His Mistake, My Freedom

Mark looked anxious. “Angela sprained her ankle riding her bike. I need to go check on her.”

“So?” I replied.

“You can take a cab home yourself. I can’t drive you.”

I laughed bitterly. “Mark, have you forgotten that I’m your wife? Shouldn’t you and Angela keep some distance?”

He frowned at me. “Sera, can you stop being so unreasonable? Angela’s just a young girl. Why are you so jealous? She’s lying on the roadside, hurt. Do you expect me to ignore her? I’m not as cold-blooded as you!”

He kicked me out of the car without the slightest care. My phone was broken, so calling a cab wasn’t even an option.

The rainstorm came fast and furious, trapping me at a tiny bus stop. The wound began to ache sharply as a chill rose in my heart. I never thought that, in this lifetime, I would cry over two dollars.

Humbled and drenched, I had no choice but to accept a stranger’s charity to make it home.

By the time I reached the house, the rain had stopped, but my heart had completely turned cold.

Mark returned the next day, and he brought Angela with him. She was nestled carefully in his arms, her voice coy. “Put me down, Mark, or Sera will misunderstand again!”

Angela glanced in my direction as though her words were meant just for me. However, Mark ignored my reaction entirely and carried her straight to the sofa.

“Angela’s leg is injured, and it’s inconvenient for her to stay at her dorm. She’ll stay here for a few days. You don’t mind, do you?” It sounded like he was asking for my opinion, but it was clearly just an announcement.

“Do whatever you want.”

In the past, I would have fought with Mark over something like this.

But now?

I suddenly realized I didn’t care that much anymore. Even when Mark carried Angela into the bathroom, I merely glanced over faintly.

“Should I leave the room?” I asked sarcastically.

Mark’s face turned red with anger. “Sera, don’t be disgusting. Stop thinking there’s something improper between Angela and me! She’s hurt. I’m just helping her.” He was so attentive and thoughtful that it almost moved me.

Unfortunately, all his tenderness was reserved for Angela. He never once asked me if my wound still hurt.

One day, after work, I came home to find Angela trying on my jewelry.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

She looked at me innocently as she twirled the sapphire bracelet on her wrist, showing off. “Mark said I could try them on for fun… He said this bracelet really suits me. Sera, what do you think? Isn’t it pretty?”

I smiled slightly, but my gaze was sharp as it landed on the bracelet. “Who gave you permission to touch my things?”

Startled by my reaction, Angela hurriedly took off the bracelet. “Fine, I’ll give it back. It’s not like I care…”

She tossed the bracelet at me carelessly. I reached out in a panic, accidentally bumping her as I tried to catch it, but it slipped through my fingers and shattered on the floor.

Pain gripped my heart, and my fingers went pale from clenching so hard.

Angela stumbled from the accidental push just as Mark walked in.

“Sera! It’s just a bracelet. Do you have to be so petty about it?” Mark scolded, his tone sharp.

“Angela’s still injured. Why would you push her? What’s wrong with you?”

I stood up slowly, cradling the broken bracelet in my hands. “Mark, you knew this bracelet was the only thing my mother left me. Why did you let her touch it?”

Mark glanced at the shattered pieces dismissively. “It’s just a bracelet. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Angela’s our guest. What’s wrong with letting her wear it?”

My body trembled as I fought back tears. “This is the only keepsake my mother left me. Now it’s broken. What do you want me to do?!”

Mark sneered coldly. “Your mom’s dead. What’s the point of getting worked up over something from a dead person?”

The moment those words left his mouth, I felt as though I’d been plunged into an icy abyss. The man who once stood at my mother’s hospital bed and promised to love me for a lifetime… How did he become so heartless and cruel?