After My Father Died In a Blizzard, I Decided to Divorce

My father suddenly fell gravely ill. Cason City was hit by an unprecedented blizzard. Recently, I broke my leg, and I could only pray that my fiancée, Mandy White, would drive me to the hospital.

A few minutes before we were supposed to leave, Mandy said something had come up at work and suddenly backed out.

I stood in the snow on crutches, utterly lost.

The streets were deserted. I couldn't even hail a cab. By the time I hobbled through the blizzard to the hospital, my father had already passed away.

That night, I knelt in front of my father's coffin and finally received a call from Mandy.

She was drunk, crying and repeatedly calling out the name of her childhood friend.

"Clark Smith, Clark..."

Before the call ended, I clearly heard Clark's voice on the other end.

At the darkest, most desperate moment of my life, Mandy was at her childhood friend's side, not leaving him for a moment.

My fingers trembled as I sent Mandy a message.

[Is this why you abandoned me?]

I waited in vain all night in the mourning hall. It wasn't until the next evening that Mandy replied.

[You can manage on your own, but he can't without me.]

***

[Mandy, our engagement is off.]

I had pursued Mandy for four years and been with her for three. From school to work, I had poured nearly all my time and energy into her. I always believed that if I worked hard enough, the clouds would eventually part, and the moon would shine through.

Mandy was a senior executive at her company, constantly busy with social engagements. Even at home, her meetings were back-to-back. I knew she had a strong personality and didn't want to depend on a man. Her health had never been great, and I didn't want to see her struggle so much, so I quit my million-dollar job to take care of her full-time.

Even my leg injury was a result of rushing to deliver her lunch and getting into a car accident.

I had kept quiet and stayed out of conflicts for seven years, but now all of that had become her excuse to leave me stranded in the blizzard and go running to her childhood friend.

I blocked Mandy and began to take care of my father's funeral arrangements.

I followed my father's last wishes and took care of everything. I stayed at the cemetery for a long time until the pain in my injured leg became unbearable. Just as I was about to leave, I suddenly saw Mandy and the man walking beside her, Clark.

"Clark, do you think Lucky would like it here?"

Mandy was holding a small urn in her arms.

I wanted to avoid them, but Mandy had already spotted me.

She paused, her brows furrowing slightly as if my presence there was a colossal mistake.

"What are you doing here?"

It was too much of a coincidence to run into each other in a place like a cemetery, so Mandy naturally assumed I had followed her here.

I didn't want to waste time with her, so I averted my gaze and tried to walk away, but Clark blocked my path.

His expression carried a hint of provocation.

"Don't misunderstand. Lucky, the cat Mandy and I raised together, passed away yesterday. I was worried she'd be upset if she didn't send Lucky off for the last time, so I called her."

I looked at Clark, not understanding why he was telling me all this. After all, Mandy and I were no longer connected.

"Do you need me to hold a funeral for your cat?"

"Jason Green, do you have to be so aggressive?"

As always, Mandy defended Clark. No matter who was at fault, the one who won in the end was always Clark.

In the past, I would have argued and explained, but now, I didn't have the slightest desire to speak to her.

She could think whatever she wanted. I was tired.

"Of course not, so I'm leaving."

I turned to leave. Behind me, Mandy stared at my back, looking a bit dazed.

This was the first time I had turned my back on her and walked away.

For once, Mandy left Clark behind and caught up to me.

"Why haven't you contacted me in so many days? How is Uncle?"

I had blocked Mandy for days. If she had sent me even one message, she would have noticed something was wrong, but she hadn't. And now, she wanted to take the moral high ground and criticize me as she always did.

"If you really cared, why didn't you reach out first?"

My tone was cold.

"I... I've been busy these past few days, and I didn't have time."

Perhaps she hadn't expected me, who had always been gentle and accommodating to her, to speak to her like this. For a moment, she was at a loss, and her explanation was weak at best.

I didn't want to waste any more time with her. I brushed past her, intending to leave.

She immediately grabbed my wrist.

"I didn't think things through this time. From now on, I'll inform you of everything I do. Please stop being angry, okay? Lucky just passed away, and I'm really sad."

She probably thought I was still sulking about her abandoning me and actually lowered herself to coax me.

Normally, I would have immediately said that it was my fault for being too temperamental and taken the blame.

But now, I said nothing. With my other hand, I pried her fingers off me, trying to leave.

What did a cat she raised with another man have to do with me?

Mandy finally lost her patience. Her tone turned cold as she lowered her voice, afraid that Clark would hear.

"Jason, you're already my fiancé. Why are you still competing with a sick man?"

Clark had a mental illness that occasionally recurred. Since Mandy and Clark were childhood friends who had been inseparable since they were little, both the Smith and White families felt that it was only natural for Mandy to take care of Clark.

I only found it laughable.

Love isn't about who's sick and who's right.

Seeing that I wasn't responding, Mandy's tone grew even colder.

"I've already apologized. What more do you want?"

"I don't want anything. I'm just tired and want to go back and rest."

"Jason, I grew up with Clark, and he hasn't been in a good state lately. His parents asked me to take care of him. Can't you stop being so petty?"

"Mandy, he's not in a good state, but do you think I'm in a good state right now?"

I calmly looked at Mandy. I was still on crutches, my beard unshaven for days, looking as haggard as one could be. Compared to Clark, I was the one who seemed to be on the verge of collapse and the one who needed care.

Mandy was silent for a moment.

I took the opportunity to break free from her hand and walked farther away.

Watching my retreating figure, Mandy only felt that something had slipped through her fingers, something she could never grasp again. She called her assistant.

"Assistant Fox, contact the best oncology experts in the country for a consultation and arrange surgery for Jason's father."