Exit the Substitute: Walking Out of Her World

After going through the unsent message drafts in my wife's old phone, I slumped listlessly to the floor. Her chat logs were full of romantic messages. I should've been thrilled about it—but the messages weren't for me. Her texts were for her senior and my superior, Robert Lane. A few days ago, I noticed that my wife, Celine Young, had been texting someone on her phone in a secretive manner. With Valentine's Day just three days away, I simply assumed that she was planning a surprise for me. I tried to suppress my excitement, but my curiosity got the better of me. So, when Celine wasn't paying attention, I tried to unlock her phone. I keyed in our birthdays, our son's birthday, and even our wedding anniversary. But unfortunately, none of the password combinations worked. I told myself she was just trying to keep me from ruining the surprise. That would explain why she had been acting so mysteriously. To keep the surprise hidden, she even went as far as to change the password on

"You promised you'd spend Valentine's Day with me," I said. Celine didn't respond, but I saw her fingers curl up subconsciously. I could tell that she felt guilty.After some time, I broke the silence once again, saying, "Let's just head home." "I'm sorry," she whispered as the car began to move. I rolled down the window and pretended like I didn't hear her. Then, I let the wind mess up my hair and brush the tears from my face. Fortunately for me, Celine couldn't see any of it. The two of us stayed silent as the car sped down the road. As we were nearing home, I took a deep breath and composed myself. Subsequently, I opened the door and exited the vehicle. Before I could even unlock the front door, I heard Will crying out from the inside of the house. Once I opened the door, he immediately threw himself into Celine's arms and exclaimed, "Mommy! You're finally home!"He continued, "Dad locked me inside and wouldn't let me out. But I want to go to the amusement park!"Upon hea

Once I pulled myself together, I asked some friends to help me move out of the house. As I walked up to the second floor, I was reminded of memories that I used to be fond of. By the time my friends arrived, I was almost done packing. After giving them the delivery address for my belongings, I returned to Celine's home. There was one last thing I needed to take care of. After that, I wanted nothing to do with Celine and Will.I had the security guard bring the photos I had collected into the yard. Once they were piled up, I flicked open my lighter and tossed it onto the pile without any hesitation. The blazing fire destroyed every record of our love. When all that remained was the wedding photo in my hand, Celine returned with Will.Under her gaze, I threw our wedding photo into the fire. She froze, then frowned and swiftly marched toward me. "What the hell are you doing?"I stared at the subtle disdain in her eyes and declared, "Let's get a divorce, Celine."The air around us

I walked down the dark street alone.Will was my own flesh and blood. Even if Celine had betrayed me, I believed that he would still choose to be on my side. Unfortunately, it seemed like no one actually cared about me. In hindsight, I had been nothing but a failure. As I was wallowing in self-mockery, I accidentally bumped into another person. "What are you doing here?" the two of us asked simultaneously.I stared at the girl's disheveled appearance and felt slightly puzzled. However, once I noticed the plastic bottle she was holding, I finally understood what was going on. Frowning, I recalled the shabby house she lived in and stared at her thin figure. She looked very young, yet she already bore the weight of life on her shoulders.I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Life was usually a lot harder on girls, too."It's late. It's not safe for you to be out here by yourself," I instinctively told her.She cut me off and replied, "But you're alone, too. Please make sure t

While I was waiting at the airport, two familiar figures appeared in my way. "I miss you, Dad. Can you please stay?" Will asked, staring up at me with a sad expression. He looked just like he did when he was still a newborn baby. I bent down and gently embraced him. I loved him, but the wound on my leg was still aching faintly. "I have to go." I let go of him. Then, I took a long, lingering look at him before finally turning to leave. Unfortunately, I didn't end up leaving the country. I didn't miss my flight because of Celine and Will; I missed my flight because of that young girl. My friend sent me a text. They claimed that the girl had been hospitalized after she got into a fight. I anxiously rushed to the hospital. When I caught sight of her fragile yet determined figure, my heart ached. This was all my fault—I shouldn't have left her alone. As it turned out, the young girl's name was Ruby Carson, and she was named after a precious gemstone. After the death of her par