Waking up the next day with a splitting headache, sunlight filtered through the pale curtains, stinging my eyes. Reality struck again as yesterday's revelations resurfaced in my mind, reminding me I was in Evan's—our—marital home.
Unsure how to face Evan, I attempted to leave the bed. The door opened, and he entered, smiling.
"You're awake. I made hangover soup; The soup is now just the right temperature to drink."
He held a spoonful to my lips, and his kindness became increasingly unbearable to me. I pushed him away.
"Evan, don't be so good to me. I don't deserve it."
"You're my wife. Who else should I be good to?"
My eyes caught sight of documents on the table, and I reached for them.
"We should stick to our agreement. On Monday, let's go to court and end our marriage."
When he heard my words,he lowered his head, silent.
"I'm going out for a walk."
He caught my hand as I tried to get up.
"So, you're abandoning me?"
"Not abandoning, I can't face you. We wronged you."
"I'm truly sorry about your father, but apologies are all I can offer."
"Let's stop this entanglement. Ivory is more suited for you, and conveniently, she's back."
His brow furrowed. "Is this because you saw us together at the wedding? You misunderstood. In the Thomas' wedding, we only met at the entrance. There's nothing else between us."
"You thought we were together because she was by my side, right?"
"Also, did you consider why I ultimately married you? You probably think it was to retaliate against your father, right? But if I say it was because I loved you so much. Even with a guilty conscience, I had to be with you.Would you believe me?"
I pursed my lips.
"Evan."
"I admit, after marriage, I failed you. I didn't fulfill my duties as a husband. Every day, I struggled with contradiction, wanting you close but hating your father. Sometimes, I felt like I was losing it."
"The day of your accident, I was out of town. Once I heared about it, I rushed back. I found you unconscious in surgery, and my world crumbled."
"Learning your accident was due to your mental state was so bad that you ran a red light. I blamed myself even more. My coldness made you doubt yourself and throw you into confusion."
"I hated myself. I thought once you woke up, we should divorce. You'd only be hurt when you are with me. I couldn't give you hope."
"I knew you will recover, you are strong. But holding that divorce paper and pushing you away make my heart bleeding. I realized no hate compares to the wish of having you by my side."
"I can't sign that divorce. I can't lose you."
"But your heart is dead."
"After you left, I searched everywhere. I found you in a small southern city, running a pharmacy. Your mental state getting better each day. The hurt I caused was too great, I had no courage to disrupt your peace."
"Learning Serena was getting married, I was excited. I guessed you'd attend, and we could finally meet again."
"At the wedding, seeing you, I was ecstatic inside but pretended to be calm. I didn't know how to approach you, what first words to say that would make our first reunion not quite awquard."
"Seeing you leave again, I panicked, grabbing your hand. I won't let you go this time."
Evan tightened his grip, desperately trying to keep me.
"But your father is dead because of mine, that fact will always weigh on you."
"My father died of brain cancer. He was badly injured, but they were insignificant wounds. Believe me."
"It's his actions that bother me."
"If you hated him, why did you answer his calls and ask me to visit him? He wasn't worth it."
"Because, at the root, we both loved you too much. He feared I couldn't provide the life you deserved. He wanted you to marry well. Any father would be angry if his favored son-in-law was rejected for a med student without a family background. No wonder he would be furious and would go to great lengths to keep we apart.""
"You were cold to him, avoiding say anything to him, but I could tell you wished him to be healthy and free from pain."
"In fact, your father talked to me early on, warning me to stay away. He chose your future husband, someone you knew since childhood. You, knewing nothing of this, kept coming to me. You were smart and adorable, and it was tough rejecting you three times. However, you never gave up."
"When Rex came to our school, I saw that you considered him no more than a brother, without any romantic feelings involved. Ironically, he had me beaten, warning me to stay away from you. He didn't realize his actions exposed his arrogance, making me question his character. Arrogant as he is, even if he did marry you in the future, he won't bother to respect your thoughts with sensitivity and care. I couldn't entrust you to him."
"But wait a minute, was I any better than him? My coldness hurt you the most."
"You were innocent but bore the brunt. If you still insist on divorce, I'll respect your decision."
Suddenly, he smiled again.
"Our beginning was clouded by campus rumors. I wanted to avoid you, thinking you a delinquent. You were proud, persistently approaching me. Getting to know you, I realized you were far from malicious or domineering. Instead, you were beautiful and kind-hearted. I watched you from afar, studying alone at a Lake, tending to a stray cat's wound, donating to beggars on the way home."
"Those rumors were fabricated by those envious people, trying to isolate you."
"All along, you were the one I loved. As for Ivory, I only talked to her more in order to reject you by being close to her. Rumors of us being childhood sweethearts started because we shared a train to B hospital."
"Do you remember the choice you gave me? You asked if I wanted you to go abroad, leaving me alone, or to marry you and let you entangle me forever."
"After a knight's thought, I held your hand, saying... let's marry."
"If only you could give me that choice again."
I tilted my head, pulling my hand away from Evan.
