Chapter 1

As soon as I leave the hospital after my abortion, I send my husband, Rykel Heffer, a message.

"I terminated the pregnancy."

I get an instant reply.

"Okay."

I stare at that single word and suddenly find it almost funny.

For years, whenever I gave him a heads-up before heading into a high-risk assignment, the only reply I got was "okay". And whenever I reminded him that if he was unable to reach me for 24 hours, he should come looking for me, I also got a simple "okay".

When I was trapped under the rubble after a building collapsed and lost contact for 72 hours, I sent Rykel 309 desperate messages, consumed by fear.

He replied with 309 "okay"s.

Only now do I realize that every reply I have ever received has been an automated response.

Since Rykel never reads my messages, naturally, he has no idea that half a month ago, I told him I would be taking an overseas assignment and terminating the pregnancy today.

His attention and affection have always belonged to the woman who fills his social media feed—Joey Mugbrey.

"It's our thousand-day anniversary, and it's Joey's birthday too!"

The post is accompanied by a screenshot of their chat history. Above the countless messages is a 1,000-day streak, celebrating their thousand days together.

I tap "Like" on his post and leave a comment.

"A wonderful day indeed."

Today marks the anniversary of the day I narrowly escaped death in that collapse years ago. More importantly, it is the day I decide to leave Rykel for good.

Chapter 1

Chantelle's POV

I slowly made my way back home, walked into the bedroom, and collapsed onto the bed. It wasn't until I woke up that the pain in my abdomen finally eased a little.

It still felt strange, the emptiness—both in my abdomen and in this dark, hollow house.

Out of habit, I wanted to send a message to my husband, Rykel Heffer. I wanted to ask him why he still wasn't home at 3:00 am.

But when I unlocked my phone and saw the screen full of messages reading "okay", my mind finally caught up.

I laughed mockingly at myself. After almost two years, how could I still not remember that his replies were automated?

Then, all of a sudden, there came the click of the door lock from the entryway.

I walked out and saw Rykel, who was pulling off his soaked shirt.

"Joey said she wanted my goulash, so I brought some over, but I got caught in the rain on the way back. Anyway, you're still up at this hour?"

I hummed flatly in response.

He headed for the bathroom and asked casually, "Why were you at the hospital today?"

Then, he pulled out the hairdryer, plugged it in, and flipped the switch.

"To get an abortion," I said, but my voice was drowned out by the roar of the hair dryer.

This was common behavior from him. He never gave me any time to speak at all.

My eyes drifted to the red cord necklace around his neck. Whenever he wore a white shirt, it always showed through. He would rather put on an extra suit jacket in the height of summer than take it off, even though it was just a free gift Joey Mugbrey, my mentee, got during a shopping spree.

"Rykel, where's your wedding ring?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe.

He turned off the hair dryer and casually ran a hand through his hair. "I took it off. I don't like the feeling of being constrained."

"Then why do you wear that cord necklace?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

"That's different," he said. "The necklace is soft, but the wedding ring is stiff and gets in the way. You're the only one who likes wearing it."

I looked down at the ring on my finger. The wedding ring? I had taken it off long ago. This one was something I bought at a flea market for ten dollars. In fact, the diamond on it was so obviously fake that it was laughable.

Rykel simply hadn't noticed. Or rather, he had stopped paying attention to me for too long and hadn't held my hand in ages.

"Alright. Get some sleep," Rykel said before ruffling my hair and heading into the guest room.

Ever since I got pregnant, we hadn't shared a bed again. He told me that he stayed up late and didn't want to disturb my rest.

Yet every day, he would go and pick Joey up after her night shift, accompany her to get a late-night snack outside, and then drop her off at her place. By the time he got home, it would already be 3:00 am.

Even then, they still stayed in contact after returning home.

Once, I got up to use the bathroom at around 5:00 am and saw that the light in the guest room was still on. The sound of typing and soft laughter came from inside.

In the past, I really would have gone in and asked what they were talking about.

Was there really that much to say? And if so, why did Rykel clam up whenever he was around me?

But now, none of that mattered anymore.

My phone screen lit up with a confirmation notice for the overseas assignment. I pressed "Confirm" and went back to bed.

Chapter 2

Chantelle's POV

Early the next morning, I was woken by the sound of Rykel talking on the phone.

He was in the kitchen, following an online recipe to make a prenatal meal while humming a lullaby to a sleepless Joey on the other end of the line. What a busy man he was.

When he saw me coming over, he finally hung up. "There's coffee on the table."

I ignored him, sat down at the dining table, and dozed off in the brief silence.

"Hey, wake up. Breakfast is ready," Rykel said, setting the plates out neatly.

Just as I was about to take a bite of my oatmeal, he reached over and knocked the spoon out of my hand. "Hold on. Let me take a photo."

He tapped on his phone screen and, with a click, captured a photo and sent it to Joey.

Only after that did he hand the spoon back to me. "Dig in."

But I'd suddenly lost all appetite. I leaned back in my chair and asked, "Why did you send that to her?"

"She wanted to see it," Rykel said. "She's still young, so she's curious about everything. She even asked about the pajamas I bought you."

"So you got her one too," I said.

Rykel paused for a moment, perhaps sensing my bad mood. He didn't respond.

"I saw the photos you took when you visited her place. She was wearing the same pajamas as me."

It was a rather revealing little lace camisole. In the photo, Joey was casually linking her arm through his, and if he so much as lowered his gaze even just slightly, he would be able to see just about everything there was to see under the camisole.

And that wasn't the only time something like this had happened. Joey seemed determined to outdo me in everything. She wanted the same wavy hairstyle I had, and she used the same shade of lipstick as me.

Even when Rykel and I went traveling and made a handmade souvenir at a scenic spot, she wanted an identical one for herself. But of course, that was impossible.

So Rykel, swayed by her coquettish pleading, yielded and gave it to her.

The keepsake on which I had personally engraved our wedding anniversary date thus entered someone else's home.

"I don't like this," I said.

Rykel looked completely indifferent. "Come on, it's not so big of a deal. She said your designs were great, and she just looks up to you! What's wrong with wanting the same things?"

I had nothing left to say.

I figured that I ought to be angry, that I ought to pick a fight with Rykel the way I used to, arguing until neither of us would back down. But inwardly, I felt as calm as a pool of stagnant water—so calm that not even the strongest wind could stir a ripple in me anymore.

"Yeah. You're right." I nodded.

Chapter 3

Chantelle's POV

A company event came up just before my overseas assignment.

Jessie Chapstone, the event organizer, posted some requirements in the company group chat prior to the event.

One look at the message, and I immediately decided that I didn't want to attend it. But before I could even send a message to decline the invitation, Jessie tagged me, saying this was a farewell dinner arranged especially for me.

Since she'd put it that way, I had no choice but to call Rykel. "Hey, there's a company event coming up and we're required to bring a plus-one, or they'll randomly assign someone to be my date. Are you free tonight?"

It was noisy on his end. "I can't hear you… Hang on…"

After a bout of rustling, I heard him again. "Alright, what is it? Go ahead."

"Where are you?" I asked.

"At a concert with Joey," he said.

After a pause, he added, "She's been looking forward to this for months. She even set an alarm and barely managed to grab the tickets, but then her friend couldn't make it, so I stepped in."

I chuckled. "I was just asking. You didn't need to explain yourself to me."

Rykel's breathing seemed to grow heavier.

Then, I repeated my earlier question, but he didn't answer and simply hung up.

…

That evening, I stood at the company entrance waiting for Rykel. However, an hour passed with no sign of him.

A strong wind picked up, and a light rain drifted in sideways, soaking my pant legs and making them cling uncomfortably to my skin. I had no choice but to go back inside to change.

When I came out again, Rykel was already seated. But he was attending as Joey's partner.

"Chantelle! Over here!" Joey waved at me.

Everyone at that table had a partner except me, making me the odd one out, which felt rather awkward. Just as I was about to walk away, Jessie pushed me toward them. "Chantelle, your husband's right there! Go on over!"

Jessie nudged me in front of Rykel and raised an eyebrow at him, saying cheerfully, "Your date's here! Aren't you going to stand up and welcome her?"

Joey looped her arm around Rykel's and smiled. "He's my date tonight."

Rykel gave a soft hum in agreement.

Jessie looked at me, then at them. Finally, she pressed me into the seat beside Rykel and tried to smooth things over. "No big deal. I'll find you a date right away."

I looked at Rykel, feeling a bit uncomfortable. After all, I had asked him first. Out of courtesy, he should have at least responded to me. Even if he didn't want to be my date, he should have at least said so in advance instead of letting me wait outside like a fool.

Before I could even ask, Rykel spoke up to explain. "Joey gets a lot of unwanted attention. She only got me to be her date so I can help fend them off.

"Everyone knows you're married, so they certainly won't mess with you. But she's never been in a relationship and doesn't know how dangerous people can be. It's only right that I protect her."

Once again, he had chosen Joey over me. The first time, it nearly cost me my life. The second time, it left me publicly humiliated.

In the end, Jessie wasn't able to find me a date, so I got to escape the couples' game and skipped the ballroom dancing. I was left sitting in the most inconspicuous corner, watching my husband and my mentee enjoy the evening together.

The final activity of the night was a truth exchange.

When Joey walked up to the stage with Rykel, the room clearly fell silent for a moment. Perhaps people were recalling what had happened when that building collapsed and caused such a huge stir back then.

Everyone exchanged glances, and more than a few pairs of eyes secretly landed on me. Their gazes pricked like needles, stirring a long-dormant ache in my chest.

Chapter 4

Chantelle's POV

Two years ago, Joey had taken a day off from work, so I took her design sketches and went to the construction site for an inspection.

As it was pouring rain that day, the site was pretty much empty. I made my way step by step through the mud, checking the drawings along the way.

Because I trusted Joey so much, I kept my head down and my eyes on the sketches the whole time, and I didn't even notice I had entered a restricted area.

All of a sudden, I heard a loud roar, and then the building collapsed, completely burying me under all the rubble. Fortunately, a large slab of rock held back the debris, allowing me to survive by sheer luck.

With my vision impaired, all I could hear was my own ragged breathing and the violent pounding of my heart. I couldn't even tell which part of my body was in pain.

My right arm seemed to be broken. I couldn't move it, so I slowly inched toward my phone with my left hand. The space was so tight that I could only move my fingers.

From memory, I tapped on the pinned chat and blindly typed a message to Rykel. My strength was slowly draining away.

With a whimper, I bit my tongue until it bled so that the pain would keep me awake. I swallowed the mix of blood and tears.

All I could think about was him. I kept murmuring his name, forcing myself to stay conscious as I hit send over and over.

"Rykel… I'm scared… save me…"

"I don't want to die…"

Every second was agony. I drifted in and out of consciousness—crying as soon as I woke up, then crying until I passed out again. I didn't even know when my phone had died.

The whole time I was trapped in there, I believed that Rykel had seen my messages. I kept hoping he would come with help to rescue me as quickly as possible.

Right up until I went into shock, I was still calling his name, still believing he'd come for me.

72 hours later, rescue workers shoveled away the last pile of debris and pulled me out. By then, I only had a faint pulse.

When the paramedics called Rykel, who was my emergency contact, it took eight attempts before anyone answered.

As soon as it connected, Joey's impatient voice came through. "What do you want? Rykel's sleeping!"

Then, she cut the call.

The paramedics called back again. "Hello, is this Chantelle Levett's—"

The call was cut off again, and this time, my number went straight to the block list.

While my life was hanging by a thread, I had no one to sign the surgical consent form—no one dared to sign it. In the end, seeing the critical condition I was in, the doctors made the call to proceed with the surgery without following protocol.

I ended up spending half a month in the ICU. During that time, Joey took up all of Rykel's time, so he never thought to check on me.

My right arm was broken, and though it was all set now, the nerves had been affected. It took a long period of rehabilitation before I could barely sketch again. Even now, my hand still trembled from time to time.

Because of this, Rykel and I almost got a divorce. I went into hysterics, smashed everything in the house, and nearly set the place on fire. Rykel's face was covered in slap marks, and there were bloody scratches all over his body.

I hated and resented him for what happened and what he had done. I cried out, asking him why he treated me the way he did.

"Why did you set an automatic reply for me? Why, Rykel? Is this how you brush me off?"

He remained eerily calm. "I just didn't feel like replying to your messages. You send me too many messages, and you're always sending me photos of cats, clouds, and other random things. I'm not interested in any of that at all."

That was the exact moment my love for him died.

The distance between us had grown greater and greater, and the rift between us deeper and deeper, until I finally broke down. I finally admitted that I could not settle for this, that I could not spend the rest of my life trapped in a loveless marriage with him.

If there was one thing I regretted most, it was giving Rykel chance after chance. I should have completely cut ties with him two years ago.

Chapter 5

Chantelle's POV

Joey stood on the stage, her cheeks flushed as she asked Rykel the first question, "If you could go back in time, would you choose a different relationship?"

A murmur of surprise rose from the audience.

I remained completely unbothered. With my legs crossed, I scrolled through flights for the next day on my phone.

On stage, Rykel looked a bit baffled and shook his head.

Joey's smile faded, and her enthusiasm visibly dimmed. "Your turn."

"What's your favorite food?" Rykel asked.

"Don't you know that best?" Joey shot back. Her coy, ambiguous reply only stirred the crowd further. Cheers and whistles erupted in waves.

My manager nudged me with her elbow. "Hey, should I go get your husband off the stage? You two can head home early."

Only then did I look up. "No, that's alright. He won't be my husband anymore after tonight."

I stood up and walked toward the exit. Rykel's gaze followed me all the way to the door before the heavy door cut off his view.

I headed straight home as soon as I left, but I had barely stepped inside when Rykel stepped in right after me.

"Are you upset?" he asked, coming over to pull me into an embrace.

I turned sideways and avoided him. "No, I'm not."

"You're lying. Chantelle, we've been married for so long. I know every little habit of yours. I can tell what you're thinking from the smallest gesture."

I didn't answer. Instead, I just stared at him for a long time—so long that even Rykel grew a little uneasy and kept asking what exactly I was trying to do.

"You know me best. Surely you can guess?" I smiled.

When he saw me smile, he instantly relaxed and flopped onto the couch. "I bet you want me to stay with you, right? Alright, I'll take two days off. You said you wanted to go to church to pray for the baby, didn't you? Let's go together, shall we?"

I ignored him and went straight to bed.

…

Rykel left early the next morning, and I saw no sign of him the entire morning. Only after checking his social media did I learn that Joey had gotten drunk the night before and fallen on her way home, so Rykel was at her place taking care of her.

I paid it no mind. Staying home alone, I packed my luggage at a leisurely pace. Then, I signed the divorce papers and weighed them down with a glass of water on the coffee table, along with the discharge papers from my abortion procedure.

After making all the necessary preparations, I pulled my suitcase out the door and headed straight for the airport.

The sky slowly darkened.

Just before takeoff, my phone buzzed, and a barrage of messages flooded in.