“How? He can’t let go of Rebecca, and he doesn’t want to grant me a divorce. Tell me, Macy, how should I have the discussion with him?”
“Then, you divorce him. Write it down clearly on paper and make clean cuts when you cut ties with him. From then on, no one has the right to interfere in each other’s private lives.”
I wanted to, but it would not be as simple as that anymore. Throwing the towel aside, I sat in the armchair and sighed, “I met John at the train station, and he left the place with me. Then, I met Ashton at the exit of the train station. Ashton now thinks I have something with John, so he refuses to get a divorce.”
“F*ck,” she swore. “What kind of f*cking luck is that?”
You’re asking me?
“What are you going to do now?”
Gripping the phone, I muttered, “I don’t know. I can only hope to give birth to the baby safely now.”
My stomach was already at this size, and I could not possibly change my mind about the pregnancy now. John was right. I was a lone wolf that belonged nowhere.
This baby would be the only person I could fully trust. I had no reason not to give birth to the baby as this baby was not for Ashton.
This baby was my only salvation.
After ending Macy’s call, the sun had set. Someone knocked on the door.
I opened the door to find that it was Mrs. Eriksen. She had a bowl of hot chicken soup in her hands, and she said to me, “You must be hungry. Mr. Ashton told me to make some chicken soup for you.”
I had my lunch late in the afternoon, and John had forced me to eat a larger portion than I usually did. Hence, I did not have an appetite for food at that moment. However, looking at Mrs. Eriksen’s smile, I realized I could not possibly reject her.
Thus, I answered, “Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Eriksen.”
Reaching out to take the bowl from her, Mrs. Eriksen hastily said, “Don’t! I’ll do it. It’s too hot, and I’m afraid you might scald yourself.”
After putting the bowl onto the table and wiping her hands, she inquired, “Did you have a fight with Mr. Ashton?”
It was normal for her to have heard our loud argument from downstairs.
Therefore, I nodded and sat down by the side of the table. “Yes.”
She sighed, seemingly exasperated. “You young people are always so short-tempered. Why can’t you discuss everything calmly instead? Did you have to get into an argument?”
I smiled but said nothing to that. I knew best what happened between the two of us, not Mrs. Eriksen.
“Letty.” She sat down beside me and held my hand. “You’ve been with the Fullers for almost three years. I’ve practically raised Mr. Ashton myself. He’s a short-tempered and quiet man, so he’ll keep many things in his heart.”
She then sighed, “After you came to the Fullers, Mr. Fuller thought Mr. Ashton will open up and become kinder if you two spent time together. However, the two of you kept arguing day and night. Since you’re both married, why don’t you try to make life easier?”
I knew Mrs. Eriksen said that with good intentions, so I patted her hand and consoled, “Mrs. Erikson, the scariest thing someone can do is to try to change a person. I won’t try to change Ashton, and I can’t, anyway. This is my fate. I’ll try my best to refrain from arguing with him from now on. Don’t worry.”
With reddened eyes, she shook her head gently. “You’re young, and you have to remember to cherish the days of you two being together. Otherwise, when you grow old and look back at your memories, you’ll realize that you let the person go too easily—that you’ve let go of your love halfway down the road. When you’re in your twilight years, you’ll realize your life is full of regrets. It’s normal to have regrets, but if those are all you have, you’ll feel awful about your hasty decision.”
I nodded, not knowing what to tell her. Now that I thought about it, the wall between Ashton and I did not seem towering.
It was a small wall, built up by many insignificant matters. Yet, when all these trivial matters piled up together, it was impossible for me not to explode in anger. I couldn’t list out everything that troubled me clearly, for the grievances in my heart had long merged into one.
“Thank you, Mrs. Eriksen.” I knew she wanted us to live a better life than this.
However, she seemed to sense that I did not plan to heed her words, so she sighed, “You’re just too stubborn.”
A laugh escaped me, and I nodded. “You’re right.”
Feeling helpless, she paused for a second before continuing, “Letty, don’t think that you don’t have a place in Mr. Ashton’s heart. Last night, he asked where you were multiple times after he came home. You changed your phone number, so he thought you left for good. He was so anxious that he did everything he could to find out where you were. When he found out you were at Q City, he nearly rushed to look for you. You know he just came out of the hospital, and he hasn’t fully recovered yet; he’s supposed to be resting. Dr. Crest was afraid that something might happen to him if he went to look for you, so he stopped him. That was why he left early this morning to pick you up.”
A few beats later, she sighed again. “I can see that Mr. Ashton cares for you a lot and you clearly care for him, too. Why can’t you both just stay by each other’s side peacefully?”
“Mrs. Erikson, were you in the middle of cooking?” I interrupted.
Immediately, she stopped and took a whiff of the air. Then, she jumped to her feet. “Oh no! I was making stew for Mr. Ashton!”
