I Left My Husband When He Hated Me Most

When Dan left the crematorium, dusk had settled in. His face was a cold mask, and his back was ramrod straight. It was as if scattering the ashes had been nothing more than an incidental gesture.Just then, a familiar figure came rushing toward him.It took me a moment to recognize her. It was Sarah Aison, my college roommate and best friend.She was out of breath. There was sweat beading on her forehead. Her eyes were red, like she had been crying.When she saw Dan, she stopped short. “What are you doing here?”Dan frowned upon seeing her. His tone was cold. “Why are you here?”Still catching her breath, Sarah looked at him with a complicated expression.“I’m here to say goodbye to Emma.”“Say goodbye?” A mocking smile touched the corner of Dan’s mouth when he heard that. “Then I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. You can’t see her anymore.”Sarah froze. Her face was drained of color.“What does that mean?”Dan did not answer. He only cast her a dismissive glance, then turn

Ever since the day he returned from the university, I had noticed that something was off about Dan.I was dead. He should have felt triumphant.After all, he had hated me for years. He had finally exacted his revenge with his own hands, even going so far as to pour my ashes down the drain.Logically, he should have felt liberated.However, over the past few days, he had remained silent. His eyes were hollow. He was distracted even during high-level meetings at the company.His assistant noticed as well. He cautiously said, “Mr. Fanning, you haven’t seemed yourself lately. Would you like to postpone some of the events in your schedule and take a break? I can arrange flights and a hotel.”Dan stared at his computer screen. He was tapping his fingers on the desk absentmindedly.He was silent for a long moment before finally saying, “Cancel my meetings for this afternoon and tomorrow.”His assistant nodded. “Okay. Where would you like to go? I’ll make the arrangements right away.”

Dan tried to calm himself, but the tears came in a torrent he could not stem.I drifted beside him. As I watched his shoulders shake, a confusion settled in my chest.He was crying so hard. Could it mean he had liked me a little?How could that be?He had been so cruel to me. He gave me years of cold indifference.He would not speak to me. He would not come home. He even knocked my ashes to the floor deliberately.How could someone like that have ever felt anything for me?Yet the way he looked seemed to say otherwise.While clutching the letter, Dan staggered out of the university. Back in the car, he gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. Suddenly, he slammed his fist against it a few times. A choked, agonized sound escaped his throat.“Emma…”I did not understand why he was behaving like that. All I could do was stay by his side and cry with him.Then his head snapped up, as if something had just occurred to him. He stepped hard on the accelerator,

After stumbling away from my parents’ house, Dan did something I never expected. He went back to the house we once shared.Ever since his plans for revenge had come to light, he had bought another place and rarely returned here.I watched as he stood at the door. His fingers were trembling as he keyed in the password. It was still the date of our wedding.The door opened. Dust motes swirled in the still air as he stepped inside. Everything was covered in a thin, gray film of neglect.He walked inside. His steps were unsteady, as if he were walking on clouds that could dissolve at any moment.My memory went back to that day.It was our seventh wedding anniversary.That evening, I had cooked a full meal myself and opened a bottle of his favorite red wine. I was getting ready to celebrate another major deal he had secured for the company.Beaming with happiness, I raised my glass to clink it with him.However, with a sharp flick of his wrist, he poured the wine onto the floor.C