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Hardship Taught Me Well
Hardship Taught Me Well
Auteur: Triple Threat

Chapter 1

Auteur: Triple Threat
Gavin and I grew up in the same orphanage.

He was proud and soft-spoken, constantly targeted by bullies, so for thirteen long years I stood up for him.

At eighteen, we quietly fell in love.

I gave him a pair of clay figurines I sculpted by hand, and we made a vow to stay together as long as the figurines remained intact.

At twenty-three, we decided to get married and buy a place to call our own.

To realize our shared dream, I went overseas to work for five years, wiring every single cent I earned back to him.

Finally, six months ago, Gavin told me he had saved enough money to buy the house we had been eyeing.

The day I saw the deed, I was picking cherries on a farm half a world away.

I was working nine and a half hours a day, my skin peeling off my sunburnt face, yet my heart brimmed with sweetness.

Once the harvest season ended, I couldn’t wait another second. I bought a plane ticket and flew home to surprise him.

I never expected to be at the other end of the surprise.

The woman, Chloe Lynch, stepped aside with warm hospitality, gesturing for me to come in.

Their wedding photo hung on the wall, the sofa matched the exact design I had picked out, and children’s clothes were left out to dry on the balcony.

Chloe set the little boy down and grabbed a pair of bunny slippers.

“Here, wear these. Gavin just bought them.

“He keeps saying I remind him of a kiddo, so he’s always buying me these childish things.

“I hope you don’t mind, Ms. Stone.”

Her voice was soft and gentle as she shared a sweet triviality in the blissful life they shared.

“Mommy! Where’s the toy Daddy got me? I can’t find it anywhere!

“He promised he’d play with me once he got back from his work trip.”

The boy tugged at her sleeve, peppering her with questions while glancing at me with curious eyes.

“Lady, are you really good friends with my daddy?”

Gazing at his features that mirrored Gavin’s so strikingly, it suddenly came back to me that Gavin and I once had a child too.

Because I had to go work abroad and we couldn’t afford to keep it, I had the baby aborted.

My vision blurred for an instant before I nodded, forcing a single word past my tight throat.

“Yeah.”

Chloe smiled and patted the child’s head.

“Alright now, let Mommy talk to our guest. Go play in your room.”

The boy nodded and scampered happily back into his bedroom.

My eyes tracked his departing figure, then shifted from the maternal glow on Chloe’s face down to her lower abdomen.

“How far along are you?” I asked.

She blinked, resting a hand on her belly.

“Four months.”

Four months...

I repeated the words in a hushed murmur.

Four months ago, I was still in Silveridge, right when the blueberries ripened.

I left home at five in the morning and worked fourteen hours a day, pushing through exhaustion and finger cramps, not daring to take a break.

I wanted to earn extra money to buy a new sofa for our future home.

“This sofa...”

“Gavin bought it. He felt bad that my pregnancy was giving me a hard time, so he got me something comfortable.

“Do you like this set too? I can ask Gavin to send you the link.”

Chloe looked at me with a sweet, amiable smile.

My reply almost choked in my throat.

“Oh no, it’s fine...”

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  • Hardship Taught Me Well   Chapter 13

    He froze.“Because you wished a bright future for me.“As it turned out, you almost destroyed that.”His breath trembled.I continued:“From this day forth, my name has nothing to do with you anymore.“Neither my future.”With that, I hung up and blocked the number.Later on, I saw Gavin one more time.It was a year later at an industry exchange conference.My little studio had expanded into an enterprise.I came onstage as a guest speaker to share insights on evidence awareness, women’s financial independence, and avoiding pitfalls in cross-border labor.Many people were seated in the audience.When I finished speaking, applause erupted.Amid the applause, I caught sight of Gavin sitting in the last row.He wore a washed-out, faded shirt, so thin he was practically emaciated.Catching sight of my gaze, he stood up in a panic.He looked as if he wanted to leave, yet couldn’t bear to part.When the conference ended, I found him waiting for me at the entrance.Standing in the freezing wi

  • Hardship Taught Me Well   Chapter 12

    I reviewed their contracts, verified their employers, and taught them how to preserve evidence.At the end of every consultation, I made sure to tell my clients of young women:“Earning money is the goal.“But never surrender all your earnings to someone else.“Always put yourself first.”Six months later, my agency was featured on the local news.The reporter asked me why I chose this career path.I pondered briefly before replying:“When I was younger, I used to think that endurance and sacrifice could earn me a home.“Only later did I realize, the single most important thing is staying clear-headed.”The night the news aired, I received a call from an unknown number.The other end remained silent for a long time.I knew almost instantly who it was.“Clara.”Gavin’s voice sounded far more haggard than before.He had likely been released.Or perhaps he was in the middle of completing his release procedures.I didn’t say a word.He asked, hesitatingly, “Are you doing well?”I looked ou

  • Hardship Taught Me Well   Chapter 11

    “Clara, I want the brightest future for you.”Back then, that young boy’s eyes shone pure as snow.I had loved him once.With every single bit of strength I possessed.Gavin’s voice cracked with tears.“I’m sorry.“I… wronged you.”I looked at him.I stared for a long time.Finally, I said:“Gavin, it’s not me you wronged.“It’s the Clara who once had faith in you.”Tears instantly cascaded down his face.Yet I didn’t look back.Turning around to leave the courthouse, I was met with the brilliant sunlight that stung my eyes.Walking down to the bottom of the steps, I suddenly crouched down on the ground.Sarah was caught off guard.“Are you okay?”I waved my hand gently.“I’m fine.”Yet tears beaded on the concrete floor.One drop, then two.They quickly dampened a small patch of ground.I wasn’t crying for Gavin.I was crying for twenty-three-year-old me.For the girl who had believed that working hard would earn her a home.For the girl who, running a high fever in a strange land, di

  • Hardship Taught Me Well   Chapter 10

    I hung up the phone.Outside the window, it was raining hard.The raindrops rattled down in dense patters.The sound reminded me of the tin roofs on the farms in Silveridge.My mind drifted to five years ago, the night I first arrived there.Unable to speak the language, my phone running out of battery, the airport lights chilly all around me.I crouched inside a bathroom stall, weeping as I clutched my suitcase.I sent Gavin a message then:“I’m scared.”It took him three hours to reply:“Stop being so dramatic. Think about our future home.”So I wiped away my tears.And I began to imagine that home.I never stopped for five years.Only to realize that there had never been a place for me in such a home.On the day of the court session, the weather was wonderful.I wore a black trench coat.Sarah said black made one look composed.When I looked in the mirror, I saw the reflection staring back at me.A skinny woman with deep-set eyes.Rough marks on the back of my hands from long-term

  • Hardship Taught Me Well   Chapter 9

    She looked up at me.“We can win.”Her reply made all my past torments worth it.I didn’t see Gavin over the next few days.He called me countless times.I didn’t answer a single call.Then he sent me messages:“Clara, let’s talk.“Things aren’t the way you think they are.“I know I’ve wronged you, but I had no choice at the time.“Can you please take down the videos?“My boss already brought me in for a talk, and Chloe’s dad has been dragged into this too.”Reading all those words, I felt nothing but sheer absurdity.Even now, he was still convinced I should clean up his mess for him.Just like all those years in the past.Back in the orphanage, when other kids stole his food, I fought them off.When he failed his exams, I stayed up all night to tutor him.When he met setbacks at work, I comforted him, telling him we could take things slow.When he wanted to buy a house, I went to work in Silveridge.I had always borne the burden.That must be why he assumed even now—after his colossa

  • Hardship Taught Me Well   Chapter 8

    “Which one of those wasn’t bought with my money?“When you were enjoying all of it, did you ever stop to think about how evil you were?”Chloe was left speechless by my retort.Gavin finally spoke up.His voice was raspy as sandpaper.“Clara... I’m sorry.”Hearing that, a sharp, violent pain stabbed through my chest.Five years.I had waited for some explanation.I had longed for his care.And a simple thank you from this man.Yet all I got was him basking in glory, blessed with wife and child.“Not so fast.”I took another document from the PI and threw it right at his face.Papers scattered all over the floor.Bank transfer records, chat screenshots, property registry info, transaction histories, and social media screenshots.Page after page, all proof of how I had been bled dry over the past five years.“These are the court filings.”I looked at him, delivering each word with deliberate clarity.“Gavin, all that you owe me—“I’m going to make you pay back every single cent.”The ne

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