“I did. But he avoided answering.”
Sarah explained that photographing my body without my consent wasn’t acceptable, even if the person doing it was my husband.
She then recommended some tests to determine what was causing the discomfort in my belly.
When I left the hospital, I had seven missed calls from Daniel.
And one message.
“Emily, I know you’ve been afraid of me these past few days. Tonight, I’ll explain everything. Please remember one thing: I never wanted to hurt you.”
I didn’t reply.
That evening, I came home earlier than usual.
Daniel was sitting in the kitchen.
In front of him were his phone, an old photo album, and a small blue box.
“Emily, please sit down.”
“No. First, tell me why you’ve been photographing me while I’m asleep.”
He lowered his head.
“Because I was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
Daniel opened the old
album.
In the first photograph, I was twenty-two years old, on our wedding day.
In the second, I was pregnant.
In the third, I was in the hospital, holding our baby boy.
Then he showed me a photograph I’d almost completely forgotten.
I was standing in the same backyard where he’d recently taken another picture of me.
I was wearing a pink swimsuit.
“Do you remember this day, Emily?”
I remembered.
It was thirteen years ago.
That day, several relatives had laughed at my body. I’d been so humiliated that I’d decided never to wear a swimsuit again.
Daniel took my hand.
“After that day, you started hiding yourself. You stopped taking pictures, going to the beach, even looking at yourself in the mirror.”
“And that’s why you’ve been photographing me at night?”
“No. That wasn’t the only reason.”
He took a deep breath.
