I rushed back to the hospital but didn't make it in time to see her one last time.

They had covered her with a white sheet, and the nurse was wheeling her into the morgue.

I collapsed onto the floor, dazed. A passing nurse noticed the blood on my nose, handed me a tissue, and offered her sympathy. "Mrs. Smith, wipe it off. The leadership will certainly take Doctor Nick's unauthorized departure very seriously."

What's the point of punishing Nick? My mother-in-law was such a kind person, yet she's gone forever.

As for Nick, I hope he never regrets his actions.

My mother-in-law raised him alone, working three jobs to send him to the best schools, giving him everything while burying all her bitterness deep inside. Even when she fell ill, she didn't want to worry him.

The villagers used to say she was a curse to her husband, but she didn't care about their judgment. She sent Nick to the big city anyway.

When Nick found out she was sick, he cried.

He drank heavily, clung to me, and wept, vowing to take good care of his mother, who had sacrificed so much for him over the years.

He treated her well. After all, she was the one who gave him life, the one who loved him most in this world.

But my mother-in-law was good. Nick, however, was ungrateful.

While he was sweet with Lea, did he ever think of his mother, waiting in the hospital, desperately needing her son to save her?

I delivered the message to him, but he didn't believe me.

He himself didn't want to believe me.

He chose not to believe in our five years together, in our three-year marriage.

Then what's the point of this marriage then?

I sent him a message: [Let's get divorced.]

He replied instantly: [The divorce papers are in the bedside drawer. I've already signed them.]

Nick had been planning the divorce for a long time, preparing everything in advance.

I wrote up the divorce agreement and left it on the coffee table, along with my mother-in-law's death notice, which included my promise to erect a tombstone for her beside my father-in-law's grave.

They would be reunited in the afterlife.

I don't expect to see Nick wracked with regret, but I hope he won't forget his mother's sacrifices. It would be nice if he could visit her grave more often.

After packing my bags, I decided to take my mother-in-law's ashes on a journey, fulfilling her last wishes.

I also found her diary and placed it on the coffee table with everything else, making sure it was in the most prominent spot.

I locked the door and left with my suitcase.

I took my mother-in-law's ashes to many places.

My father-in-law had traveled with the army, moving from place to place until he died saving a drowning child. That was the source of my mother-in-law's grief.

She wanted to see the places her husband had been, perhaps hoping someone would remember his name.

I went to the seaside to watch the carefree birds, climbed mountains I never thought I would, visited the White House, and saw many meaningful places, all with my mother-in-law, experiencing the beauty of this land she loved so much.

I thoroughly enjoyed this life, free from bothersome people and annoying situations.

Strangers I met on the road were a thousand times kinder than those bound by blood.

During this time, Nick didn't call once.

That's fine. He probably wished I would never bother him again.

This journey cost me quite a bit of money, some of which came from the joint account I shared with Nick. I withdrew my share and used it for my expenses.

To my surprise, I came across a complaint post on a social media platform.

The post was from a somewhat famous blogger who wrote: [It's really unbelievable how shameless some ex-wives can be, still using their ex's bank card after separating.]

The post included a screenshot of a bank transaction.

The ID on the screenshot looked familiar. It was Lea-chan.

The transaction amount matched exactly with the sum I had withdrawn.