Those photos were snapshots of their young love.

I remembered finding these photos right after Iris and I married.

I was so jealous, and I asked her to throw them out. She agreed.

I didn't expect that she still kept these after three years of marriage.

Three years later, she still had them. She'd sometimes pull out that book and flip through it.

I put everything back quietly and then heard Iris' muffled voice.

"Heading out for your trip?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, without looking back, continuing with my packing.

Iris looked at the photos I'd just put away and said with guilt, "Albert, I'll go throw these out now!"

I stopped her. "No need. They're your amiable memories. It's okay to keep them."

My tone was flat, casual, like it didn't matter.

Iris stared at me for a long time, seemingly unable to accept my reaction, then suddenly got upset.

She grabbed the book, pulled out the photos, and tore them up before tossing them in the trash.

I didn't react. Suddenly, Iris hugged me from behind. "Albert, I'm sorry.

I won't mess around with Gavin anymore. Let's just enjoy our life, okay?"

I felt indifferent, almost bored.

Before, such words from Iris would've made me overjoyed. I'd have kissed her and said, "I love you, babe."

But now? Nothing stirred inside me.

I'd given Iris plenty of chances over three years. She always thought I was making a big deal over nothing, not trusting her, picking on her.

Now I trusted her. No matter where she went, what she did, or what romantic photos she kept, I wouldn't ask.

Still, when I gently pushed her away, I couldn't understand why she started crying.

5

The business trip had me working non-stop for days, barely giving me a moment to check my phone.

By bedtime, I finally noticed dozens of missed calls and a slew of unread texts.

They were all from Iris: [Albert, are you still busy?], [It's 8 PM, did you eat dinner?], [Remember, you have a sensitive stomach. Don't skip meals or you'll be in pain.]

I scrolled through the messages emotionlessly.

Clearly, Iris hadn't paid attention to me in a long time. She didn't even know I'd had surgery and no longer suffered from stomach pains.

Six months ago, my stomach really bothered me, and the doctor suggested surgery might be necessary.

I mentioned it to Iris, hoping she'd come with me to the hospital. Instead, she brushed me off.