Cast Away The Slipping Sand

On the night of the SAT exam, my childhood sweetheart, Walter Sterling, eagerly coaxed me into sleeping with him.

At the height of passion, his wild and unrestrained motions hurt me.

Later, thanks to a ten-points difference on the exam score, we ended up in a four-year-long-distance relationship.

Walter spent all his allowance on flight tickets to see me.

Whenever we got together, he would physically live out the words, “absence made the heart grow fonder.”

On his birthday, I bought a flight ticket and carried a cake to surprise him.

But when I entered his rental apartment, I saw him and a strange girl intensely doing the deed.

The cake in my hand fell to the floor with a thud. Then, I ran out crying.

Walter’s expression changed dramatically. He chased after me like a madman.

To keep me, he deleted all her contact information in front of me and even dropped out of school.

My heart softened, and I forgave him.

After we got married, he treated me even better than before. The improvement was so drastic that I was constantly on cloud nine.

But when I became pregnant, I once again saw the girl he had completely cut ties with. She was his new secretary.

My husband, Walter Sterling, angrily explained himself to me, “Belle got here because she’s qualified. The company has policies. They can’t just fire people who haven’t done anything wrong.

“She and I are just coworkers. There’s nothing else.”

During his university days, Belle Helm was the girl he had an affair with.

For the sake of the baby growing inside me, I caved again and believed him.

Little did I know that this moment of weakness would later hurt me many times.

After Belle’s aggressive dog chomped down on my thigh, Walter and I had another argument.

Walter glared at me and said, “Scruffy was just playing with you. Why are you making such a big deal over a dog?”

Once again, he ignored my injury and the baby in my belly. He took Belle’s side without hesitation.

This happened countless times. For once, I had enough.

I looked at the man I had loved for nearly a decade and said calmly, “Walter, I want a divorce.”

He snickered and said, “Zara, don’t keep threatening me with divorce. You just want me to pamper you, don’t you? Why don’t you just say so?”

He pulled me into his arms with a playful smile and planted a loud kiss on my cheek.

“Fine! You’re my wife, aren’t you? If I don’t comfort you, who will?”

The bite mark on my thigh hurt so much that I broke out in cold sweat.

I instinctively tried to break free from his embrace, but he held me even tighter.

“Come on, stop being mad already. Didn’t we say we were going to the hospital for your prenatal checkup? I’ll take you there now.”

After we got into the car, Walter could tell I was still upset. He kept trying to chat with me the entire drive.

“Zara, can we actually see what the baby looks like with the 4D ultrasound? Do you think the baby will look more like you or more like me?”

Mentioning the baby subconsciously made my heart soften.

Even so, I did not respond. Instead, I turned to look out the window.

The weather was dark and gloomy. I could hear thunder roaring. Soon after, torrential rain poured down.

The window was not fully closed. The rain and cold mist blew in. I shivered.

Just then, Belle called.

“Mr. Sterling, the power has gone out at home. I’m so scared.

“Please save me!”

Her voice was whiny and coquettish. She hung up right after speaking.

Without hesitation, Walter slammed on the brakes.

His expression turned grim. He handed me his coat and gave me a cold glance.

“Belle has nyctophobia. I have to go to her right now.”

Stunned, I yelled at him in disbelief, “Walter, are you crazy?! It’s impossible to get a cab around here! What am I supposed to do if you leave me?!”

Walter glanced sideways at me. His tone was terrifyingly cold when he spoke.

“I can’t worry about that right now. You’ll only have cab troubles, while Belle’s life is on the line. You have to be more understanding.”

With that, he stepped on the gas, and the car sped off.

The rain soon soaked me through. My mind went completely blank.

I quickly took out my phone and called Walter.

I only got a cold, electronic voice in response.

“Sorry, the number you’re calling is currently busy.”

I was drenched in rain. The cold wind was so harsh that every inch of my skin stung.

I tried calling him multiple times, but every single one went unanswered.

I hugged my knees. The freezing rain mixed with my tears and streamed down.

I took my phone and called the man who had been waiting for me for five years.

“You once said you’d marry me if I got a divorce. Do you still mean it?”