Never Seen After the Divorce:I Refused to Forgive Him

Two years earlier, Ezra Howard had cheated. His lover, Heidi Trevino, and I were abducted at the same time, and he chose without hesitation to rescue Heidi.

Throughout the half-month I remained kidnapped and mistreated by the kidnappers, crimson cigarette stubs burned my arm, and my private photos circulated online, as Ezra stayed in Switzerland, keeping Heidi company on a relaxing vacation.

Only after I was saved did I learn that I was pregnant, and fortunately, the baby was strong enough to survive.

The kidnapping case created a huge disturbance throughout the city. Heidi was dismissed from the orchestra and vanished from sight after that.

Because of his guilt and the child in my belly, Ezra knelt in the rain for three days and nights, begging me not to divorce, which made me unable to stop thinking about our past.

At 14, we met, his parents abandoned him to manage alone, while I pleaded with my father to bring him home.

At 15, because I casually said I wanted cake, he skipped class and accepted punishment just to leave school and buy it.

At 17, he wrote me awkward love letters like other boys his age.

At 18, just to see me once, he took a twelve-hour flight to England.

My interests, my habits, even the dates of my menstrual cycle, he remembered them all clearly.

At that moment, I decided to give him one last chance, so my child could have a complete family.

Afterward, Ezra kept his word, and his body and mind fully went back to the family.

However, in the third year after he came back, on our fifth wedding anniversary, he cheated again with Heidi.

As I lay in the emergency room, Heidi’s soft, teasing voice came through the phone from the other side.

“Brother Ezra, between Evie and me, who gives you stronger feelings?”

He was driven by lust. “Of course, you. She was just a cold fish, completely without feeling.”

At that instant, I suddenly realized that filthy men would always be drawn to women outside.

And a marriage that had already been stained could no longer act as if it were clean.

I immediately called the lawyer, “Attorney Harper, I want to divorce him, the faster the better.”

The person on the other end of the phone answered confidently. “Miss Russo, leave it to me. In seven days, you will receive the divorce certificate. I assure you that the jerk will lose everything, not a single cent remaining.”

After ending the call, I immediately booked a flight for seven days later to England.

But when I really left and married another man, Ezra, who often cheated, instead, I desperately begged me to return.

——

On our fifth wedding anniversary, Ezra took our daughter and me back to the old town once more.

Our daughter happily ran up to the ice cream cart, insisting she wanted to eat one.

As I raised my head, I realized the employee before me was Heidi, who had once interfered with our marriage.

She once believed she was above others and pure, but now she had humbled herself to be a vendor on the streets.

I carefully and quietly glanced at the man beside me.

In his eyes, shock and pain were mixed, and it made me uneasy.

I showed a faint smile. “Husband, hurry and pay.”

He paused for a moment, looking a bit surprised, then awkwardly pulled out his phone to pay. But when he took the ice cream, he suddenly lost control.

The ice cream fell to the ground, sticky liquid splashing onto my clean white skirt, leaving a messy stain.

Seeing this, Vera immediately burst into tears, pointing at him as she cried, “Bad daddy, I hate you!”

He suddenly snapped back, saw the stained hem of my skirt, and crouched down to wipe it carefully with tissues.

“Sorry, Evie, I got distracted.”

I remained silent.

A stained skirt could be cleaned, but could broken feelings ever go back to the past?

I raised my head and faced her, my eyes full of boldness.

She wanted to watch me break down and cry out like before, but that did not happen; I only stared at her with the same calm face.

All at once, Heidi avoided my eyes, her voice shaking with fear.

“It’s all because of me! I didn’t hold it properly, don’t blame me!”

In this short line, there was a lot hidden. She was still the same as before; with a few simple words, she could easily gain his sympathy.

But he was even more easily affected than I thought.

He got to his feet, Heidi to say something, but holding back, his hand paused in the air.

I moved first, lifting my daughter up in one smooth action.

In a soft voice, I said, “It’s just an ice cream, husband, let’s go.”

My words had already been kind enough, yet hesitation showed in his eyes, and he left with me unwillingly.

He even turned back at every step.

“Ezra, did you forget something?”

My nails pressed deeply into my palm, and only after feeling the pain did I ask with mixed emotions.

He paused for a moment before replying, “No, Evie, you’re thinking too much.”

Although the car was parked just ahead, the road seemed long.

Just like his heart and mine, though they seemed close, they were already far apart.

What happened two years ago felt like a different life, and we no longer spoke of the past, quietly moving ahead.

But over these two years, my heart had always been uneasy; he was the one who shattered the glass, yet I had to step on it every day.

It started to rain, and he quickly raised an umbrella, covering our daughter and me while the rain soaked his other shoulder.

This scene made me think of the past I had shared with him.

Ezra had a painful childhood, being the Howard family’s illegitimate son who could not be acknowledged.

The Howard family refused to recognize him, and his mother ignored him; the children nearby would shout insults when they saw him. “A bastard nobody wants!”

The nanny disliked him as well, seeing him as trouble, earning a good wage, but still abusing him.

When he was eight, I was by the lake flying a kite with friends and noticed him, injured and extremely thin.

I gently stepped in front of him and asked, “Big brother, do you not have money to eat? I’ll give you all my money!”

At that time, I handed him everything I had, both bills and coins. He lifted his head to look at me, and there seemed to be light in his eyes.

That 115 dollars brought someone into my life who loved me.

At 14, his parents completely ignored him, leaving him to survive on his own, while I begged my father to take him in.

At 15, just because I said I wanted cake, he skipped class and accepted punishment to go outside the school to buy it.

At 17, he wrote awkward love letters to me like other boys his age.

At 18, just to see me once, he took a 12-hour flight to England.

He remembered all my likes, my routines, even the dates of my menstrual cycle. Everyone said we were perfectly matched.

I once foolishly believed we would grow old together after marriage, but no one expected that someone like him would be unfaithful, and with the junior I had supported.

At my concert, he met Heidi, my junior, and fell for her at first sight, unable to let go.

The car came to a stop in front of us, and he thoughtfully opened the door.

Once inside the car, Ezra looked at me and said in a soft voice, “Evie, she’s already out of my mind. Don’t think too much.”

I quietly responded; this was how I had numbly lived through the past two years.

He missed my birthday, and I remained silent.

I was allergic to perfume, but when he gifted it, I still said it was okay.

He forgot to pick me and the child up, and I only said he was busy.

Ignoring everything had become my way of holding this marriage together.

As the driver was about to drive off, sudden loud shouts for help came from afar, from the spot where Heidi was selling.

“Someone come fast, something collapsed! Help!”

As soon as he heard it, he seemed to lose his senses, and without a word, he tried to step out of the car.

“Evie, I suddenly recalled the wedding ring was left behind, I’m going to get it!”

My heart raced, and I reached out to firmly hold his sleeve.

“If it’s gone, we can just buy another, don’t go.”

Vera asked in an innocent voice, “Daddy, where are you going?”

His eyes grew red, his expression became uneasy, and he spoke to me, “Evie, that’s our wedding ring. I have to go find it!”

With that, he pulled his hand away from mine, hurried out of the car, and ran into the alley, leaving a determined figure behind.

I froze, and in that instant, the wedding ring had clearly been in his hand.

Vera asked with pure innocence, “Mommy, will Daddy come back?”

At that moment, I stayed silent.

I also did not know if he would come back.

When I saw him again, his face was covered in dust, and the sleeve of his tailored suit was torn in several places, as he carried Heidi in his arms and walked out.

My hand clenched as I stepped out of the car and walked toward them.

In a cold tone, I asked, “Did you find the ring?”

“Or was it her you wanted to find?”

He gave no reply.

Heidi weakly slipped out of his arms and stood in front of me.

With her head lowered and voice shaking, she said, “Sorry, sister. Don’t blame Brother Ezra…”

“I was the shameless one, I begged him to save me, it’s all my fault!”

I moved one step closer, and Ezra reacted by protecting her behind him.

Watching their close gesture, some bitterness filled my heart.

“Evie, someone’s life is in danger; don’t let jealousy blind you.”

“If there’s anything, come at me, Heidi is innocent!”

I saw how anxious he was to explain, lowered my head, and smiled faintly.

At that moment, I suddenly felt that loving Ezra was too tiring, and I did not want to continue loving him.

I pushed him away at once and struck Heidi across the face.

“Of course, I understand, Heidi. If you had dignity, would you still seduce your benefactor’s husband?”