All Chapters of Leaving Heartbreaks Behind: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

I took the villa’s front door key from my bag and gently slipped it under the doormat. As I stepped outside, a message from Christopher appeared on my phone: [Nathan says he wants pancakes from that shop in the south of the city.] In the past, I would have hurried onto the subway without a second thought, picking up those pancakes along with a box of milk. But now… Without a moment's hesitation, I turned off my phone, pulled out the SIM card, and tossed it into a nearby trash can. Using the Wi-Fi at a convenience store, I booked the earliest train ticket back to my hometown. As I completed the payment, I received a notification that Christopher had started a voice call on a chat app. I accidentally pressed “accept.” His irritated voice rang out: [Where the hell did you disappear to? Aren’t you coming back? [Nathan’s been asking for pancakes, and you didn’t even bother to get him any. He’s practically starving. [You dare to develop a temper tantrum now? You demand

Chapter 2

I smiled softly and pushed the cake toward her. She looked like she hadn’t eaten in days, and within minutes, she devoured the entire slice. A bit of cream lingered at the corner of her mouth.I had rushed out without even grabbing a tissue, and I was about to turn to her parents but then I suddenly realized that she was by herself. Confused, I asked her, “Are you alone? Where’s your mom?” She pouted, her eyes reddening as she lowered her head. “My mom got off the train yesterday with my little brother. She told me to stay seated until we reached the last stop, then someone would come get me.” That’s when it hit me. I asked the attendant for help, and after some investigation, I learned that the woman who had brought her on board had quietly gotten off hours earlier. In other words, the little girl had been abandoned on the train. As we neared the station, she clung to my leg. Tears were streaming down her face as she begged, “Miss, please! I heard children in foster

Chapter 3

My voice was cold but my heart ached. It was the kind of pain that comes when something precious is ripped away from you. There was a long silence on the other end of the line. So long, in fact, that I thought Nathan had hung up. “Why? You gave birth to me, so why do you get to decide whether or not to be my mother?” he yelled suddenly.I let out a bitter laugh. Why? He must have forgotten. On Nathan’s eighth birthday, at the party I had spent months preparing for, both Janine and I had brought birthday cakes for him. I had gotten the one he liked best—a Superman-themed cake—while Janine’s was just a plain fruit cake she had picked up on a whim. I had eagerly presented my cake to him, but after a glance, he knocked it over. He furrowed his brow and looked at me with disdain.“Mom, I’m grown up now. Who still likes Superman? How childish!” I stared at the cream splattered on my skirt, fighting back the tears.A month ago, when Janine hadn’t returned yet, he had cr

Chapter 4

“I will contact a lawyer to discuss the divorce proceedings as soon as possible. Don’t worry, I won’t regret it. Just don't bother me again.” I answered coldly and hung up the phone. I had a gambler’s spirit of accepting my losses and the courage to start over. After all, it was only ten years—I could afford to lose. I had come from a small town and I used to feel insecure about it, but now, it gave me an incredible sense of peace. In the meantime, I found a job cooking at an orphanage as I have always liked children. I never expected that on my first day at work, I would run into the little girl from the train. She stood timidly among the children, looking at me with a hopeful gaze. I gently patted her head and smiled at her. I reached into my bag, pulled out some candy I had prepared earlier, and placed it in her hand. We quickly became familiar with each other. She told me her name was Sapphire like the gemstone.She said that when she was born, she had been t

Chapter 5

Nathan looked at me angrily."Mom, is it because of this stupid girl that you don't want me anymore? You have a new child now, so you don't like me anymore, is that it?" he asked, one hand still yanking at Sapphire’s hair. For the first time since his birth, I felt nothing but utter disgust toward him. I raised my hand and slapped him across the face. Anger surged through me, turning my whole face red. "Let go, Nathan! Have you lost your manners?" He had clearly inherited Christopher’s stubbornness. Unfazed by my fury, he stood his ground. I managed to untangle Sapphire from his grip and hid her behind me.But Nathan continued his assault. He charged and slammed into her. Nathan was half a head taller than Sapphire, and the force of the blow sent them crashing to the ground. Sapphire clutched her chest, unable to speak through the pain. In a surge of anger, I slapped him again, this time on the other side of his face. His fair, delicate skin immediately showed s

Chapter 6

On the way home from Nathan’s school, I passed by the fast-food restaurant that he had always wanted to eat at, but I had never allowed. On a whim, I decided to stop and buy him a hamburger. Then through the glass window, I saw Christopher sitting with Nathan and Janine. They were eating all the junk food I had always forbidden. I stood outside and listened as Nathan spoke."Miss Janine, my grandmother said that Dad was supposed to marry you but my mom crawled into his bed when he was drunk. Don’t worry, I’ll help you get rid of her."Christopher smiled at him, neither confirming nor denying the words. I wanted to rush in and tell Nathan it wasn’t like that. It was Christopher who had used my love to quash his mother’s wish for him to marry Janine. He said he was still young, that he wasn’t ready to settle down. He did not want to marry either Janine or me. If I hadn’t gotten pregnant with Nathan, I probably wouldn’t have married him either. He had turned a small mi

Chapter 7

I looked at Christopher. He couldn’t possibly have forgotten that he was the one who had stolen my ability to smile over the years.I didn’t respond. Instead, I turned to retreat to the kitchen.Suddenly, Christopher reached out and grabbed my arm.“Zoey, I’ve already sent Janine away,” he said softly, almost pleading with me.I looked at him coldly but held my tongue. I felt indifferent about where she had gone. It had nothing to do with me.My gaze drifted past his shoulder and landed on the somewhat awkward figure of Nathan standing behind him. It had been a long time since I last saw him. He had lost so much weight.His face, once plump from all the food I had lovingly fed him, now looked hollow and thin.He hesitated before speaking, as if afraid to upset me.“Mom, can you make me a meal?”I didn’t answer, but Sapphire quietly went to set the table.I sighed softly.“Sit down. There’s a menu over there. You can choose what you’d like to eat.”They walked to the t

Chapter 8

Christopher's face turned ghostly pale. After a few minutes, he suddenly stood up, his chair toppling over with the force of his movement. Grinding his teeth, he grabbed Nathan’s wrist and said in a low voice, "Let's go. We should leave. Don't come back to disturb your Mom again."For the first time, Nathan lost control in front of me. He struggled against Christopher's grip, then threw himself into my arms."I won’t leave. I want to stay with Mom! You lied to me! Mom isn’t as bad as you said!” he cried."Mom, please don’t abandon me. I’ll eat the meals you make me. I’ll do my homework and I won’t buy those expensive toys anymore."I’m easy to take care of. I promise I won’t trouble you. Please, keep me here."I reached out and pushed him away. He couldn’t stop himself and fell to the ground.His expression of grievance mirrored the times when I would come home, and he’d throw a tantrum, crying and demanding attention from me.But things are different now. I wouldn’t soften

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