No More Trust, No More Deception

At a class reunion, my wife's ex-boyfriend, seemingly intoxicated, boldly approached my wife amidst the crowd, asking, "If you weren't married, would you choose to marry me or him?"

The room fell silent, all eyes fixed on us.

Without missing a beat, I casually retorted, "Don't all stare at me like that. How about this, I divorce Angelina right now, give them a chance?"

The clock struck ten that night, and both Angelina Theron and I received calls.

My mother, Kate Winslet, suddenly complained of severe pain and urgently needed to be taken to the hospital.

On the other end, Angelina's ex, Troy Streep, had just gone through a divorce and was sobbing uncontrollably over the phone.

Angelina immediately rushed to comfort him.

Seeing her hurriedly changing clothes, I quickly interjected, "Angelina, my mother is in excruciating pain in her chest, and you..."

"I understand. We'll talk later. Keep in touch."

Angelina waved me off, swiftly changing and heading out to console her ex.

I wasn't sure if she caught my words.

A bitter feeling washed over me.

On one side, my mother was in distress, and on the other, a man was going through a divorce.

It was evident which one was more pressing.

At that moment, I couldn't help but feel that perhaps in her heart, I, her husband of three years, and our family were not as important as her ex-boyfriend.

My father passed away early, leaving Kate to raise me single-handedly. She was my closest, most cherished person.

At the hospital, after examinations and paperwork, Kate was taken into the operating room.

The wait was agonizing, filled with anxiety and solitude.

When I was alone, my mind used to wander, but I couldn't find anyone to offer me any solace.

I couldn't help but dwell on the fact that while Kate was in surgery, Angelina was consoling her ex.

A pang of heartache and fear of loneliness enveloped me, making it hard for me to breathe.

The tumor turned out to be benign, and the surgery was successful.

I was occupied until the early hours, watching Kate peacefully asleep, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.

Suddenly, a message came.

It was Angelina: [How's your mom? Is everything okay?]

Seeing the message, I simply turned off my phone.

At that moment, I felt like I had let go of something.

In the past, I would have immediately replied to her messages, even amidst a busy schedule.

But after the ordeal outside the operating room the night before, I no longer felt the same urgency.

Even after reading her message and powering off my phone, I wouldn't feel guilty.

Later that evening, as I went to fetch water, I encountered Angelina in the corridor.

"Mom was seriously ill last night!

"She had surgery, why didn't you tell me?"

She yelled at me, not reflecting on her actions but rather adopting an accusatory tone.

I retorted, "If I had told you, would you have cared?

"You only care about your ex!"

I slammed the water jug to the ground, unleashing my pent-up anger and engaging in a heated argument with Angelina in the hospital corridor.

Unlike before, where I would have always given in, considered her good points, and made amends after a fight, this time, I couldn't control my emotions.

Many onlookers gathered to witness the heated exchange between Angelina and me.

I wasn't afraid of being ridiculed and didn't yield to Angelina's demands.

"If you had told me about Mom needing surgery, I would have been there!"

Angelina left with tears, hurling those words at me, running off without me even attempting to stop her or chase after her.