up in an instant.

"No! I did nothing wrong! Dad, Mom, if you think Neil's so great, then go ahead and take him as your son! Either way, I can't stay in this house anymore!"

My dad was so furious he just pointed at me, unable to get a word out.

Neil rushed to smooth things over.

"Dad, Mom, don't be upset. It's all my fault. I didn't communicate with Naomi well enough."

Then he turned back to coax me.

"Okay, okay, it's all my fault, alright? I shouldn't have lost my temper with you. You and Ernest are good friends, I know that. From now on I won't interfere, okay?"

Seeing how humble he was, most of my anger drained away.

But my mom was still watching me closely from the side.

So I deliberately raised my voice.

"You said it yourself! From now on, you don't get to control who I hang out with or where I go! And if you ever fight with me over Ernest again, we're getting divorced!"

The moment the word "divorce" left my mouth, my parents' and Neil's faces all changed.

The air seemed to freeze.

In the end, it was Neil who gave in first.

He sighed and looked at me, almost pleading.

"Fine, I won't interfere. As long as you don't say that word, I'll agree to anything."

In that moment, I was filled with the thrill of victory.

See, he still cares about me.

As long as I pull out my trump card, he has to fall in line.

I figured Neil would come apologize to me within a day, like he always did.

But I waited three days, and he didn't even call once.

My mom watched me moping and sighing around the house all day, and finally she couldn't help asking what was going on.

I laid it on thick and told her the whole story.

I expected her to take my side and rail against Neil, but instead, after she'd heard me out, she slammed her chopsticks down on the table with a bang.

"Naomi! This is your fault!"

I froze.

"Mom? Why are you taking an outsider's side?"

"What outsider? Neil is your husband! Was anything he said wrong? What man could tolerate his wife's male best friend just wandering into the bedroom whenever he pleases? It's only because Neil is even-tempered. Anyone with a shorter fuse would've hit someone already!"

My dad chimed in from beside her.

"Your mother's right. Naomi, you crossed a line here. Between friends, especially friends of the opposite sex, you have to know how to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Neil holding off until now to say anything was already very generous of him."

I was so angry I couldn't even eat.

"Are you two really my parents? What did he say to brainwash you?"

Just then, the doorbell rang.

My mom went to answer it, and standing outside was Neil, carrying armloads of fruit and health supplements.

When he saw me, his eyes darted away, and he greeted my parents first.

"Dad, Mom."

My mom immediately put on a warm face and welcomed him inside.

"Oh, Neil's here, come sit down."

I let out a cold snort and turned my head away.

Neil sat down next to me and lowered himself.

"Naomi, don't be angry, come home with me."

My dad cleared his throat and said to me,

"Naomi, Neil came all the way here to pick you up, so stop being difficult. You were in the wrong to begin with, so hurry up and apologize to your husband and go back with him."

Apologize?

Why should I?

The anger shot up in my chest all at once.

"No! I did nothing wrong! Dad, Mom, if you think Neil's so great, then go ahead and take him as your son! I can't stay in this house anymore anyway!"

My dad was so angry he pointed at me, unable to get a word out.

Neil quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Dad, Mom, don't be upset. It's all my fault. I didn't communicate well with Naomi."

Then he turned back to coax me.

"Okay, okay, it's all my fault, all right? I shouldn't have lost my temper with you. I know you and Ernest are good friends, I get it. I won't interfere with you anymore, okay?"

Watching how humble he was, most of my anger settled.

But my mom was still glaring from the side, watching my every move.

I deliberately raised my voice.

"You said it yourself! From now on, you can't tell me who I hang out with or where I go! If you pick a fight with me over Ernest again, we're getting divorced!"

The instant the word "divorce" came out, my parents' and Neil's faces all changed.

The air seemed to freeze.

In the end, it was Neil who caved first.

He sighed and looked at me, almost pleading.

"Okay, I won't interfere. As long as you don't say those two words, I'll agree to anything."

In that moment, I was filled with the thrill of victory.

See, he still cared about me.

As long as I brought out my trump card, he'd fall right back in line.

This trip to the Highlands was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Ernest was about to turn thirty.

He posted a photo of the Grand Palace on his social media feed with the caption:

"At thirty, I want to visit the rooftop of the world and make a soul pilgrimage for myself. A shame there's no one to go with meit feels a little lonely."

A bunch of friends liked and commented below.

I replied to him almost immediately.

"I'll go with you!"

Ernest replied in a heartbeat.

"Really? Naomi! You're the best!"

I opened the booking app right away and started looking at flights to Highland City.

In that moment, I completely forgot Neil existed.

Or rather, deep down I just assumed he wouldn'tand wouldn't dareobject.

It wasn't until I sent Ernest a screenshot of the two tickets I'd booked, meaning to "notify" Neil, that I remembered he was on a business trip out of town this week.

I sent him a message.

"Honey, next week I'm going to the Highlands with Ernest for a few days. It's his birthday."

About ten minutes later, he called.

The moment I picked up, I heard his voice, tight with suppressed anger.

"Naomi, what did you just say? Who are you going to the Highlands with?"

"Ernest, didn't I already tell you?"

I was getting a little impatient.

"The two of you, alone?"

"That's right."

"I won't allow it!"

His voice suddenly rose, harder than I'd ever heard it.

I froze for a second, and then my own temper flared.

"Neil, what right do you have to forbid me? Have you forgotten what you promised me back then?"

"That's different! That was just eating out and singing karaoke! This is going to the Highlands! For days on end! Just the two of you, a single man and a single womanwill you be staying together? What will people think? What am I supposed to think?"

His words came down like a bucket of cold water dumped over my head.

I was shaking with rage.

"Neil! How can your mind be so filthy! Ernest and I have a pure friendship! We're going to the Highlands for a pilgrimage, to purify our souls! How does that turn into something so ugly in your mouth?"

"A pure friendship? Does a pure friendship need two people to travel alone together? Naomi, stop fooling yourself!"

"I'm fooling myself? I think you're the one making a scene! Neil, let me tell you, this isn't up for discussion! I'm going to the Highlands no matter what!"

Then came the scene from the beginning.

I hung up, blocked him, and shut off my phone.

That evening, I dragged my suitcase downstairs, met up with Ernest, who was waiting there, and we headed straight for the airport.

Sitting on the plane bound for Highland City, staring out at the pitch-black night sky, I didn't feel the slightest guilt.

If anything, there was a thrill of revenge.

Neil, you forced me to do this.

You want to control me? Then I'll break free of your hold on purpose.

I want you to know that I, Naomi Fox, am not your possession.

That week in the Highlands, I had the time of my life.

I turned off my phone, completely cutting myself off from my old life.

Ernest and I went to the Grand Palace, soaked up the sun in front of the Great Temple, and watched the stars by Sacred Lake.

Ernest is a great photographer; he made me look like an otherworldly fairy.

I posted the photos to a social media feed group that only a few friends could see, blocking Neil and all my family.

The comments underneath were nothing but praise.

"Wow, a fairy come down to earth!"

"Naomi, you're living so freely!"

"So envious, so jealous!"

Reading these comments, my vanity was hugely satisfied.

On Ernest's birthday, I booked out a very stylish highland regional restaurant to celebrate with him.

We drank a lot of local barley wine.

He held up his glass, his eyes bright as he looked at me.

"Naomi, thank you. This is the happiest birthday I've ever had."

I smiled and said,

"Don't be silly, we're best friends."

He fell quiet for a moment, then suddenly asked,

"You've been away so many days nowyour husband, he doesn't mind?"

The smile faded from my face at the mention of Neil.

"Don't bring him up, it's a mood-killer."

I picked up my glass and drank it down in one gulp.

The week flew by.

It wasn't until I was on the plane home that I finally turned my phone back on.

Dozens of missed calls, all from Neil.

And hundreds of messages, too.

At first, they were angry demands.

"Naomi, did you really leave?"

"Do my words just go in one ear and out the other?"

"Turn your phone on!"

Later, they turned into worry and pleading.

"Naomi, where did you go? At least let me know you're safe."

"Honey, I was wrong. I shouldn't have fought with you. Please come home, okay?"

"As long as you come back safe, anything is fine."

Looking at these messages, I felt a tangle of emotions.

There was the faintest bit of wavering.

But soon that familiar urge to control took over again.

See? He still can't do without me.

The moment I push him away even a little, he panics.

I took my time replying with a single message.

"I'm back, on my way home."

Less than three seconds after I sent it, his call came through.

I hesitated a moment, but answered anyway.

On the other end was his voice, careful, and tinged with a hint of wild joy.

"Honey? You're back? Where are you now?"

"Almost home."

"Okay, okay, I'll wait for you."

There wasn't a trace of blame in his voice.

After I hung up, I leaned back in the taxi seat, imagining how humble and eager to please he'd be once I got home.

Maybe he'd give me a big hug, then cook me a whole table of my favorite dishes.

Thinking about it, I was almost looking forward to it.

The taxi stopped at the entrance of the complex.

I dragged my suitcase into the familiar stairwell and took out my keys.

With a click, the door opened.

I pushed it open. The entryway light was on, spilling a warm yellow glow across the floor.

Everything was exactly the same as when I'd left.

I changed my shoes and dragged my suitcase inside, calling out as I went.

"Neil, I'm back."

There was no one in the living room.

The bedroom door was slightly ajar.

I walked over and gently pushed it open.

But when I saw the scene inside, I was completely dumbfounded.