I couldn’t bring myself to compromise, not like my mother had. I wouldn’t settle for a life of misery, enduring a man who had long since fallen apart.
When Dad was young, he’d often wander, pouring all his tenderness into other women, while coming home to beat and berate both my mother and me.
Everyone told her to leave him, but she would just cry and say, “If I leave him, how will I live? My husband is here; where else can I go?”
Then, my dad died in a car accident after a night of drinking and not long after, my mom remarried.
On the day of her wedding, she told me, “As long as he loves you, everything can be worked through. Life’s short, don’t be too greedy. There’s no cat that doesn’t stray, so don’t hold on too tightly to every little thing.”
Once she remarried, we lost touch. She had her new family and I was left as nothing more than a shadow in the background.
I drifted like a sail caught in the wind, always moving between the shorelines, never quite anchored.
It wasn’t until Cooper pulled me from that drifting life that I began to understand what a home could feel like. What seemed like the perfect place, the perfect life, was given to me.
But when I looked back, I still felt the pull of the open sea, unsure and adrift.
When Cooper wasn’t home, I stumbled upon the love letters he had written to me years ago.
Five hundred and twenty letters, each one a testament to his devotion, with not a single word repeated.
They held all the emotions he’d felt at the time, all the love he had poured into me.
I had treasured them, telling myself that someday, when I was old and gray, I would read them again and relive the memories of our youth.
But now, that time had passed.
I grabbed a fire pit and a lighter, tossing each letter into the flames.
The flames crackled and leaped higher, their warmth soothing the emptiness in my chest and gradually, my heart began to quiet.
When Cooper returned, he caught sight of the scene.
His heart skipped a beat and he rushed over in instinctive concern.
“Wife, what are you burning?”
At the sound of his voice, I rose slowly to my feet, my gaze steady.
“I was just cleaning up and found some things I no longer need. I thought I’d burn them.”
Worried that I might get too close to the fire, he gently pulled me back a step.
“These things can be handled by the servants. Be careful, don’t hurt yourself.”
His focus was entirely on me, so he didn’t notice the letters that hadn’t fully burned in the fire pit.
If he had glanced just a moment longer, he would’ve seen that one of the burnt letters still bore his name.
“Wife, I’ve wrapped up most of the work stuff. I have some free time today and I want to spend it with you. Where would you like to go?”
He smiled softly and pulled me into a warm embrace, his dark eyes sparkling with affection.
No matter where I wanted to go, he would always be by my side.
Just like before, he never hesitated to follow my spontaneous whims.
I paused for a moment, feeling restless in the house.
“Let’s go play baseball. I haven’t played in a while.”
Cooper nodded, quickly finding me some sportswear before leading me to the baseball field.
But, of course, fate had other plans. As soon as we arrived, I found Cooper's friends already there.
Beside him stood Kaia, dressed in sportswear, her presence completely unbothered by my arrival.
She flashed me a bright, knowing smile. “So, this is Miss Sanders. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Cooper’s expression darkened as he glared at her, his voice cold as he corrected her. “This is my wife. You should call her Mrs. Green.”
The smile on Kaia’s face instantly stiffened, her expression turning bitter, but she complied. “Mrs. Green.”
I offered a quiet “Hmm” in response and made my way to the changing room.
When I came out, Cooper was nowhere to be found.
I walked toward the exit, but then I heard faint sounds coming from the bathroom.
Driven by an impulse I couldn’t explain, I found myself walking toward it.
Inside, Cooper stood with a cold, hard expression, his hand gripping Kaia’s chin as he spoke in a low, stern voice. “Behave yourself. If Luna finds out about this, you’ll regret it.”
