I was six months pregnant when my husband, Michael Greene, shoved me off the edge of a yacht during a birthday party. Why? Because Lily Clement, his childhood sweetheart, had fallen into the water, and apparently, the yacht was too small for all three of us. After being pulled from the ocean, suffering from hypothermia and shock, I was taken to the hospital. Doctors determined that emergency surgery was necessary and required a family member's consent. However, no matter how many times they called, Michael never picked up. At the same time, lying in a hospital bed, I scrolled through Lily’s Instagram and saw the post she shared just hours earlier. It was a photo of the two of them, soaked but clinging to each other like lovers out of a movie. "Sometimes love comes from the most unexpected places. Thank you for always being there for me—quietly, selflessly, unshakably." That was all I needed. The day I was discharged, I left Michael a signed divorce agreement. If he wanted to be her knight in shining armor, I’d let him.
View MoreAfter that, Michael never appeared again.Two weeks later, he showed up and agreed to file the divorce. Compared to last time, he looked even more haggard. His beard was unkempt, dark circles bruised his eyes, and his cheeks were sunken.When he saw me, he instinctively wanted to rush over, but halfway through, he seemed to snap back to reality and merely greeted me, stiff and formal.I gave him a calm nod."Since we’re both here, let’s get this over with."Michael stared blankly at me, then began glancing around frantically.One moment, he said his stomach hurt. Next, he claimed he was hungry and needed to eat. He dragged it out until the courthouse closed for the day.I was so furious that I actually laughed. I said to him directly, "If you don’t want us to end things on a terrible note, then stop playing games and go get the divorce done. Otherwise, I’ll pursue legal measures and force the divorce through."Michael, who had been secretly rejoicing, froze on the spot. He quic
After that day, I found a new job as a teacher at an orphanage.However, Michael kept showing up in my life, intentionally or not.Because of my job, I had to get up early every morning. He would wait downstairs before I even left and hand me breakfast he’d made himself. At noon, he’d bring me lunch with the same diligence I once showed when I took care of him every day.I ignored him and even rejected him multiple times, but he just kept showing up, trying to please me again and again."Emily, you took care of me for so long. Now it’s my turn to take care of you."I gave a mocking laugh and poked around at the meal he made. Then, I asked deliberately, "You loved your toast and coffee in the morning. You always wanted an egg sandwich at lunch. But tell me, do you know what I like to eat in the morning? Do you even know what my favorite is?"Michael hesitated, stumbled over his words, and couldn’t come up with an answer.As I expected.I shoved the lunchbox he gave me back into
As soon as I got off the plane, my dad was already waiting for me in the arrivals hall. Without saying a word, he just took my suitcase and patted my head."Let’s go home."At home, Mom had prepared a feast of my favorite dishes. Even after all these years away, they still remembered what I liked.After dinner, Mom asked how long I planned to stay this time.I quietly wiped the tears from the corner of my eyes while hiding in the shadows."I’m not leaving this time. I’m home for good."Both of my parents were stunned for a moment, but in silent understanding, neither of them asked anything more.Surprisingly, it was my usually quiet father who spoke first, "If you’re staying, then stay. I’m not that old yet. I can still take care of you."Back in my bedroom, Mom had replaced all the linen with fresh ones. The whole room smelled strongly of laundry detergent.Mom talked to me for a long time but didn’t ask anything about Michael. She only said that once a person made a decision
Michael suddenly looked up, and for a moment, a flicker of light appeared in his dull eyes. However, when the person walked in and started speaking, he lowered his head again. "What is it?""Michael, I called you so many times and you didn’t answer. I was worried about you…""I’m fine. You can leave now." It was the first time Michael ever told Lily to leave.Lily froze for a moment, then, sensing something was off in his mood, stepped closer to him. "Michael, did something happen? You don’t look like you’re in a good place."His voice was hoarse, and he seemed lost. "Emily… she doesn’t want me anymore."The moment Lily heard that, a burst of joy lit up her face. She couldn’t hide the excitement welling up in her eyes.Nonetheless, before she could say anything, Michael suddenly looked up, his eyes icy cold as he stared straight at her. "Emily doesn’t want me anymore, and you seem pretty happy about it, don’t you?"Lily was caught off guard. She never expected him to confront
Michael sat in stunned silence for a long time.By the time he left the hospital, he wasn’t even aware of how he got out. He sat in the car, dazed, and instinctively pulled out his phone to call Emily.Unfortunately, all he got was the same cold, automated message: "The number you dialed is currently unavailable."He couldn’t make sense of it. His mind kept looping back to what the doctor had just said."A week ago, Mrs. Greene underwent a procedure to terminate the pregnancy...""Damn it!" Michael slammed his fist hard against the steering wheel. The last time he'd felt this kind of panic and frustration had been years ago when his company had not gotten on track yet. However, now, recalling Emily’s strange, distant expression over the past few days, and her unusually calm tone with him, a possibility he didn’t dare imagine started creeping into his mind.The next second, he fired up the engine. With red-rimmed eyes, he sped toward home, ignoring every red light in his path.
Mom didn’t know exactly what was going on with me, but home had always been my safe haven."Really? Emily, when are you coming home? I’ll have your dad come pick you up."The moment she mentioned Dad, I couldn’t help but laugh. "Dad? He’s always in meetings. No way he’d have time to come get me."Mom huffed and shot back, "I said he’ll go—so even if he doesn’t have time, he’ll make time!"My parents’ marriage had always been something I deeply admired. Maybe because I grew up in such a loving family, when I married Michael, I worked hard to model myself after Mom, doing everything I could to hold our home together.However, in the end, I forgot something important.Michael was Michael. And my dad was my dad.That night, I fell asleep in bed.The next morning, Michael woke me up. He had come home just to change clothes. He said he was going to spend the day with me, but in reality, he only stayed long enough to eat breakfast.He looked like he was in a rush.After a couple of
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