The Wrong Marriage, I Gave Up

"Sherry, I want a divorce!" I said.

After I was adopted from the orphanage by Grandpa Eric and brought into the Alba Family, Sherry became the most cherished person in my heart.

We went to school together, played together and grew up together. Everyone said I was the most loyal 'simp' behind Sherry. But I didn't care. As long as I saw her happy, I was willing to be anything.

When we were in college, I saw her with Colin Powell. I also watched as Colin dumped her and went abroad.

We met when we were five, got married when we were twenty-five, had our daughter, Tania, when I was thirty and now I'm thirty-five. We had been entangled with each other for thirty years.

For thirty years, I had put her first in everything and treated her with more dignity than a princess.

I thought that sincerity could be exchanged for sincerity, that one day her heart would open up to me and we would have a happy ending. But, I was wrong.

In the emotional gamble, I lost completely. I never truly entered her heart. To her, I was just a fallback, a compromise. After we got married, Sherry never worked, but she was always busy. Busy with beauty treatments, busy with playing cards, busy attending socialite events ...

Except for the year she gave birth to Tania, she calmed down a little. After Tania was born, she barely fulfilled any of her motherly duties.

Tania never had breast milk because Sherry needed to do physical therapy and maintain her figure. From her birth until now, I was the one who raised Tania. Sherry only played with her occasionally when she felt like it.

This time, I couldn't avoid a business trip and Sherry had promised me that she would take good care of Tania, that she would take her out to celebrate Children's Day.

But she cruelly abandoned her daughter to meet Colin. How lonely and desperate must Tania have been when she died! I held Tania's cold little hand and wept bitterly.

My sweet daughter, Tania. She was so nice, so obedient and so sensible. How could she have died?

If she were still alive, seeing me so sad and in pain, she would definitely hug me tightly and say, "Daddy, don't be sad. Tania will always be with you."

I cried, "Tania, I'm sorry. Daddy came home late. Wake up ... Daddy will take you away from this place."

She must not have liked it here. I wanted to take her away. I packed up all our things, holding Tania's ashes and moved back to the first house where she was born.

Day and night, I stayed by Tania's ashes, repeatedly tormenting myself by watching the surveillance footage of what happened before her accident.

***

After I left for the business trip, Tania was happy at first, probably because she could spend time alone with Sherry. She ran back to her little room, took out her cherished candies and excitedly brought them to Sherry.

Sherry was focused on her phone and didn't even glance at her. Tania carefully pushed her hand forward, accidentally blocking the phone screen.

Sherry frowned, impatiently pushing her little hand away and the candies scattered on the floor.

Tania stood nearby, unconsciously biting her fingers, unsure of what she had done wrong to upset her mother.

She timidly stepped aside. Seeing that Sherry still didn't look at her, she lowered her head in disappointment and sat in the corner, curling up and trying to make herself as invisible as possible.

After a while, Tania seemed to get a bit thirsty. She kept glancing at Sherry and, after hesitating, slowly walked over to her.

"Mom, I'm thirsty. Can you help me get some water?" she asked.

Sherry was video calling someone, her face full of delight and waved her hand dismissively and said, "Go get some water yourself."

Since Tania was little, I taught her not to touch hot water by herself because it would burn her. On the surveillance footage, I saw Tania running to the bathroom, turning on the faucet and taking a few sips of cold water before obediently curling up in the corner again.

It was noon in a blink of an eye and Sherry still had no intention of cooking.

Her soft voice said, "Mommy, I'm hungry ..."

Sherry replied coldly, "I know, I'll order takeout."

Tania sighed with relief and finally showed a bit of a smile. The takeout arrived, but it was all spicy crawfish, spicy burrito and iced cappuccino, things Sherry liked.

Tania took a bite, gasping for air as her tongue burned, "Mommy, it's too spicy ..."

Her mom scolded her harshly, "Just eat it! Why do you have so many complaints? It won't kill you. Eat it or don't eat it at all!"

Tania, with tears in her eyes, lowered her head and forced down two more bites, "Mommy's right, it's really good!"

That evening, after finishing work, I video-called Tania and asked her how her day had gone. What did she say?

"Dad, I had a great time with Mom. She gave me candy, played games with me and even cooked for me. Mom says she'll take me out to play tomorrow to celebrate Children's Day. Dad, when will you come back? Tania misses you ..."

After a long day of meetings, I believed her words. I thought Sherry's motherly instincts had kicked in, so I didn't check the surveillance footage.

Later that night, when they went to bed, Sherry slept with Tania, but halfway through the night, she took the whole blanket for herself.

Tania woke up in the middle of the night, tugging at the blanket, but couldn't pull it back, so she curled up into a ball.

The next morning, Tania woke up clutching her stomach, looking unwell, she probably caught a cold the night before. Tania said, "Mommy, my tummy hurts."

Sherry, who was doing her makeup, didn't even raise her head and casually said, "Just lie down and rest, sleep it off. Mom has to go run some errands. Be good and wait for me at home."

Tania gazed at Sherry with admiration and hope, saying, "Mommy, will you come back to spend Children's Day with me?"

"Yes! I'll be back before it gets dark!" Sherry hurried out, she was talking to Colin on the phone as she closed the door.

On the surveillance footage, Tania slept for a while before waking up and clutching her stomach, curling up on the bed and groaning, "Mommy, my tummy hurts so much ..."

She was in so much pain that she couldn't straighten her back. She crawled to the door, but it had been locked from the outside by Sherry. For an entire day, my daughter Tania was sick, without food or water.

As the sky outside grew darker, she repeatedly went to the window, looking and hoping. Sherry still hadn't returned and Tania, afraid she wasn't looking far enough, brought a stool and leaned half of her body out of the window.

Then the accident happened. After a day without food and with her stomach aching, Tania lost her footing, her body unbalanced and she fell headfirst.

My poor Tania, my sensible Tania. And just like that, she was gone.

I trembled as I shut off the video, unable to watch the final moment and pounded my head in agony. If, if I had taken her with me on my business trip like I usually did, would this tragedy have happened?

In a daze, I missed a step while going downstairs and fainted from the fall. A kind neighbor took me to the hospital.

The doctor said I had been too stressed, hadn't eaten for days and my blood sugar was dangerously low. They advised me to stay in the hospital for two days for observation.

On the third day, I was discharged and went home. I saw two pairs of shoes at the door. One pair of men's leather shoes and one pair of women's high heels.

I recognized that pair of women's high heels, they were Sherry's. I had picked them out for her back then. I unlocked the door and the lights were on inside. There were sounds coming from the bathroom.

I followed the noise and the scene before me left me stunned. Colin was standing there, his back completely bare, while Sherry was scrubbing his back.

"Bend forward a bit." she said. Sherry's clothes were soaked in the front. She smiled softly, speaking to Colin in a gentle voice. "Your back is so broad ..."

Colin chuckled, deliberately flicking his head and splashing water onto Sherry. Sherry laughed playfully and gave him a light punch and the two of them started to play around.

In the ten years I had been married to Sherry, she had always been distant with me. She was never angry, but she didn't smile much either. Even with Tania, she was never this gentle.

Thinking of my daughter, Tania, my anger began to rise and my hand clenched into a fist by my side.

I took a step forward, passed Sherry and grabbed Colin's hair, landing a punch right in his face. They both screamed.

When Sherry turned and saw it was me, she went wild and rushed over to pull me away, hitting me in a frenzy while yelled at me, "Hector, let go! Are you done yet? Who told you to follow me here?"

I ignored her yelling. In my mind, I could only see the broken little body of Tania. Punch after punch, I vented all the grief and rage in my heart.

Sherry saw that I wasn't treating her words like the gospel this time and joined Colin in hitting me. She bit down hard on my hand and I could feel her teeth grinding against my bones. Blood gushed from my hand, but I didn't let go.

Colin howled in pain. "Sherry, help me!"

Sherry grabbed a decorative vase from the bathroom and smashed it hard against my head. The world spun and I finally collapsed to the ground.

She screamed, "Hector, that's enough! Stop acting like a mad dog biting everyone!"

Warm blood trickled from my forehead, running down my cheek and forming a crimson haze before my eyes.

Sherry glanced at me, her expression filled with disgust. Then she turned to Colin, her face full of concern as she tenderly held his hand and examined him from head to toe and said, "Colin, are you hurt? Does it hurt anywhere?"

In all the years we had been together, Sherry had never asked me if I was tired or in pain. Even when I had a high fever of almost forty degrees, she was indifferent. Back then, she said, "It's just an illness, nothing serious."

She wasn't incapable of tenderness or caring for others, she just reserved all her kindness and concern for Colin.

I thought of Tania's pitiful eyes, always longing for her mother's love and the fury in my chest refused to be suppressed. I finally roared, "Get out! You pair of scum, get out of my house!"

Colin, regaining his composure, stepped forward and tried to pat my shoulder, but I glared at him and he withdrew his hand, awkwardly folding them in front of him.

He said, "Mr. Andersen, calm down. This is all a misunderstanding! I just came back from overseas and wasn't used to life here yet, so I asked Sherry for some help."

"We're just friends. Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to say such things about Sherry?" He tilted his head slightly, his expression innocent and resentful, as if I were the one insulting them.

I replied coldly, "Get out! Say one more word and I'll call the police for trespassing!"

Sherry frowned, clearly displeased and said, "Hector, can you stop being so petty and narrow-minded? He just came back to the country and doesn't have many friends. He's lonely. If I don't help him, who will?"

I laughed coldly at the shameless pair standing in front of me, "Oh, help? Help him in the bathroom, is that it? He's such a big man and he's lonely? What about Tania? She's just a little girl. Was she not lonely? Sherry, I want a divorce. Sign the divorce papers right now!"

In all these years of marriage, I had always treated Sherry like a treasure, never raising my voice, let alone mentioning divorce.

Seeing that I wasn't backing down, Sherry hesitated and tugged at my sleeve and said, "Is this really all about not spending Children's Day with Tania? Do you have to be this angry?"

I looked at her coldly. If looks could kill, she would have been torn to pieces a thousand times over.

I said angrily, "How do you still have the nerve to mention Tania? She was so little and she needed her mom and dad. And you? You left her behind to be with this big brute. Without you, would he have starved to death?"

I continued, "Poor Tania, dying so tragically. Don't you fear that in the dead of night, she'll come back to haunt you and ask why her mother abandoned her?"

Sherry's pupils shrank and for a moment, panic flashed across her face. "Hector, what are you implying?" she asked. "Isn't this just a ploy to make me come back to you? Do you really need to make up such absurd lies? If Tania knew how you were made up such a story, she wouldn't want such a cruel father."

You can never wake someone who pretends to sleep. If she had even the slightest bit of maternal responsibility, she would have come back home after so many days to check on our daughter, who had been left alone. But she hadn't. All of her attention was focused on Colin.

I didn't want to argue with her anymore. I stepped past her, walked to the door and pulled out the divorce papers from my bag and said, "Sign it. Once you do, you can 'play' with him wherever you want."

Sherry glanced at the divorce papers and her expression changed slightly. She softened her tone, speaking to me patiently, "Alright, alright. I'll buy Tania a Barbie doll set later. She'll love it! Don't be so rude to me about this, okay?"

Sherry had always been so high and mighty, never speaking to me in such a softly manner. If Tania were still alive, maybe I would have considered giving her a chance. But Tania was gone, she was never to return.

She had been so sweet, always longing for Sherry's approval. Even the card from one of Sherry's discarded makeup sets was a treasure to Tania, something she cherished as a 'gift' from her mother.

I retorted, "No! Just sign the papers and be quick about it." This house was tainted. I needed to take Tania somewhere clean.

I turned and left the bathroom, heading to pack our things, mine and Tania's. But when I pushed open the door to Tania's bedroom, the sight stopped me dead in my tracks.

Tania had loved dolls, loved her toys, loved her beautiful Elsa princesses. When she passed, she was all alone. I was afraid she'd be lonely, so I didn't bury her in the cold, sterile cemetery.

Just like when she was alive, I moved all her dolls and toys into this room. In the middle of them, nestled together, was a crystal box that held her ashes. It made me feel like she was still alive, like I could still be with her every day.

But now the room was empty. All of her dolls and toys were gone, replaced by a black-and-gray punk style. And the crystal box with her ashes, nowhere to be seen.

I rushed forward like a madman, grabbing Sherry and screaming at her. My body trembled uncontrollably with anger and fear.

I screamed at her, "Who touched that room? Where are her dolls? Where's the crystal box that was on the bed? Where did you put it?"