A Thing of the Past

It wasn't long after I hung up on Rodney Luther that he rushed home in panic. In his rush, he had forgotten his keys, so he could only pound on the door frantically. "Ivy, open the door!"Snapping out of my thoughts, I, Ivana Fletcher, walked over to open the door. The first thing that greeted me was a vibrant, blooming bouquet of red roses. They were as much a pain to the eyes as they were eye-catching.Rodney shoved the flowers into my arms the moment he stepped inside and casually placed a gift box on the shoe rack in the entryway. I knew the roses were secondhand, and curiosity made me check whether the gift was as well. Sure enough, when I opened it, it was the same one that Jessica had bragged about on her social media not long ago.I stared at the man standing in front of me, hoping for praise and trying to cover up the fact that he didn't love me anymore. "Have you given these to Jessica before, too?" I asked bluntly. But he merely raised an eyebrow and blew out

Rodney stared at the man before him in shock, instinctively trying to shield Jessica from view. However, I deliberately pulled her right in front of Patrick Luther."Mr. Luther, your wedding back then must've been too pathetic. Otherwise, why would your wife want to wear my wedding dress? I'm not bothered by it, but frugality has its limits. For the sake of your marriage, there are things you really shouldn't cut corners on, Mr. Luther."The more I said, the darker Patrick's expression grew as rage surged through him. Jessica panicked and was about to explain, but Patrick slapped her so hard that she was sent flying to the ground. Wow. That was satisfying. Served her right for strutting around in front of me. Did she really think I would take it lying down?"Oh, right, Mr. Luther. If you have the time, you should keep a closer eye on what your wife does every day. I've heard that she and your son stay out all night pretty often."I mean, I trust Rodney, but rumors can be powe

When I noticed that my father's hair had fully turned gray and that fine lines had appeared around my mother's eyes, a long-overdue wave of regret crashed over me like a tide. I had once stubbornly gone my own way for love, never giving much thought to my aging parents. But now, when I finally looked back, I realized just how much time with them I had missed out on. Life at home was comfortable. I woke up to meals already on the table, and it only took me ten minutes on foot to get to and from work. It was kind of funny how I rarely stepped foot in the kitchen at home. The dishwasher handled all the dishes, and as for cooking, they kept insisting I didn't need to. Mom always said that daughters should be pampered, whereas Dad would say that daughters should be raised as if they were princesses. Yet somehow, I had more or less ended up being Rodney's nanny for almost ten years. Rodney called, but I never answered. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Since I had already chosen to s

"I know. I know that the 18-year-old Rodney loved me like his life depended on it. But the 28-year-old Rodney doesn't love me anymore. Your memory will eventually come back after a while.""No, I don't want it to," Rodney said, tears in his eyes as he clutched my wrist desperately. "Rodney, it's human nature to like the new and forget the old," I said, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "Let me go, and let yourself go, too, okay?" Rodney seemed to sense how resolute I was. His smile turned bitter, and tears streamed down his face. "Ivy, I love you. I can't live without you."I pried his hand away. "Rodney, the 18-year-old you truly did love me. But it's also true that the 27-year-old you loved Jessica. I've called your father. He should be here soon. "You shouldn't come to Sarian anymore. My parents introduced me to a really good man. If nothing unexpected comes up, we'll be getting married.""Do you love him, Ivy?""He's a good guy.""Do you love him, Ivy?""He's very