A Heart Gone With the Wind

After the gathering ended, I stood at the entrance as usual to see my colleagues off while waiting for Taylor Kennedy to pull out from the parking lot.When a car sprayed with bright pink paint stopped in front of me, I was somewhat confused.The window rolled down, revealing Yvonne Carter sitting comfortably in the front passenger seat. She smiled sweetly and said, "Faith, I get carsick in the back. You won't mind, would you?"I looked down as I recalled the time I'd pleaded with Taylor to hang the little charm I'd crocheted by hand in his car.He'd responded impatiently, "That thing doesn't match my car's aesthetic. If anyone sees it, they're going to make fun of me."So, a pink car matched his aesthetic, then? Was that not embarrassing for him?I didn't say much. I quietly opened the rear door and got in.In the past, I probably would have made a scene and told Yvonne to get out. But now, I couldn't be bothered anymore.Even Taylor was surprised by my reaction and stopped ac

Lately, Taylor would bring up our age gap every time we fought.Yes, compared to Yvonne, I wasn't a little girl anymore. Whenever he brought it up, I'd lose control. I'd yell and demand if he'd fallen for another girl. It only made him more irritated with me.Not this time, though. I replied indifferently, "I never thought that. You can believe whatever you want."Then I limped off to the guest room.Whenever we argued, Taylor would make me sleep in the guest room. If I resisted, he'd lock the door to the master bedroom and leave me crying outside.However, as I took the initiative this time, Taylor suddenly carried me back to the master bedroom."Faith, stop being so stubborn!"Even though we lay on the same bed, there was enough space between us to fit another person.Taylor was keeping his distance because of my swollen ankle, whereas I was keeping mine because I couldn't bear his touch anymore.It hadn't always been like this. I used to curl up in his arms every night for

Percy, however, looked a little puzzled as I'd never been this gracious before.Taylor never liked bringing me around his friends, and Percy had even helped cover for him when he hung out with Yvonne.Each time I found out, I'd cause a scene right in front of everyone, making things awkward and leaving Taylor even more annoyed with me.Beatrice sensed the tension and hurriedly linked her arm through mine to lead me to the table. I followed her and handed her the gift I'd prepared.She hadn't done anything wrong to me, and I couldn't ruin her birthday.During dinner, I noticed all the dishes were spicy. I forced down a few bites, even though they upset my stomach. When the discomfort grew worse, I got up and went to the restroom.Taylor glanced at me but quickly looked away.By the time I returned, I overheard him questioning Percy."I told you Yvonne can't have seafood. Why'd you order seafood chowder?"Percy said nothing. Beatrice responded instead, "I ordered it for Faith. S

Taylor pushed me aside carelessly, and just as I was about to fall, a warm embrace caught me.I looked up to a familiar face—my childhood friend, Jordan Strauss, who had cut off contact with me after going abroad for his studies once I started dating Taylor.After I regained my balance, Jordan let go.Watching Taylor fuss over Yvonne, I felt utterly bored and left. Unexpectedly, Jordan and I were headed in the same direction.It turned out he had just returned to the country and was also invited by Willa to celebrate.The dinner was enjoyable. Besides Willa, Jordan knew my tastes best.Meanwhile, my phone kept lighting up with messages from Taylor, which I ignored. He was asking who Jordan was and when I would come home.He even said he'd packed the restaurant's signature dish for me and was sure I would like it. And I did. After all, I had the same dish sitting right in front of me.When I finished my meal, Taylor seemed to have lost patience. He called me and spoke gently, "B

As soon as Yvonne was done yelling, Taylor loosened his grip on my hand and turned to punch Jordan, who had just caught up.Jordan's cheek immediately swelled, and a trickle of blood fell from the corner of his mouth.He chuckled and said, "You took Faith for granted. Now that she's divorcing you, you come at me as her husband? Taylor, have you got no shame?"Then, Jordan and Taylor started fighting.When they were nearly done, I stepped in to pull them apart and carefully checked Jordan's injuries.Taylor's eyes instantly turned red. Before, whenever he got even the slightest injury, I would grow frantic and worry about him. But now that he was hurt, I didn't care anymore.Seeing Jordan hurt made my heart ache for some reason, and tears slipped down my cheeks. In the end, Jordan comforted me instead."Faith, I'm your husband! You'd care about an outsider over me?" Taylor's voice trembled with anger.I gathered myself and faced Taylor. "We're getting a divorce. Besides, what Yv