Echoes of the Past Years

The fortune teller said my husband would cheat in our fifth year of marriage. Jackson just laughed and kicked over her stall.

“Elizabeth and I have been together for eight years. It’s none of your business, you fraud!”

For four years, he spoiled me and gave me everything. Then his junior, Noelle, confessed to him in tears.

Jackson ripped the love letter in front of everyone. He swore to cut her off and end our friendship. After that, I trusted him even more.

On our fifth anniversary, I got an anonymous package. Inside was a photo of Jackson and Noelle kissing passionately.

On the back was neat handwriting: [Elizabeth, he loves you, but he sleeps with me. It’s only fair this way.]

At the bottom of the box was a pink lace bra, just like the one in the photo. I sat in the living room for three hours.

I didn’t call Jackson, who was coming home late. Instead, I asked my lawyer to prepare divorce papers and set them on the table.

——

Around midnight, Jackson came home in a black coat. When he saw what was in front of me, his face went pale.

“Everything you need to know is right there,” I said coldly. “Sign the divorce papers.”

He ignored me. He ripped the photo to pieces and tossed the lace bra into the trash. “She set me up! I was drunk at that party and she dragged me to a hotel, took photos and edited them! She’s jealous because I rejected her and now she wants to ruin our marriage!”

But his smell gave him away. His usual cedar scent was mixed with another perfume today.

When I didn’t react, Jackson grew angry. “Elizabeth, we’ve been together eight years and just celebrated our fifth anniversary. You trust a stranger over me?”

I still insisted he sign, but he laughed. “Fine, I’ll have her explain.” He grabbed his phone, called and shouted, “Noelle, if you harass Elizabeth again, I’ll kill you!”

He stepped onto the balcony to make a call. When he came back, Jackson looked tired and pleaded, “Elizabeth, I’ll take care of this. Just give me some time. Don’t talk about divorce.”

I nodded. “Fine, I’ll give you time.”

He sighed in relief and came to hug me.

I stepped away and said, “I’m tired. I’ll sleep in the guest room.”

He stopped and stared at me, his face going pale.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. Around 3 a.m., I got up for water and heard sounds coming from the study.

The study door was slightly open and I saw my usually confident husband holding the pink lace ribbon that should have been in the trash.

His eyes were red as he cried and breathed heavily. Then he whispered one word, “Noelle.”

In that moment, something inside me broke. The fortune teller was wrong. Jackson hadn’t cheated in our fifth year; his heart and body had been apart long before that.

The next day, I still wanted a divorce, but Jackson wouldn’t sign. He came home on time every day with my favorite pink roses, thinking that would fix everything.

But less than two days later, Noelle kept posting Instagram stories. One showed her wrist wrapped in bandages with the caption: [If my existence is causing trouble for you, I’ll disappear.]

A photo of her getting an IV at the hospital appeared, with the caption: [Don’t worry about me. It’s all my fault.]

A selfie in front of a university building, with the caption: [Youth that won’t come back. People I can’t forget.]

I sent the screenshots to Jackson. He called Noelle and shouted, “Noelle, stay away from Elizabeth! If you don’t, don’t expect me to show mercy just because we used to be friends!”

A crying voice on the phone said, “Jackson, I’ve loved you for eight years. I can’t live without you…”

Jackson hung up, looking angry. The next day, Noelle’s warning letter was posted on the research institute’s bulletin board.

She was removed from an important project and lost her chance to apply for a professional title. I knew Jackson did this. He wanted to prove his loyalty to me.

That afternoon, Noelle rushed into my office crying. “Elizabeth! Happy now? You used your marriage to control Jackson and now you’re destroying my future too!”

She rushed at me and I slapped her. “You chose to be a mistress and ruin someone else’s marriage. How dare you complain?”

Jackson hurried over, protecting me with his arms and glared at Noelle. She became bolder and leaned in to kiss his lips.

My mind went blank. Then I heard her say, “Jackson, I’m the department’s famous beauty. Everyone wants me. I don’t believe you have no feelings for me!”

I was about to slap her again, but Jackson stopped me. After a brief pause, he said, “You don’t deserve me. Elizabeth has been with me through everything; I won’t betray her.” Then he threw a pen holder at her.

Noelle didn’t move. She cried, blood running from her forehead.

“This is what happens when you provoke Elizabeth,” he said coldly, pulling me out of the office.

Once outside, Jackson let me go. He turned away and lit a cigarette. “Elizabeth, go back first. I have to work overtime at the hospital later.”

I could only manage a single sound, “Mm.”

That night, Jackson held me tightly, then muttered in his sleep, “Noelle…”

I tensed and pulled away, staring at the man who was still as handsome as ever after ten years.

I remembered him protecting me when I was bullied, breaking thirty-three ribs for me and risking his life to save me in the snowy mountains.

I remembered him skipping his international conference and flying halfway across the world to bring me brown sugar water when I had a stomachache.

Jackson was still kind in my memory, but he didn’t realize he no longer loved me. I stayed awake all night, then messaged the dean of Arcanum Sanctum Research Academy: [Director Bentley, I accept your invitation and will join the “Sky Dome Project” team in a month.]

After that day, Jackson and I quietly kept our distance, seeing each other less often, until the academy’s annual awards ceremony, where we were invited on stage as a “model research couple.”

Everyone called us a perfect couple. Then a young man ran onto the stage and hit Jackson. “Jackson! You liar! If you don’t love Noelle, why did you give her hope?”

People looked over. The man seemed to be a passionate admirer of Noelle, sneering with contempt in his eyes. “Remember the lab fire? She burned half her leg saving you and the scar is still there!”

Noelle lifted her skirt, showing the shocking scar. Jackson, beside her, gasped.

“That award-winning work? She did it all, working nonstop for a month before submitting it. Your academic title came from networking and pleading with officials. Jackson, your success today is because of Noelle, not you or your wife!”

The room erupted in chaos. I spoke calmly, “She was only hoping. Jackson never asked her to do it. If Noelle is using this to blackmail him, she’s trying to ruin our family and take his place!”

The man was outraged, about to speak, but Noelle held him back, crying, “Stop! Elizabeth is right. I shouldn’t have imagined things about Jackson. It was my own choice. I love without expecting anything in return.”

The man nearly cried, “Noelle, you’re too noble. Jackson doesn’t deserve you.”

Jackson spoke slowly, “Elizabeth is right. She is my only wife—always has been and always will be. Please leave and stop spreading nonsense.”

His hand was strong and his voice firm, but I noticed his arm tremble slightly. His look at Noelle showed a faint hint of confusion.

My heart ached like it had been pierced by a needle. Even though I’d decided to leave, the pain stayed. Suddenly, the crystal chandelier above crashed down with a loud noise. Screams filled the air.

I closed my eyes instinctively. Jackson pushed me away with all his strength, then darted toward Noelle.

The chandelier shattered beside me, cutting my arms and cheeks with glass. Through the pain, I could still see in the distance.

Jackson shielded Noelle under him as the chandelier hit his back. Noelle cried, still shaken, while people nearby started talking.

“Miss Noelle only scraped her knee. Mr. Kain, did you really need so much effort to save her?”

“Your wife is bleeding badly; she could die without treatment!”

Before I passed out, I saw Jackson pick up Noelle and carry her away, out of sight. When I woke, I was in a hospital bed. Nurses were whispering outside the door.

“Did you hear? Mr. Kain broke his back saving Miss Ferguson!”

“That’s right! He wasn’t fully healed, yet he rushed to treat Miss Ferguson and feed her soup. His wife doesn’t even get this care!”

“Tsk, he and Miss Ferguson are true love; a perfect match, that’s why they’re a couple.”

It took a long time before Jackson finally came to my room.

He held a half-eaten bowl of soup, trying to feed me. I knocked it down. “I don’t want leftovers.”

Hearing this, he looked guilty. “Elizabeth, I’m sorry. Noelle saved me first and I saved her in return. It’s just a basic human duty. But I promise it won’t happen again.”

I scoffed. Her life mattered, but didn’t mine? I didn’t argue. I just threw the divorce papers at him. “Sign this.

He didn’t even look and just signed. I laughed—if he had checked, he’d have seen it was a divorce agreement.

After signing, Jackson said he wanted to make it up to me and take me to Valoria to relax. But as soon as we reached the airport, his phone rang; it was Noelle.

On the other end, she was crying uncontrollably, saying she was scared of being alone in the hospital.

Jackson hung up, avoiding my gaze. “Elizabeth, there’s an urgent project at the institute. I have to go back. Go ahead, I’ll meet you at the airport when I’m done.”

I waited all day, but Jackson never came. Noelle posted an update on her Instagram story. In the photo, her hand held a man’s and his wrist had the red string I had given him.

The caption said: [My beloved accepted my confession; eight years of love finally led to marriage.]

I liked the post. Jackson called, but I didn’t answer. It grew dark and a light rain started. I suddenly felt tired and wanted to return home. My mother opened the door, said nothing and just gave me a bowl of hot soup.

As I was nearly finished with the soup, she spoke, “Once a man’s heart changes, you can’t hold onto him.”

I paused, still holding the bowl.

“Like your father, he fell for Louise. No matter what I said or did, he left me for another woman without hesitation.”

I went silent, remembering a childhood conversation with Jackson. He hugged me tightly, tears falling. “Don’t worry, Elizabeth, I’ll never betray you.”

But now, he broke his promise and the tragedy repeated. My mother held my hand, determined. “If you want a divorce, I’ll support you. I’ll always be your strength.”

I couldn’t hold back; tears fell into the soup. There were still people who loved me unconditionally. But that night, my mother had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital.

The doctor said she was in critical condition and needed a “special drug” immediately, or she wouldn’t survive the night.

The “special drug” was made only by the research institute and only Jackson had it. I called him frantically, but no one answered.

I rushed to the research institute, to his office and found Jackson holding a weakened Samoyed.

Noelle sat beside it, her eyes red from crying. “Jackson, Snowball is dying! Please save it!”

Jackson froze at the sight of me. I grabbed his arm, trembling. “Jackson, my mother had a heart attack and is critically ill! Give me the ‘special drug’ quickly!”

Noelle, standing beside me, was nearly in tears. “Elizabeth, I’m so sorry… Snowball ate something bad and got acute myocarditis. The vet said only the ‘special drug’ can save him.”

“It’s been with me for five years; I can’t live without it.”

Jackson looked at the dying dog, then at me, struggling. I knelt, pleading at his feet for the first time. “Jackson, I beg you, that’s my mother; my only family for twenty years, the only person I have left!”

He shut his eyes and looked away in pain. His voice was barely audible: “Elizabeth, I’m sorry. But your mother’s illness can’t be cured. This medicine would only extend her suffering for a few days.”

He paused, struggling to speak. “I owe Noelle too much; she… can’t handle any more stress.”

He gave the life-saving medicine to the dog himself. I cried so much I fainted. When I woke, an urn was in front of me.

“Miss Adams, please accept my condolences.” The doctor’s eyes were full of grief. “Without a cure, we did everything we could…”

I shook my head, not crying. I just held the small urn and sat in the cemetery, staring blankly for three hours.

Then Noelle ran out with the Samoyed, looking upset. “Elizabeth, she’s gone. Don’t grieve.” She paused, then added, “How about letting Snowball eat your mother’s ashes?”

My mind went blank. “What did you just say?”

At that moment, Jackson appeared behind her and approached me. “Snowball just finished treatment and isn’t fully nourished yet. Elizabeth, go ahead; this will bring good karma for your mother. Isn’t she religious? She’d be happy knowing she saved a dog’s life.”

I couldn’t believe it. “You two monsters! That’s my mother! You can’t touch her!”

By then, the bodyguards had surrounded me. They scattered the ashes on the ground in front of me.

I watched helplessly as the Samoyed slowly ate my beloved. It licked its lips, wanting more and barked at me.

I struggled, my eyes blazing with fury. “You monsters! I’ll kill you all!”

Jackson said coldly, “Rude. Snowball just ate and needs silence. Make her stop.”

A loud slap hit. “Jackson, you have no heart!” I screamed, but he held Noelle tightly, not looking back.

I was dragged to the basement and beaten all night, covered in bruises. Meanwhile, Jackson and Noelle watched fireworks on a luxury cruise ship.

In despair, I risked my life. After fighting the guards several times, I escaped. While heading to the airport with my luggage, I called the director of Arcanum Sanctum Research Academy, “Director, I want to report Jackson of the Argelith branch for infidelity, domestic violence, misuse of classified drugs, collusion with the mafia and desecration of corpses. The evidence is on this USB drive. Please investigate and fire him immediately.”