Chapter 31
After going through all this, Steven felt as if he had awakened from a long and absurd nightmare. He finally understood with painful clarity that his relationship with Yvonne had truly reached a dead end.
He contacted Yvonne’s lawyer and numbly signed the divorce agreement. As they were about to leave work that day, Yvonne arrived. They submitted the divorce papers and were now facing a one–month cooling–off period.
“Yvonne, could you take a walk with me?” Steven’s eyes held a hint of pleading. The confidence he once had was long gone, replaced by exhaustion and deep regret.
Yvonne hesitated for a moment, then gently nodded.
They walked out of the courthouse. The lingering rays of the setting sun cast long shadows on the street, much like their once close but gradually distant relationship.
They walked in silence, neither speaking first. The hustle and bustle of the shops along the if separated by a thin veil.
reet–laughter, bargaining–seemed distant to them, as
Steven took a deep breath and broke the silence. “Yvonne, I never thought we would come to this.” His voice was hoarse, each word seeming to be forced out of his throat.
Yvonne’s lips curled into an icy smile. “What’s the point of saying this now?”
Steven stopped and looked at Yvonne. “I know I was terribly wrong. I treated our love like a game, trampling it without care. Only now do I realize that you were the most important person in my life, and I pushed you away myself.”
His eyes reddened, tears welling up. “Yvonne, did you ever truly love me?”
Yvonne looked up at the setting sun behind the tall buildings, her gaze distant and profound, as if traveling through time to those innocent and beautiful years.
“I did love,” she said. “But I loved the young man who risked everything to save me, the one who gave me his pasta even when he was hungry, the one who accompanied me through trouble. Steven, you are not him. You’ve tarnished him.”
Memories sealed by time came rushing back like a tidal wave, each scene vivid and clear. Back then, he had been completely devoted to her, willing to do anything for her. They had been each other’s whole world.
On the street, Steven could no longer hold back his pain and burst into tears. His cries were heart–wrenching, like a wounded animal’s final wail.
Yvonne walked closer to him, a thick sense of hatred in her eyes. “You’ve tarnished the young man I loved, so that every time I reminisce about those sweet moments, all I can think of is your repeated infidelities.
“Those sordid images haunt me like demons. You’ve covered the past with filth. So why should I leave those beautiful memories intact for you? Why should I bear this pain alone?
“That’s why, Steven, I also cheated!”
When Steven heard Yvonne’s words, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His body froze abruptly, and his crying stopped mid–sob. His eyes widened in disbelief, his face a mask of shock.
“You… what did you say?” His voice trembled, filled with endless fear and panic, as if he couldn’t believe his own ears.
Yvonne’s smile grew colder, like the most biting winter wind, capable of freezing a person’s heart solid.
“I said I also cheated. Oh, it was at home, remember?” she said. “You took out the trash, but you didn’t know that what you threw away was evidence left by another man.”
