Chapter 6
Maybe it was my imagination, but ever since that day, Steve seemed a little colder toward Evelyn.
He no longer showered her with attention and doted on her every whim like before.
At home, whenever Evelyn tried to get close to him, Steve would subtly move away. He no longer humored her like he used to.
I witnessed all of this, unsure of how I felt.
Was I happy? Or sad?
I didn’t know.
Evelyn must have noticed the change as well, for she tried to please him. She even
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+ 5 Points
bought handmade noodles and attempted to cook, only to nearly burn down the kitchen.
Steve shooed her out of the kitchen, silently cleaning up the mess she had made.
Evelyn stood at the door, tears streaming down her face as she watched him.
Suddenly, Evelyn spoke, “Why hasn’t Henrieta come back yet? Do you think she’s finally given up on you and is ready to divorce?”
Steve paused mid–motion, then turned to look at Evelyn with an intense gaze.
“She won’t.”
His tone was firm, as if stating an undeniable truth.
As if trying to prove something, he
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+5 Points
took out his phone. But upon seeing our still–unanswered conversation, his expression revealed a rare flicker of panic.
That same afternoon, Steve received the divorce papers I had sent before the accident. Papers I had already signed.
And the ring he had placed on my finger when he proposed.
Five years ago, Steve and I were on a mountain watching a meteor shower.
a
He had stepped away, claiming to ha he was
stomachache, and when he returned, he was dressed in a sleek black suit, smiling as he approached me.
He knelt on one knee before I could even process what was happening.
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Before he could speak, I blurted out, “Yes, I do!”
Everyone around us laughed at my eagerness, and I threw myself into Steve’s arms, kissing him through my tears of joy.
To have my dreams come true–it was the kind of ending so many people longed for.
I thought Steve and I would grow old together.
But then Evelyn reached out to Steve again, saying she needed him.
Two days before our anniversary, my husband left me without a second thought, rushing to be by Evelyn’s side.
I had clung to his sleeve, begging him not to go, but he walked away without looking
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Jack.
I asked him for a divorce and moved out of the home we had shared–one I had designed and decorated with all my love.
Today, he finally received those divorce papers, along with the ring that had once symbolized our love and commitment.
For the first time, I saw Steve’s face crack open, like a deep wound tearing him apart, bleeding profusely.
He lit a cigarette, even though he had quit years ago. One after another, the smoke swirled around him, obscuring his face from
- me.
He kept sending me message after message, but they all vanished into the void with no reply.
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And suddenly, it hit me–why was I rushing home on our anniversary, when I had already asked him for a divorce?
I realized there was something important I had forgotten.
