I Divorced Him After He Chose Her

Keanu and I met through a hiking club. At that time, I was overwhelmed with work, driven by the relentless pursuit of income, and stuck working crazy hours. The weekends were my escape, a chance to recharge by going hiking.

Keanu joined the club in my second year. At first, he was just another hiker in the group. But since we often ended up being the first ones to reach the summit, we grew closer.

He worked in finance, whereas I was in tech. He loved outdoor sports, especially hiking, and so did I. When we reached our hundredth peak together, he expressed his feelings for me.

His confession wasn’t grand or poetic, just straightforward: "Lily, let's start dating."

I agreed. My dad had shown plenty of flair when he pursued my mom, lighting up half the city with fireworks, even getting himself arrested. Yet that didn’t prevent him from desiring a son after marriage, which led my mom to endure years of herbal treatments, eventually passing away during childbirth.

For me, it wasn’t about romance or dramatic gestures. Reliability was key. Keanu embodied that—reliable and consistent. He was never late for a date. His gifts were predictable but always present. If it rained, he wouldn’t offer to pick me up without prompting, but as soon as I called, he was there without a second thought.

In our third year of dating, we got married. Life before and after the wedding was much the same. I cooked, he did the dishes. I shopped for groceries, and he’d come home early to start the bread maker. The calm, gentle rhythm of our days convinced me that Keanu was truly the right person for me.

Until one day, three years ago, at the wedding of Keanu’s college friend. During the bachelor party, one of his friends, Trey, got drunk. He grabbed Keanu’s hand, tears streaming down his face.

"Keanu, seeing you live like this, it pains me."

"I'm about to get married, embracing the joy of matrimony, yet seeing you in this state, it just upsets me."

"If Cassidy hadn’t gone overseas as a war correspondent back then, you wouldn’t have shut yourself off, become so distant."

Keanu quickly glanced at me.

"Don’t pay him any mind; he’s just drunk," he assured me.

I smiled without replying. But once we were home, I suggested, "Keanu, I may have many shortcomings, but one strength is my ability to sever emotional ties quickly."

Because he was standing in the shadow of night, I couldn’t make out his expression. But after that, Cassidy vanished completely from our lives—Keanu’s and mine. Until now.