Summary
My husband from an arranged marriage was always away on business.
That left me rattling around an enormous villa with a little boy who had lost the ability to speak, the two of us staring at each other all day.
I wanted him to know what a wonderful stepmother I was.
So that very night, I carried him off for a bath, determined to shower him with motherly love.
He clapped both hands over his privates and glared at me as if I had committed an unforgivable crime.
The moment he was dressed again, he jabbed two enormous words onto his tablet: **NO SHAME!**
I pretended not to see and kissed him several more times until his cheeks turned scarlet.
From then on, he got a good-morning kiss and a good-night kiss every day.
He still acted as if he could take me or leave me.
But the day my husband returned from his business trip, the boy appeared at my door with a pillow in his arms.
**You forgot to kiss me today!**
**If you invite me to sleep with you, I might consider forgiving you.**