Đang tải thông tin quảng bá...
Breaking Away from My Wife on Our Anniversary
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
I had been married to Abigail for six years. In those six years, she became the business genius everyone admired, the self-made queen who rose from nothing, while I became the stay-at-home husband peo...
Chương (3)
第1章
I had been married to Abigail for six years.
In those six years, she became the business genius everyone admired, the self-made queen who rose from nothing, while I became the stay-at-home husband people didn't openly mock but secretly looked down on.
On our wedding anniversary, she called to say she had an important client meeting and would be home late.
I smiled and told her it was fine. Then I headed to the supermarket, planning to cook a lavish candlelight dinner to surprise her.
But when I turned the corner, I saw her standing right by the shelves.
I froze, ready to call out to her—until the moment I noticed what she was doing.
She held a bag of dried fruit and gently fed a piece to the young intern beside her—Wesley. He leaned close to her ear and whispered something. She blushed, lightly punching his chest as if they were sharing a private joke.
The two of them walked off together, their posture close, intimate... familiar.
I stared at their retreating backs for a long, stunned moment before I finally lifted my phone and called my mother.
"Mom... you were right. She’s not good enough for me."
——
"It's good that you finally understand!" My mother's relief was obvious. Then she asked, "When are you coming home? Ariella has been waiting for you."
I glanced at the grocery cart overflowing with fresh ingredients and pressed my lips together.
"Tomorrow," I said quietly.
At checkout, I took a picture of the receipt and sent it to Abigail.
She replied almost instantly.
[Thank you for the hard work, Hubby. I'll reward you properly when I get home.]
Cold, emotionless words.
I let out a self-mocking laugh. Of course she didn’t notice anything.
After hesitating, still unwilling to give up, I called her.
"Where are you?" I tried to keep my voice steady, not letting her hear the tremor beneath it.
This was my last attempt.
With the receipt, with this call—if she still cared about me even a little, she would sense something was wrong.
If she just told me the truth—even if it was a flimsy lie I could easily tear apart—I was willing to deceive myself.
To pretend I hadn't seen anything. To pretend I didn't know.
Because I loved her too much.
But her answer shattered my last bit of hope.
"I told you already, didn't I? I'm meeting an important client. This client matters a lot. Unless it's urgent, stop calling me."
"Be good, okay? Once things settle down, I'll take you to the Arctic to see the snow. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"
I fell silent.
I had told Abigail for years how much I wanted to see the snow in the Arctic with her. She always said she was too busy with work.
Today was our sixth wedding anniversary.
And she was "busy."
But she wasn’t with a client.
She was with Wesley.
I inhaled slowly, lifting my head, doing everything I could to keep the tears from falling.
"Alright... I understand."
"Good. My husband is so obedient. I have to get back to work, so I’ll hang up. Oh, and tonight, I want sour and spicy fish and braised pork ribs."
Her favorite dishes.
I remembered her once curling into my arms, pouting like a spoiled child.
"Husband, I only eat those when you cook them. No one else gets the flavor right.”
"Which flavor?” I teased her.
She pushed me onto the couch, biting my lips with a mischievous grin. "This one—the taste of love."
Taking a deep breath, I rubbed the corner of my stinging eyes.
"Okay. I'll make them."
'But Abigail... this will be the last time.'
I carried the bags of groceries to the car.
The moment I sat down, my eyes landed on the photo of us on the dashboard—and the tears I'd been fighting finally spilled over.
From the unforgettable first meeting, to six years of loving her so deeply I lost myself...
Whenever she smiled, I smiled with her.
第2章
Whenever Abigail cried, I was always the first to comfort her.
She often asked me, "Hubby, why are you so good to me?"
"Silly girl, because I love you," I would answer without hesitation.
Because of her, I almost fell out with my family. Because of her, I hurt the childhood friend who had always silently cared for me. Because of her, I endured countless strange looks and disdain.
I never told her any of this.
All I ever wanted was for her to be happy.
No matter how bitter or painful things were, I swallowed it all in silence.
Abigail said she wanted her own company.
So I swallowed my pride, apologized to my parents, and asked them to help her start it—then worked to pull in business for her.
She said she needed to focus on her career, that I shouldn't call her if there was nothing important, and definitely shouldn't visit her office.
She said...
And everything she said, every request she made, I fulfilled without exception.
She focused on her work, and I became the househusband—making sure that no matter how late she came home, there would always be a table of steaming hot food waiting for her.
My love for her was humble and small.
I never needed her to worry about the household. I never asked for anything in return—just hoped she still carried me in her heart.
Every time I watched her come home after work and devour the food I prepared, I felt genuinely satisfied.
I supported her career. I cared for our home. I did everything I possibly could.
But what I discovered today... cut straight to the bone.
I couldn't help asking myself. "Was I not good enough for her?"
No—she simply didn't love me anymore.
I used to believe that in a relationship, one person must do more, and since she was ambitious and career-driven, I would be the one to give.
In just six years, she became a self-made legend.
She was happy.
And I was happy for her.
But our love had already reached its end.
At this moment... I felt unbearably tired.
Love was selfish—when you give, you expect something in return.
My love for her kept me going for six years. But now, I couldn't hold on anymore.
I didn't regret loving her.
I didn't regret giving her six years.
But tonight's candlelight dinner would mark the end of our love and our marriage.
I wiped my tears, started the car, and drove out of the parking lot.
'Abigail, after tonight... I won't love you anymore.'
When I got home, the empty house felt colder than ever.
Six years—six long years of living like this. It was always me waiting for her to come home.
I never thought it was strange. But only now did I realize that our marriage had long become distorted.
Pa! Pa!
The live fish I bought was thrashed in the bag.
Abigail loved boiled fish—only the freshest ones, slaughtered right before cooking. Because of her preference, over the years I even learned how to pick the best fish at a glance.
It was a pity that I probably wouldn't need that skill anymore.
After an hour of cooking, I prepared a full table of dishes, including the boiled fish and braised ribs she specifically asked for.
I lit the candles, opened the bottle of red wine to let it breathe.
By then, it was almost midnight—and Abigail still hadn't returned.
After a moment of silence, I finally decided to call her.
The moment the call connected, I heard loud noises in the background—something like fireworks exploding.
"Hello, hubby!" Her voice was loud and cheerful.
"The food is ready," I said. "When are you coming home?"
"What? Hubby, what did you say? I can't hear you!"
Before I could repeat myself, she spoke again, her voice full of excitement. "Hubby, I'm watching fireworks right now! They're so beautiful, so romantic!"
My body stiffened.
Suddenly, I remembered—Abigail once told me she hated fireworks.
She said they were noisy and bad for the environment.
So why was she now...?
第3章
Before I could even process anything, a notification popped up on my phone—a new post from Wesley's social media.
It was a photo.
The background was a sky ablaze with fireworks.
He was standing behind Abigail, arms wrapped around her waist.
The caption read: [For the one I love the most!]
In that instant, everything became clear.
It wasn't that Abigail disliked fireworks—I simply wasn't the man she wanted fireworks from.
She always said loud noises scared her, that fireworks weren’t her thing. But looking at her leaning into Wesley’s embrace, eyes shining with delight... I finally understood.
I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t even disappointed. I was simply... tired.
My voice came out hoarse as I said, “Come back early.”
“Mhm, I’m heading back now. I’ll be home soon,” Abigail responded sweetly.
For the first time tonight, she actually heard what I said.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
After hanging up, I stared at the candle flames flickering gently on the table.
The dishes cooled and reheated multiple times. Two candles burned almost to their bases. Only then did I finally hear the door open.
"Hubby, I'm home!"
Abigail walked in with a bright smile, carrying a large bouquet of roses.
Behind her stood Wesley.
"Harvey, I'm not intruding on your romantic night with Abigail, am I?" He raised a brow at me, blatantly provocative.
"We've been married for so long. What romantic night?" Abigail playfully hit Wesley's arm, pretending to scold him.
The sight made something inside my chest twist painfully.
Six years of marriage—Abigail had never acted shy and coquettish with me like that.
Yet she did so effortlessly with Wesley. And they'd only known each other for one month.
At that moment, all I felt was how pathetic and pitiful I truly was.
Pitiful and laughable.
Seeing I remained silent, Abigail started explaining while changing shoes at the entrance.
"Wesley heard today is our sixth wedding anniversary and insisted on celebrating with us. I couldn't refuse, so I brought him along."
Then she held up the bouquet proudly. "These flowers are from Wesley. Aren't they beautiful?"
"Mm. Very beautiful," I replied.
It was laughable—a wedding anniversary meant for two, now turned into a celebration with an outsider.
Ridiculous.
But it didn't matter anymore.
After tonight, Abigail and I would no longer be connected in any way.
"Hubby, are you... angry?" She approached me carefully. Without waiting for my reply, she glanced at Wesley and hesitated.
"Should I... ask Wesley to leave?"
I smiled. "No need. Three people celebrating is fine—more festive, right?"
"I told you he wouldn't be mad," Wesley said with a grin.
"Abigail, you just care too much about him."
The mockery in his voice was unmistakable.
Care?
If she truly cared, would Abigail bring another man home—especially on our anniversary?
Wesley wanted to provoke me, but unfortunately for him, it wouldn't work.
Because I truly no longer cared. Abigail didn't look at him. She stared only at me, her expression serious.
"Hubby... you're really not angry?"
I didn't understand what she was hesitating about.
She already brought him here—what difference would my anger make?
"I'm really not angry," I said again. "Sit down. The food is getting cold."
Only then did Abigail finally relax and lead Wesley to the table.
A candlelight dinner meant for two... now had a third wheel.
Wesley dragged a chair over and sat boldly beside Abigail, then used his cutlery to place food into her bowl.
"Abigail, your favorite—boiled fish and braised ribs. Eat more."
Abigail froze, startled. She quickly glanced at me, and when she saw I didn't react, she glared sharply at Wesley.
"I can get my own food. Just eat yours," Abigail said coldly.
Wesley instantly put on a wounded expression.
"Abigail, I just want you to eat more. It's only a small gesture. Harvey won't be mad, right?"
"Yes," I replied calmly. "I'm not angry at all."
But Abigail wasn't appeased. She set her cutlery down and stared at me.
"Why aren't you angry?"
I froze for a moment, nearly laughing at the absurdity.
When she was getting close to Wesley, I was angry—she said I was being unreasonable.
Now I wasn't angry—she still wasn't happy.
"I'm not angry because..." I paused and glanced at my phone. It was already past midnight—today was officially over.
I put my phone away and looked at Abigail with utter calm.
"I'm not angry... because I no longer care."
"Does that answer satisfy you?"