In the second year of my marriage, I unexpectedly received a call from my husband's ex-girlfriend. She handed me a medical report and a bank card. "I have liver cancer, late stage. It's incurable." "There's half of my life savings on this card. It's all yours. Can you please be generous and let your husband accompany me on my final journey?" Before getting married, I knew my husband had a great love, but due to circumstances, they couldn't end up together. I had noticed my husband's schedule was a bit odd lately. I thought he was cheating, but it turned out his ex-girlfriend was dying. Why should women make things difficult for other women? I accepted the bank card and, under her expectant gaze, said magnanimously: "Sure, but let me be clear first, I won't divorce." She looked moved, almost kneeling down to me: "Miss Chen, thank you for your fulfillment..." "No need to thank me, I took the money." I waved the bank card in my hand, "Don't worry, I definitely won't disturb you two during this time." Her thin and lonely figure left. I stared for a while until another person sat down opposite me. "When you were dating me, why weren't you this magnanimous?" I took a sip of coffee and answered with a smile: "I was young then, couldn't tolerate a grain of sand in my eye. Now I'm older, I can stomach a whole ship." 1 The man sitting opposite me is Ethan Ford. My ex-boyfriend. A typical scumbag who is wealthy, handsome, and has high emotional intelligence. Back then, I was relatively naive and ignorant, and the breakup wasn't very decent. But after all, we loved each other. After so many years, it's okay to sit down calmly, drink a cup of coffee, and chat about the current situation. He said he was still unmarried. I joked with a smile: "That's good. For someone like you, playing around is fine, but don't get married and harm others." "Don't make me sound so worthless. When we were dating, I spent a lot of money and thought on you." Ethan's tone was frivolous, "You are the only official girlfriend I have ever publicly acknowledged." "Should I feel honored? Should I give you an award to frame and hang on the wall?" I retorted, putting down the coffee cup in my hand, "Alright, I have things to do, I'm leaving first." "Wait." Ethan shook his phone, "Can you find time to unblock me?" "Sure." In the years without reuniting, I rarely thought of Ethan, and naturally, I wouldn't specifically unblock him. Before, I thought old flames absolutely couldn't be friends, best not to meet again in this lifetime. Now I feel, for a nodding acquaintance, one more is not too many, one less is not too few. Ethan reappeared in my friends list. I stared at his profile picture which hadn't changed for many years, a bit surprised. I didn't expect a man so fickle in relationships to be so dedicated to his profile picture. This thought flashed by. I drove home, simply packed my luggage, and prepared to stay in a hotel for a while. It's not that I don't have other houses to live in, it's just that staying in a hotel saves the most effort and is convenient. Just as the luggage was packed, Liam returned. Regarding this husband in name only, whether there is love or not, it's hard to say. But I am indeed satisfied with him in all aspects. Living together these few years, we have never had conflicts. When I discovered he might be cheating before, I hesitated whether to have a frank talk with him. Now learning the reason, I don't mind at all. I've heard the story about him and that woman, and I know how unforgettable that relationship was. Regardless of how much feeling he still has for his ex-girlfriend, how much do I care? In my opinion, a man with affection and righteousness is at least more reassuring than an ungrateful man. Liam saw the suitcase in my hand, opened his mouth and closed it again. After a while, he sat down on the sofa: "Elle, let's talk?" 2 I nodded casually, and handed him the bank card as I sat down: "Your ex-girlfriend gave it to me." "Say what you will, at least she's sincere, not just lightly selling misery to morally kidnap me." I said with a smile, "I don't know how much money is in here, but given her personality, she definitely wouldn't give a small amount." "Husband, your value is quite high." Liam twitched the corner of his mouth, his eyes a bit complicated: "Actually, I wanted to tell you this before, but... I never found a good opportunity..." "It doesn't matter, I can understand." I sighed lightly, "Where does she live now?" "I found her a house." "I remember our house in the Third Ring Road has good layout and lighting, how about letting her live there?" I thought for a moment and said, "Actually, you can bring her directly to this home, I don't mind." Patients with late-stage cancer will weaken rapidly, and in the terminal stage, they cannot leave people's side at all. Given Liam's personality, he will definitely stay inseparable until the end. He has a bit of trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds, and always slept poorly on business trips before. So I thought, simply move to a hotel for a while, vacate the house, and let Liam bring his ex-girlfriend back to live. Liam gave a bitter smile and looked at me: "Elle, I didn't expect you to be so magnanimous." "Isn't being magnanimous good? My approach is trying to save face for everyone involved." "But you know my bottom line." I looked at him and said softly, "I can cooperate with anything, except divorce." "I know." Liam took a deep breath, "You don't need to move, hotels aren't as comfortable as home." "I will fulfill the responsibility of a friend and accompany her on this journey. But rest assured, I am very clear that you are my wife." I looked at him somewhat blankly. Liam let out a long breath, his expression a bit relaxed: "Let's still get along as before, okay?" "Then what about your ex-girlfriend? Your breakup back then was a lifelong regret, right? Are you sure you won't give her a perfect ending?" "Elle, we are all just mortals." Liam said, "Mortals' lives are mostly regrets, where are there so many perfect endings." 3 I pride myself on being a very tolerant wife, and I don't have a desire to control Liam. As long as he feels there is no problem, then I have no problem either. Getting along with Liam is not as before. Since I knew about his ex-girlfriend, he doesn't hide taking calls from me anymore. Occasionally his phone rings in the middle of the night, almost always calls from his ex-girlfriend. When night is deep and quiet, people find it hardest to endure loneliness. I know what kind of torture illness can bring to people, sleepless nights, living is worse than death. Liam specifically arranged a family doctor and nurse for his ex-girlfriend, but medical staff can never replace relatives. Woken up by the phone again in the middle of the night, I yawned, rubbed my eyes and sat up slowly from the bed. Liam finished the call and walked in from the balcony. Seeing me half-asleep leaning against the headboard, he paused, looking apologetic: "Did I wake you?" "It's okay." I yawned again, "Are you really not going to accompany her? She needs you very much now." Liam stared at me intently: "Do you really think I should go accompany her?" My emotions remained calm: "I received two calls today, both from your brothers." "They advised me to be more magnanimous, saying your ex-girlfriend doesn't have many days left, asking me not to haggle with a dying person." Liam was stunned. "Your phone rings every midnight. This call takes at least half an hour." "If you really don't want to disturb me, you can completely silence it or go sleep in the guest room." "Liam, I said, I don't mind about you and her." "I'm really not that petty. Just like your brothers said, she's about to die, what do I have to haggle over." "You can neither abandon your responsibility to me as a wife, nor completely ignore your old love. The more you want to be perfect, often the less you do anything well in the end." Only silence remained in the room. Only a small table lamp was on in the bedroom, I couldn't see the expression on Liam's face clearly. After a long silence, I spoke again: "Or is it that you want to divorce me and give her a title in her last days?" I clearly saw Liam's fingertips hanging by his side tremble. For some unknown reason, I suddenly felt a bit sour. So the bottom line I had been holding onto was finally broken. I lowered my eyelids and said softly: "Divorce... is not impossible. But regarding my parents, you have to come forward." "You know, I don't want them to worry about me." After all, as the real daughter found by the Chen family at the age of 18, my kinship fate in this life is not deep, but cannot be broken. 4 Liam said he never thought about divorcing me. I don't know what he said to those friends, but I never received calls inexplicably accusing me of not being magnanimous enough again. When getting off work, I received a call from my mother. She said it was my father's birthday this week and asked me to bring Liam home for dinner on Friday. I thought for a moment and replied: "Okay. But Liam happens to be going on a business trip, so I'll come back alone then." "Okay, I saw the weather forecast says there will be sleet recently, drive slowly when you come." "Okay." Since the day I returned to the Chen family, the relationship with my biological parents has been like this, neither salty nor bland. It's not intentional, it's just that besides blood relations, getting along is also very important in human interactions. I was already 18 then, living under others' roofs for years, my personality was fixed. Although not unlikable, it is difficult to act spoiled without scruples like those children who grew up held in their parents' palms. The child who was swapped by mistake is named Clara. She is still unmarried and lives with her parents. Actually, her personality is not bad, cheerful and generous, one can tell at a glance she is a child raised in wealth. But maybe my personality is too awkward. Every time she feels guilty, thinking she occupied my happy life for many years in vain, and wants to compensate me and be good to me, I feel her behavior is full of hypocrisy. The happier she lives, the more bitter my life seems. After work on Friday, I went to the mall to buy a birthday gift for my father. It's cold in winter, suitable for wearing a scarf. Father likes horse riding, so I asked the shopping guide to introduce some horse gear. While browsing, customers came into the store again, a young man and woman. I glanced inadvertently and found one of them was an acquaintance. Ethan Ford. The beautiful young woman affectionately held his arm, asking the shopping guide to get a bag for her. Ethan also saw me, surprised for a second, then nodded naturally towards me. "Who is it?" The young woman also looked curiously at me. "University classmate." Ethan was frank, "You choose first, I'll go say hello." He walked over, glanced at the horse gear in the shopping guide's hand, understanding in his eyes: "Preparing to give to husband?" The young woman still had some doubts in her eyes, but upon hearing Ethan say this, she was immediately relieved and happily started looking at bags and ready-to-wear clothes. I withdrew my gaze and smiled, asking the shopping guide to bill me. "Is your husband named Liam?" I looked up abruptly. Seeing my serious expression, Ethan smiled casually: "Don't misunderstand, I didn't deliberately pry into your privacy. It's just that I took on a new project last week and had a meal with the project manager." "His name is Liam, and his phone screen is your wedding photo." "Later after the meal ended, the person who came to pick him up happened to be the woman who asked you to give up your husband in the coffee shop before." Pausing, Ethan asked me: "Did you really give up your husband? Didn't you say toothbrushes and men are absolutely not shared?" "Did I say such things?" I paid the bill nonchalantly, "I don't remember." "Thinking about it this way, were you unfair to me back then?" Ethan chuckled lightly, "After all, I never let those mistresses make a scene in front of you." "Maybe a bit unfair, so what do you want?" "Is there any point in keeping a marriage with neither love nor loyalty?" Ethan asked me with a faint smile, "Can you have an old flame reignited with me?" "Sure." I answered too crisply, making Ethan a bit stunned. "Are you serious?" I shrugged: "Just joking. Didn't you use to joke with me often?" Looking at the time, it wasn't early. "You and your female companion take your time shopping, I'm leaving first, bye."
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