Moving On

I barely had time to wrap myself in a bath towel as my husband, Jason Hewitt, opened the door abruptly.In walked a woman whose name tag read 'Sylvie Channing'. Teary-eyed, she entered the room with a distraught expression.That name rang a bell. She was Jason's ex-girlfriend.The air-conditioning was set to a low temperature. I did my best to cover up, but I could still feel the freezing air on my exposed shoulders and thighs.Sylvie stared at me for a while and then curled her lips.I was Jason's legal wife, yet Sylvie's gaze seemed to condemn me.Jason then decided to smoke.Sylvie and I coughed at the same time.Jason continued smoking as he placed his hands on my shoulder. "My wife would like to rest. I'm inclined to say that the hotel service is rather poor. Is it the manager's job to cry all day while expecting the hotel's guests to tidy up the room after themselves?"That was the first time I had ever heard Jason speak so harshly."Darling," I tried to persuade him, "Just let i

I could no longer hold back my tears. "No. I'm not okay. I'm not okay at all."I felt that I had lost my mind as I cried my heart out in front of two strangers.There was no denying I was in a very bad state of mind.If Jason were here, I would tell him that I was scared and that it was hurting where I was scalded, but he was not here.He broke his promise on the first day of our marriage. He neither protected me nor showed up beside me at my saddest moments.The janitor patted my back gently and said, "It's okay to let it out."When she patted me on the shoulder, my pain drew out an ugly wince.The janitor was startled. "Are you hurt?"The two of them immediately brought me to the bathroom after lifting my shirt collar and seeing what had happened. They ran cold water over my shoulders and asked another colleague to get some ointment for my burns.Jason should be the one doing all that for me.My tears flowed uncontrollably when I saw those two strangers with worried looks.A good amo

Jason might have felt a pang of regret as soon as he saw Sylvie's photo and received her message.I could still accept it if he explained himself clearly, and I would not mind it if he wanted to meet her.I was disappointed because he did not bother to show me that courtesy. To make things worse, he gave me the pink diamond ring that symbolized their promises and intended future.I wore that ring in front of him every single day.It was not until Sylvie showed up and broke down in tears that the indifference he so feigned crumbled.I am a nobody, though.Half a year had passed since Jason received the message from Sylvie. Jason and I had not even met each other's parents to discuss the marriage back then.He had opportunity after opportunity to figure out who he truly loved. That would at least make things less complicated between us.He made his choice, and he would have to live with it. Everything that happened in the present was the consequence of his past actions.It was I

I took some comfort in my increasing numbness to all the continued disappointment.It had reached a point where I could say with a smile, "You don't have to worry about Jason being hurt again. I'm pretty sure he's finally fulfilled his long-cherished desires."Jason's parents looked at each other in embarrassment. His father's calls remained unanswered.My parents were more displeased than ever. "There's nothing else to discuss if you can't even tell your son to behave. Let's deal with the divorce."Please return the money we paid for the house. We won't ask for anything more than that. We'll cut ties with your family so Lauren won't have to suffer anymore."My parents did not demand anything else. They were simply there to support me.I could feel my tears welling up again.Jason's parents said embarrassedly, "But it would leave a bad impression for newlyweds to divorce so soon. Please give Jason a chance, Lauren. It could just be a misunderstanding.""Newlyweds, huh..." I always thou

Sylvie was threatening to commit suicide—again. She stood at the edge of the building, started a live stream, and mentioned my name.I switched on the live broadcast and saw her crying in front of the camera. "Some days ago, I helped the husband of a woman named Lauren Falk get ointment for her after she suffered some burns. She left her hotel door open to seduce other men into satisfying her sexual frustration, but she later regretted it and called the police on them. I then got fired for leaving my post."I'm now banned from this line of work, and until now I don't know where I went wrong."I am the ex-girlfriend of Lauren's husband, but my relationship with him is water under the bridge. He is simply a guest at the hotel where I am a manager."But you're playing dirty, Lauren! You're trying to take away his property during this divorce while twisting the facts and placing all the blame on me."I can't take this anymore. Maybe all exes should just die. Then let me die, but I'll die w