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1534words2026-01-26 09:11

After I filed for divorce,my husband,Mark,changed.
Before,I tried to keep him by having a child.He pushed me away and said he didn't like children.But then I saw him strolling hand in hand with his first love,Lily,while holding a child.
The night before the divorce,his eyes red,he pleaded pitifully,"Let's have a child.A child who can laugh,make a fuss,and call me daddy."

I just touched his face and shook my head with a faint smile.
It's time for a divorce.Don't leave me with a burden.
When the phone rang,I was in the room with Mark.
As soon as he hung up,he got up and went to take a cold shower."You rest.I need to go out for a while."
I grabbed his hand,wanting to act coquettishly.
"It's something about the company.Be sensible."

His words instantly cooled my enthusiasm.
Yes,he was very busy.I had to be understanding and considerate of him.
The door closed.
I went to take a shower without much interest.Right after I finished,I received a WeChat message from my best friend,Nicole.

"Lily is back from abroad!!!"
I stood there in a daze.The next sentence from my best friend made me feel even colder all over.
"Guess who picked her up at the airport?Mark!!!"
Mark and I had a secret marriage.Besides our families,even our friends and classmates didn't know that we were together,let alone that we were married.
Nicole was still talking about how well-matched Lily and Mark were in high school.She even said that she finally saw the real thing happening between them.
The class group chat was also in an uproar.Everyone was still up in the middle of the night,discussing the reunion of the school belle and the school hunk.
The names of the protagonists,Lily and Mark,kept popping up.
They didn't know,but I did,didn't I?Mark had just left my room.
But he said it was something about the company.
I sat there in a daze for a long time.Then Nicole sent me another message.
It was a news link.I copied it and opened it in the browser.
"The only daughter of the White family is back from abroad,and a mysterious man picked her up at the airport."
I clicked on the big picture.It was taken from a candid angle.
The woman was beautiful even without makeup,and the man had broad shoulders.Picking her up at the airport late at night,they looked so sweet.
This reporter was really dedicated.He followed them all the way and kept reporting.
Soon,a new news item popped up,"A wealthy scion eats street-side hot pot,and the warmth of the hot pot warms both the heart and the body."
In the picture,the two of them entered a hot pot restaurant,and Mark held the door open for the woman.
As if in a trance,I could even laugh a couple of times at the tabloid reporter's headline.
But when the laughter reached my ears,it was so desolate that it sounded strange to me.
Mark was a clean freak.In the early days of our marriage,I asked the maid to cook hot pot.Mark fired the maid with a cold face and immediately had someone repaint our bridal chamber.
That was the third day of our marriage.
Now,in the face of Lily,he didn't mind the noise or the mess.
My lack of response made Nicole think I had fallen asleep.She switched to the class group chat and became very active.
The phone was quiet for a while,and then a call from Alex came in.
Alex was Mark's cousin.He had a crush on Lily and was also angry at me for taking Lily's place.
He was really annoying.If I didn't answer his call,he would come to our house and make a scene the next day.
So I answered the call.
His familiar harsh voice came through,"Look at what I sent you."
I opened the link he sent.It was very familiar.Nicole had already sent it to me.
Alex sneered on the other end of the phone,"Sister Lily is back."
I was silent.He raised his voice,"Don't you understand?I want you to get out of here quickly and make way for her!"
"Laura,when Sister Lily wasn't around,I reluctantly called you sister-in-law.Now that she's back,I will never allow you,a thief,to sit in her place!"
Before hanging up,he cursed viciously,"Those who steal other people's things will not end well!It serves you right that you can't have a baby!"
After three years of marriage,I still hadn't gotten pregnant,and Mark's parents had been dissatisfied for a long time.
But this also made Alex heave a sigh of relief.He was most afraid that I would tie Mark down.
As for what Alex said about me being a thief,I couldn't refute it.
Lily was Mark's first love,and I was the thief who stole Mark from Lily.
In high school,Mark and Lily were the most dazzling couple.One was the top student in liberal arts,and the other was the top student in science.
In terms of family background and appearance,they were a perfect match.
They were also childhood sweethearts.Although they weren't together at that time,everyone took it for granted that they would get married in the future.
Including me at that time.
But after graduating from high school,Lily decided to go abroad,and the two of them separated.
Mark studied at a university in the country,and the university he attended was adjacent to the one I went to.
The thief had evil intentions for a long time and was just waiting for the right opportunity.
After four years of persistent pursuit,I finally won his heart.
On our wedding day,I was overjoyed.
The excessive secretion of dopamine made me unable to see Mark's cold expression,the disapproving looks of the Mark family,or the deep worry in my mother's eyes.
Even when Mark proposed to have a secret marriage,I smiled and agreed.
But a person's lifetime of happiness has a limit.If you overdraw it,you have to pay it back.
In the three years of marriage,I've been paying it back for a whole three years,and I don't know how long I'll have to keep paying it back in the future.
A thief who steals shoes that don't fit can't possibly show them off.
I didn't dare to question them.I just sat there until dawn.
Mark didn't come back all night.
In the early morning,the colic in my abdomen made me break out in a cold sweat.Only then did I remember that I had an appointment for a medical examination today.
After getting married,my periods became more and more irregular.I often felt abdominal pain and bloating,and it had been getting worse recently,with even a small amount of bleeding.
After thinking for a while,I still dialed Mark's phone number.I wanted him to accompany me.
He answered the phone quickly.
Almost instinctively,I put on a smile as usual.
But the voice on the other end of the phone made me feel as if I had fallen into an ice cellar.
"Laura?Calling Mark so early?Oh?"
It was Lily.
She didn't know that Mark and I were married,and her tone was a bit teasing,just like her lively and lovable self back then.
I don't remember how I hung up the phone.
It's okay.Judging from Lily's tone,there was nothing between them.
It was just picking her up at the airport.
It was just that they were together all night.
My mind was in a mess,and I hurried out.
The doctor was a young man.His bright eyes were visible above the mask.
"Are you in a bad mood?"
I nodded absently,lost in my thoughts.
He opened the B-ultrasound report,and his thick eyebrows suddenly furrowed.
Then he looked at me,"Where is your family member?I need to communicate with them."
I shook my head with difficulty,"He's busy."
Busy with work,or...
Busy catching up with Lily.
The doctor let out a sigh and spoke slowly.
Cancer.
I always thought this word was far away from me.
The report showed that I had an ovarian cyst,which was a common disease.
But at the same time,there was a series of adjectives on the report:solid component,uneven surface,calcification...
I couldn't understand it,but I could hear the pity in the doctor's voice.
It was suspected to be a malignant tumor.
That is,ovarian cancer.
"The biopsy result will come out in a week.Be sure to bring your family member with you at that time."
It never rains but it pours.
I didn't manage my relationship well,and now my body was also falling apart.
The most ridiculous thing was that I even had the thought that maybe this illness could make Mark pay more attention to me.
I don't know how humble a person can be,but I must be extremely humble as I force myself to cook while feeling unwell.
I sent a message to Mark:"I have something to tell you.Come back for dinner tonight."
He didn't reply to me.
He was always like this.When he was busy,he wouldn't reply to messages.
I didn't dare to call him,afraid of disturbing him.
In the early days of our marriage,he was in a meeting,and my call made him very unhappy.He ignored me for a whole month.So I usually sent messages instead of making calls if it wasn't urgent.
Anyway,there was a 50%chance that he would come back.
But unfortunately,until I swallowed a large number of pills in the setting sun,he still didn't come back.