He pushed through the crowd, shouting my
name, begging me not to leave.
But it was too late, Mark. The moment your
brought another woman into our bed, the
moment you abandoned me to go kite–flying
with Jessica, you should have known there
was no going back.
Before leaving, I erased all traces of myself
from our home.
Not that there were many, because I slept on
the floor to avoid bothering Mark.
Looking around the house, I was filled with
memories.
We’d gotten married when we were broke.
That year, Mark held my hand and said,
“Ashley, when my company makes it big, I’m
going to give you the best life, make you the
happiest woman in the world.”
But now, I was ending our relationship at his
peak.
With a bitter laugh, I packed a few things and
boarded a plane to San Francisco.
Looking out at the clouds, I remembered our
first flight.
Mark held my hand tight, his eyes full of joy.
“Ashley, you don’t have to work so hard
anymore. From now on, you just have to relax
at home, and leave everything else to me.”
Back then, I’d been his best assistant, but
after my legs were broken, Jessica had taken
my place.
I wasn’t useful to Mark anymore.
People get lost in the pursuit of success,
forgetting right from wrong.
My husband had become secretive, and I kept
finding women’s things around the house.
I’d gone from suspicion to acceptance
without even realizing it.
But even then, when the San Francisco
Research Institute offered me a job, my first
thought was, “If I leave, will Mark be lonely?
Will he miss me?”
But I was wrong. When I called him, I heard a girl giggling in the background.
“Mark, who is it?”
く
He hung up.
And I was still clinging to his empty promises.
Until I saw those matching sneakers.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
Even when my legs were broken, I hadn’t felt
this hopeless.
“Mark, give your promises to someone else.”
Chapter 2
The unexpected turn of events left Mark in a
daze.
The night before the company press
conference, he was out drinking with friends.
They were teasing him, saying he was lucky
to have such a devoted woman.
“Mark, how did you train Ashley to be so
obedient? Teach us!”
“Yeah, my wife keeps me on a tight leash, she
controls all the money, I can’t even make a
peep!”
He’d scoffed, “Ashley’s like a dog. Throw her
a bone, and she’ll rip out her own heart for
you.”
“I control the money in my house. A man
needs independence. I give her two grand a
month for living expenses.”
“You’re the master, Mark.”
“She’s a cripple now, who else is she gonna
rely on?”
But as he watched Ashley walk away, he felt
something slip out of his grasp.
All he felt was fear.
He could hear Jessica calling his name, but
her voice was grating on his ears.
He shoved her away. “Who told you you could
call me that?”
She burst into tears. “Mark… what’s wrong?”
“Only Ashley can call me that! Jessica, who
do you think you are?”
He rushed home to find it empty.
<
There were only two documents on the table.
One was the signed divorce papers, and the other was Ashley’s medical report.
It stated clearly that she had been disabled by
an assault.
“Why? She said it was a car accident!” Mark
collapsed on the floor.
Tears of regret streamed down his face, but
the woman who’d once comforted him was
gone.
He’d taken Ashley for granted, forgetting how
important she was.
When his company had been threatened by
rivals, he’d been in a car accident, which was
L
devastating to him.
