Chapter 7 — Blindly Dutiful

Previously, you always took my assistance for granted, but after the divorce, I finally realized that without you, I could not even draft a decent project plan, let alone manage my own daily life.

Niem Niem, I know I hurt you far too deeply. I dare not hope for your forgiveness, and I certainly never dare to dream that you would remarry me.

He looked at me, his eyes brimming with remorse and desperate supplication.

I only wanted to come and say I am sorry. I even had someone purchase some nutritional supplements suitable for a patient. Could you please take them and give them to your father?

With that, he pulled out a simply packaged box and extended it toward me. I refused to take it, staring at him with cold detachment.

Gu Mingxian, anything you say now carries no meaning whatsoever.

He stubbornly pushed the box a fraction of an inch closer.

I know your father did not call the police on me back then simply because he wanted a clean and definitive break for us. I have always wanted to thank him, and to apologize to him as well.

Niem Niem, we were husband and wife after all. Won't you help me this one last time?

I let out a cold laugh, swatting the box away without a moment's hesitation.

When you wrapped your hands around my father's throat, why did you not remember that we were husband and wife? When you abandoned me out in the freezing snow, why did you not remember that we were husband and wife? Gu Mingxian, the only reason you regret things now is not because you have genuinely recognized your own faults, but because your current life has fallen apart.

Watching his complexion grow increasingly ashen, I stripped away his final veil of pretense without an ounce of mercy.

My life always sailed smoothly before because I stood behind you, propping you up and cleaning up the messes you made. You treated my sacrifices as something cheap and expected, and treated my boundaries as something you could trample upon at whim.

Now that you have lost all of that and your life is in shambles, you finally remember my worth and begin to feel remorse. Do you honestly find any fairness in that?

As the unvarnished truth fell from my lips word by word, the hand Gu Mingxian had been holding aloft finally lost its strength and dropped to his side. Realizing it was time to prepare dinner, I had no mood left to entangle myself with him any further. I utterly extinguished whatever lingering illusions he harbored.

Gu Mingxian, whatever existed between us ended a very long time ago. Whether your life hereafter turns out well or poorly is entirely the consequence of your own choices, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with me. Do not ever come here to disturb me again.

Having said that, I shoved past him as he blocked my path and walked straight up the stairs. No sound of footsteps followed from below. After a very long silence, only the muffled sound of suppressed sobbing drifted up behind my back. Upon returning inside, I recounted the encounter with Gu Mingxian to my parents. My mother let out a heavy sigh.

He only knows how to feel regret now. What was he doing all this time before?

My father poured me a cup of hot tea and offered comforting words.

Niem Niem, you did the right thing. Some people only realize where they went wrong after they have stumbled and fallen hard. But your life does not need to pay the price for his mistakes.

I nodded, feeling not even a shred of lingering attachment. Gu Mingxian's remorse was merely a lesson he richly deserved to learn on his journey through life. I would neither soften my heart because of his regret, nor would I ever look back. The days of being betrayed and having my self-respect shredded could never be mended by a mere apology. Yet, considering that Gu Mingxian had now reached a dead end and was aware of our address, a chill inevitably crept over me. After discussing it with my parents, we decided to look for a new home. It was a newly constructed upscale residential complex with a beautiful environment and meticulous property management. Following our move, life proceeded in serene tranquility. In the blink of an eye, a brand-new spring arrived. My father had successfully outlived the ominous prognosis the doctors gave him the previous year, and our family of three once again gathered joyfully together. Outside the window, fireworks bloomed brilliantly in the night sky, while inside, the house radiated warmth. My father took a small sip of wine, looked at my mother and me, and smiled.

This year is the most joyous and complete reunion our family has ever known.

My mother nodded repeatedly, raising a hand to wipe away the tears pooling at the corners of her eyes. I raised my glass of fruit juice high and spoke in a clear, resonant voice.

Here is to us, and to all the wonderful days yet to come!

Our glasses chimed together with a crisp, melodic ring, sounding much like a triumphant celebration of our new lives. I knew that the shadows of the past had completely dissipated. Every hardship and wound I had endured had transformed into a badge of maturity, reminding me to cherish the happiness before me, to fiercely guard my own boundaries, and to live out the exact life I desired. As for Gu Mingxian's remorse, it was simply the inevitable toll he must pay for his own selfishness and blindness. His life would continue on, but he would never again feature in my future. The new life that rightfully belonged to me had begun long ago, and it would forever remain this beautiful.