“But I promise, this will never happen again.”
His life mattered were precious, but how about me?
I didn’t argue with her. Instead, I threw the document at her. “Sign this.”
Without even glancing at it, she signed her name and I smiled. If she had just opened one page, she would have known it was a divorce agreement.
After signing, Veronica said she wanted to make it up to me and take me to Paris for a break.
But as soon as we arrived at the airport, her phone rang. It was Yohan.
On the other end, he was sobbing, gasping for breath, saying he was scared alone in the hospital.
Veronica hung up. Her eyes glanced elsewhere, looking worried.
“William, there’s an urgent project at the institute. I have to go back. You go ahead, I’ll meet you at the airport as soon as I’m done.”
But I waited from daylight until night and Veronica never showed up. Instead, Yohan updated his social media.
In the photo, his hand was intertwined with a woman’s and the woman’s wrist was tied with the red string I had gotten for her.
The photo with the caption: [My beloved accepted my confession. Eight years of deep affection have finally culminated in marriage.]
I liked the post. Just then, Veronica called me, but I didn’t answer.
It got dark and a light rain began to fall outside. I suddenly felt a little tired and wanted to go back to my old home.
My father opened the door for me. Seeing me, he didn’t say anything, only poured me a bowl of hot soup.
When I had almost finished the bowl, he suddenly said, “Once a woman’s heart changes,you can’t keep her again.”
My hand holding the bowl froze.
“Just like your mother, she fell in love with Uncle Simon back then.”
“No matter how much I said, or how much I tried to win her back, she still ran off with another man without hesitation.”
I fell silent, remembering my childhood stories with Veronica.
After listening, she nestled in my arms, crying and promised, “Don’t worry, William. I’ll never betray you.”
Yet here we were and she broke her promise. This tragedy repeats itself.
My father gripped my hand. His eyes filled with tears.
“If you want a divorce, I will support you. I’ll always be your supporter.”
I couldn’t hold back any longer. My tears rolled down my cheeks and into my soup.
It dawned on me that in this world, there was someone who loved me unconditionally.
But in the middle of the night, my father suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital.
The doctor issued a critical condition notice, saying he needed an immediate injection of a ‘special drug’ immediately or he wouldn’t survive the night.
This “special drug” was exclusively produced by the research institute and only Veronica possessed it.
I frantically called Veronica, but no one answered.
I rushed to the research institute and entered her office.
There, I found Veronica cradling a Samoyed that was convulsing violently. Yohan sat beside her, his eyes red from crying.
“Veronica, Snowball is dying. Please, save him!”
Veronica froze when she saw me.
I grabbed her arm, my voice trembling, “Veronica, my father’s having a heart attack! He’s critically ill! Give me that ‘miracle drug’ now!”
At that moment, Yohan beside us was also full of tears.
“Veronica, I’m sorry. Snowball ate something contaminated, triggering acute myocarditis. The vet said only the ‘miracle drug’ can save him. It’s been with me for five years, I can’t live without Snowball.”
Veronica looked at the dying dog in her arms, then at me, her face filled with struggle.
I knelt down, begging at her feet for the first time in my life. “Veronica, I’m begging you! that’s my father who has been my only family for twenty years, the only person I have left in the world!”
