I handed Roy Novak my divorce papers. In that moment, the long-accumulated disappointment finally crushed the last shred of my affection. This marriage was destined for my humiliation from the start. On our wedding day, his childhood sweetheart became a widow, and he unhesitatingly abandoned me to rush and bring her home. Everyone in the compound laughed at my expense. I completed the wedding alone, a ceremony that should have been shared by two. And scenes like this replayed almost a hundred times throughout our marriage; each time, he would cast me aside for that woman. 1 I clutched Roy Novak’s hand, my face full of pleading. “Please don’t go, okay?” “Meredith, Lydia Vance lost her husband. I have to go see her. Don’t be so unreasonable!” “I’ll come back to you. Everyone will understand!” Ridiculous. Understand? He pried my hand away, leaving me alone at the wedding venue. My hopes were crushed. I no longer wanted a man like this. Facing the sympathetic gazes of the crowd, I forced back my tears, one by one, while loudly announcing: “I apologize, but today, the wedding is canceled!” A ripple of shock went through the crowd. My neighbor, Mrs. Smith, grabbed my hand. “Meredith, my dear, you can’t be so childish. What Roy did was wrong, but you two, this…” “Mrs. Smith, the other day I saw Officer Davies laughing and chatting with a woman. Officer Davies even said he would give her your job.” Hearing this, Mrs. Smith immediately exploded! “Who?! I’ll kill her!” I gave a bitter laugh. “Yes, you’re ready to kill someone I merely spoke about, but I actually experienced this.” Mrs. Smith fell silent, only muttering, “But, but you can’t just give up like that!” However, she didn’t press further. I treated everyone to a meal. The wedding might be off, but we still needed to eat. Meeting their sympathetic yet amused gazes, I remained calm and composed. After seeing off the last group of guests, I finally broke down in tears. Roy and I met through an arranged introduction. It was love at first sight for me. Not long after we started dating, I learned about Lydia Vance’s existence. Roy told me, “Lydia is already married. She’s a childhood friend of mine.” “Lydia will definitely like you when she meets you.” “Lydia loves pickled plums the most, Meredith. Make plenty.” “Lydia…” There was too much of Lydia Vance in our relationship. When I flared up at Roy, he would frown. “Meredith, Lydia and I are completely innocent. How can your mind be so dirty?!” My heart sank, but I loved him too much. After apologizing, I fell back into it again. During our most intense argument, I suggested breaking off the engagement, but Roy refused. I proposed, “From now on, every time you see her, I’ll put a bean in this jar. When it’s full to a hundred beans, we’ll break up, and you’ll never get another chance.” Roy readily agreed. In his mind, a hundred beans? Impossible! But now, as I placed the last bean, the jar was full. Roy, you’re out of chances. Roy didn’t return. I knew he wouldn’t be back anytime soon, so I went directly to his superior. The old Captain, David Miller, already knew what had happened when he saw me. Before he could speak, I knelt down! “Uncle Miller, please, for my father’s sake, let me get a divorce!” My father was his old comrade, but after he died in action years ago, we lost touch. It wasn’t until my mother’s passing that I met him again, and through his introduction, I met Roy. He was our matchmaker, but now, with things so messy, Uncle Miller sighed. “Meredith, have you thought this through? What Roy did was wrong, but it was sudden…” “Lydia Vance’s family is all there. Regardless, it’s not Roy’s place to go, especially not on his wedding day.” “I don’t want to be wronged. If my father were alive, he wouldn’t stand by and watch me be humiliated!” Hearing this, Uncle Miller still agreed, accepting my divorce application. “Meredith, Uncle Miller was inconsiderate in this matter. Don’t worry, once you’re divorced, I’ll introduce you to someone better!” 2 I couldn’t help but give a bitter laugh. “Uncle Miller, never mind. I plan to go back to my hometown and start a small business.” Uncle Miller thought for a moment, then sighed. “That’s fine too. If you have any problems, don’t hesitate to tell me!” After leaving Uncle Miller, I went back home, gathered all my money and tickets, and started packing. At the time, I had bought many things for the wedding. I packed cotton quilts, new bedding, and clothes. The cotton quilts were sent back to my hometown, and the bedding, I sold directly on the street. As for the new clothes, I thought for a moment and decided to give them to my neighbor, Martha, who had always looked out for me. Martha looked at my clothes, her eyes widening. “Meredith, are you giving up on everything?! Such good fabric, you don’t want it anymore?” “Yes, Martha, I’m planning to go back to my hometown!” “Then, what does Roy say?” My eyes moistened. “I… I don’t want him anymore. If a man’s heart isn’t with me, no matter how good a wife I am, it’s useless.” “That woman can make him not come home with just a word. Why should I stay?” I wiped away a tear, and Martha immediately became indignant. “I’ve heard it all! That Lydia Vance is no easy woman!” “Her husband died, but are her parents and in-laws all dead too? Why does she have to cling to your Roy?!” “I’m going to go talk some sense into him!” Martha started to get up, and I quickly stopped her. “It’s alright, Martha. I’m going back to my hometown. Please take these if you don’t mind them.” “I’ll head back now.” Martha saw me out, asking for my departure date. I thought for a moment and said, “I’m leaving tomorrow.” I had bought a train ticket; I would leave tomorrow. I told Martha to keep it a secret for me, and Martha reluctantly agreed. After returning home, as soon as I sat down, Roy came back, uncharacteristically bringing a chicken. “Meredith, stew a chicken soup, and also, cook more rice. Lydia hasn’t eaten all day!” My newly rekindled hope was finally dashed. In the past, I would have made a scene, but now, I wouldn’t. “You go prepare the chicken. Two people working together will be faster.” Roy froze for a moment. Not until he saw me boiling water did he realize, and he quickly came to help. Perhaps seeing the extreme calmness on my face, he quickly said, “After this busy period, I’ll take you out for a trip.” “As for Lydia, you know, she can’t manage on her own.” “I know.” My expression was calm. After boiling the water, I quietly started cooking and stewing soup. Roy busied himself, running back and forth. When the food was on the table, he immediately portioned out the chicken soup and said to me: “Meredith, I’m taking this to her. I’ll buy another one later to replenish your body.” “It’s okay, go ahead!” He froze, not expecting me to say that. He paused, then left. After eating, I dragged the suitcase from under the bed. After packing, I wrote a letter to Roy. Additionally, I took out an envelope from the drawer. After Roy and I got together, he turned over his salary, but every now and then he would ask me for money, saying Lydia Vance was struggling and he needed to help her out. Out of thirty-five dollars a month, twenty would go to Lydia. Including the money from selling my things, I had about one hundred and ten dollars left. Roy, I’d like to see if you and Lydia Vance can make it work without me. I put the money away and went back to the guest room to sleep. That night, Roy didn’t return, and I didn’t mind. However, not long after, Roy returned, with Lydia Vance by his side. “Meredith, Lydia’s family kicked her out. She has nowhere to go temporarily, so I brought her back. Let her sleep in the guest room!” “Improper.” No sooner had the words left my mouth than Lydia’s eyes reddened. “Forget it, Roy. You two are newly married. It’s not appropriate for a woman whose husband just died to move in.” “What’s improper? This is my home, and I say so!” I nodded. “You’re right, the guest room isn’t suitable. Let her sleep in the master bedroom. I’ll take the guest room.” 3 Roy froze, and even Lydia was somewhat taken aback, though a flicker of triumph immediately crossed her eyes. “Meredith, do you really mean that?” “Of course. Hurry up and get settled. It’s getting late.” “Oh, and since you just came back from a funeral, let’s not share a room tonight to avoid bad luck. You’ll have to sleep on the floor!” With that, I turned and entered the guest room, locking the door behind me, leaving them to arrange things as they pleased. In the middle of the night, I vaguely heard sounds from outside. “Roy?” “Come here, the floor is too cold!” I couldn’t help but sneer. Was Lydia already so impatient? A pang of sorrow went through me. Even though I had made up my mind to leave him, hearing this, I couldn’t stop my heart from aching. However, the heartache soon faded. By the time I woke up, it was already morning. I still had things to do today. After I got up, Roy was gone, and Lydia was sitting in the living room, eating. Seeing me, she smiled and said, “Meredith, Roy specially made this chicken porridge. He knows my stomach isn’t good, so he got up at four in the morning.” “Is that so? Then you should eat more.” I was unfazed. Lydia, unwilling to give up, stopped pretending. “Meredith, even if you’re married to him, he only has me in his heart!” “Do you believe me? If I call out, he’ll be the first to rush in to see me!” I couldn’t help but scoff. “He’s just a man. If you want him, he’s yours!” “Just make sure to keep a close eye on him this time, so he doesn’t disappear again.” “You!” Lydia suddenly rushed towards me, grabbing my hand. “Meredith, Roy and I are innocent. No matter how much you hate me, you can’t curse him like that. He’s your husband!” I forcefully shook her off. “Stop acting!” My strength wasn’t great, but Lydia still shrieked and fell to the ground. The next second, Roy rushed in, shoving me hard. Caught off guard, I crashed into the corner of the cupboard, the pain bringing tears to my eyes. “Meredith, what have you done?! Hurry and apologize to Lydia!” “It’s okay, it’s my cursed fate!” Roy cradled her in his arms, looking at me coldly: “Meredith, apologize, or else, I won’t forgive you!” “Don’t forgive me then, I don’t care. Apologize? Impossible!” I straightened up, blood trickling down my forehead. Roy was startled! “Meredith, I… I didn’t mean it, I…” As he was about to come over, Lydia suddenly clutched her stomach. “Roy, my stomach hurts so much!” Roy immediately returned to her side, quickly carrying her to the hospital. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to admonish me, “Meredith, wait for me to get back!” I didn’t say a word. I went directly to Martha, who was startled and quickly took me to the clinic for bandages. Learning the full story, she cursed all the way! “Meredith, that day you said you were going back to your hometown, I was a bit sad, but seeing this today, that Roy is a piece of trash!” “It’s good that you’re leaving. If you have any difficulties after you go back, send me a telegram!” I nodded, not lingering, and took my luggage to see Uncle Miller. He approved the divorce application and handed me the divorce certificate. “Meredith, I’ll talk to Roy. That boy is getting more and more out of hand, actually laying hands on you! I think he’s utterly deluded!” I sniffed. “Uncle Miller, please take care. I’ll write to you when I get back!” Uncle Miller personally walked me to the door, sighing: “That boy, he doesn’t know how to appreciate what he has!” I left the divorce certificate and the jar of beans in the drawer, and left without looking back. The moment I stepped onto the train, watching the scenery continuously recede outside the window, my mood immediately lightened considerably. Roy, goodbye. At the hospital, Roy felt uneasy, his mind filled with Meredith’s blood-stained face. “Lydia, I’m glad you’re alright. I’m going back to check on things!” Lydia knew she couldn’t rush things now, and generously indicated she could manage alone. Roy hurried back, receiving many strange looks along the way. He was filled with surprise when he returned home, only to find no trace of Meredith! His heart tightened, and he quickly pulled open the wardrobe. The clothes were gone! The bedding was gone too! And the items they had bought when they got married were also missing! He searched high and low, but Meredith was nowhere to be found. When he saw the divorce certificate left in the guest room drawer, he staggered two steps, then collapsed to the floor!
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