Six years after our divorce, I ran into Jeffrey at a cake shop.
The moment he walked in, the shop assistant greeted him with a familiar smile. Professor Johnson, are you here to get strawberry cake for your wife again? Same as always, right? I’ll wrap it up for you.
Jeffrey simply nodded.
Then, when he saw the two packed mango cakes in my hand, he told the waiter. “Please, add hers to my bill.”
I politely refused as I took out my card to pay, but he was faster and swiped his card first.
“This cake is almost a hundred dollars apiece. You used to save up for ages to buy one. I’m a university professor, after all. My financial situation is a little better than yours, so don’t be so polite.”
However, I still refused to accept it.
He glanced over my outfit and sighed softly. “Annabeth, it’s been so many years. Are you still holding a grudge?”
I smiled faintly. “You’re overthinking it.”
My fingers unconsciously brushed the wedding ring on my left hand.
The truth was, I already had a new husband and child. So, I didn’t have time to hold a grudge against another man.
Still, Jeffrey was too quick. He’d already swiped his card to pay for me.
Unwilling to accept it, I insisted on paying for it myself.
The clerk smiled apologetically. “Miss, I’m so sorry, this gentleman has already paid for you. Perhaps you could transfer the money to him?”
I turned to him and said politely, “Please give me your bank number. I’ll send it to you.”
He sighed helplessly and handed me the packaged cakes instead. “Annabeth, just take it. Your birthday is in three days. Consider these two cakes my birthday gift to you.”
Jeffrey’s voice was sincere. I didn’t speak, but I just opened my payment app. “Just type your bank number. I don’t want to owe anyone.”
Especially not over two small cakes, which were just enough for an afternoon tea with my daughter.
Seeing my stubbornness, Jeffrey remained silent for a long time before finally pulling out his phone. “You’re still the same as before.”
I didn’t speak, lowering my head as I transferred the money to him.
Jeffrey tried to stop me. “Annabeth, you really don’t need to take it so seriously.”
His gaze drifted to my worn-out coat, as if he wanted to say something but held back. “I don’t need this money. You should use it to buy yourself a couple of new outfits instead.”
I froze for a second, then smiled a little.
The reason was that I had given my jacket to a young girl who unexpectedly got her period while I was doing volunteer work earlier today. Since it was already autumn and the weather was getting cooler, I just borrowed a cleaning lady’s coat on the way back.
Jeffrey probably assumed I was struggling financially now.
I didn’t offer any further explanation, only saying, “Thank you,” before turning to leave.
Unexpectedly, the person behind me grabbed my arm.
“Let me give you a ride,” he offered.
I stiffened and shook off his hand. “No need. Your wife will misunderstand if she sees this.”
Jeffrey’s hand, which had reached out to hold mine again, froze in mid-air. He knew that his wife, eight years younger than him, was the best at being coquettish and jealous.
“Annabeth …” he began, still holding onto my sleeve. “Should we exchange numbers?”
I looked down, remaining silent.
When we divorced six years ago, things got ugly. Not only did I delete and block all of Jeffrey’s contacts, but I also swore we’d never speak again for the rest of our lives.
I shook my head. “Forget it.”
“Annabeth, there’s no need to hold a grudge against me. After all these years, I just want you to be happier,” he said.
That man told me he wanted to add my contact info and transfer some money to me. “Consider it compensation for what happened back then.”
I suddenly wanted to laugh.
Back then, I had created a huge scene and thrown away all my dignity.
Even so, Jeffrey didn’t even let me have a single penny in compensation.
Now that I no longer need him, he suddenly came running up to me, offering to compensate me voluntarily.
“Honey, I called you just now. Why didn’t you answer me? Who were you talking to?”
Just as I was momentarily stunned, a girl in a pink coat skipped over and excitedly hooked her arm through Jeffrey’s.
When she saw it was me, her smile froze for a second before quickly returning. “Annabeth, it’s you! We haven’t seen you in a long time. How about we get a meal together?”
Before I could even react, Selena Walter affectionately grabbed my arm and spoke in a bubbly, loud voice. “Annabeth, we’ve been searching for you these past six years. We never heard from you, even your former colleagues thought you’d gone abroad. Where did you go?”
I quietly looked at the girl before me. She had changed so much that I almost didn’t recognize her.
The once poor student with frizzy hair, simple clothes and eyes like a frightened fawn, after six years under Jeffrey’s meticulous care, had blossomed into a dazzling red rose.
I smiled aloofly yet with dignity. “I did go abroad.”
Selena’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? But Annabeth, I went to see you several times back then and they all said you were going back to your hometown after the divorce ”
She seemed to speak without thinking, but Jeffrey cut her off before she could finish. “Sweetie, let’s not bring up the past.”
Jeffrey affectionately ruffled her hair. “I bought you a little cake. If you don’t eat it soon, it’ll melt.”
While eating the small cake, Selena mumbled and insisted on stopping me from leaving. “Annabeth, we finally met again. Let us treat you to a meal, okay? I know you hate us because of what happened back then, but you saved me. At least you funded my entire university education. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today ”
She looked utterly sincere, as if refusing would make me the ungrateful one.
I glanced at my watch. It was still early.
“Alright then. I only have an hour and a half,” I said.
Ultimately, they were the ones who chose the restaurant.
Along the way, the girl chattered nonstop, even feeding Jeffrey bits of cake with her mouth.
Jeffrey, perhaps conscious of my presence, seemed a bit stiff and held her restless hand. “Behave yourself. Annabeth is watching.”
Selena stuck her tongue out playfully.
“Sorry, Annabeth. We’ve just gotten used to being like this after years of marriage. Sometimes we can’t help kissing even in public. Please don’t laugh at us.”
I quietly watched the fleeting provocation and smugness in her eyes, then just smiled.
“It’s fine. After all, you couldn’t even help but do it with him in my house when you were still in university. I’m used to it.”
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Selena and Jeffrey’s expressions turned slightly unpleasant, but my face remained calm as I continued walking forward.
Before reaching the restaurant, we passed a fireworks shop.
Selena’s interest was immediately sparked and she insisted on dragging Jeffrey inside to look around.
“Honey, didn’t you promise to light up the whole city with fireworks for my birthday in three days? I want to pick out the designs first. Annabeth, you don’t mind, do you?”
I smiled. “Not at all.”
Jeffrey shot me a meaningful look before turning to select fireworks. “This one then, the Ocean Tears.”
I froze. Those distant memories, almost forgotten, suddenly flooded back.
Jeffrey used to love me deeply. We were together for four years and married for six.
Everyone said Jeffrey was the most famous “wife-obsessed maniac” in our circle.
As a university professor, he absolutely refused to attend social gatherings outside of work and he would coldly reject female students who asked for his number.
Among the stack of academic books he had published, there was one odd title mixed in: “Love Confessions.” Yes, it was written just for me.
I remembered that the entire Yale University celebrated our picture-perfect love story.
Even on my birthday each year, he would arrange grand fireworks displays across the city.
However, everything changed when I was tidying up the bookshelf and unexpectedly discovered an intimate photo tucked inside one of Jeffrey’s books.
The girl looked very young, wearing a miniskirt, straddling his lap and smiling at the camera.
I recognized her instantly.
It was none other than Selena, the student I’d sponsored for three years, who always sweetly called me “Sister.”
She was also in Jeffrey’s class.
It all started on a rainy day when a group of thugs cornered and harassed her in a dead-end alley and I intervened to save her.
Afterwards, I brought her home, helped her shower and gave her clean clothes to wear.
When she first saw Jeffrey, she was terrified.
I laughed softly and comforted her, saying, “Don’t be scared. Professor Johnson doesn’t bite.”
Later, she gradually became bolder. She even started cautiously going to his study to ask him questions.
Watching them interact so happily, I couldn’t help but feel pleased.
It wasn’t until later that I found their intimate photos on Jeffrey’s computer.
After discovering them, I stormed into the study hysterically. Sure enough, I saw the very same “teacher and student” who were supposedly seeking advice, now passionately entangled and lost in each other, right on his desk.
Seeing me burst in, they panicked and frantically tried to cover themselves with their clothes.
I lost all dignity and composure, screaming like a madwoman. I demanded to know why Jeffrey would cheat on me right under my nose.
But he only focused on shielding the woman beside him, covering her completely before looking up at me with a gaze that was both icy and furious.
“Get out!” he yelled. “Annabeth Sanchez, you have no shame, but we do.”
Indeed, men were truly heartless and cruel creatures. When they loved you, they could offer you their very lives. But the moment that love was gone, they could skin you alive.
I smashed everything I could grab in the room to pieces.
I simply could not believe it. One was the man I had loved for nearly ten years and the other was the poor student I had sponsored for three years and treated like my own sister.
How could they brazenly make love right under my nose, in the study, while I was cooking in the kitchen?
It turned out they were using the pretense of discussing academics to carry out their shameful affair.
My body trembled violently and my eyes were bloodshot. I absolutely refused to accept any of this.
Jeffrey looked at me with disgust while stubbornly protecting Selena behind him. “Annabeth, you’re acting like a lunatic! You’d better calm down. If you dare hurt Selena even a little bit, I won’t let you get away with it.”
Selena hid behind him, the red marks on her neck still visible as she sobbed uncontrollably.
“Annabeth, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I know it’s wrong, but I’ve fallen in love with Professor Johnson.”
“Please, I’m not asking for any commitment, just please let me be with him, okay?”
I was shocked, sneering, “But do you know you’re a homewrecker?”
“I don’t care!” Selena screamed just as loudly, as if fighting for her freedom.
“We have a physical attraction, Annabeth. Even if you hadn’t saved me, I had already fallen for Professor Johnson on campus and he felt the same way ”
Seeing Selena’s stubborn yet brave expression suddenly took me back to that rainy night when I first brought her home.
Because I had saved her, I became a target for those local thugs for a long time afterwards. For the longest time, I didn’t dare walk that road until I called the police, which finally brought the matter to a close.
I never once regretted saving Selena. But that night, I hated myself for having been so kind.
Why did I have to give another woman an opportunity to get close to my husband?
Ten years that was ten years of my life.
I refused to accept this fact, ruining my appearance and frantically questioning them about when it started.
Looking back now, I was such a fool.
What was the point of asking when it had already happened?
But when it happened, I got consumed with rage, my heart burning with the fury of betrayal.
“Annabeth, stop making a scene. Selena’s studies are her priority now. She won’t fight you for anything and she won’t ask for a title. You’ll still be Mrs. Johnson.” Jeffrey comforted me confidently after getting dressed.
“You don’t need to sponsor Selena anymore. I’ll take care of her,” he added.
Selena never came to our house again after that, but their meeting places began to multiply. They were seen at coffee shops, restaurants, libraries and even hotels.
From then on, I began obsessively watching them.
Jeffrey never worked overtime on Saturdays, but ever since he grew close to Selena, he went to her university every single weekend.
Like a madwoman, I followed him in a taxi. Only to find him outside the teaching building, passionately kissing Selena.
Overcome with desire, they slipped into his carthe very car I had personally bought for him as a birthday gift.
Soon, it began to rock rhythmically.
That time, I rushed over and smashed the car to pieces. I caused such a scene that both of them were utterly humiliated.
Still, Jeffrey was determined to protect her. He treated me like I was mentally unstable and had security guards physically throw me out.
For a long time after that, I caused many more undignified scenes.
I once held up a banner and protested at the university where Jeffrey taught, even going to Selena’s classroom. I wanted the whole world to know she was a homewrecker.
She was the poor student I had supported. I had once treated her like my own sister and now my hatred for her was as intense as my past affection.
I resented that out of all the men in the world, she had to set her sights on my husband.
I was desperate to tell everyone that she was an ungrateful wretch and that Jeffrey was the most despicable liar alive.
By that point, my love with Jeffrey had long been ruined.
Fearing that my actions would escalate and concerned about the potential damage to Selena’s reputation and studies, he hired bodyguards to keep me under house arrest.
I even ended up hurting myself countless times.
That feeling of being abandoned by the whole world was like swallowing a bitter pill. I had no way to express my suffering and desperately needed an outlet.
There was a time when just seeing the slightest injury on me would make Jeffrey frown with heartache, but later, he grew increasingly impatient with me.
When he saw the palm-long cuts on my body, all he did was yell at me in disgust.
“Enough! If you want to die, do it somewhere else. Who are you trying to fool with this ‘victim act’ here?”
“Annabeth, I never once considered divorcing you before. If you had just turned a blind eye like you used to, I would have let you remain Mrs. Johnson for the rest of your life.”
“But now, it seems you’re no longer fit for the role.”
In the end, I swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills and was rushed to the hospital, but didn’t die.
After waking up, I finally let it go and signed the divorce papers.
In the blink of an eye, six years had passed.
As my thoughts returned to the present, I noticed Selena had already finished picking out fireworks.
“I want this one, the Ocean Tears!” she declared. “Darling, I want the same type you set off for Annabeth back then, the ones that burst in the sky and show my name. I want you to write ‘I Love You, Selena.”
Jeffrey responded with a doting smile, agreeing to her every request.
Soon, they chose a French restaurant near Yale University for dinner.
“Annabeth, this restaurant is delicious. Jeffrey and I often eat here together. You probably haven’t had it in a long time, right?” Selena excitedly introduced the dishes to me, holding the menu.
My smile remained faint. “I grew tired of French food when I was abroad, so you two just decide what to order.”
I heard that after graduation, Selena was unable to find a job. So, Jeffrey used his connections to secure her a position at the university.
Everyone praised them as a perfect couple and upon hearing this, I simply lowered my head and smiled to myself.
Indeed, you should only half-listen to what other people say and shouldn’t take it seriously.
Selena glanced at my outfit with a complicated expression. “Annabeth, what kind of work are you doing now?”
I hesitated for a moment, then answered honestly. “I don’t have a job right now.”
Selena’s expression instantly showed that my answer was exactly what she had expected.
She sighed, “We were sorry for what happened back then. If you don’t have a job, my husband and I can help. I heard Yale University is hiring cleaners right now and I think you’d be quite suitable ”
Jeffrey frowned slightly. “Selena!”
“What’s wrong, Honey? Did I say something wrong?” Selena looked utterly innocent.
Then she continued, “I was just being kind. Annabeth clearly has clearly not been doing well these past few years and I wanted to help her.”
Seeing that I didn’t deny it, Jeffrey didn’t say much but turned to tell me. “Selena always speaks straightforwardly like this. Don’t take it to heart.”
I smiled ambiguously. “Thank you, but there’s no need for you to worry about my affairs.”
Just then, my husband, Alexander Glass, called me. “Annabeth, I just picked up our daughter from school. Where are you? Didn’t you say you were craving hot Nashville? I’ll bring Thalia and meet you there.”
My voice softened. “Okay, I’m at the French restaurant across from Yale University.”
After hanging up, they stared at me suspiciously. “Annabeth, don’t you have any relatives in this city? Who called you just now?”
I couldn’t help but smile again. “My husband.”
That couple instantly froze. Selena was even more stunned, standing up as she exclaimed, “Annabeth, you got married?”
Jeffrey’s face suddenly turned pale. “Annabeth, you don’t need to pretend like this. If you’re single, just say so. Why would you lie?”
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