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All Chapters of The Therapy of Letting Go: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

11 Chapters

Chapter 1

Peter Palmer and I shared a joint account.We agreed that once we saved up two hundred thousand dollars, we’d get married.But now, a hundred and ninety thousand of it was gone.Peter explained, “Julia was going through a divorce, so I transferred it to her to help out. You’re both women. You can understand that, right?”As if showing anger would mean I lacked empathy.But I truly didn’t understand.I would never borrow money from an ex who already had someone else.There was no point arguing.Just like countless times before.I nodded. “Alright.”Peter’s face relaxed, and he smiled. “Sarah, you’ve finally matured. Guess that breakup really did you some good.”I froze for a moment, a ripple breaking through my calm.I couldn’t understand how he could say that so easily.That breakup had nearly torn me apart.Yet it hadn’t affected him at all.Peter was my first love.Five years of pouring my heart out now felt like nothing but a joke.After dinner, Peter went out as usual to “take out

Chapter 2

Peter left, feeling satisfied.The door closed behind him.In the dark, I lay alone on the couch.The clock on the wall ticked softly.That familiar loneliness from our first breakup crept back in again.Only this time, it didn’t feel suffocating.It felt like my withdrawal was finally easing.The memories of our breakup came rushing back.It all began one late night.Julia sent Peter a message: [Peter, I’m getting a divorce.]From that moment, something changed in him.He removed our photo from his social media background.He said it was a critical period for his promotion and he needed to appear professional.I never doubted him.I was busy with work, and so was he.I never imagined he still had time to run errands for Julia.We both came from ordinary families.Peter’s situation was even worse.His father had transferred all their money to another woman, and when his parents divorced, his mother was left with nothing.Looking back, there had always been signs.One afternoon, while P

Chapter 3

“There’s nothing between me and her!”Really?Everything about our relationship was something I learned through Peter’s experience.He used to say everyone had a past.Was I really just overreacting?But later, he kept going to see Julia again and again.Even on our anniversary, when she called sounding shaken and said, “I’m scared.” Peter left me sitting in the restaurant without a second thought.That night, I waited until four in the morning before he came back.His hair was damp.He had clearly just taken a shower.When he opened the door, he met my red, tear-filled eyes.A flicker of panic crossed his face before he said, “I thought you were asleep, so I took a shower at Julia’s place. Nothing happened between us.”I answered him by throwing a glass of water at him.The worst fight we’d ever had broke out.My breathing was uneven, and anger twisted my words.“She’s still married, and you’re desperate to play the homewrecker? You two make me sick!”“Smack—”The slap landed hard ac

Chapter 4

It was as if nothing had ever happened.If anything, I felt like I loved Peter even more.Every day, I fussed over him, tended to his needs, and doted on him more than he ever did on Julia.Even the intimate acts I once resisted, I began to go along with.Peter was thrilled.“Sarah, if only you’d been like this from the start.”But soon, Peter began to notice something was off.I didn’t care if he worked late or caught a cold, and I never checked up on him.When his replies came slow, I didn’t push.When he broke plans, I didn’t get angry.Even when I saw lipstick on his shirt, I acted like I hadn’t noticed.In just a month, the therapy had taken effect.Peter started to look uglier in my eyes.When he leaned in to kiss me, a wave of disgust rose in my chest.The closer he got, the harder it was to bear.In those moments of forced intimacy, he seemed to sense something.He asked, “Sarah, do you love me?”Without hesitation, I said, “Of course.”But somehow, that answer didn’t satisfy h

Chapter 5

The clouds drifted beside the plane.The city below grew smaller and smaller.I put on my eye mask and closed my eyes.In my dream, Peter appeared again.But this time, his face was blurred, his voice distant.It felt like I was standing outside the story, watching a movie of two young college students meet for the first time.Back in my sophomore year, our department had a debate match against Peter’s.The topic was: If your partner of ten years cheats emotionally before marriage, should you break up?Our side drew the argument against breaking up.We won in the end.I stood on stage, delivering my closing speech with passion.“People waver sometimes—momentary distraction shouldn’t be a death sentence! Ten years together isn’t something to throw away so easily!”After stepping off the stage, Peter came up to ask for my number.Years later, fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke.Only when the slap lands on one’s own face does the pain truly sink in.…Ripples spread across the surface

Chapter 6

With her, he’d found the taste of everyday life—simple, ordinary, yet somehow comforting.The routine of cooking and chores didn’t bother him.But that didn’t mean he wanted to cut Julia out of his life completely.A first love was always different.He was just doing what any friend would.When Julia threw herself into his arms, trembling as she cried, Peter finally called the restaurant to postpone the proposal to tomorrow night.After all, he hadn’t told Sarah about it yet.As he thought about it, he sent her a message: [Sarah, I have to work late tonight. Let’s have dinner tomorrow instead.]He waited for a reply, but none came.Scrolling through their old messages, he sighed.At some point, Sarah had started replying slower and slower.Maybe she was still quietly upset.But it didn’t matter.After tonight, he’d make it up to her.He’d give her the wedding she’d been dreaming of.As for tonight, he told himself this would be his last indulgence.It was a farewell to his first love a

Chapter 7

“He cheated on you?”“Yeah.”“And now he wants to get back together?”“Something like that.”“Do you want to get back together with him?”I rolled my eyes, too lazy to answer.“Seth, you ask way too many questions.”In the dim light, Seth looked at me.Being stared at by someone that handsome made it hard not to feel flustered.My cheeks warmed slightly.A few seconds later, he suddenly said, “Take a guess, why do you think I’m asking so much?”…The next day, I saw Peter again.But he wasn’t there for me.Julia stood beside him.They walked out of a luxury boutique together.Julia clung to his arm while Peter carried a luxury shopping bag—the kind he’d never once bought for me.The moment Julia saw me, her expression soured.With a mocking smile, she said, “Peter, see? I told you she couldn’t stay away. She even followed you here.”Peter slipped his arm out of her grasp and walked toward me.“Sarah, don’t misunderstand. I’m just keeping her company to help her unwind…”I turned and wa

Chapter 8

Seth said he wanted to try the fitness class too, but since it was a women’s program, I had no choice but to turn him down.Judging by his build, he probably worked out regularly anyway; he didn’t need to take classes with me.As I was leaving the office, I spotted Peter wandering nearby.It looked like he was searching for me.In a foreign country, that was like looking for a needle in a haystack.He must’ve been here on a short trip; he’d have to return home soon.I wasn’t worried about him finding me, just disgusted that he’d even try.A few days later, my mom called.The moment I picked up, she started scolding me.“What’s going on with you and Peter? He’s here now. Come back right this instant.“You’re not a kid anymore. You’re getting married soon, and now you’re pulling a stunt like running away from home?”I thought I heard Peter’s voice in the background, playing peacemaker, telling her not to blame me and saying everything was his fault.A bitter laugh escaped me. “Mom, I’m n

Chapter 9

I accepted readily.After we landed, Seth went with me to meet the lawyer.Peter and his lawyer were there too.When he saw Seth and me arrive together, his face twisted for a moment.He stared at me the whole time.Because there were transfer records and the deposits had been made in the name of marriage, reclaiming the money wasn’t difficult.But Peter refused to cooperate.“Julia’s already left the country. I’m not in contact with her anymore. Why are you still fighting with me?“I admit I handled some things poorly before, but…”I didn’t look up. “Transfer ninety thousand to this account.”Peter stared at me. “Are you that heartless?”I said to Seth, “Let’s grab a bite after this.”Peter glared and shouted, “Sarah!”As Seth and I were leaving, Peter suddenly gave up pretending.“Hey!” he called.“Seth, you know I’ve been with Sarah for five years, right? In those five years, we’ve tried everything in bed. You’re just picking up what I threw away…”Seth moved and hit Peter.After a

Chapter 10

Had he sneaked in a couple of push-ups while changing just now?The thought made me laugh.“Is the girl you’ve liked for six years someone I know?”…Peter still hadn’t paid back the money, even though his salary was high.I’d been buried in work and hadn’t had time to chase it up.Seth gave the core team stock options, and everyone started working even harder.Then one day, I got a call from one of Peter’s buddies.“Hey, Sarah, Peter knows he was wrong. He’s drunk and keeps saying your name…”Over the past year, I’d blocked Peter and several of his friends on multiple numbers.Apparently, there were still some I’d missed.Too tired from overtime, I decided to treat the call as mild entertainment and didn’t hang up right away.Sensing hope, his friend grew more animated.“That Julia, we’ve all met her. She’s a total trash, nothing like you, Sarah! Peter just pitied her, there’s nothing romantic going on, really!“Come on, couples fight and make up. You two have been together for years—

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