The sixth time my husband mixed the used cooking oil with my homemade lard, I lost my temper. My son disapproved, “Mom, why are you so emotionally unstable? Dad just mixed up the oils.” When he asked to go to school during his vacation for the umpteenth time, I told him he didn’t care about family. My son complained that I was unsympathetic, “Dad’s earning money for the family, he must have his reasons.” Later, my husband became a renowned author and was interviewed for a documentary. After filming all the footage, the director casually interviewed me and asked about my wishes. I thought for a moment and said, “I hope I could live my life over again.” After the interview, the director said goodbye. I sat in the rocking chair, feeling lost. After a while, I found the divorce agreement hidden in the bottom drawer and placed it in front of James Quinn. James fiddled with the wooden carving in his hand, not even looking up. “What’s this?” “Can’t you see I’m busy?” “I’m going to school later, and I won’t be back for dinner.” I instantly lost the desire to communicate with him. I put on my coat, ready to pick up our son one last time. After picking up the child, I should leave. The school gate was bustling with activity. I stood there for a long time but didn’t see my son. Anxiously, I took out my phone and called his homeroom teacher. “Ryan? I saw him leave school alone quite early. Didn’t you see him?” I thanked the teacher and started searching along the small path next to the school. He used to walk this path when he was upset. At the end of the path was our secret hideout. Seeing Ryan there, I breathed a sigh of relief, but tensed up again the next second. An unfamiliar voice came from the bushes beside him. “This place is really nice, Ryan. Thank you for bringing me here.” My son’s voice was cheerful: “I’m glad you like it, Aunt Sophia. Next time if my dad upsets you again, I’ll bring you here.” The sound of their playful laughter seemed fitting for the scene. I stood not far away, watching the two of them. The woman noticed me and was startled. “Oh, I thought it was someone else. It’s just you, Abigail.” “I’m sorry, Ryan saw I wasn’t in a good mood and brought me here.” “He was being all mysterious, and I didn’t have time to tell you.” “Ryan, you should have told your mom. You made her worry for nothing.” Ryan saw me too and frowned: “Why are you here? Are you following me?” I watched the two of them put on a show, and turned to leave. Ryan followed, his tone softening: “I guess I misspoke. Next time, don’t come here uninvited.” I looked back at him and said softly, “Alright.” Memories surfaced of his chubby face as a baby, looking so much like James. He once held a private birthday party for me here. Holding flowers bought with his pocket money, he stood on tiptoes to kiss my cheek and said: “Mom, I love you. Even if dad doesn’t love you anymore, I still love you.” “Dad must have forgotten because he’s busy, but don’t worry, Ryan will keep you company.” “From now on, when you’re unhappy, Ryan will bring you here. This is our secret hideout.” The path came to an end, and the fragrance of flowers in my memory faded past their prime, scattering in the wind.
I returned home, and James opened the door for me. “You’re back? Come eat, I made your favorite sweet and sour pork.” Didn’t he say he wouldn’t be home for dinner? “Where’s our son? Didn’t you go pick him up?” “He’s with Sophia, probably right behind me.” I hung my coat on the rack, catching a glimpse of the unnatural expression on his face. I asked him, “What’s wrong?” He rubbed his nose, “Nothing, hurry and wash your hands for dinner.” At this point, the only thing I couldn’t put down in this life was my fork. Why not eat when someone has prepared the meal? I could pack my bags after dinner. While washing my hands in the kitchen, I habitually glanced at the stove. It was like this again. He seemed to never understand what I said. Every time he fried something, he would pour the used oil back into my newly rendered lard. Every time he did it, I reminded him every time. When he poured the oil into my sealed lard for the sixth time, I finally lost my temper. “Can’t you understand what I’m saying? Or are you deliberately going against me?” “Why do you have to pour the used oil into my new lard?” I was shrieking like a shrew, while he rolled up his sleeves, calm and composed. “It’s just pouring oil, can’t you talk nicely?” Haven’t I talked nicely? Did you ever take it to heart when I spoke nicely? Before I could voice my thoughts, our son spoke up. “Mom, why are you so emotionally unstable? Dad just mixed up the oils.” That was the first time Ryan complained about me. I felt hurt but assumed he didn’t understand the whole situation. As time passed, I forgot about it. Later, I learned online that James did it on purpose. As long as he messed things up, he could avoid me asking him to do it next time. But he cooked less than five times a month. I don’t know what got into him today. We were about to divorce, yet he voluntarily started cooking. At the dinner table, the three of us were silent. I looked at the red sweet and sour pork on the table and suddenly lost my appetite. He clearly knew I didn’t like sweet and sour pork made with ketchup. Sweet and sour pork with ketchup was Sophia’s favorite. Just as I was about to put down my utensils, I saw James open his mouth, seeming hesitant. But he chose to break the silence: “Look, we’ve been married for so long, can’t we just stop this petty argument?” “My book just came out, if news of our divorce spreads now…” Our son, who had been eating with his head down, suddenly looked up and said to me: “Mom, did you lose your temper with dad again?” “Are you going through menopause?” “Dad finally made it as a writer, don’t cause trouble.” He then turned to his father: “Dad, didn’t you say you were going to see Aunt Sophia?” “Aunt Sophia was crying earlier. You know her ex-husband is always harassing her.” The usually gentle and refined James suddenly changed his expression: “I… I’m going out for a bit, I’ll be back soon.” “You two eat first.” The temperature had dropped sharply recently, but he rushed out without even taking his coat. He came back a few seconds later, and I thought he was getting his coat. Instead, he took a brown object from the room and was about to leave again. I called out to him, “Hey.” He didn’t even turn around, impatiently saying, “I’ll be back soon, don’t meddle…” “Take your coat.” James stopped in his tracks: “…Thanks.” He turned and took the coat, put his hands on my shoulders, trying to kiss me. I instinctively stepped back, and he paused for a moment before quickly saying: “Calm down, we’ll talk when I get back.” I watched his receding figure, growing smaller, like my heart contracting in pain. The last time I saw him this flustered was when I was hospitalized due to exhaustion.
I married James Quinn when we were young, and we’ve been married for over twenty years. We met on campus. He was a respected teacher, and I was the owner of the small campus store. After getting married and having a child, I transferred the store and focused on raising our son. After having the baby, my health wasn’t as good as before. To avoid affecting James’s work, I chose to sleep in separate rooms. I shared a room with our child. But taking care of a child meant fragmented sleep, making it harder to maintain good health. James’s salary was stable but not high. To support the family and give our child a good education, we needed more money. To lighten the family’s burden, I took on a lot of handicraft work. The embroidery needles pricked my fingers, and it hurt. But seeing Ryan eat his favorite dishes, I felt satisfied. However, as time went on, I still collapsed from exhaustion. When I opened my eyes in the hospital, James was there with an unshaven face. He held my hand, his eyes red. “I should have noticed earlier, why didn’t you say anything?” “You should have said when you were tired, people need to rest…” He said he had taken time off work for a few days to stay with me and our son. Looking at his concerned face, I thought while lying in the hospital bed. It was all worth it. After that, he stopped constantly rushing to school. Until a year ago. He said his book was going to be published, but the editor wanted him to make some revisions. He probably wouldn’t be home much during this time. I was overjoyed and nodded eagerly. I said happily, “Focus on your writing, I’ll take care of everything at home.” After all, if the book was published, the burden on our shoulders would be much lighter. It seems that from then on, things started to go off track. The book was successfully published, but he became arrogant. After publication, James still often went out, always with excuses. “The school is having an inspection in a few days.” “I haven’t finished grading papers.” But how could there be so much work to do? He was already considered a senior teacher, and Mr. Carter, who was also in administration, could leave work on time every day. I often met him on the way to pick up our child. I couldn’t help but complain about James: “Always neglecting the family, when will you have time to spend with our son?” But he exploded like quicklime touched by water. He shouted at me: “What do you know? I’m out there making a name for myself, you just need to take care of the home.” “I’m earning money to support the family, you’re enjoying life at home, and you still have all these damn demands!” I didn’t understand. He wasn’t a businessman, he had a stable salary, and his book was published. What was he so busy with? Of course, I questioned him, but the response came from our son playing with his toys. “Dad’s earning money for the family, he must have his reasons.” “You shouldn’t meddle so much.” The voice from my memory overlapped with reality. Suddenly, Ryan in front of me seemed like a stranger. The child I carried for ten months, gave birth to, and raised. How did he turn into such an ungrateful brat in the blink of an eye? Ryan ate a few more bites of food and put down his utensils: “You clean up, I’m going to check on Aunt Sophia.” I suddenly became curious: “What’s wrong with your Aunt Sophia?” He coldly responded while putting on his shoes: “How can you not know? Isn’t it because of you that she’s like this?” “She was still smiling this afternoon, saying I made you worry.” He probably didn’t want to stay with me for even a second and quickly left. I couldn’t understand, so I went to the bedroom to find the answers I needed.
After rummaging through drawers and cabinets, I finally found a yellowed diary at the bottom of the wardrobe. It was more of a manuscript than a diary. This should be the manuscript of James’s published book. Busy with housework, I hadn’t read his book yet. Opening the first page, the handwriting was immature, different from his current flowing cursive. It recorded his bitter unrequited love from his youth, word by word. Coincidentally, the protagonists were Sophia and him. “I like her, but I feel I’m not good enough for her.” “Later, my junior was assigned to the same school as me. I thought this must be fate.” “I gathered the courage to confess to her, but she rejected me.” Touching the words on the notebook, I was lost in thought. I also had an unspoken crush once. The protagonists were James and me. I first saw him when he came to buy a broken red pen for a student. He was handsome, wearing a white shirt, and slim. His demeanor exuded scholarly charm. Perhaps it was love at first sight. From then on, I was impressed by this elegant man. The next time I saw him, he brought a box of stray kittens. “A student picked them up. I thought your place would be the most suitable to keep them. What do you think?” “They might help you catch mice.” As he spoke, he smiled, his eyes bright and teeth white. As if bewitched, I nodded. With the stray kittens, we saw each other more often. Later, after school one day, the janitor accidentally locked me in the bathroom. At that time, society wasn’t as safe, and there were many cases of robbery and violent crimes in the city. There were even robberies near the school, making everyone nervous. James couldn’t find me and was sweating profusely with worry. He finally heard my cries for help from the most remote bathroom in the school. He ran to the security office to get the key. As soon as he opened the door, he hugged me tightly. “You scared me to death… Do you know how worried I was?” After that incident, we confirmed our relationship. The reason I know Sophia is that James introduced her to me personally. After I got together with James, he brought me to meet Sophia. “This is my junior from university.” He put his arm around my shoulder, then looked up at Sophia. “This is my girlfriend.” I still remember the proud look in James’s eyes. Now that I think about it, it was just a young man’s revenge after being rejected. But I took it seriously. I stayed by his side for over twenty years.
Looking at those words full of love, they seemed to turn into sharp thorns, almost piercing my mind. I stumbled all the way to follow Ryan, arriving at a restaurant. Through the transparent glass window, I saw my husband raising glasses and laughing with another woman amidst the crowd. James rarely brought me to his gatherings. He would say, “You’re just a businesswoman. Don’t meddle in our intellectual gatherings.” “What do you women know? You have long hair but short wisdom. I’m afraid you’ll say something inappropriate if I bring you.” I had given him the cold shoulder for this before, but later when our son’s tuition was due and the electricity bill needed to be paid, I was the first to lower my head and talk to him. Most of these arguments ended with me giving in first. Later, I wondered how I had let my life become so pathetic. Even my son stood by, laughing. They looked more like a family of three. I couldn’t stay rational anymore, my expression distorted with jealousy. I rushed into the restaurant and slapped James hard across the face. Not satisfied, I raised my other hand and slapped him again. The room fell into a deathly silence. Only the red marks on James’s face told the story. After everyone reacted, the room erupted in chaos. “You hit me?” James covered his face, incredulous. Some people condemned, some tried to break it up. “Hey, lady, who are you? How can you just come in and hit someone?” “Where did this shrew come from?” Lady? I looked at the person speaking. She was clearly in her early forties too. I saw my reflection in the window. In my forties, there were already silver strands in my hair. I was wearing a hoodie that Ryan had discarded. My hair was messy from running all the way here. Looking back at James. Although middle-aged, he hardly had any wrinkles. Time seemed particularly kind to him. He matched well with the charming Sophia beside him. Sophia stroked James’s face tenderly, defending him: “Abigail, if you have something to say, can’t you discuss it calmly? Why resort to violence?” I interrupted her: “Shut up! What right do you have to lecture me!” Sophia was startled by me and closed her mouth, not daring to speak anymore. She hid behind James, her eyes quickly turning red, looking pitiful. James saw this and felt sorry for her. He stepped forward, grabbing my collar and pulling me outside: “If you have any issues, take them out on me. Why are you yelling at her?” “Look at yourself now, you’re not fit for polite society!” I stood there stunned. His words seemed to kill me, dissect me, and lay me out in front of everyone. Look, this is the man I’ve loved for twenty years. I struggled to find my voice. “…Is this how you see me?” “No, I-” he tried to refute. I cut him off: “You never brought me to meet your friends. You think I’m embarrassing, uneducated.” “Now I know it’s not just because I’m a woman, but because you look down on me from the bottom of your heart!” “You didn’t think I was embarrassing when you used my money to network with publishing houses, did you?” “Now that you’re famous, you find me embarrassing, so you’re out here living it up with your junior?” He was so angry his eyes bulged: “She’s different!” “If you have any complaints, you can tell me in private.” “I’m a public figure now, have you considered my reputation at all?” I laughed coldly inside. He could be criticized, but not his precious junior. He was certainly protective of her. I suddenly lost all energy: “Sign the divorce papers as soon as possible. Don’t wait for me to file a lawsuit.” “It won’t look good for anyone if it comes to that.”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295158”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #魔幻Magic #重生Reborn #校园School #惊悚Thriller #励志Inspiring
Leave a Reply