All Chapters of Forgiven Thrice, Done Forever: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

I always knew David was obsessed with boundaries.He was a top OB-GYN at the city’s premier hospital. A star on the fast track.He cared about his reputation more than anything.I understood that and I respected it.I thought he was just being professional. I had no idea how far his sickness went.---The first time was my period pain. It was blinding.I asked him for a medical excuse note so I could take the day off. I thought he would sign it and drive me home.He refused.I couldn't believe it. I was doubled over, barely able to speak."Why?" I gasped. "I'm not lying. You ran the tests yourself. It’s all on record."David just shook his head."It doesn't matter if it's real," he said with his face cold. "It matters how it looks. “If I sign your leave, people will say I’m abusing my position for my wife."I bit my lip so hard that I tasted blood."No one cares about a stupid sick note! I'm dying here!"He didn't budge. He told me to just take an unexcused absence ins

Chapter 2

If David were a stranger, I suppose I should have been grateful to him for saving my life and our baby's.But he wasn't a stranger. He was my husband. The father of my child.I couldn't summon a single drop of gratitude.After all these years, the illusion was finally shattered. I realized I had never truly felt his love.All I had were his rigid, icy rules.Wendy, on the other hand, still held a high opinion of him."Sure, he's a bit of a stone wall," she told me earlier with a light laugh. "But at least he listens to reason. “If he steps out of line again, I’ll just handle him for you."I closed my eyes. No thanks. It's over.---Later that afternoon, the Chief of Surgery dropped by to check on me.David wasn't with him. The second I was out of danger, he had rushed straight back to his shift.The Chief wanted to defend him, but after a long pause, all he could offer was a weary sigh. "He's just built that way, Nora. He's young, and he's terrified of ruining hi

Chapter 3

It felt like being cut to pieces, slowly, by a blunt blade.I loved them both so much.I wanted to hate them. I wanted to burn everything down.But I couldn't bring myself to fully hate her. The pain just drowned out the anger.Friendship wasn't secondary to romance. Wendy held half of my youth, half of my memories. She was the other half of my shadow, present through every laugh and every heartbreak.And David... he was my husband. We had shared so many intimate years together.So, I would step back. A clean break for everyone.---I didn't leave the hospital early after all. David wouldn't allow it.Instead, he started spending far more time in my room, acting like a devoted husband."Tell me if you need to move," he said softly, sitting beside my bed. "Call me if you feel off. I’m right here."Wendy pulled back, too. In front of me, they kept a careful, unnatural distance from one another.It reeked of guilt.---That fragile peace lasted only a few days.Davi

Chapter 4

I was rushed into the operating room once again.Perhaps he was too busy preparing for his fake marriage with Wendy, David never showed up.I leaned on my own trembling frame to handle the cremation and arrange a small, quiet funeral service for our baby.The service fell on the exact day we were scheduled to file our divorce paperwork.I spent the morning at the cemetery, carefully picking out a quiet plot. It had good shade, plenty of sunlight, and a gentle breeze.My phone buzzed. It was David."Nora, where are you? I’ll come pick you up."His voice sounded strangely light, almost cheerful.He rarely offered to drive me anywhere. Not since our wedding day. There was always an excuse.He was either too busy, or my destination wasn't on his way.Five years in our marriage, the only reason I was getting a ride from him was to dissolve it.When he pulled up, he frowned at the surroundings. "Why are you out here? It's completely deserted. There’s nothing around except

Chapter 5

David stared at his phone, the red error icon burning into his retina.Wendy looked over his shoulder, her brow furrowing. "What’s wrong? Did Nora text back? Speaking of which... where is she? I haven't seen her in ages."Without a word, David handed her the phone.For the first time, genuine panic flickered in his eyes.Deep down, he had no foundation left to stand on. He had no idea where Nora was.For the past year, he had deliberately avoided calling her. He had been terrified of hearing the exact same question every time."When are we going back to the courthouse to remarry?"He had simply wanted to stretch out his time with Wendy. Even just a few more days felt worth it to him.Wendy’s breath hitched. "Where did she go? Do you think... Do you think she found out?"David’s heart dropped.He hadn't stopped to consider that outcome. Or rather, a darker part of him had wanted her to figure it out.He had secretly hoped she would break the illusion herself. That w

Chapter 6

The realization turned into desperation. David wanted the annulment filed immediately.He wanted to wipe away the last year as if it were nothing more than a bad fever.Wendy, however, refused."Nora is still missing!" she cried. "Filing the papers today changes nothing. “Can't we just... stay married for a little while longer?"Before, those words would have been an irresistible temptation to David.Now, they made his skin crawl. All he wanted was to put his life back together."Wendy, you were the one who said we wronged Nora," he said, his voice hard. "It ends now. Let's not be pathetic."Wendy went entirely still.She knew she had said those words. She knew the moral truth of the words.She had even prepared herself for the day Nora would return, she would quietly walk away and let them fix their marriage.But hearing it come out of David’s mouth felt like a slap.His tone was ruthless. He was discarding her without a second thought. He was calling her pathetic.

Chapter 7

A whole year had passed.It was crazy how fast time flew.A year ago today, I had walked away with our signed divorce decree and my share of the settlement.I knew back then that David was avoiding me.He didn't want to offer explanations, and he certainly didn't want to talk about remarrying me.Every day he stalled was another day his marriage to Wendy survived.Just like he had written in that post, their marriage was his ultimate comfort.His years with me had felt like a detour, a mistake that stole the best years of his life.Luckily, life has a way of resetting itself.---I took my share of the money and moved to a quiet, coastal town. I found a steady, low-stress job.It was the perfect place for my mother to enjoy a peaceful retirement.Looking back, I had wasted so much time planning my life around David. I had let him consume every second of my existence while neglecting the person who mattered most."I'm sorry, Mom," I told her one evening.She just held my

Chapter 8

When I first noticed the deleted account, I didn't feel much of anything.Whatever. Gone was gone.It wasn't like I cared anymore. There were barely any contacts on that profile anyway.I just added my mother to my work account and moved on.---It had been a long time since I last thought about David.In fact, I was dating again.We met through a blind date arranged by a mutual acquaintance. His name was Mark, and he was a genuinely good guy.I never let David’s betrayal make me feel broken. Walking away from him didn't mean I had to give up on romance or connection.I still wanted a marriage. I still wanted a family.I wanted my future child to grow up in a loving, stable home, and I wanted a partner to share the weight of life with. If I could find a responsible man who truly cared, all the better.---After a few dates, Mark and I really hit it off.Eventually, I brought him home to meet my mother.Mom stared at his face for a long moment, brow furrowed. "You lo

Chapter 9

I ran into David again on a quiet evening.I was sitting on a bench outside a small bakery while Mark went inside to pick up the pastries I had been craving.At five months pregnant, my bump was now proudly showing.When David spotted me, he practically sprinted across the sidewalk.Honestly, I didn't even recognize him at first. He had faded from my memory so completely.He looked like he’d been driving non-stop for days, his jaw shadowed with dark stubble. But the moment his eyes landed on me, they lit up with desperation."Nora! How long have you been living here? Why didn't you try to call me?"I shifted away on the bench, creating physical space between us.David kept talking, his words tumbling out fast. "I filed for divorce with Wendy. I came to find you so we can get remarried. “I'm sorry... there was just so much legal mess to sort out. It took longer than I thought."He actually thought he could use the same old excuses. He thought I would just smile, play nice

Chapter 10

Wendy came looking for him several times.Every single time, David flew into a rage."Get out!" he shouted. "I told you to leave me alone!"Eventually, Wendy’s patience wore thin, her own temper flaring. "What is wrong with you? Stop acting like everything is my fault!"David’s face twisted in shame. "I'm not blaming you! I'm blaming myself, alright?!""It is your fault!" Wendy sobbed, her voice trembling. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have lost my best friend! “You think I'm not in pain? Nora was like a sister to me!"David went dead silent, unable to utter another word.---He couldn't sleep.He tossed and turned every night, consumed by a slow, agonizing torture.Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Nora pregnant, glowing, and wrapped in another man's arms. A man who was doing everything David had failed to do.His mind drifted back to the dreams they used to share.They had bought stacks of parenting books. They had researched early childhood education,

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