She had lost weight and her usual arrogance.
Outside the Civil Affairs Bureau, she
hesitantly asked:
“Henry, can we…have a meal together?”
I shook my head. “Forget it, let’s pretend we
don’t know each other.”
She bit her lip and cried. I walked to my car.
catching a glimpse of Greg walking with Lily.
He hugged her tightly.
What was Jessica regretting?
When I loved her wholeheartedly, she only
thought of Greg, feeling our marriage
betrayed her pure love. When I ended my
feelings and filed for divorce, she missed me,
ignoring Greg.
Did Jessica truly understand love?
She loved only the illusions in her heart. It
was Greg before, now it’s me. She never
learned to cherish what she had.
After the divorce, my mother started
arranging blind dates for me. I didn’t object.
Suitable partners weren’t easy to find.
Jessica, hearing about my dates, called me
late at night, sobbing silently. After a few
times, I blocked her.
Six months later, I fell for Lisa Lee, the vice
president of Power Group, my business
partner. After a few months of dating, we
decided to marry. Jessica, somehow learning
about my marriage plans, went crazy.
She showed up drunk at our new home late
one night. I was exasperated and called Greg
to take her away. Luckily, Lisa was very
understanding; she knew about my past and
didn’t say anything.
I took a vacation for our honeymoon. Upon
returning, Greg, looking pale, found me.
He said, “Jessica decided to marry me.”
I nodded. “Congratulations, you finally got
her.”
He chuckled wryly. “She got angry after
hearing about your honeymoon and agreed to
my proposal.”
I sighed. It was unnecessary. Even I, the
wronged party, had moved on, but Jessica
was still clinging on.
I patted Greg on the shoulder. His face was
く
full of uncertainty about the future. I could
only wish him luck.
I saw Jessica again at the city hospital’s
obstetrics and gynecology department. Lisa
was pregnant; we came for a checkup. We
ran into Greg and Jessica. Jessica’s belly was
already showing, Lisa was only three months.
Greg carefully supported her. But Jessica no
longer had the gentle expression she used to
have towards Greg.
“If you’re busy, go ahead. What’s with this
attitude at my checkup? Isn’t this your child?
When I was pregnant with Lily, Henry…”
Hearing my name mentioned, I felt irritated.
I quickly pulled Lisa away.
During the New Year, my mother mentioned:
“That Wilson girl, she’s with her first love, but
they’re not doing well. I saw her at the mall,
pregnant, with Lily. Lily was crying; she hit her
in front of everyone. I felt sorry for the child.‘
Lily had called my mother “Grandma” for
years, my mother almost went over to help.
“Don’t be foolish; your official daughter–in-
law is carrying your grandchild.”
My mother glared at me:
“Do I seem like that kind of person?”
That night, Greg asked me out for drinks. I
ignored him. My phone kept vibrating. It was
Greg, drunk, sending several voice messages:
“Isn’t it easy to fall in love but hard to stay
together? I thought getting back Lily and
Jessica would give us a fresh start, but why is
it like this?”
“Jessica doesn’t understand my work, I’m a
pediatrician, my job is demanding, but she
always compares me to you, saying you were
busy too, but you were always there for
her…”
He cried. Lisa heard the voice messages,
surprised:
<
“You’re still in touch with him? Greg was a
homewrecker, you can be friends with him?
You’re so forgiving.”
I calmly put away my phone and hugged her.
She suddenly realized.
“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”
I smiled.
Of course, I did.
I kept Greg’s contact information, chatting
with him occasionally. I also showed off my
relationship with Lisa. Compared to them,
their marriage wasn’t as happy as he
imagined.
Greg didn’t have the same background as me. To support Jessica, he had to work hard. He
compromised too much, missed opportunities,
and disappointed the hospital. He was at
most a chief physician.
He often complained to me, treating me as a
confidant. Sometimes, I found it funny. Greg
said that after Jessica ́s pregnancy, he
couldn’t manage alone, so he brought his
parents to take care of Lily and Jessica.
Living together, mother–in–law and daughter-
in–law naturally clashed. When Jessica was
still my wife, my mother was displeased with
her coldness but never criticized her. Now, it
was a mess. Seeing her downfall, I was
happy.
Don’t say I’m petty. Jessica, the moment she
decided to blame me for Lily, should have
expected this.
As for Greg, he wasn’t innocent either. How
shameless could someone be to sleep with
their ex the night before her wedding?
He clearly knew Lily was his daughter. He
also laughed at me with Jessica.
So why can’t I laugh at them now?
Lisa laughed at me:
“You’re such a…you pretend to be generous,
deceiving everyone, Mom says you’re stupid,
but I think you’re full of tricks.”
After the New Year, Lisa gave birth to twins. I
also learned from Greg that Jessica didn’t
keep the baby. New Year’s Eve, she had a
huge fight with Greg’s mother and ran back
to her parents‘ house. Silently, she went to a
private hospital and induced labor. She sent
the baby’s body to Greg’s parents. Greg’s
mother fainted and demanded a divorce.
They were fighting for the divorce. The
Wilsons hired people to cause trouble at
Greg’s hospital. Greg was suspended. Their
lives were shattered.
After sending him a new family photo, I
deleted Greg. Seeing them suffer, I finally felt
at ease.
(The End)
