When the car accident happened, Henry Walpole again chose the intern who only had a scratch, leaving me with serious injuries to fend for myself.

It was the beginning when I suddenly realized I didn’t love him as much as I thought.

Seeing the intern post their cheek-to-cheek selfie with the caption, [Meeting you is just the beginning of the story.]

I didn’t feel panicked, trembling, or furious anymore. Instead, I calmly liked it and left comments.

[Next time, take a photo of the right side of his face; it’s even more handsome than this.]

Then I clicked on a movie I had been collecting for a long time and I watched it with relish. Before going to bed, I found dozens of missed calls on my phone.

“Inez is a very playful kid, so don’t take it seriously. Wait until I go back tomorrow to celebrate your birthday.”

I didn’t reply. Instead, I enjoyed the enthusiasm of the main character in the film who said, “The world is so big, I want to see it too.”

——

The next day, Henry didn’t keep his promise to come home to celebrate my birthday. I had grown accustomed to it by now and felt no disappointment.

Instead, I submitted my resignation application as soon as I arrived at the company early in the morning. Then I booked a flight to fly abroad in a week.

I’ve always been impulsive and stubborn. Only in love did I feel trapped and unable to make a choice.

A week later marked our sixth anniversary together. It was a perfect time for a beginning and an end and it was considered complete.

On the third night, Henry came home drunk. He waited at the entrance for a long time with his coat in hand.

But he didn’t wait until I stepped forward to take my coat and take out my slippers as usual. He glanced at me, shook his head and smiled at me, who was working on the travel guide on the sofa.

“Are you still angry that you haven’t replied to my message?”

“Fine, I’m back to be with you now. My head hurts like hell. Make me some hangover soup.”

He had frequent social engagements and disliked taking liver-protecting medicine.

Long ago, I got a hangover soup recipe from an old traditional healer. Whenever he came home from a gathering, a warm bowl of soup was ready for him.

I was deep in thought about where to plan my second stop abroad, so I replied without looking up. “There are hangover tablets on the bedside table. Just take one if you feel uncomfortable.”

There was sudden silence in the living room and I raised my head after realizing it. Henry didn’t look pleased.

“Jeanne, even if you’re upset, there should be a limit, right?”

“Inez is so young and struggling alone in this city. No one can help her except me. Can you stop getting jealous over a child?”

He forgot that Inez Merz was only three years younger than me. I pointed at my bandaged foot.

“I’m not angry or jealous. I injured my foot in a car accident that day and couldn’t stand for long periods.”

“If you really want that hangover soup, why not invite Inez over? I’ll teach her how to make it?”

He looked in disbelief. In the past, just hearing Inez’s name would set me off. Now I was calmly suggesting she come over to make Henry a hangover soup.

“Is your foot okay?”

“That day, Inez got hurt. She has a phobia of blood and said she couldn’t breathe. I wanted to take her for a checkup first, then come back.”

He met my eyes and fell silent. Inez’s injury was just a scratch on her right hand and she had to put a large band-aid on it. The “then come back” part was purely a joke for me.

He gave a dry cough to hide his embarrassment and pulled a plastic bag from his bag. “You love Inez, right? I especially brought it for you.”

I replied, “The doctor said seafood and river fish are trigger foods. I have to avoid them while injured.”

After running into setback after setback, he, who was usually in control, finally got upset. “What a waste of good food!”

He threw the plastic bag heavily into the trash can and went into the bathroom. His phone vibrated on the coffee table. I picked it up instinctively.

I just realized it belonged to Henry. I glanced at it and read a message that appeared on the screen.

“Mmm, the crab soup that you treated us to was so delicious and satisfying! To express my overflowing gratitude, I’ll personally cook a feast for you later!”

Glancing at the lone crab in the trash bin, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Early the next morning, I woke up early and finished my makeup. Just as I was about to leave, Henry got up.

“It’s the weekend. Where are you going?”

“Company team-building.”

I said softly, “By the way, if Inez comes to spend the night, remember to buy condoms. I threw out the expired ones at home.”

Without another glance at him, I turned and pressed the elevator button. There were so many male colleagues at the company and Henry had worried about this for a long time.

Over the past six years, he’d urged me to quit my job countless times. To give him a sense of security, I cut off all social connections outside of work.

In six years of employment, I never attended a single company team-building dinner. Even at the most important annual meeting at the end of the year, I always found excuses to skip.

Over time, I became perceived as a cold and unsociable person by my colleagues. This time, I was about to leave and I finally took part in a two-day group tour for the first time.

After I really relaxed and played games, barbecued and chatted with my colleagues, I realized that they were actually very friendly. When I mentioned my plans to travel to France, Karina put her arm around my shoulder.

“It’s time to come out and have some fun. Why are you living like a monk when you’re so young?”

Holding my drink, I felt a mix of emotions in my heart. “Yeah, I just realized I’ve missed out on so much!”

For a love that never blossomed, I missed the whole world’s scenery. Throughout the two-day team-building trip, Henry’s messages never stopped.

[Did you have fun? Who are you hanging out with?]

[Where are you staying tonight? Do you need me to come over and accompany you?]

[When are you coming back? Want me to pick you up?]

[What are you doing? Why aren’t you replying to my message?]

My phone screen lit up again and again.

In the past, when I went out for meetings, I would always take pictures and report everything in detail, out of fear of causing any misunderstandings. However, when I sought the same sense of security, Henry became very impatient.

“I am a human being, not your pet. I need my own space and freedom.”

There was a serious car accident on the way back and it took me until late at night to get home. When I dragged my suitcase through the door, Henry was still awake.

“You finally decided to come back? I thought you’d forgotten your way home!”

I was so tired that my eyelids were clenching and I was too lazy to argue with him.

“We got caught in a car accident and have been stuck here since.”

Henry stood up suddenly, with suppressed anger in his voice and said, “That’s not what I’m talking about. Why haven’t you replied to my messages these past two days?”

“Throwing a tantrum like some teenager, running off home? Can’t communicate when you’re upset? Have to resort to silent treatment?”

So he did know that giving me the cold shoulder was wrong. But he still let me wear myself out, lose sleep and eventually apologize before he would finally accept it.

“I was attending a company event and didn’t lose my temper, Henry. My schedule is too full and I don’t have time to reply to your message. You know this best. In the past, you were often too busy to reply to me.”

I ignored him and headed straight to the bathroom to wash up. When I emerged, the living room lights had been dimmed to a warm yellow. The TV was on and a glass of red wine was set out on the coffee table.

“You’ve been wanting to watch this movie for ages. Tonight, I’ll watch it with you.”

I yawned, my eyes looking heavy and sleepy. “No need. I already watched it myself on my birthday.”

Without looking at his instantly ugly expression, I walked straight into the bedroom and locked the door behind me.

Half-asleep, I heard a loud door slam outside.

The next morning, Henry was nowhere to be seen. When I arrived at the office, Karina pulled me aside mysteriously.

“Jeanne, didn’t you say you were going to France last time?”

“What a coincidence! My nephew is heading there around the same time. You two could travel together.”

I instinctively refused, but Karina was very enthusiastic.

“He’s a travel blogger. His guides are excellent. With him leading the way, you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble.”

“It’s settled then. I’ll send your WhatsApp to my brother.”

I hesitated, but the idea won me over. Planning the trip had worn me out and after so many years without travelling, I was honestly a little nervous.

That afternoon, I took leave to attend my alma mater’s anniversary celebration. In front of the library, a group of young students were laughing and taking photos.

In the crowd, a girl with a bright smile and a man in a suit and leather shoes on her arm stood out. “Smiling at the camera! We’re putting it on the campus couple photo wall!”

The girl gave a shy smile and bravely stood on tiptoe. Sunlight bathed them, like a distant memory of youth.

“Hey, isn’t that Henry, the heartthrob from our class? Is he going after a younger girl?”

A classmate beside me spoke a bit too loudly. Henry glanced in our direction. Our eyes met and a flicker of panic crossed his face.

He instinctively pushed Inez away and started walking toward me, but she grabbed his arm tightly. She must have said something, because Henry stopped in his tracks.

My phone buzzed with a message from Henry.

[Don’t misunderstand! That was just youthful fun. I didn’t want to spoil the mood!]

I didn’t even bother replying with a “Okay.”

I followed the group to our old haunt, the coffee shop, listening to their idle chatter.

“Jeanne, what’s your status now?”

I held my coffee and said calmly, “Single!”

Someone immediately picked up the thread.

“Honestly, you have to learn from Henry. If you can’t find someone your own age, why not consider a younger junior? Do you think Henry and his little girlfriend are a good match?”

I smiled and said, “Yes, the man and the woman are a perfect match!”

As soon as I finished speaking, everyone looked behind me in embarrassment.

Henry had entered unnoticed, his face darkening as he stared at me. “Jeanne, come out with me for a moment.”

I was completely confused. We’d been together six years, but Henry never acknowledged me to his friends.

One year, he could bring his family members to his company’s annual party, so I dressed up carefully to surprise him. When I went to find him, he introduced me in front of his colleagues as just a college classmate.

Now that I’d done exactly as he wished, he was upset?

“Mr. Walpole, is there something you need? Today is our class reunion. It seems a bit inconvenient.”

He wanted to say something else, but Inez’s coquettish voice came from behind him.

“Henry, everyone’s waiting for you!”

Henry took a deep breath, shot me a fierce glare and was ultimately pulled away by Inez.

At the end of the campus celebration in the evening, my classmates and I said goodbye at the campus gate. Just as I was about to hail a cab, a familiar car pulled up beside me. The window rolled down, revealing Henry’s tense profile.

“Get in the car right now!”

Exhausted after a long day, I didn’t want to draw attention by arguing on the street. I silently opened the door and got in.

The car was very quiet. In the past, I’d desperately try to find topics to liven things up, but every time I did, Henry would furrow his brow.

“Jeanne, could you just be quiet for a bit?”

Today, I pulled out my phone and absentmindedly admired the newly posted couple of photos of him and Inez on the campus forum. Suddenly, a sharp brake screeched as Henry pulled the car to the side of the road.