The East Wind Blows, No Turning Back

Ethan Vaughn had been trending a lot lately.

"#President of the Vaughn Corporation Accompanies Charity Girl to Hospital#"

The accompanying photo showed him helping her out of the hospital. The girl's head was bowed demurely, and Ethan Vaughn's gaze was tender.

I looked at the background of the photo.

That was the Rehabilitation Center I had been in and out of countless times for the past three years.

Once, I too was "the beautiful Mrs. Vaughn" he spoke of.

Now, I was the ex-wife left out of the conversation.

But he hadn't mentioned a divorce, and no one had mentioned my name.

As if I had never existed.

"Miss Sterling, hello. We're from The Helping Hands Foundation."

"Mr. Ethan Vaughn has transferred responsibility for Mr. Vaughn's care to us. A volunteer, Miss Anna Shaw, will be handling his daily needs."

I stood at my front door, looking at the group of young people in matching T-shirts.

Anna Shaw stood among them in a white dress, holding a basket of fruit. Her smile was gentle and graceful.

"Miss Sterling, please rest assured. I promise I'll take good care of Mr. Vaughn, just as you have."

I smiled back, my own smile more genuine than hers.

"Oh, really? In that case, good luck. He needs hot compresses twice a day and has to be turned over three times a night. His pills have to be removed from their capsules and dissolved in water, and his bathroom schedule is fixed."

Anna Shaw's expression faltered, her smile turning stiff.

I turned to leave, pulling my suitcase behind me without a backward glance.

The door slowly closed behind me.

This was the 1,095th day I had taken care of Mr. Vaughn.

This family had never acknowledged me as the lady of the house.

Now, I no longer had to pretend I was.

I moved into an extended-stay hotel.

After settling in, I opened a drawer and pulled out the scrapbook from our fourth wedding anniversary.

It was a scrapbook I had meticulously put together.

It held everything, from the first time we held hands to when he quit his job to start his own business. I was there, staying up all night with him as he drew blueprints and built models. There was even a photo of us, sobbing in each other's arms in the hallway after he won his first contract…

The last page was a photo of me, smiling like an idiot as I hugged the logo model for his one-month-old company.

He had a fever and was stuck in bed that day, so I ran all over the city to find a specific woodcarving shop. I had them make it as a keepsake for us, the husband-and-wife partners.

I picked up that page, and my eyes suddenly stung with tears.

'So, I really had been loved, truly and deeply, for a time.'

'And I had thought it was forever.'

I struck a lighter.

Two items left.

But the next day, to my surprise, Ethan Vaughn actually called me.

I didn't answer.

But he started texting me nonstop:

"Where are you staying? My dad's asking about you."

"Don't be so difficult. Anna has moved in now that you're gone."

"She's trying hard to adjust, and it isn't easy for her."

"Celia, I never meant to kick you out... It's just that she's a better fit."

I stared at the words "she's a better fit" for a long time, my knuckles turning white.

He once told me, "You're the only place I can call home."

Now he says, "She's a better fit."

I threw my phone into the trash.

That afternoon, I went back to the office to get the last of my things.

As I walked into the office, a livestream was auto-playing on one of the large communal screens.

The headline read: "Devoted Daughter Raises $150,000 for Stepfather's Medical Care!"

On the screen, Anna Shaw was crying.

"I know I don't have anything… only my sincerity. I hope everyone can help my dad. He's the only person in this world who has ever been truly good to me…"

"We're not related by blood, but he gave me a real home."

Comments like "You're amazing!" and "I'm crying over here" flooded the screen, and the donation link popped up again and again.

I walked over and looked at the picture.

In the photo, behind her, was the elderly man I had cared for for three years.

The photo's caption read: "Thank you, Miss Anna Shaw, for your months of tireless work for Mr. Vaughn, showcasing a profound father-daughter bond."

I felt a sting in my nose.

The elderly man I had cared for for three years… and she had used him to put herself on a pedestal.

That night, I sat on the balcony of the extended-stay hotel and unwrapped the fifth memento.

It was a scarf I had hand-knitted.

On our fifth anniversary, he shielded me from the wind in a heavy snowstorm. I wrapped that red scarf around his neck three times.

I cut it into several pieces and set them on fire.

One item left.

I looked up at the city's night sky, pitch-black and cold.

Soon, I would be able to completely disappear from his world.