After ending the call, I immediately booked a flight for seven days later to England.
But when I really left and married another man, Ezra, who often cheated, instead, I desperately begged me to return.
——
On our fifth wedding anniversary, Ezra took our daughter and me back to the old town once more.
Our daughter happily ran up to the ice cream cart, insisting she wanted to eat one.
As I raised my head, I realized the employee before me was Heidi, who had once interfered with our marriage.
She once believed she was above others and pure, but now she had humbled herself to be a vendor on the streets.
I carefully and quietly glanced at the man beside me.
In his eyes, shock and pain were mixed, and it made me uneasy.
I showed a faint smile. “Husband, hurry and pay.”
He paused for a moment, looking a bit surprised, then awkwardly pulled out his phone to pay. But when he took the ice cream, he suddenly lost control.
The ice cream fell to the ground, sticky liquid splashing onto my clean white skirt, leaving a messy stain.
Seeing this, Vera immediately burst into tears, pointing at him as she cried, “Bad daddy, I hate you!”
He suddenly snapped back, saw the stained hem of my skirt, and crouched down to wipe it carefully with tissues.
“Sorry, Evie, I got distracted.”
I remained silent.
A stained skirt could be cleaned, but could broken feelings ever go back to the past?
I raised my head and faced her, my eyes full of boldness.
She wanted to watch me break down and cry out like before, but that did not happen; I only stared at her with the same calm face.
All at once, Heidi avoided my eyes, her voice shaking with fear.
“It’s all because of me! I didn’t hold it properly, don’t blame me!”
In this short line, there was a lot hidden. She was still the same as before; with a few simple words, she could easily gain his sympathy.
But he was even more easily affected than I thought.
He got to his feet, Heidi to say something, but holding back, his hand paused in the air.
I moved first, lifting my daughter up in one smooth action.
In a soft voice, I said, “It’s just an ice cream, husband, let’s go.”
My words had already been kind enough, yet hesitation showed in his eyes, and he left with me unwillingly.
He even turned back at every step.
“Ezra, did you forget something?”
My nails pressed deeply into my palm, and only after feeling the pain did I ask with mixed emotions.