struck him with all my strength, my hand trembling from the impact.
Vicente rushed over anxiously.
“Jaliyah, are you okay?”
I nodded and looked at Edwin.
He lay motionless on the table.
I didn’t know if Vicente had injured him or if my slap had left him dazed.
Tiara hurried forward to help him up, but he dodged her touch.
Tears rolled down Edwin’s face. “Jaliyah, so you already found someone new. But Jaliyah, I am the man you truly love. If you come back to me, I can forgive your betrayal.”
His words made me laugh in anger.
“Edwin, you are wrong. You were the one who betrayed me. And I forgot to tell you. I, Jaliyah, have never been one to tolerate betrayal.”
As Vicente led me away, Edwin shouted my name, his voice echoing through the café.
He called out desperately as if he believed that if he tried hard enough, I would turn back.
But even when his cries turned into retching, I did not spare him a glance.
He looked at my back with a sense of utter defeat.
Until I disappeared from view…
I had once looked at him the same way.
His back was always ahead of me.
His back as he slammed the door and left without a word…
His back as he embraced Tiara…
***
Over these seven years, the sight he left me with the most was his back.
Now, I have finally repaid him in full.
From this moment on…
I only wished never to cross paths with him again.
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Vicente helped me into the car.
The cold wind whipped against my face through the open window, stinging my skin.
But I stubbornly refused to close it.
Scenes of my time with Edwin played in my mind like a film.
One frame after another…
Those seven years were nothing but a joke.
The love I had once given him so unreservedly had turned to dust.
Every little thing I had done for him now mocked me.
I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes.
I was no longer the woman who would do anything for love.
I had become someone who only loved herself.
In the days that followed…
I ate the home–cooked meals my parents made.
I worked with like–minded colleagues at the hospital.
The medical resources were lacking, but we all shared the same vision.
Six months later, I received an invitation to Tiara’s wedding.
Despite the cold treatment she had endured from Edwin, she still chose to forgive him.
By then, I no longer held any grudges against her.
That day in the café, if not for her shielding me, I dared not imagine what would have happened.
I openly offered her my blessings and sent her a wedding gift.
Seeing their neighbors becoming grandparents, my parents started worrying about my marriage
too.
I always used work as an excuse to turn them down.
But they did not give up. Instead, they kept arranging blind dates for me.
Not wanting to disappoint them, I balanced meeting suitors with treating patients.
Until I met Vicente….
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Scratching his head awkwardly, he said, “Jaliyah, your parents insisted, so I couldn’t refuse.”
I sipped my coffee and chuckled. “It’s not like it’s impossible.”
Vicente looked at me earnestly. “Why don’t we give it a try?”
A year later, we were together.
The next time I heard about Edwin was through a colleague from Silverfort.
Edwin had suffered a mental breakdown, sometimes gentle, sometimes violent.
The hospital had no choice but to suspend him. In a fit of rage, he caused a huge scene before ultimately leaving his position as a doctor.
With nothing else to do, he became even more controlling over Tiara.
He forbade her from hiring a nanny.
She had to prepare his favorite meals every day.
She had to iron his clothes before bed for the next morning.
***
Unable to bear the endless domestic struggles, Tiara filed for divorce while
pregnant.
Edwin could not stand being abandoned again. During their argument, he pushed Tiara to the ground, causing her to miscarry on the spot.
From that moment, Edwin completely lost his mind. His parents sent him to a psychiatric hospital.
From then on, he lived a life shrouded in darkness, with no hope in sight.
Hearing all this, I couldn’t help but sigh.
Vicente gently patted my head. “You are too young to be sighing like that.”
I kicked a loose stone on the road. “It’s nothing. Just thinking about how fate loves to toy with people.”
I linked my arm with Vicente’s and pointed to the restaurant ahead. “Vicente, let’s have some seafood today.”
He brushed the snowflakes off my coat and answered tenderly, “Okay.”
We ordered the super spicy seafood, and after eating and drinking to our fill, we walked out of the
restaurant.
The sky blazed with brilliant colors as New Year’s fireworks bloomed before us.
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Vicente wrapped a scarf around my neck and then pressed a warm kiss to my forehead.
“Jaliyah, let’s stay together forever.”
Blushing, I buried myself in his embrace.
I watched the bustling crowd, with families gathered in joy.
I had my family by my side.
I had my love beside me.
At that moment, I was happy.
I was carefree.
Chapter 9
