My Ex-Husband’s Karma
The day I received my husband’s ALS diagnosis.
I found out he was cheating.
He filed for divorce:
“I’ll leave with absolutely nothing. She’s not after my money; she just loves me for who I am.”
I didn’t cry or make a scene. I just quietly put away the diagnosis.
“Fine. I hope she lives up to her word when the time comes.”
After all, not having to care for him when he’s bedridden later? I couldn’t be more thrilled.
1.
At the divorce court, by the clerk’s window.
“You have a one-month waiting period. Once you’ve made your decision, you can come back to finalize the divorce.”
As the clerk finished speaking, a red stamp landed on the divorce cooling-off period receipt.
I glanced up at the clock on the wall.
Three minutes past ten in the morning.
It had been less than 24 hours since I discovered my husband, Alex Davies, was cheating, to him filing for divorce, to us now processing it.
Just as efficient as when we decided to get married after only three months of dating.
Snapping back to reality, I watched Alex take the receipt.
His distinctly jointed fingers folded it neatly, his fingertips still displaying the practiced precision of a lawyer.
“Don’t forget to come back in a month to finalize the divorce. And don’t regret it.”
His brows were furrowed, as if he feared I might try to cling on.
I nodded.
“I know. You shouldn’t regret it either.”
Alex didn’t say another word. He looked down, engrossed in his phone, replying to messages.
The familiar smile and tenderness in his eyes were unmistakable.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him look like that.
When we first started dating, he used to smile at me that way too.
But somewhere along the line, his gaze toward me became nothing but cold and indifferent.
I used to think it was because he was overworked, never imagining his affection had simply been redirected to someone else.
The drive home was silent.
Once we arrived, Alex’s car was parked outside. He started packing his belongings, putting them into the trunk.
Not long after, a woman’s voice drifted from a distance:
“Alex! What are you doing?”
I looked over and immediately saw Tiffany.
The woman Alex had sworn wasn’t after his money, only his heart.
Seeing Alex packing, Tiffany grabbed his arm.
“Alex, you’ve already divorced Jade! She should pack her own things!”
As she spoke, Tiffany’s displeased gaze flickered towards me several times.
I leaned against the doorframe, watching her suitcase. I instantly understood.
It seemed Alex hadn’t mentioned to her that he was leaving with absolutely nothing.
I couldn’t help but remind her.
“Ms. Tiffany, why don’t you take a closer look? Whose things is he packing?”
Tiffany finally noticed it was all Alex’s stuff.
Her face stiffened.
“Alex, why are you moving your things?”
Alex took her hand and explained.
“I’ll be living with you from now on, of course, I need to move my things.”
Hearing this, Tiffany looked at me incredulously.
“Jade, Alex bought this house outright! If anyone should be moving out, it should be you!”
I looked at Alex.
Quickly, Alex pulled Tiffany closer.
“Tiffany, I’m leaving with nothing, but don’t worry. Everything she has now, we’ll have later.”
The words “leaving with nothing” seemed to hit Tiffany hard. The expression on her face faltered.
But hearing Alex’s last sentence, Tiffany’s face softened, as if she’d thought of something.
“Alright, I trust you.”
Then, Tiffany started helping Alex pack his luggage.
I just stood by, watching quietly.
I knew Alex, as a lawyer, was a master at securing his own interests.
Tiffany probably thought “leaving with nothing” was some sort of ploy, and that I’d eventually have to give everything back.
Too bad. This time, Alex’s decision to leave with nothing was a meticulous calculation of assets, a signed agreement, and notarized.
Alex was eager to be with Tiffany.
But the mere loss of the house was already causing such a strong reaction from Tiffany.
It seemed her claim of “not being after his money” was largely exaggerated.
Once most of his things were packed, Alex turned to me.
“I’ll move the rest of my stuff out within the month.”
2.
After that, he left with Tiffany.
After he left, the spacious apartment felt empty.
When we got married, I once thought this would be the home where Alex and I would spend the rest of our lives.
But I never expected that after only three years, this home would be broken.
Every corner of this apartment held memories of Alex and me. I couldn’t bear to live here anymore.
Ultimately, I put the house up for sale on a resale platform.
Just after I finished listing it, Alex’s partner, Marcus, called.
As soon as I answered, Marcus asked,
“Jade, are you and Alex really getting divorced?”
I simply hummed in agreement.
Marcus sighed.
“You worked so hard to help him build his career, and things were just starting to get better.”
“Alex is just infatuated right now. He’ll come back to you once he’s over it. It’s not worth throwing everything away for a junior assistant he’s only known for half a year.”
His words were all about persuading me to reconsider, not to make a decision I’d regret.
But the one who was determined to divorce was Alex.
If he didn’t want me to be with him anymore, how could I stay by his side?
Silently, I took out Alex’s diagnosis from my bag.
ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Yesterday, when I received this diagnosis, I was heartbroken and distraught over him suffering from such a terrible illness.
But now, I felt a strange sense of relief. When people do bad things, they always get their comeuppance.
I pulled out a lighter, ignited it, and watched the diagnosis burn to ashes.
Staring at the flickering flame, I told Marcus,
“Don’t worry, I won’t regret it.”
After all, Alex had no future left.
I thought explaining it to Marcus would be enough.
But I hadn’t expected him to be so persistent in trying to mend my marriage with Alex.
He called again, asking me to come to their law firm to drop off some case files Alex had left at my place.
After some thought, I agreed.
Firstly, to put an end to his tiresome attempts, and secondly, to use this opportunity to definitively close this chapter.
When I arrived at the firm, I stared at the “Summit Law” sign, lost in thought.
When Alex first founded this firm, he’d pointed to that very sign and told me,
“Jade, this is the starting point of my career. I’ll give you a better life someday!”
Back then, no one could have imagined that the beginning of his career would mark the end of our marriage.
I shook my head, clearing the images from my mind, and stepped inside.
As soon as we met, Marcus said he’d take me to Alex.
But as we approached Alex’s office, through the clear glass door, we saw Tiffany leaning against his desk, handing him a coffee.
Their eyes were locked, and they didn’t notice Marcus and me standing outside.
Just as Alex took the coffee, his hand trembled uncontrollably, spilling the brown liquid onto some documents.
I watched him frown, seemingly surprised by his hand’s sudden unsteadiness.
But Tiffany quickly wiped it clean with a tissue, not forgetting to playfully scold him,
“Do you like me that much? You were staring so hard your hand got unsteady!”
Alex didn’t think much of it, affectionately taking Tiffany’s hand to flirt.
“Who can blame me when you’re so beautiful?”
They were about to kiss right in front of us.
My heart clenched.
I couldn’t bear to watch another second. I turned, handed the case files to Marcus, and walked away.
Marcus awkwardly followed.
“Jade, Alex has been under a lot of stress lately. He was just momentarily tempted…”
3.
I quietly cut him off.
“Marcus, you don’t need to make excuses for him. And please, don’t waste your time trying to fix things anymore.”
“I’m going to be completely honest with you today. Alex and I will never, ever get back together.”
Marcus fell silent, his gaze fixed blankly behind me.
Realizing what that meant, I turned and met those familiar eyes.
Alex was standing behind me, having heard my words, and his face was grim.
He stared at me intensely, then twisted his lips into a cold sneer.
“Jade, that trick won’t work on me.”
I flinched, then an endless bitter ache swelled in my chest.
The reason he thought I was playing hard to get was simply because he was convinced I loved him and couldn’t leave him.
I looked at him quietly, and spoke softly.
“Alex, don’t worry. I can love and I can let go. Since I agreed to divorce you, I won’t bother you anymore.”
Just then, the elevator doors in front of me opened.
I stepped inside directly, but as the doors closed, my tense body relaxed for a split second.
Scenes of him and another woman, so loving, flashed relentlessly before my eyes like a slideshow.
My heart still felt like it was being twisted by a knife.
To this day, I still didn’t understand how he could fall in love with someone else so easily…
But my pride wouldn’t allow me to beg.
When I got home.
The real estate agent was showing the house. The location Alex bought was excellent.
I had only listed it on the resale platform a few days ago, and already many people had come to view it.
Today, the buyer was even more straightforward, signing the preliminary contract on the spot.
After receiving the deposit, I immediately assured them,
“Don’t worry, I’ll move out within the next two days and make sure the house is spotless.”
Over the next two days.
I quickly bought an apartment closer to my hospital and hastily cleaned out the house.
As for Alex’s other belongings that he hadn’t managed to take, I sent them all to his law firm via cash-on-delivery.
Just as I finished packing the last box and was about to call the agent to hand over the keys.
Alex showed up at my door.
He stood in the doorway, not stepping inside, and informed me with a stiff tone.
“Mom and Dad are calling us home for dinner tonight.”
I paused for a moment, then looked at him.
“Correction. They are *your* parents now, not mine.”
Alex’s face darkened slightly.
“We haven’t finalized the divorce yet. Why are you so harsh towards them?”
My head buzzed. I could barely believe my ears.
Harsh?
I never thought the person I loved most would use that word to describe me.
All words caught in my throat. I couldn’t utter a single syllable.
Alex simply led me to his car.
The passenger seat had a sticker Tiffany had put on it, reading ‘Tiffany’s Princess Seat.’
I froze, turning stiffly to the back seat.
“I’ll sit in the back.”
The drive was unusually quiet.
In truth, this had been the norm for the past six months of our marriage.
We were supposed to be the closest people, yet we were worse than strangers.
My heart ached with sharp, recurring pains.
That evening, at the Davies family home.
Mrs. Davies kept piling food onto my plate, launching into her age-old topic.
“Jade, you and Alex have been married for three years now. When are you planning on having a baby?”
“You’re a woman, dear, there’s no need to push yourself so hard with work! Being a doctor is exhausting! Why don’t you just quit and focus on starting a family?”
4.
This kind of talk hadn’t stopped since Alex and I got married.
Before, for Alex’s sake, I had listened to it all, endured it.
But now…
I put down my forks, looked at everyone in the Davies family, and spoke softly—
“Mrs. Davies, you should save those words for Alex’s next wife.”
“I came here today to tell you that Alex and I have already filed for divorce.”
Taking advantage of the Davies family’s stunned silence.
I continued to reveal,
“And the reason for our divorce is because your son, Alex, cheated on me with his assistant! He chose to leave with absolutely nothing himself. I don’t owe your family anything!”
Alex’s face instantly paled. He turned to me.
“Jade!”
He seemed not to have expected me to completely disregard his reputation and spill everything.
The atmosphere became instantly silent.
Mrs. Davies’s hands trembled as she looked at Alex.
“Alex, is what she’s saying true?”
Alex paused for a moment, then nodded honestly.
“Tiffany is a very sweet and lovely girl. I’ll bring her back in a few days; you’ll definitely like her when you meet her.”
He admitted it so candidly.
A self-deprecating smile touched my lips.
Yes, Alex was the type of person who couldn’t bear to see the woman he deeply loved suffer any injustice.
When we were dating, he was just as eager to introduce me to his family, just as eager to marry me.
And now, he was doing the same for Tiffany.
Unexpectedly, his words angered Mr. Davies, who had remained silent until then.
“How dare you bring a mistress into this house! I’ll disown you! What kind of decent woman breaks up someone else’s family at such a young age?”
His beloved was insulted, and Alex’s face instantly darkened.
“Dad! Tiffany and I are truly in love!”
His response was a resounding slap across his face from Mr. Davies.
“Our family has never had a divorce, let alone a second marriage! What will people think of us? It’s disgraceful!”
Mr. Davies cared most about appearances and reputation.
He didn’t truly care about my marriage with Alex; he just didn’t want to be embarrassed.
Alex was stunned by the slap, speechless for a long moment.
Mr. Davies then looked at me.
“Jade, we don’t air our dirty laundry in public! This time, Alex was wrong, and we apologize on his behalf. Please don’t hold it against him!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure he breaks it off with that woman completely!”
“Since your cooling-off period hasn’t passed, go cancel the divorce papers quickly.”
After Mr. Davies finished speaking, he gave Mrs. Davies a meaningful look.
Mrs. Davies immediately came over and took my hand.
“Exactly, exactly! Jade, if you don’t want children, then don’t have them for now. Our family’s problems should be settled within these walls. Why make such a fuss about divorce?”
Alex stood by, clearly displeased, but held his tongue out of respect for his parents.
He was always like this. For three years of marriage, it was always me who played the ‘bad guy’ by standing up to the elders.
This time, let me be the ‘bad guy’ for him one last time.
I pushed Mrs. Davies’s hand away.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not that generous. I can’t accept a husband whose heart isn’t with me.”
Seeing my resolute attitude, Mrs. Davies faltered, then began to pull rank as an elder.
“Jade, Alex cheated when he was married to you. Have you ever thought about your own problems?”
“It’s probably your fault for not keeping your husband happy. Aren’t you embarrassed for letting him stray like this?”
My heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle, a tingling pain spreading through me.
But on the surface, I just gave a light laugh.
“He’s the one who cheated. What do I have to be embarrassed about?”
5.
After saying that, I pulled my hand from Mrs. Davies’s grasp, picked up my bag, and left the Davies family home.
But I’d only taken a few steps.
Alex chased after me from behind.
“Jade! Stop!”
He came up to grab me, but his hand suddenly froze mid-air.
This was an early symptom of his ALS.
I watched him quietly, simply asking,
“What else?”
Alex’s brows furrowed tightly for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.
He questioned me,
“Jade, you’re just deliberately trying to ruin Tiffany’s reputation, aren’t you? Now my parents won’t accept her. Are you satisfied?”
I looked at Alex.
In that moment, I suddenly couldn’t remember why I had ever loved him.
The lover in my memory spoke to me softly, with extreme tenderness.
But now, he glared at me, as if I were his enemy.
After years as lovers, I never imagined we would come to this.
My eyes finally reddened, and I couldn’t help but ask him,
“Alex, when you chose to cheat, you should have expected this day, shouldn’t you?”
Alex’s face stiffened.
And I didn’t say anything more to him, walking away with long strides.
The next day was my day off.
I completed all the transfer paperwork and moved into my new home. I also invited some friends and colleagues over for a housewarming party.
As the atmosphere grew lively, they raised their glasses to me, cheering.
“To our Jade’s new home!”
I smiled, clinking my glass.
“To my new life!”
From that day on, my life became much calmer.
I blocked all contact numbers for Alex’s family, only keeping his number so I could find him on the day we finalized the divorce.
I thought I would have no further contact with them.
Until a week later, in the early hours of the morning, I saw Alex on a gurney in the emergency room at the hospital where I was on call.
He was curled up on the emergency stretcher, clutching his upper abdomen, his face as white as paper beneath his suit.
My brow furrowed. I knew at a glance that he was having a stomach attack.
Ever since he opened his law firm, Alex’s eating habits had been erratic.
I used to remind him to eat on time, and whenever I had a moment, I would even cook him light, stomach-friendly meals and bring them to his firm.
It seemed without my reminders, he hadn’t taken care of his body, and it quickly deteriorated.
I reached out to palpate him, but the next moment, my hand was sharply pushed away.
It was Tiffany, who had accompanied him. Seeing that I was the attending doctor, her face registered displeasure.
“Why are *you* here? Aren’t there any other doctors?”
A stinging pain shot through the back of my hand.
And Alex, pale on the stretcher, didn’t say a word to stop his ‘girlfriend’.
My heart turned cold. I stood at the emergency room door, looking at them.
“Right now, I’m the only doctor on call in our department. Do you want him treated, or not?”
Tiffany pursed her lips, remaining silent.
Based on my professional ethics as a doctor, I continued to press on Alex’s upper abdomen, observing his reaction.
Once I had a grasp of the situation, I turned to meet Tiffany’s eyes.
“If you want another doctor, that’s fine. Either transfer him to another hospital, or wait here until 8 AM when the other doctors come on duty.”
At this, I looked at Alex, who was in a semi-conscious state from the pain.
“It’s up to him if he can hold on until then.”
Tiffany was furious but understood that leaving or waiting for another doctor to come on duty was unrealistic. His condition would only worsen.
She could only agree.
An hour later.
I finished treating Alex, completed my duties, and went home.
6.
The next day.
I returned to his room to conduct post-operative examinations.
Upon entering, I found him alone in the room; Tiffany was nowhere to be seen.
A post-op patient has limited mobility and needs care, so someone should at least be by their side.
I recorded Alex’s data, frowning as I asked him,
“Why are you alone? Isn’t anyone looking after you?”
Alex was propped up on the bed, his lips pale, his voice hoarse.
“She went to get me some food.”
No sooner had he spoken.
Tiffany walked into the room, carrying a bowl of spicy wontons, steaming hot and fragrant.
She held up the bag in her hand, enthusiastically showing it to Alex.
“Alex, I bought your favorite wontons! I waited in line for ages to get them!”
Alex’s already pale face stiffened.
Looking at the wontons, topped with a thick layer of chili oil, I still felt compelled to remind her from a doctor’s perspective.
“Ms. Tiffany, he just had surgery. His diet should preferably be bland.”
Upon hearing my words, Tiffany’s eyes immediately reddened, and her face showed displeasure.
“Jade, what do you mean? Are you just jealous of me taking care of Alex? Don’t try to stir up trouble between us!”
*Don’t listen to the doctor, then suffer the consequences.*
I was speechless and couldn’t be bothered to say more, so I just looked down and wrote in the patient’s chart.
It was Alex who lowered his eyes and reached out to hold Tiffany’s hand.
“Tiffany, my stomach isn’t really up to spicy food right now. You should eat those wontons yourself. I can order some porridge for delivery.”
Tiffany’s voice wavered with hurt.
“But I went all that way to get them for you, and now you won’t eat them…”
Alex immediately soothed her.
“Don’t cry. When you cry, my heart aches.”
The hand holding my chart trembled.
He had said those exact words to me countless times before.
When I was curled up in pain from my period, when I was upset because he was late for a date, when he hurt me during intimacy…
Every time, he would gently hold me in his arms, tenderly kiss away the tears from my eyes, and then tell me,
“Don’t cry. When you cry, my heart aches.”
But now, he was using those very words to comfort another woman, right in front of me.
I didn’t know how I managed to leave the room.
It wasn’t until I was in the hallway outside that Dr. Liam, a colleague, called out to me.
“Dr. Jade, could you help me look at this patient’s CT scan? Something feels off.”
I walked over, about to take the report from his hand.
Unexpectedly, a child suddenly darted out of a nearby room and ran straight into me.
Unprepared, I stumbled back a few steps, right into Dr. Liam’s arms.
Dr. Liam instinctively steadied me.
I regained my balance and opened my mouth to say,
“Tha…”
Before I could finish, Tiffany’s surprised shriek came from nearby.
“Jade! How can you be hugging another man during work hours! What kind of behavior is that?”
I frowned and turned my head.
Alex, still in his hospital gown, stood with Tiffany at the room entrance, his face utterly dark.
Tiffany, however, glared over here and sneered again,
“Alex, look! She made you leave with nothing, but she was probably the one who cheated first!”
My face tightened.
Dr. Liam beside me quickly frowned and explained,
“What are you talking about? That was just an accident.”
But Alex gave a cold, mocking laugh.
“How convenient. How did Jade just *happen* to fall right into your arms?”
Seeing that Dr. Liam was about to explain further, I stopped him.
“Dr. Liam, please go on with your work.”
7.
I didn’t want my personal affairs to involve a colleague.
After Dr. Liam left, Tiffany kept chattering.
“Alex, since Jade wronged you first, then leaving with nothing is just too unfair to you.”
Alex merely stood in the doorway, his gaze fixed on me, dark and intense.
I didn’t listen any further. I walked directly to them and looked Tiffany straight in the eye.
“Tiffany, as a lawyer’s assistant, you should know that defamation carries legal consequences.”
Tiffany’s eyes darted away, about to protest.
But Alex spoke first, his tone full of mockery.
“Jade, aren’t you brave enough to admit what you’ve done? That’s not how the word ‘defamation’ is used.”
I felt utterly bewildered.
“What have I done?”
Alex sneered, a tight smile on his lips.
“You’re still playing dumb at this point, so I’ll be direct!”
“Jade! That baby you intentionally aborted six months ago, do you dare say it was mine?”
*Boom.* It hit me like a thunderclap.
A chill crawled from my feet up my spine, leaving me utterly cold.
I looked at the man before me in disbelief.
“So that’s why you suddenly became cold to me six months ago? You suspected me of betraying you?”
Alex gritted his teeth.
“It wasn’t suspicion, it was a fact!”
I froze, feeling a dull, unbearable ache in my chest.
Six months ago, Alex and I had a child.
But this child wasn’t in our plans, and I was entirely focused on my work at the time.
I had indeed mentioned to Alex that I didn’t want the baby.
However, I ultimately decided against the abortion; after all, it was a life.
Yet, during a patient resuscitation, I couldn’t save the child.
During my hospital stay, Alex was very cold to me.
I thought he was angry and resentful.
So I suppressed all my grievances and pain, even humbling myself to apologize and seek reconciliation.
But from then on, he became even more distant.
He started staying out, citing work as an excuse. He even forgot our wedding anniversary, forgot my birthday.
I never blamed him. I only blamed myself for not protecting our child.
But now I realized, Alex had thought I betrayed him all that time!
My eyes reddened. I stared intently at the man before me, almost grinding out the words.
“Every day, besides work, I came home to cook for you. How dare you accuse me of cheating?”
Alex scoffed, laughing in exasperation. He pulled out a video from his phone.
“Fine, then how do you explain this?”
I peered at the screen.
In the video, Dr. Liam and I walked side-by-side into a hotel in the dark of night, and walked out together only at dawn.
Alex’s voice was hoarse with hatred.
“Jade, you told me that day you had an important surgery to perform. But what kind of surgery needs to be done in a hotel?”
A cold wind swept through the hallway, chilling my heart to the bone.
I looked into his eyes, feeling only disappointment and ridicule.
“If that’s the case, why didn’t you ask me for clarification then?”
Hearing this, Tiffany quickly interjected to smooth things over.
“Jade, it’s my fault. I was the one who advised Alex not to confront you directly. After all, you wouldn’t have admitted it anyway…”
I cut her off without ceremony.
“Tiffany, this is between Alex and me. Please don’t interfere.”
Tiffany fell silent, looking at Alex with a wronged expression.
And Alex, naturally, shielded her behind him, sneering at me.
“You wanted proof, didn’t you? The evidence is so clear now, what else do you have to say?”
— CUTOFF POINT —
8.
I looked at this man, who, after three years of marriage, had no trust in me whatsoever.
I felt nothing but coldness.
Tears fell from my eyes without my knowing.
I awkwardly wiped them away, then quickly looked down, searched for a news article on my phone, and handed it to him.
“That day, we performed an emergency surgery in that hotel! The story even made the news! There’s still a banner from the family hanging in our department office. Do you want to go see it?”
The news had gone viral at the time.
I had wanted to show it to Alex immediately.
But he had said,
“I’m already so tired from work. I’m not interested in reading any news.”
His single sentence extinguished my desire to share.
If only Alex had cared a little more about me, about my work, he would have known the truth.
But back then, I suppose his heart was already elsewhere.
I looked at his shocked face, yet felt no sense of relief from the misunderstanding being cleared up.
After a long pause, I lowered my eyes and gave a bitter laugh.
“Alex, the one who betrayed our marriage, from beginning to end, was only you.”
After saying that, I put away my phone and left the hospital room.
Two days later, Alex was discharged.
I put all my energy into my work, no longer paying attention to them.
My next encounter with Alex was two weeks later, outside the courthouse.
At this point, only one week remained until our divorce cooling-off period ended.
This time, our hospital was involved in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
I was testifying as a witness for the hospital, and Alex was our hospital’s defense attorney.
In court, with irrefutable evidence and Alex, a golden-tier lawyer, on our side, the lawsuit was won without a doubt.
After the hearing, I was preparing to go home.
Alex followed and called out to me.
“Jade, wait.”
I couldn’t avoid him, so I asked in a professional tone,
“Mr. Davies, is there anything else?”
Hearing how I addressed him, Alex’s expression faltered.
After a moment, he squeezed out the words from his throat.
“About before… I was wrong. I misunderstood you. I’m sorry.”
I frowned, falling silent.
A belated apology was useless for our current situation.
Clearing up this misunderstanding wouldn’t mend our broken relationship, nor would it change the fact that he had fallen for someone else.
I shook my head.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”
Alex sighed.
“I wanted to ask, do you still have the recipe for the medicinal porridge you used to make for me? My stomach hasn’t been feeling well these past few days. Tiffany isn’t very good at cooking these things, so I thought I’d try making it myself.”
After only two weeks out of the hospital, he had lost a lot of weight.
It seemed Tiffany truly wasn’t very good at taking care of people.
My expression softened, and thinking that he would soon be gravely ill, I finally agreed.
“Alright, I’ll send you the recipe when I get home.”
As I finished speaking, I turned to leave.
But Alex called out to me once more—
“Oh, and one more thing! Last time you asked me to get a check-up at your hospital, are the results back yet?”
I froze.
Before I could reply, Tiffany’s figure ran over from not far away.
She linked her arm through Alex’s, asserting her claim to him.
“Jade, the case is over. What are you still trying to talk to my boyfriend about?”
And Alex, as usual, tacitly allowed Tiffany’s assertion of ownership.
My heart tightened. I swallowed the words on my tongue, and simply looked at Alex.
“You can go to the hospital yourself to ask for your check-up results when you have time.”
I didn’t want to get involved in their romantic drama, so I turned and left.
Behind me, I could still hear Tiffany’s angry questioning.
“Alex, what were you just talking about with her? Do you still like her?”
9.
Immediately followed by Alex’s helpless reply:
“Tiffany, can you please stop being so sensitive? I was just asking her some things. I truly have no feelings for her anymore.”
Tiffany’s voice suddenly became shrill:
“You’re the one who didn’t make me feel secure. How can you blame me for being sensitive?”
And Alex’s tone now carried a hint of weariness:
“Tiffany, you’ve checked my phone thoroughly, my salary card is with you, and you’ve even deleted all my female friends. What more do you want me to do?”
So they fought too…
But perhaps these arguments were sweet for Alex, just as mine had been for him.
None of that had anything to do with me anymore.
I quickened my pace, leaving their voices far behind.
The next day was Saturday.
I planned to go to the mall to pick out a birthday present for my best friend, Sarah, whose birthday was coming up.
In the jewelry store, ornaments were abundant, dazzling the eyes.
As I focused on selecting, I heard Tiffany’s sugary voice.
“Jade, what a coincidence!”
I looked up towards the source of the voice, feeling like I had run into an old enemy.
At the entrance, Tiffany was walking towards me, her arm linked with Alex’s.
I had no desire to get entangled with the two of them, so I started to leave.
But Tiffany blocked my path.
“Jade, Alex and I were just about to pick out wedding rings. Since it’s such a coincidence, why don’t you help us choose?”
The words “wedding rings” pierced my heart like a sharp knife.
Alex and I hadn’t even officially finalized our divorce yet.
And he was already so impatient, bringing her to buy wedding rings.
Did he not want to show me even basic respect anymore?
I looked at Tiffany’s deliberate display of gloating, biting back my emotions with all my might to keep from losing composure.
“It wouldn’t be appropriate for me, his ex-wife, to help you choose wedding rings, would it?”
Alex looked somewhat uncomfortable, but Tiffany quickly interjected.
“It’s fine, Jade. Your taste is so good, any ring you pick will be perfect.”
I gave Alex a self-deprecating glance.
—*Not all choices are good, sometimes there are missteps, like choosing a husband.*
I directly raised my hand and pointed to a million-dollar diamond ring in the center of the display case.
“I think this twelve-carat ‘Heart of the Ocean’ is quite nice.”
At my words, both their faces changed.
Alex had just left with nothing.
He couldn’t afford something so expensive.
Indeed, Alex looked in the direction I pointed.
When his eyes met the price tag, his face stiffened for a moment.
His gaze shot at me like a cold arrow.
“Jade, are you deliberately trying to humiliate me?”
But I found it laughable.
They were the ones who had deliberately provoked me first, yet in the end, he could accuse me of humiliating him.
I clenched my hands, lowering my eyes as I softly said,
“Alex, you yourself once said that the person you love deserves the best things in the world, didn’t you?”
Alex’s expression froze. He stiffened.
But quickly, he waved his hand grandly, and actually pulled out his credit card.
“You’re right, Tiffany, I’ll buy it for you!”
At these words, Tiffany’s eyes instantly lit up. She hugged Alex and kissed him.
“Alex! You’re so good to me!”
Their affectionate display made the store clerk smile just as brightly.
Only I stood there, unable to smile.
Alex probably didn’t remember that he had promised to buy me this ‘Heart of the Ocean’ a long time ago.
But back then, neither he nor I had much money, and I said we’d get it later.
Yet, it turned out that if he truly wanted to buy something, he would find a way, even without money.
His love for Tiffany seemed far deeper than his love for me.
It appeared the person I deeply loved had never truly loved me back.
Just thinking of that made my heart ache as if it had been brutally torn apart.
10.
I couldn’t stay there for another second.
After having the gift I’d chosen for Sarah wrapped, I left the store directly.
Unexpectedly, that evening I received a call from Alex.
“Jade, did you sell our house?”
His incredulous voice carried a hint of sluggish drunkenness.
I knew he was drunk. In the past, when he drank for business, his tone was always like this.
But I didn’t know what he was doing now.
He had just splurged on Tiffany during the day, so why would he come home to *our* “home” completely wasted at night?
But I no longer wanted to guess at his emotions.
My tone turned cold.
“Yes, the house is mine now. How I handle it is none of your business, is it?”
Alex was silent for a moment on the other end of the line, then asked again,
“Where are you living now? I want to see you.”
I remained silent, then refused again.
“There’s no need. We’ll see each other naturally in a few days when we finalize the divorce.”
With that, I was about to hang up.
But Alex’s voice came urgently through the phone—
“Jade, I regret it! I don’t think Tiffany and I are that suitable. Can we… not get divorced?”
My heart skipped a beat, but I knew clearly it was just a casual remark from a drunk man.
“Alex, you’re drunk.”
“No, I’m not!”
Alex’s emotions became agitated.
“Jade, I know what I’m saying sounds a bit thick-skinned, but please don’t hang up. At least just listen to me for a bit, okay? I really have no one else to talk to.”
This was the first time Alex had ever shown me such a vulnerable side.
But it was all because of another woman.
I asked him hoarsely,
“What do you want to say?”
Alex’s voice was raspy.
“Do you know? I liked Tiffany because she was young and vibrant, she adored and relied on me. Her whole world revolved around me. That’s something entirely different from you.”
I had nothing to say.
Yes, I was a doctor, and I was busy every day.
But I had foolishly believed that our independent careers, balanced with our leisure time spent together, was the ideal state for our marriage. A mutual understanding.
But the truth was, he had grown tired of me long ago.
I managed a bitter smile.
“But from the very beginning, didn’t you know what kind of person I was?”
The other end of the line fell silent.
I took a moment to compose myself before saying,
“But all that’s in the past. In five days, you’ll finally be with Tiffany, the woman you love. Don’t worry, I won’t stand in your way.”
However, these words didn’t seem to make Alex happy.
He sighed on the phone, then changed the subject.
“But after Tiffany and I actually started living together, I realized she only knows how to have fun, not how to run a household.”
“When I had a stomachache, I just asked her to get me a glass of water and some medicine, and she said I was treating her like a maid!”
“She can’t cook, and she never cleans the house. Every day I come home from work, not only do I have to clean up after her, but I can’t even get a cup of hot water!”
Alex’s long-suppressed emotions poured out like a flood.
I was somewhat surprised.
This Alex seemed a completely different person from the mature, steady man I remembered.
Before our marriage fell apart, our interactions were extremely harmonious; arguments were almost nonexistent.
Now, it seemed that perhaps it was only because he didn’t love me that he could remain so emotionally stable.
I suppressed the endless bitter ache rising in my heart and offered a practical suggestion.
“Those are minor issues. You can hire a housekeeper to solve them.”
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