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All Chapters of Spent Eight Years Learning I Don't Belong: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Elizabeth's POVI replied with a simple "Okay", then closed the chat window with my husband, Nathan Hart, and put his tablet back in the study.Messages kept popping up in a group chat called "The Dirty Dozen" with Nathan, his friends, and his childhood sweetheart, Sonia Calloway. They had already booked the campsite and were assigning each person to their tents and deciding who would be getting the ingredients.Someone asked Nathan which tent he would sleep in.Sonia quickly replied with a giggling emoji. "Of course Nate's sharing the big tent with us! Otherwise, who's going to keep night watch?"Nathan quickly replied, "Stop assigning me things." Then, the rest of them in the group immediately began teasing the two of them. "Relax, Elizabeth isn't here. She won't see."Nathan didn't refute it. He just sent a screenshot of a 1,200-dollar transaction—he'd covered the campsite fees for all 12 of them. I stared at that screenshot and suddenly remembered that just half an ho

Chapter 2

Elizabeth's POVOver at the Hart residence the next day, Nathan's mother, Meredith Hayes, had prepared a table full of food. But out of the ten dishes, nine of them had cilantro in them, which I absolutely hated. Meredith placed the only dish without cilantro in front of Nathan and said, "You've been busy lately, Nate. You should eat up."The moment I took a bite of the food, however, I instantly felt my stomach lurch violently, so I slapped a hand over my mouth and rushed into the bathroom."What's wrong?" Meredith asked from outside."She's got a sensitive stomach and can't quite get used to our food," Nathan replied.Then Meredith, assuming that I wouldn't understand what she was saying, muttered a line in Westmerean, "She's been here eight years and still can't get used to our food? She's really a hard one to please, isn't she?"I turned on the faucet, rinsed the sour taste from my mouth, and stayed in there a while longer. Right after that, Meredith brought up the campin

Chapter 3

Elizabeth's POVAfter Nathan left, I began packing.Eight years ago, when I married Nathan and left home for Westmere, I brought three suitcases with me. Eight years later, despite living in a 2,000-square-foot house, I still didn't own enough to fill those three suitcases.I folded my clothes neatly. At the very bottom of the wardrobe lay my wedding album with Nathan. In the photos, he lifted my veil and whispered something in my ear. He had said, "From now on, this is your home."Back then, I had truly believed him. I quit my job back home, left my parents, and followed him to a city where I couldn't even understand what others were saying.When his friends gathered and spoke in Westmerean, I could only smile because I didn't understand a word they said. When his parents complained that my taste was too bland, I learned to cook local dishes.Even when Mom fell ill, all I did was ask for three days off work because Nathan said the round-trip tickets were expensive and that seein

Chapter 4

Elizabeth's POVOn Sunday morning, as I changed into the hospital gown, Nathan sent me a message. "Liz, the client added something to the itinerary at the last minute, so I won't be home tonight either. There's some lasagna in the freezer. Remember to heat it up, okay?"A 100-dollar transfer followed, with a remark that read, "Don't skip dinner, Liz!"I declined it and simply replied, "Okay."Then, the nurse called my name. I turned off my phone and walked into the procedure room.As I lay down on the procedure table, I thought of the day I found out I was pregnant. I had bought a pair of yellow baby socks at a maternity store, planning to put them in a gift box along with the test results. I was going to surprise Nathan and tell him in person when he came back from his business trip.But it turned out that his so-called business trip involved taking the wings I had marinated and going camping with 11 of his friends.A cold stream of medication was injected into my vein. Bef

Chapter 5

Third-Person POVIt pained Nathan to see the words "six weeks pregnant" on the abortion paperwork.He picked up the pair of little yellow socks beside it. They were tiny—smaller than his palm even. Nathan's lips moved, but no sound came out.After a long while, he grabbed his phone and called Elizabeth. But her phone was powered off. He tried again. Still, it was off.In the end, he opened the messaging app and sent over a dozen messages in a row."Elizabeth, where did you go?""What's with the abortion papers?""You were pregnant?""Why didn't you tell me?"He froze the moment he sent that last one. Why hadn't she told him?But she had asked him. That night, she'd sat on the couch and quietly asked if he wanted a child.How had he answered, then? He said yes. And then he said the child must not learn Briaric.Nathan raised his hand and slapped himself. Hard.His phone buzzed just then. In "The Dirty Dozen" group, Sonia sent a message. "Home yet, Nate? Elizabeth must have

Chapter 6

Third-Person POVThe next afternoon, Nathan appeared at Elizabeth's parents' door.He hadn't slept all night, and he hadn't shaved either. In his hands was the strawberry cake Elizabeth used to love and a jewelry box.When Elizabeth's dad, William Parker, opened the door and saw who it was, his face immediately darkened. "What are you doing here?"Nathan looked past him into the house. "William, I'm looking for Liz."William blocked the doorway. His Crestorian wasn't good, and when he got anxious, his Briaric accent got even heavier. "She doesn't want to see you."In the past, Nathan always claimed he couldn't understand William and would always make Elizabeth translate for him. This time, Nathan didn't dare miss a single word."My daughter isn't going back with you."Nathan lowered his head. "I know I was wrong. I just want to talk to her."It was at that point that Elizabeth came out of her room. She hadn't seen him for a few days, and he looked like he'd lost a lot of weigh

Chapter 7

Third-Person POVNathan didn't sign the divorce agreement. He left it on the table and went back alone.That evening, a notification suddenly popped up in "The Dirty Dozen" group chat. "Nathan has left the group."Not long after, Sonia called him. "Nate, what do you mean by this?"Nathan stood in the empty living room. The abortion papers were still on the dining table, and he had placed the little socks in a glass box. "Gather everyone and come over to my house."Half an hour later, all 11 of them were there. No one dared to joke around the way they used to.Sonia spoke first. "Did Elizabeth complain to you?"Nathan looked at her. "She didn't complain. She simply repeated every word you people said, exactly as it was."Someone let out a dry laugh."It's all just jokes between friends. Elizabeth won't really take it seriously, will she?""You turned her recordings into an audio pack. You call that a joke?"The person's expression stiffened."Every one of you sent those vo

Chapter 8

Elizabeth's POVThree days later, Nathan showed up at our door again, accompanied by Meredith this time.The moment the door opened, Meredith barged in with reddened eyes. "Elizabeth, how can you be so heartless? Getting pregnant is such a big deal, but you didn't even say a word to the family and just went ahead and got rid of the baby?"Mom paled instantly. She didn't know about the baby yet.I stood up and shielded Mom behind me. "That was my decision to make."Meredith slapped the table in anger. "But that baby was a Hart too!"Dad asked coldly, "Where were all of you Harts when Lizzie was going through the procedure?"Meredith choked on her words. "Nathan was busy with work."I laughed. "Right. He was busy camping."Nathan spoke in a low voice. "Mom, stop.""Why should I?" Meredith pointed at me and accused, "She secretly got rid of the child, and now she wants to split the assets? Where's the logic in that? She won't get a single cent from the Hart family's property!"

Chapter 9

Elizabeth's POVI had thought things would end there.But the next day, Sonia made a post on her social media. "Some people mistake sensitivity for kindness and selfishness for clarity. A few jokes among adults at a gathering, and she forced her husband to cut ties with friends of over a decade. She even used a child to punish others. Truly eye-opening."My name wasn't mentioned. The accompanying photo, however, was the group shot from that camping trip.Comments quickly piled up in agreement."Poor Nate. He's had it tough.""All it takes is a nasty wife to ruin a family.""Some wives are just hard to please."When the screenshot was sent to me, I was in the middle of submitting the divorce paperwork.Kendra was so angry that she called me. "What the hell is wrong with these people? They're the ones in the wrong, but now they're turning around and blaming it on you?"I remained calm. "It's fine."That evening, I, too, posted on my social media. I didn't write long paragrap

Chapter 10

Elizabeth's POVA month later, Nathan and I finished the divorce proceedings. When we came out of the courthouse, the sky was very clear. Nathan stood on the steps, holding the divorce certificate. "Liz."I turned around.He had lost a lot of weight, so his shirt hung loosely on him. "Can you have a meal with me?"I shook my head. "Mom's waiting for me at home."A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "You always used to tell me that my mom was waiting for me at home, too. But I'd never bothered asking if your parents were waiting for you at home."I didn't respond.He took a glass box out of his pocket. Inside lay that pair of yellow baby socks. "This is for you."I didn't take it. "Keep it. It doesn't belong to me anymore."Nathan's eyes reddened. "Every day when I go home, I feel like you're still there. But there's no more food that you prepared for me in the fridge, no clothes of yours on the balcony, and no one asking me in the morning what time I'll be back.

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