Julian, my husband, was ridiculously frugal. He’d kept his phone for five years and refused to get a new one. To surprise him, I secretly bought him a new phone. But while transferring data, I stumbled upon something horrifying: he had meticulously saved every single chat record with Celeste, the woman he’d lost, his first love. I intended to hide the chat thread, but my finger slipped, and I accidentally hit ‘delete.’ That’s when Julian walked in. He’d never shown a hint of anger before, but he snatched the phone back from me. When he realized the chat history was gone, unrecoverable, he shoved me, *hard*, then stormed out. My head slammed against the sharp edge of the table. As life drained from me, I frantically dialed his number, again and again. Every call was ruthlessly rejected. The last time I managed to dial, he finally picked up, his voice seething with irritation. “Vera, are you ever going to stop?” He didn’t know. He didn’t know that the moment he chose those chat records over my life, *I* was already stopped. Forever.
When I opened my eyes again, bleeding out, I found myself in the passenger seat of Julian’s car. He was just hanging up the phone, furious, then slammed his fist against the steering wheel in frustration. He didn’t even notice me there. That’s when it hit me: I was dead. My soul was now tethered to Julian. It was the first time I’d ever seen him so completely lose his composure. Julian, who’d remained calm even after his company was sabotaged and he was left bankrupt, was now red-eyed with rage because I’d accidentally deleted Celeste’s chat history. All because Celeste was the love of his life, his first love who’d died young. If Julian knew I died because of those chat records, would he still be this frantic? He sped through the streets, blowing past red lights, until he finally found a phone repair shop that was still open. “I accidentally deleted some really important chat records. Is there any way to get them back?” Julian carefully handed his phone to the young man behind the counter. The ‘guy’ took the phone, but didn’t say a word for a long time. “Well? Is it difficult? Name your price, I’ll pay whatever it takes to get them back.” Julian asked anxiously, but then he froze, staring at the repair ‘guy.’ The ‘guy’ awkwardly pulled their cap low, handing the phone back. “I can’t recover them here. You should try somewhere else.” “Celeste…?” Julian stared, dumbfounded, then his trembling hand reached out and yanked the cap off. Long hair cascaded down. The ‘guy’ turned their face away, burying it behind the curtain of hair, their voice muffled and cold. “Sir, you’ve got the wrong person.” But their trembling voice betrayed them. Julian couldn’t hold back anymore. He lunged over the counter and pulled Celeste tightly into his arms. “Celeste… it’s really you… This is amazing, you’re alive! Where have you been all these years?” Even though no one could see me, witnessing my husband embrace another woman as if she were the most precious treasure made my ethereal presence feel utterly pathetic. But I couldn’t move more than a foot and a half away from Julian. I was trapped, forced to watch this agonizing scene. A flicker of surprise crossed Celeste’s eyes. She didn’t answer, nor did she try to break free from Julian’s embrace. A moment later, she tentatively replied, “Mr. Lawson, you’re wearing a wedding ring. Does it really matter where I’ve been all these years? Did you accidentally delete your wife’s chat records? If her records are still there, they can be recovered.” At her words, Julian released Celeste. Celeste offered a knowing, bittersweet smile. The next second, Julian roughly yanked the wedding ring from his ring finger and, without a second thought, threw it out the door. Under Celeste’s stunned gaze, Julian gravely took her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes as he said slowly, every word punctuated with gravity: “Celeste, you’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted to marry. But back then, my project secrets were leaked, and I ended up in massive debt. Then I suddenly heard about your death. Vera was the one who came up with the money to help me through. She’d been secretly in love with me for years, and I had no way to repay her… Now, my company is thriving. If you’re willing, I can divorce Vera anytime. I don’t care if everyone curses me. I can’t lose you again!” My gaze followed the ring. My non-existent body instinctively chased after it, trying to catch it outside the door. But I had no physical form. I could only watch helplessly as the ring passed right through my hand, plunging directly into the street drain, instantly washed away by the sewage. I’d always known Julian had no real affection for me, that he was only with me for the money I’d provided. But seeing him toss that ring away with such utter indifference, my heart ached so intensely I could barely breathe. I sank to the ground, powerless. The next second, my body was forcibly pulled back, closer to Julian, as I had drifted too far. I was then forced to witness Julian, overcome with emotion, leaning in to kiss Celeste. “The chat records I want to restore today are also with you. Do you still have them on your phone?”
“I can’t believe you’re still using the phone I bought you.” Celeste connected her phone to the computer, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips. “Of course,” Julian said, wrapping his arms around Celeste from behind, resting his chin on her neck as he watched her work. “It was the first gift you ever gave me. Not long after that, you… how could I ever bring myself to replace it?” No wonder Julian refused to get a new phone. I curved my lips into a self-deprecating smile, but tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. That old phone often acted up, dying suddenly. Once, Julian was on a FaceTime call with me while driving, and it abruptly cut out. When I tried to call back, his phone was off. Julian never let his phone run out of battery. I immediately thought he’d been in an accident. My world crumbled. I trembled as I drove to his usual route to find him. In my panic, I rear-ended another car. My leg was broken, but I didn’t even care. I cried, crawling out of the car, desperate to find Julian. It was only when his assistant called to tell me he’d safely arrived at work that I finally calmed down. When he heard I’d been in an accident trying to find him, he didn’t even come to see me. He just said, “You’re overreacting.” That old phone had caused so many problems, yet Julian never once thought about replacing it. I thought it was because he’d gotten into the habit of being frugal over the years. I never imagined that the phone held such significant meaning for him. After all, his tolerance for that phone far exceeded his tolerance for me. Halfway through the data transfer, Celeste mumbled, “You still need to replace it. The memory is full. Transfer failed.” “How can that be?” Julian frowned. After a quick check, he simply deleted all his chat records with me. “There. Plenty of space now.” Celeste’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Is that okay? Aren’t you afraid your wife will be mad?” Julian shrugged indifferently. “They’re just unimportant messages anyway. Doesn’t matter.” Though it was only for a moment, I saw that Julian had set my messages to ‘Do Not Disturb.’ Unimportant messages, indeed. After all, the entire chat thread was just me harassing Julian with one-sided messages. He had never replied once. I used to think he just didn’t reply. Now I realized he hadn’t even looked. The message count on the right side of the chat box was a red half-ellipsis, indicating countless unread messages. The pain in my heart was no less agonizing than the fatal blow to my head. I crouched down, burying my head between my knees, unwilling to watch their intimacy any longer. Once the data transfer was complete, Julian carefully put away his phone, then spoke with a serious tone: “What exactly happened that year? Your brother told me you had a sudden heart attack. By the time I rushed back to your apartment, all your personal belongings had been taken by your family. They didn’t even let me attend your funeral, and I didn’t know where your hometown was…” Recalling the past, Julian shuddered, the memory still haunting him. He pulled Celeste into another tight embrace. “All these years, I’ve blamed myself for not becoming successful sooner, for letting you suffer so much, which led to you overworking and having a heart attack. Your family wouldn’t even let me see you one last time.” Celeste’s gaze darted away, and she lowered her head. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Julian. Since you’re already married to Ms. Vera, and your career is back on track with her help, you should focus on your life with her. Pretend you never saw me today. I won’t interfere with your life.” They were perfectly normal words, yet Julian’s face instantly darkened. “Vera threatened you, forced you to fake your death, didn’t she? She’d always wanted to be with me. I never imagined she’d resort to such despicable tactics to get me! My company’s bankruptcy back then was orchestrated by someone. I’ve been investigating who leaked the project’s confidential data, but I never once suspected her!” Celeste was stunned. I was stunned too. But she didn’t say a word in rebuttal, and I couldn’t say a word in rebuttal. Julian’s large hand gently caressed the back of Celeste’s head. “Celeste, it must have been so hard for you all these years. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Vera pays double for all the suffering you’ve endured!” I touched the back of my own head, thinking, *You’ve already made her pay. Celeste’s faked death has nothing to do with me, but I truly died because of her.*
Julian had been struggling with how to approach me about a divorce without me clinging to him. But with just one ambiguous sentence from Celeste, he immediately concluded that his bankruptcy and the death of his first love were all part of a scheme I orchestrated to get him. Julian instantly shed any moral burden. All he felt for me was an even more intense fury and disgust. He couldn’t wait to bring Celeste home, eager to expose “my” plot from years ago and force me to leave with nothing. I quietly sat in the back seat of the car, listening to Julian’s baseless accusations against me, my heart slowly growing numb. Back then, I’d selflessly transferred ninety percent of my parents’ inheritance into his name, all to help him get back on his feet. Turns out, in the eyes of someone who doesn’t love you, every sacrifice you make can be twisted into a selfish motive. Opening the door, Julian’s muscle memory made him hang his keys on the hook by the entryway. It was a heart-shaped key holder I’d specially bought, part of a set with our heart-shaped keychains. Julian’s was the left half of the heart, mine was the right. When we were both home, the keychains would connect to form a whole heart on the holder. Celeste glanced at it and gave a bitter laugh. “Looks like you and Vera were quite loving all these years I was gone.” Julian saw the complete heart on the wall and realized. He yanked his keys off, the force so strong that the plastic holder ripped right off the wall. The holder shattered on the floor. My keychain, with its right half of the heart, lay forlornly amidst the scattered pieces. Julian looked at it, annoyed. He kicked my keychain away. “Vera! Get out here!” I didn’t come out. Buddy, our beloved Bichon Frise, pattered out of the bedroom. Buddy saw Celeste and immediately bounded towards her, wagging his tail. Celeste delightedly picked Buddy up. “You’re still keeping Buddy? I thought he’d be long gone…” “He’s our little treasure, we adopted him together. He’s like half our son. How could I ever abandon him?” Julian said, a doting smile on his face. Buddy was a dog Julian and Celeste had shared. Years ago, when Julian brought him home, I took care of him every day, even taking allergy meds for my dog fur allergy. Back then, Buddy’s eyes were crusted over with discharge, his fur was a tangled mess of knots, and he’d even contracted parvo. He was wary of everyone, biting anyone who touched him. Even the pet store refused to bathe him. In the end, I put on several layers of rubber gloves, and my hands were bleeding from his bites by the time I finally cleaned him. His illness too was something I cured myself, after running to countless pet hospitals and researching tirelessly online until I was practically an expert. The Buddy I’d cared for, now fluffy and healthy, was a completely different dog from before. “Why are Buddy’s paws and fur covered in blood?” Celeste shrieked. My heart jumped. Only then did I notice the trail of bloody paw prints leading from the master bedroom to the front door. He must have stepped in the blood from the back of my head. Imagining Buddy whimpering around my corpse, tears streamed down my face again. Buddy barked twice at Julian, then tugged at his pants, whimpering, trying to lead him to the master bedroom. Julian didn’t understand what Buddy meant. He just picked the dog up to check for injuries on its fur. Buddy struggled to get down, but Julian mistakenly thought he’d touched a wound and hurt him. “That cruel woman, taking her anger out on the dog.” He cursed through clenched teeth. “Let’s take Buddy to the vet first. We’ll settle things with her later!”
The vet examined Buddy thoroughly, a worried expression on his face. “The dog isn’t hurt, and he’s perfectly healthy. The blood on him isn’t dog blood either. In fact, it looks like… human blood.” He carefully observed Julian’s reaction. “Did someone in your household get hurt? This amount of bleeding doesn’t look like a minor injury. You really need to get immediate medical attention.” Julian froze, and his face instantly darkened. “Crazy woman, trying to get me to give in by self-harming.” At the word “self-harm,” Celeste’s eyes flickered. “Does Vera have a history of self-harm?” As if recalling unpleasant memories, a flicker of disgust crossed Julian’s face. “History? She used to carve my name into her arm with a knife when she self-harmed!” I instinctively looked at my arm. I never thought the old wounds would leave a mark on my soul too. If Julian had cared about me just a little more, he would have noticed that his name was carved facing his direction. Meaning, his name wasn’t carved by me, for myself. It was carved by someone else, holding my arm down. That person was Celeste. Years ago, after my parents died unexpectedly, I transferred from a private school to a public high school to cut costs. On my first day, from the front of the classroom, I saw Julian, whom my parents and I had helped at the orphanage when I was a child. Julian didn’t recognize me. I had no intention of revealing myself. After all, no one wants their new classmate to know embarrassing childhood memories. But that one glance was enough. At lunchtime, when I returned to my dorm, I found myself locked inside. Celeste entered the room, shoved me to the ground, and I saw stars. I tried to get up, but she kicked me in the shoulder. “You slut, transferred here and eyeing my man already?” I quickly shook my head. “No, I just thought he looked familiar. Like I’d seen him somewhere before.” Clearly, Celeste was annoyed by more than just that. She lifted her chin, and the other two roommates rushed forward, roughly tearing open my suitcase. They started dividing my slightly more expensive clothes and jewelry like vultures dividing their spoils. When I saw them pull out the little white pipe cleaner dog Julian had twisted for me years ago, I couldn’t sit still. “Can you please not take that?” I pleaded, looking at Celeste. She just let out a malicious laugh. “This, or the photo? Which do you choose?” Celeste pulled out my family photo from my wallet’s hidden compartment. “Please, these aren’t valuable items. They’re useless to you.” I knelt, begging her. Celeste immediately made a motion to tear it. “The photo! The photo!” I shrieked. “Why are you suddenly so loud?!” Celeste tossed the photo back to me. I quickly pounced on it, carefully putting it away. “What’s the point of this stupid dog? Treating it like a treasure.” Celeste didn’t understand. She tucked the dog away and went to class. That morning, Julian hadn’t recognized me, but that afternoon, he immediately recognized the little dog. “Celeste, is this yours?” Julian tentatively stepped forward, asking, his gaze searching her face. Celeste’s face instantly flushed, and she became flustered and coy. “Y-yes, it is. Why?” Hearing Celeste’s answer, Julian’s gaze softened. “Do you remember how you got it?” Celeste panicked, clearly not expecting that question. “It’s okay, I was just asking.” Julian gently returned the little dog to Celeste, casually ruffling her hair. I stood by, watching it all unfold, saying nothing. That night, Celeste forced me to explain how I got the little dog. I remained silent, unwilling to reveal Julian’s past at the orphanage. “You’re still denying you’re trying to hook him!” Celeste raged, grabbing a utility knife and slashing at my arm. The other two roommates came forward and held me down tightly. “Since you like him so much, I’ll just carve his name onto you. Let him see how sick your obsession is!” Celeste viciously carved Julian’s name into my arm. Years later, Julian finally agreed to be with me. To remove the scars on my arm, the best way was to re-injure the wounds and give them a chance to heal anew. I couldn’t bring myself to go to the hospital, so I had to treat them myself at home. Just once, Julian walked in on me. I thought he’d be worried, concerned. Instead, he just frowned, a look of disgust on his face. “Why are you self-harming?”
Because of my blood, Julian completely lost interest in confronting me face-to-face. He decided to divorce me via SnapChat. Since he’d deleted my chat thread when transferring data, he typed my name into the SnapChat search bar, only to find “no user found.” It was then he realized he’d never even saved me as a contact. Julian froze, unable to recall what my SnapChat username was. He then opened his phone book, intending to search for my account by number, but discovered he hadn’t even saved my phone number. *Check recent calls, you idiot!* I wanted to sigh. *He probably forgot I called him so many times.* He opened his SnapChat contacts and started scrolling through, one by one. This was the first time he’d ever paid this much attention to me, all just to find my SnapChat so he could divorce me. I didn’t make him work too hard. My profile picture was Buddy, and my username was “Spring and Sunshine,” starting with ‘S’, so he found it quickly. He even noticed the clever touch in my username. “Gross,” he muttered. He drafted the message and, the moment he hit send, Julian let out a long, slow breath, then leaned back, casually draping an arm around Celeste’s shoulders, looking utterly relaxed. Celeste stroked Buddy, her face etched with lingering fear. “I was so scared earlier. Seeing Buddy’s fur covered in bright red blood almost made me faint.” Julian’s arm dropped. “You’re afraid of blood?” “Yeah, sometimes I even faint at the sight of red liquids that look like blood.” Noticing Julian’s darkening expression, Celeste cautiously asked, “What’s wrong?” “How can someone with red-green colorblindness be afraid of blood?” “I’m not red-green colorblind,” Celeste replied, utterly confused. “Why are you suddenly asking that?” Julian’s breathing quickened. “You’re not red-green colorblind? Then how did you get that little white pipe cleaner dog?”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296678”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply