Chapter 2

After finishing my father's funeral, I returned home that evening. I found that Aaron still hadn’t come back, and his phone remained unreachable. The empty house exuded a quiet coldness, devoid of any sign of life. I had no idea where Aaron was at that moment, nor had he told me.

I remembered when we first got married; Aaron and I were like any ordinary couple, with him constantly keeping me informed. His attentiveness was a shining example of what it meant to be a good partner. Even with his demanding schedule at the hospital, he never tired of checking in on me, sending messages to see how I was doing, even after long overnight surgeries.

But everything seemed to change after Jenifer returned.

Jenifer had been studying medicine abroad, and she returned home due to the death of her parents, leaving her no choice but to develop her career here. Aaron was her only connection in the country, and naturally, she found her way into the hospital where he worked.

Since Jenifer joined the hospital where Aaron worked, they began spending every day together. From attending surgical meetings to eating in the hospital cafeteria, their routine became seamlessly intertwined. Aaron, who once made a point to text me whenever he had a break, had shifted to spending every spare moment with Jenifer.

I confronted him about this change, but he only looked at me calmly, his voice tinged with a hint of reassurance. “Jenny and I grew up together. With her parents gone and her just starting at our hospital, it’s normal for me to take care of her as a senior.”

Yet this explanation couldn’t quell my racing thoughts. In the end, he sweet-talked me and brought me a small gift, and I found myself believing him and forgiving him.

I still vividly remembered our wedding day when he cried and promised to love me for life, bowing before my father in a solemn oath. His heartfelt gesture had moved everyone present to tears.

But ever since Jenifer returned, everything had changed. My concerns seemed to fall on deaf ears, and the hope I once had for his explanations faded into disappointment. Each time he chose Jenifer over me deepened that disappointment. I realized that this feeling was enough to make me consider ending our relationship.

I picked up my phone and called a relative who was a lawyer.

“Cyndi, why are you thinking about divorce right after your father’s passing?” came the concerned voice on the other end.

I felt a lump in my throat and didn’t know how to respond.

“I’m just a bit tired,” I managed to say.

Hearing the evasiveness in my tone, my relative seemed to understand.

But she didn’t press me further.

In the end, she raised her voice to offer a few half-hearted pieces of advice: “What matters most is that you two can live a good life together. If there are no fundamental disagreements, you should think it through before deciding to divorce.”

I understood her concern. After all, in the eyes of relatives and friends, Aaron was the perfect husband. He was not only a respected doctor but also my father’s physician. His dramatic gesture of bowing before my father and promising to love me for life during our wedding was nothing short of grand.

Yet, only I knew that the fervor of that moment had long since faded. The one-sided devotion I felt now was draining. I didn’t want to be the one chasing anymore. It seemed better to be alone and free than to be exhausted together. I realized this the moment I couldn’t get through to his phone.

“I’ve made my decision; I want a divorce.”

With my father gone, the person who loved me most had left this world. I thought it was time for me to be my own support, no longer dependent on anyone else.