All Chapters of I Wish You Well: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

The surgery had just ended, and my phone wouldn’t stop ringing.“Tess, where the heck are you? Why haven’t you sorted out the academic warning with the administration yet?” Eric’s irritated voice came through the receiver.I licked my dry lips before responding, “I’m at the hospital. And by the way, I want a divorce.”The empty feeling of losing the baby and the searing pain of the procedure spread through every bone in my body.There was a long pause on the other end of the line before he broke the silence.“Tess, are you serious right now? You’re too old to be playing these jealous, manipulative games. I’m taking Grace for a little getaway. Maybe you should use this time to think things through.”I stared at the screen as the call disconnected, still heartbroken. There was not a single word of concern or even a question about why I was at the hospital—nothing to comfort me. We felt like strangers now, and I couldn’t help but wonder, what did our seven years together even mean?

Chapter 2

My voice was cold and sharp as I spoke, "When you're staying in someone else's home, you should at least remember you're a guest."Just then, Eric rushed in, not even bothering to take off his shoes, dragging the chill of the outside snow with him. I shivered, stepping back from the cold air.The first thing he did was check over Grace in a flurry, clearly panicked. "Are you okay, Grace? Did you get burned?" His voice was filled with worry, something I had never seen in him before.He quickly ran her hand under cold water, his face tense with concern. Then, he applied burn ointment with such care that it made my heart ache. Watching them, my eyes started to sting with unshed tears as I instinctively pulled back my own hand, which had been burned by the bolognese Grace had spilled.I was still standing there, frozen in place, when Eric finally looked at me with irritation, his brow furrowed. "I never thought you'd turn out so mean.""All Grace did was accidentally knock somethi

Chapter 3

After everything was done, I felt like all the strength had drained from my body. I collapsed to the floor, hesitating for a long moment before finally calling the number I hadn’t contacted in over a week.I tried to steady my voice, choking back the tears. “Chris, remember the archaeological dig you mentioned in Riverdale? Do you still need more people?”A light and teasing voice came through the phone. “Of course! Is the brilliant Tess coming to join us?”His playful tone made me smile, even though I had just been crying. We agreed to give me a week to sort out things here before heading out.Chris and I had grown up together, and now he was a key member of the National Historical Artifact Group. Years ago, I had given up the chance to join him on that ancient tomb dig because of Eric. Back then, Eric’s career was taking off, and if I had left for the field, I wouldn’t have been around to support him. More importantly, Eric didn’t like me working in archaeology. He thought it w

Chapter 4

His eyes, which had been locked with mine as he knelt to my level, suddenly darted around the room, avoiding my gaze. He stood up so quickly that he didn’t even notice when he bumped into the corner of the table.I had never heard him speak to me in such a gentle, soothing voice before."Okay, okay, don’t move, Grace. I’ll be right there!"He grabbed his keys from the table and shot me a quick, apologetic look. "Tess, you’ll be fine, right? Grace has twisted her ankle, and she’s out there alone. I need to take her to the hospital.""I’ll be back in no time!" he repeated, almost like he was trying to convince himself. He even bent down to kiss the top of my head, like he used to when we were close. The once familiar gesture disgusted me. He was rotten to the core, and I couldn’t stand it anymore.I don't know where I found the strength, but I shouted after him, "If you walk out that door, we’re done, for good."He paused, just for a second before he hurried out the door.I alre

Chapter 5

After a brief embrace, he stared at me for what felt like forever. His intense gaze made me a little uncomfortable, so I lightly smacked him on the arm, like I always used to.“What’s with you? It’s been so long. You don’t recognize me anymore?”I would never have done something like that in front of Eric. He would never allow me to act so casually in public. His ego wouldn't have it.After what seemed like a long silence, his voice trembled slightly. “You’ve lost so much weight, and you look… exhausted. Are you not doing well?”I sighed. I could never hide anything from him.“I’m fine,” I replied, trying to sound indifferent. “I’m just recently divorced, and I had a miscarriage, so I’m still a little weak.”His face froze for a moment, showing a mix of emotions—relief, anger, and concern all at once. However, after years of unspoken understanding, he didn’t ask any questions. Instead, he silently handed me a hand warmer and shifted his body slightly to block the wind from hittin

Chapter 6

Oh, it all came back to me. After the surgery, I was so out of it that I left the report on the bedroom dresser. He must have seen it.Thinking about it now, it was funny. It had been nearly a month since the surgery, and that report had been sitting there the entire time. Only now did he notice.“What’s the point of bringing this up now?” I said. “I’ve signed the divorce papers. Just sign your name, and it’s over. There’s no need for us to meet again.”“I’m not agreeing to a divorce,” he replied, his voice stubborn.I cursed under my breath and hung up the phone, annoyed.Just then, a commotion broke out outside. The security guard came in. “Ms. Tess, there’s someone here to see you,” he said.Confused, I followed him outside. What I didn’t expect was to see someone I thought I’d never meet again in my life.His eyes were bloodshot, stubble covered his face, and he looked a lot more worn down than I remembered. The charm and grace of his younger years were long gone.When he

Chapter 7

So, that was the kind of coward I used to love? A man who couldn’t even admit his mistakes, still blaming it all on a woman.His grip on my shoulder tightened, and I winced in pain.I frowned, trying to pull away from his hold. "Let go of me! The child? You have the nerve to bring up the baby! Weren’t you the one who killed it? Do you really think our marriage fell apart just because of Grace?“Even if it weren’t Grace, it would’ve been someone else, right?” I shot a pointed look at his phone.For a moment, all the color drained from his face. He clearly hadn’t expected me to know about his flirty conversations with other women."Let’s end this peacefully. You should go." I gave him a cold smile and walked inside.Later that afternoon, a sudden storm hit, one of the heaviest rains in decades. Our field inspection had to be cut short, and we were forced to head home. I had arrived late and didn’t have time to buy any rain gear, so I had no choice but to share an umbrella with Chri

Chapter 8

I felt itchy all over as I tried to catch my breath. Sitting on a park bench, I focused on calming down, inhaling deeply. He didn’t seem to notice my discomfort, though, as he hung his head and mumbled, “If this is what it takes to make you feel better, I don’t mind, but you need to eat breakfast. I’ll get you something else.”His words barely registered. My head was spinning, and I couldn’t focus on whatever self-consoling speech he was giving. Just then, Chris arrived with some hot chocolate and croissant.Leaning back against the bench, I gasped for air, my chest rising and falling uncontrollably. I tried to pull out my phone to call for help, but it was dead.Chris noticed something was wrong and rushed over, gently cupping my face. “Tess, are you okay? Can you hear me?”Before I could respond, Eric returned with a cheese bun he had gone to buy.Chris, seeing my condition, grabbed him by the collar, yelling, “What did you give her to eat?”Eric looked completely confused. C

Chapter 9

Life settled back into its usual rhythm—work and home, day in and day out. It was dull, but it felt real. I knew Chris had feelings for me, but I couldn’t give him an answer right now. Rather than string him along, it was better to be direct and honest with him.After finishing the survey at the site, I decided to take some time off. I visited the cities I had always wanted to explore but never had the chance to. I wandered through misty riverside towns, walked across vast, lonely deserts, and watched the ebb and flow of the tides and the slow drift of clouds across the sky.Each time I posted a travel update, Eric liked it.Then, one day, I got a call from Harbor City—it was Eric’s assistant. “Tess, I know this is a lot to ask, but I don’t know what else to do. Ever since Eric got back from Riverdale, he’s been drinking nonstop. He’s neglecting the company, and this is the third time he’s ended up with internal bleeding. This time… he’s been diagnosed with stomach cancer.”The ass

Chapter 10

Eric’s Point of View: When Grace first told me she’d been unfairly failed in one of her classes, I acted impulsively. Driven by some misguided sense of heroism, I walked into Tess’s first lecture of the semester and slapped her in front of everyone.The moment I did it, regret hit me. However, with tears in her eyes, Grace clung to me like she always did, playing the delicate, helpless girl. Besides, Tess had become so dull, so buried under the weight of everyday life, that it seemed like she didn’t even care anymore.It wasn’t until later that I found out the truth: Grace had been caught cheating by someone else, and Tess had nothing to do with it.I was furious when I realized Grace had lied to me and manipulated the whole situation, and once again, I let myself get caught up in her sweet words and gentle touch. I told myself it was fine—Tess was strong, and she loved me. I figured I could smooth things over with her like always. However, when I finally made my way back home,

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP