I held Yu An’s hand because he’d confessed
his feelings a few days earlier.
<
I hadn’t accepted his long–awaited love. Now
that I dragged him into this, though I knew he
wouldn’t mind, I apologized sincerely.
Yu An scratched his nose. After accepting my
apology, he invited me to an art exhibition the
following weekend.
No one cared when Ethan and Chloe left.
The next day, I didn’t receive the divorce
papers.
I had my lawyer file for divorce.
Mid–July, rain shrouded my rural hometown.
I returned home with my parents.
The second day, Ethan’s car pulled up.
I’d warned anyone, including my parents, if
they let him attend the ancestral rites as my
husband, I’d cut them off.
For three days, Ethan stood in the rain during
the day and slept in his car at night.
Everyone ignored him until Mr. Zhang, our
neighbor, found him collapsed on the road to
<
the village store.
Ethan had a high fever all night, and despite
taking medicine, my parents checked on him
every half hour.
My family and Ethan’s were worlds apart. If
we hadn’t been so deeply in love, his parents
wouldn’t have allowed the marriage.
On our wedding day, I waited in the bridal
suite, only to hear my parents‘ car had broken
down.
Ethan comforted me, saying his parents were
my parents. Even if my father wasn’t there,
his father would walk me down the aisle.
Later, I learned the car hadn’t broken down.
His family had arranged a separate reception
for my family.
Ethan knew all about it.
“Mom, go rest. I’ll watch him.”
After sending them away, I stayed with Ethan.
He was awake.
<
“Your fever’s gone down. If you can’t drive
tomorrow, use the company car.”
I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm
weakly.
“Nina, I’m sorry. I fired Chloe, blocked her
everywhere, I, I cough…!”
I knew about Chloe’s firing. I’d even seen a
video of Chloe crying and begging to see Ethan, refusing to leave the company. Her
outburst ended with a heart attack.
“Ethan, let me say this again. Chloe is
irrelevant. You disgust me.”
He disgusted me physically and mentally.
Ethan sat up weakly, his voice hoarse.
“I know. I know you blame me for that tattoo.
It’s okay… Nina, I’ll show you my sincerity.”
On the coffee table lay a peeled apple and a
small fruit knife.
I watched Ethan slice his chest tattoo, until
the flesh was bloody and raw.
“Nina, please,” he begged, his face covered in
sweat. He stumbled, kneeling before me. The
blood stained my clothes.
“Let’s not divorce. I don’t want to divorce
you.”
I stood, disgusted, stepping back and
brushing nonexistent dust off my clothes.
“Ethan, if you bleed to death, call 911. Don’t
die in my house. It’s bad luck.”
Watching me leave, he stared at the knife.
Before dawn, Ethan left silently.
Shortly after, a storm hit.
Around 10:29 am, I received a call.
“Hello, are you Ms. Nina Jiang, wife of Mr. Ethan Riverwood? This is the emergency
room at National Central Hospital. Your
husband was in a car accident on the
highway and is in critical condition. Please
come immediately!”
My gaze remained fixed on the rain outside.
<
The night I was diagnosed with a miscarriage,
after calling 911, I’d called Ethan. He finally
picked up, as I was about to hang up.
I cried, begging him to come home, my
stomach hurting so badly. He was at some
unimportant dinner with Chloe, her laughter
echoing.
Knowing I’d called for an ambulance, Ethan
slurred,
“Nina, why are you so annoying? It’s just a
stomachache! You’re so dramatic, you really
called an ambulance? Stop faking it! I’m
busy.”
“Hello? Ms. Jiang, can you hear me?”
Seeing my silence, the doctor repeated
Ethan’s critical condition.
I smiled. “Sorry, wrong number.”
A year later, I received the divorce decree, ignoring the gaunt Ethan in his wheelchair. I
<
ignoring the gaunt Ethan in his wheelchair. I
was discussing our celebratory dinner with my
lawyer.
As we were about to leave, a tiny meow
caught our attention.
A small, white kitten.
Thinking of my hefty divorce settlement, my
lawyer said, “They say kittens bring good
luck.”
I found a cardboard box and put the kitten
inside. I touched its nose.
“From today on, your name is New Dawn.”
New Dawn seemed to understand.
It meowed loudly, full of hope for the future.
[The End]
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