Her Tiny Hand Chose My Freedom

It was as if Nancy had truly made up her mind to cut ties with Shawn forever. Before leaving, she didn't forget to take with her the nightgown and thong she had "accidentally" left behind.

Shawn panicked instantly. "Nancy!"

He made to run after her. But before he could even take a step, Clementine's cries stopped him in his tracks.

And the moment his friends saw that Nancy had left in a huff, they immediately swarmed around me and turned their anger on me all at once.

"Karina, look at what you've done! Nancy came here out of kindness to celebrate Clementine's birthday, and you just had to drive her away!"

"What do you expect from a gold digger? She'll always be petty and tacky. If Nancy really had intentions toward Shawn, do you honestly think a florist like you could have married into his family?"

"Shawn, Nancy might not hold what happened today against you, but as her friends, we have to demand justice for her!"

They all fixed their eyes on me simultaneously.

"If you two don't go and apologize to Nancy, none of us will ever set foot in your house again!"

Before long, the guests had all cleared out completely.

The vast living room was left with nothing but a scene of devastation and Clementine's broken, intermittent sobs.

Shawn rubbed his throbbing temples, then suddenly kicked over the potted flowers by his feet.

"Are you happy now that it's turned into such a mess?"

Instead of answering, I simply stared at the broken pot of butterfly orchids.

Suddenly, I recalled the summer I met Shawn. He was the one who had stood with me in the rain, hawking flowers, and pushing the cart together.

He was the one who had secretly called up his own friends and used his own money to buy out every last flower on the cart. Bit by bit, he helped me scrape together the medical bills for my mother, Wanda Cobb.

Later, we finally fell in love, got married, and had Clementine.

In the days when our love was at its deepest, he said he would never let me stand in the rain or suffer hardship ever again. He also said he would always stay by my side and give me a happy home.

But when Nancy returned from abroad, everything changed.

Without me noticing when, Shawn quietly swapped out our matching couple profile pictures. When we went out, he no longer wanted to wear the flashy coordinated couple outfits with me.

And he, who once couldn't even bring himself to ride a roller coaster with me, had somewhere along the way learned to love everything Nancy did—skydiving, bungee jumping, and drag racing.

All these tiny changes gathered like streams merging into an ocean, washing away the old Shawn beyond all recognition little by little. And the ridiculous thing was, he still had the nerve to deny that his feelings hadn't changed.

As I snapped back to the present, Shawn seemed to have calmed down a little too. He stepped forward and took hold of my ice-cold hand.

"I'm sorry, Karina. I shouldn't have lost my temper at you during Clementine's birthday party. But Nancy and I really are just good friends, nothing more.

"The whole thing with the divorce papers was just an accident, and I've never once thought about leaving you and Clementine. I promise to see less of Nancy from now on, okay?"

As he spoke, Shawn seemed to transform back into the person he used to be. His eyes were sincere, and it didn't look like an act.

In the past, even as recently as just three days ago, I might have relented for Clementine's sake.

But now, looking at the face I had once fallen for countless times, all I could think about was the first time Nancy and I had a fight and how she disappeared immediately afterward.

Shawn used my account to write an apology in his friends' group chat, begging for forgiveness. In the end, he managed to coax Nancy into coming back. But in doing so, he made me the laughingstock of our entire circle.

And the night Clementine had a heart attack, Shawn was off with Nancy, partying the night away at Dream Park.

Thus, I slowly pulled my hand back.

"No, I want a divorce."

In an instant, shock, panic, and indignation flickered through Shawn's eyes one after another.

"Karina, have you lost your mind? Must you tear this family apart before you'll be satisfied?"

"It's not. It's you. You're the one who betrayed our marriage!"

In the midst of the argument, a frantic voice burst in from outside the door.

"Shawn, bad news! Nancy's been in a car accident!"