All Chapters of Parting At The End Of The Blizzard: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

May Rydell walked over to me after her shower. She was towel-drying her hair as she said casually, “You don’t have to wait for me. Go to bed first. I have a meeting…”May glanced up. When her eyes landed on the laptop in front of me, I caught a flicker of panic in them.I had always known May to be cool and composed, but this time, she came rushing over and planted herself in front of me.“W-What are you doing?”Curling my fingers tightly into my palm, I pointed at the ongoing call and pressed a finger to my lips.May watched me for a moment. When she saw nothing unusual about me, the tension finally left her face.She silently mouthed, “I’ll let you finish then. I’m going to bed.”When the door closed behind her, I inhaled deeply.I switched back to the screen I had been looking at moments earlier.With trembling fingers, I opened one of the recordings. I remembered that day.We had been together for seven years. It was the first trip we had ever taken together.Throughout

Chapter 2

I saved the recordings one by one. After that, I got up and went back to the bedroom.May was already asleep. The invisible line that had divided our bed for the past seven years was still there, as firmly established as ever.On our wedding night seven years ago, May told me that she could not tolerate physical intimacy and that being touched by a man made her deeply uncomfortable.I suggested that we each stay on our own side of the bed, simply because I wanted her to feel comfortable.For seven years, I had lain right beside that invisible boundary, perfectly content just to look at May as she slept.I had always believed that as long as we loved each other, there was nothing wrong with having a platonic marriage.Perhaps sensing me watching her, May stirred and rubbed her sleepy eyes. “Why are you still awake?” she asked impatiently.I ignored the question. Unable to keep the faint tremor from my voice, I asked her softly, “May, is there anything you want to tell me?”All I

Chapter 3

I ended the call and turned around to find May standing right behind me.She stepped forward and, without hesitation, yanked the crystal cross necklace my father had left me.She said indifferently, “It’s Damian’s birthday, and he wants your cross as a gift. Just let him have it. You’re not the only person who can wear it. Anyway, who were you talking to? “I’m surprised there’s someone besides me who still wants anything to do with you.” May leaned closer to look at my phone. I instinctively slipped it into my pocket.Just then, the screen of my current phone on the desk lit up with a reminder.Today marked three years since my father’s death.I stepped forward and tried to take the necklace back. My voice trembled as I said, “That necklace is the only thing my dad left me!”We struggled over it for a moment. Then, May’s grip slipped. The crystal cross hit the floor and shattered into pieces.Before I could even process what had happened, May slapped me. She glared at me in

Chapter 4

I had lost count of how many times May had told me that I could not live without her.I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, my phone chimed with a new text.It was from Ed.[Everything’s ready.]As she had done countless times before, May reached over and took my phone. She tried to unlock it.My phone no longer recognized her face. Her fingerprint no longer worked either. Even the passcode was no longer her birthday.May froze for a moment.Then, realization seemed to dawn on her. She scoffed, as though she had figured out exactly what I was doing.“Is this what we’re doing now? You’re playing games to get my attention, aren’t you? Who sent you that text?”“May, I want a divorce—”Before I could finish, Damian came over from down the hall and stopped beside May.“May, the company’s celebration party is about to start. We should get going,” he said.As if something had just occurred to her, May looked at me and said, “We wouldn’t have landed this project without

Chapter 5

May took the envelope. She opened it and began reading through the papers.The more she read, the more visibly rattled she became.By the time she reached the end, she looked sharply at me and flung the papers in my direction. For once, her voice trembled.“Harry, what’s this supposed to mean? Divorce papers? Are you out of your mind? You really have lost it! You want to divorce me? Is this some kind of joke? How dare you?“Oh, I get it. This is another one of your little games to get my attention, isn’t it? You’ve really gotten bold, Harry. Now you’re actually threatening me with divorce? Well, I’m not falling for it. “Don’t ever let me see something like this again!”The room seemed to fall into stunned silence.Only moments ago, May had stood onstage holding Damian’s hand and introduced him to everyone as her husband. Currently, she was telling another man that he was not allowed to divorce her.People began whispering to each other under their breath.Strangely enough, Ma

Chapter 6

May poured some of the chicken soup into a bowl and instinctively leaned closer to see what was on my screen.Without hesitation, I turned away and blocked her view. My expression was cold as I said flatly, “I’m in a meeting. Do you need something? If not, please don’t disturb me.”The irony was almost palpable. For seven years, May had used those exact words on me more times than I could count. Presently, she was the one on the receiving end.May froze and stared at me in disbelief until some of the scalding soup spilled onto the back of her hand.“Ah!!!” she cried out and instinctively clutched her injured hand. Her eyes were moist with tears.May had unusually sensitive skin. Even minor injuries tended to leave marks.In the past, I would have been beside myself with worry. I would have taken her hand in mine and immediately ordered every burn cream and ointment that might have helped.At that moment, even as May looked at me with a faint, almost hopeful expectation, I did

Chapter 7

For reasons I could not quite place, May sounded somewhat flustered.She glanced at me before turning to Damian beside her. Without hesitation, she said, “Back then, I moved in with you because I didn’t have a choice. “But now, I have full control of the company, and no one gets to dictate my life anymore. So, there’s no reason for me to keep seeing you.”May looked straight at Damian and enunciated every word clearly as she said, “Damian, don’t contact me anymore. The man I love isn’t you. It’s Harry. Tomorrow, I’ll go to your place and collect my things.”She turned back to me with a serious face and said, “From now on, let’s make things work between us. I know I’ve put you through a lot these past few years.”Damian stood frozen and stared at May in disbelief.I merely gave her a humorless smile. “No need. I think you two suit each other quite well.”I looked at May again and said calmly, “May, I’ll say it one more time. I want a divorce.”After that, no matter what May sai

Chapter 8

However, at this moment, all I felt was disgust. I could not stand it.I discharged myself from the hospital that very night and went home.As soon as I got back, I started packing my things.I threw away everything May had given me.I also threw away everything that remotely reminded me of her.By the time I was done, I realized there was almost nothing I could take with me except my own self.A bitter, mocking smile tugged at my lips.It was no wonder May had always felt free to do whatever she wanted and trampled over the affection that I gave her without a second thought.I finally understood that I had loved her so completely that somewhere along the way, I had almost lost myself.When I finished packing, I took every bottle of alcohol I could find from the cabinet and sat down on the floor.I was exhausted.I drank one bottle after another. At some point, without noticing, snow began drifting down outside the window.My thoughts carried me back through the years.Thr

Chapter 9

The front door suddenly swung open. May rushed inside. She was covered in snow.When she saw me, she hurried over and threw her arms around me. She sounded panicked.“Why didn’t you answer your phone? Why did you leave the hospital without telling me? Do you have any idea how scared I was when I couldn’t reach you? Please don’t ever do that again. I was terrified!”The sudden embrace made my body stiffen. All I felt was discomfort.Almost instinctively, I pushed May away. When I met her stunned gaze, I heard myself say, “Your touch makes me uncomfortable.”As if something had suddenly occurred to her, guilt flickered in May’s eyes. She said, “I was wrong to lie to you about not being able to handle physical contact. I’m sorry, honey. It won’t happen again. I’ll never lie to you again.”Then, she noticed the empty bottles scattered all over the floor. Concern flickered in her gaze.“Honey, I promise I’ll treat you right from now on. I won’t lie to you ever again. I really won’t

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