Alexis knew men often equated sex with love.

After what happened, Leonel probably thought everything was back to normal between them. He might even believe they could happily make love in the future.

But women were different. Once they were let down by a man, it wasn't easy for them to fall back in love.

Still, Alexis didn't voice any of this to Leonel. After he left, she went to the bathroom to shower thoroughly. She turned the water hotter than usual, not wanting to take any chances of getting pregnant.

Once she was done, she changed into comfortable clothes.

Then, hesitating for a moment, she opened a drawer of the bedside table and took out a small bottle of contraceptive pills.

She had bought them a while ago.

She wasn't entirely sure why she bought them back then. Maybe she had a feeling it would come to this someday. After all, she didn't want to complicate her life further by having another child with Leonel.

Since she couldn't find water in the bedroom, Alexis wandered into the living room, spotting a bottle of water on the coffee table. She grabbed it and downed the pills without a second thought.

“Ready for dinner? I-" Leonel's voice abruptly stopped.

He noticed the bottle of medicine in her hand and his expression shifted to surprise.

Following his gaze, Alexis shrugged. “You skipped the condom earlier, and we're not exactly planning for another baby right now. So, I figured it's best to be safe."

Leonel's eyebrows shot up indignantly. “Is that supposed to explain anything to me?"

"Kind of," Alexis replied with a faint smile.

Leonel approached her slowly, dressed in a crisp white shirt and black pants, her once-favorite attire of his. He took the bottle from her delicate hand, studying the label intently before speaking softly.

"Alexis, you don't want to have another child with me, do you? You didn't seem too into having sex with me back there."

Alexis sighed, her voice barely audible. "Leonel, I can only say I can't give you what you want."

The weight of her words hit him hard.

As he looked at her again, he realized he had been wrong the whole time.

It dawned on him that he wasn't the only one struggling in their marriage.