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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Hurt No More: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

10 Kabanata

Chapter 1

“Look at all that blood. Are you trying to give Harry a heart attack?”Evelyn’s voice drifted in from the hallway.Harry held a cold towel firmly against the back of my neck, letting out a heavy sigh.“Jane, Evelyn was only trying to help you. There’s no need to hurt yourself just spite her.”His voice was gentle as usual.Looking into the bathroom mirror at the dried, dark crimson streaks trailing down my jawline and collarbone, I calmly pushed his hand away.“I’m not trying so spite anyone.”Harry frowned slightly, pulling a damp wipe from the packet to dab at the blood on my neck.“Evelyn told me about swapping your pills. She just wanted to test your body’s natural reflexes.“If I’m ever not at home and you accidentally take the wrong thing, are you really gonna wait till you’re almost bled out before noticing?”His movements were gentle, his eyes brimming with tender concern.I lowered my eyes, my gaze landing on the old burn scar resting on his wrist—the mark he had earned years

Chapter 2

I slipped the medical report back into the deepest corner of the drawer.The familiar surge of nausea bubbled up in my stomach, bringing a faint, metallic taste to the back of my throat.Harry pushed the door open and stepped inside, holding a tube of burn cream and a roll of gauze.“Come here. Let’s take care of that.”He sat at the edge of the mattress and patted the spot beside him.I walked over and held my hand out to him.His touch was as tender as ever, the cotton swab dabbing gently across the ruptured blisters.“Jane, Evelyn is young yet. She lacks discretion,” he murmured as he wound the gauze. “But her intentions are good. You holding on to that steaming bowl earlier—were you just throwing a tantrum at me?”I stared down at his long, slender fingers.These were the hands that once checked and rechecked the water temperature just to make sure I wouldn’t touch anything remotely hot.Now, they were nonchalantly tending to my horribly burned hand.“I wasn’t throwing a tantrum,”

Chapter 3

I wiped away the dark red stains on the floor mat.Harry pulled the car up below my office building and rolled down the window.“I’ll pick you up after work tonight.”“No need. I’ll be late today.”Without looking back, I walked straight into the building.Throughout the morning, I handed over every single one of my active projects to my colleagues.The HR manager looked at my resignation letter in utter surprise.“You’re really leaving? Does your husband know about this?”Everyone here knew I was Harry’s wife.When the firm hit a crisis years ago, it was the inheritance left by my parents that I used to plug his financial hole.I shook my head.“Personal reasons. Please process the paperwork as soon as possible.”I returned home early in the afternoon to pack my luggage.I pushed open the door to find broken branches and shattered leaves scattered across the living room floor.It was the bush lily I had nurtured for three full years.During our first year of marriage, Harry had bought

Chapter 4

On the afternoon of our anniversary, I rolled my suitcase out of the guest room.A text came through from Harry, saying he was going to pick Evelyn up from class and would meet me at the restaurant.I placed a credit card on the coffee table.It was a secondary card he had insisted on shoving into my hands years ago, after I used my inheritance to bail his company out of debt.Beneath the card rested my house key.I took one last look around the house I had lived in for three years. The sharp corners of the tables were still neatly wrapped in soft foam padding.Those were once proof of his love for me. Now, they looked more like a cruel mockery.I pulled my suitcase behind me, shut the door, and caught a cab to the hospital.The check-in process was tedious. The nurse held up a stack of forms, frowning as she asked for signatures.“Where’s your family? A procedure like this requires a signature from an immediate relative or spouse.”I picked up the pen and signed my name on the line.“

Chapter 5

Harry stood inside the guest room for a long while.His breathing grew shallow and rapid as his eyes searched frantically around the space.No suitcase, no toiletries, even the old book I usually kept by the bed was gone.I had removed all traces of my existence from the place.Evelyn followed him inside, covering her mouth with exaggerated shock as she looked around the empty room.“Harry, did Jane… pack and leave?”She walked over to the closet and peered inside.“Just because you couldn’t have dinner with her tonight? She really has a terrible temper.”Harry didn’t pay her any mind.He whirled around and stormed into the master bedroom, pulling open the nightstand drawer.All the expensive jewelry he had bought me was still inside.Even our wedding ring lay undisturbed in its velvet box.Only the very bottom layer, where a few personal miscellanea used to rest, was completely bare.Harry’s heart plummeted into a free fall.Something suddenly clicked in his mind, and he rushed into t

Chapter 6

Harry stared down at the slip of paper, his vision gradually blurring through a screen of tears.Ignoring the nurse’s attempts to stop him, he shoved his way into the recovery room.The bed was empty, only the blood-stained sheet remaining.“Where is she? She just finished surgery. Where could she possibly go?”He bellowed at the doctors, every last trace of his usual composure and restraint gone.Dr. Wayne looked at him coldly.“Mr. Parker, Ms. Morris arranged for a professional medical transport team. She departed through the private service corridor ten minutes ago.“She feels no pain. Anesthesia was nothing more than a nap to her. But physically, she’s still fragile.”Dr. Wayne paused for a beat.“Before leaving, she asked me to pass along a message: Don’t look for her. She finds you revolting.”Harry staggered back, slamming hard against the cold wall behind him.“Revolting.”Those words sliced through his chest like a blade.He finally understood that my quiet composure over the

Chapter 7

The southern sea breeze carried a thick, salty humidity.I had opened a small handmade soap shop along an old street in town.The storefront wasn’t large, but the space in front was lined with all kinds of lush green plants.Having lost part of my stomach to the gastrectomy, my digestive system remained fragile, leaving me on liquid diets every day.Yet for the first time, I could actually feel the sensation of hunger.Even if I still couldn’t feel physical pain, this absolute freedom of owning my own body granted me an unprecedented lightness.At three in the afternoon, the wind chime above the front door rang out a crisp melody.Assuming it was a customer, I kept my head down, wrapping greaseproof paper around a freshly sliced bar of handmade soap.“Welcome! Feel free to look around.”No footsteps followed.The visitor stood stock-still in the doorway, blocking out most of the afternoon sunlight.I looked up.Harry stood there.He had lost a dramatic amount of weight, his once tailor

Chapter 8

Harry made no move.His gaze was fixed on me, tears spilling over and streaming down his cheeks.“Jane, I’m sorry… I truly am.”He suddenly rounded the counter, reaching out to throw his arms around me.I picked up the utility knife resting on the desk and held the blade against my wrist.“Don’t come any closer.”Harry froze, staring at the razor-sharp blade, pure terror flooding his eyes.“Put the knife down! Jane, you can’t feel pain—if you cut too deep, you’ll bleed to death!”I smiled softly.“That’s right. I can’t feel pain.“Which is why you used to think that a little injury here or there didn’t matter, because I wouldn’t hurt anyway.”My scheduled alarm went off.I put the knife down, turned around, and walked back to the work counter at the rear of the shop.An electric burner was heating a pot of water used for melting soap bases.The water was already boiling, bubbling and venting clouds of thick steam.Harry followed me to the spot.He stared at the burner, then suddenly, a

Chapter 9

The ambulance pulled away with Harry inside.A harsh, pungent odor of burnt flesh lingered inside the shop.I opened all the windows to clear the air, then grabbed a cloth and carefully wiped down the metal edges of the electric burner.It was like clearing away a minor, insignificant speck of dust.Over the next two weeks, Harry didn’t show up again.I heard from neighbors along the alley that the local clinic couldn’t handle burns that severe, so he was transferred overnight to a top-tier hospital in the city.His right hand was ruined.The severe burn had damaged both nerves and muscles. Using utensils would prove a struggle for the rest of his life.I simply nodded after hearing the news and went back to packaging soap for a customer.Those two weeks passed by in peace.Every morning, I would simmer a different pot of soup. In the afternoon, I crafted soap at the store, and to pass time in the evening, I strolled along the beach.One day, I spotted a familiar silhouette sitting on

Chapter 10

From that day on, Harry never came to my shop again.Yet I knew he hadn’t left the town.He rented a run-down room at the corner of the alley.Every morning when I unlocked my shop, I could feel a distant gaze watching me from afar.He never dared to approach, choosing instead to stay a good distance away, hovering like a quiet ghost.When it rained, he stood beneath the eaves of a roof.When the sun blazed, he hid in the shades of trees.The locals assumed he was out of his mind, and no one paid him any heed.I never acknowledged his presence either.I just let him be. It was none of my business.As winter approached, I transferred the lease of the storefront to a young woman from out of town.Although my body was slowly recovering, the damp, cold southern air still brought a faint ache to my joints.The sensation was subtle, but I could feel it.It was proof that I was alive.I decided to move somewhere warmer, up north.On the morning of my departure, I carried my modest suitcase an

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