3
867words
When I opened the door of the private room,everyone fell silent.I ignored the people around and walked straight towards Ethan.
"Where's the photo album?Give it to me,"I stretched out my hand.Ethan pointed to the table.The photo album had some oil stains on it.
I wiped it with a wet wipe and opened it to look through the photos one by one.One photo in the middle was gone.My heart sank.That was the photo I held most dear.
"Hey, haven’t you found what you're looking for?"Ethan said coolly, tossing a photo onto the table.
It was a photo of me and a man.The man and I were sitting in a wheelchair,smiling brightly,and the background was the campus of our university."Give it back to me,"I didn't want to waste words.
This was a senior I held in high regard.We took this photo together right before he left to study abroad. Apart from collaborating on a research project, we had no other connection.
But Ethan seemed to have lost his mind.He brandished the photo and displayed it to his friends nearby.
"Let me show you just how cheap Ava is. While she was with me, she was also involved with another guy. From what I know, this is her senior, and he was already married back then."
There was a burst of laughter in the private room.Several of Ethan's cronies pointed at the photo and made comments.My face turned a deep shade of blue,and I glared at Ethan coldly." Mind your tongue. A dirty mind sees dirt everywhere."
The reason this photo was so precious was that the senior in it had already passed away.
His wife had recently been collecting things related to her late husband,and I had promised her that I would send the photo to her."Give it to me,"I didn't want to waste words.
Ethan suddenly stood up and tore the photo into shreds. The pieces fluttered down like snowflakes.After tearing the last piece,he balled it up and threw it in my face."Pick it up,Ava,"he sneered.
I looked at the messy pieces on the ground,and the last glimmer of hope in my eyes was completely shattered.There was a bottle of white wine on the table.
I picked it up and poured it all over Ethan from head to toe.Ethan wiped his face in embarrassment."Ava,you have the nerve—""Don't disgust me anymore,"I threw the wine bottle back on the table and turned to leave.
I put a lot of force into it. There were clattering sounds on the table as glass shards splashed into the food. I didn't need the photo anymore.Because I...was also going to die soon.
"Ava,where are you going?Explain yourself!"Ethan shouted angrily."If you leave,don't bother coming back!"Explain it clearly?What was there for me to explain to him?I didn't stop at all.There was no need to explain it clearly.There was even no need to talk anymore.
“Ms. Ava, after the diagnosis, your depression has worsened significantly. You need to cooperate with treatment, with the support of your family,” the doctor said. “I have no family,” I replied, my voice filled with confusion and emptiness.My parents used to be alive.Later,they were gone.I only had Ethan.And now,I was all alone.
Actually,I wasn't afraid of death.I was just afraid that I hadn't lived my life excitingly enough.My parents were so excellent and strong-willed,and they might be unhappy.
I decided to start a new life in a new city.I was almost thirty years old.I wouldn't fall in love anymore.
I wouldn't let myself go through the process of mending and patching up several times.A porcelain doll that fell to the ground would also be broken and couldn't be mended.
"Take your medicine on time,"this was the doctor's advice to me.I put the medicine into colorful glass jars, trying my best to convince myself that they were candies.
If I deceived myself for too long,I would really believe it.Just like I had always persuaded myself that Ethan was just young and he would fall in love with me and understand my kindness to him.I was like a ham-fisted actor, spinning a tale that only I believed.
I couldn't take any more trouble.Ten years of a relationship,four years of betrayal,being doused with hot water,being publicly scolded,and the destruction of the photo I cherished.I simply didn't have the strength to love anyone anymore.
I could no longer do it.I used to think I feared losing the most, but later I realized what I truly feared was being abandoned. This time, I'm letting go first.
However,even in a new city,I couldn't escape my unfortunate fate.Ethan called me again, saying he wanted to have a proper conversation with me.
He still wanted to marry me.There was Lily's crying sound beside him.So,it was a quarrel between the young couple.I was just a tool for them when they quarreled.
“I've made it clear enough. Please leave me alone. If you do this again, I'll call the police,” I said slowly, tears dripping one by one onto my light gray pants..
I didn't understand,and I couldn't understand.Why were they willing to spend so much time on so-called love?There were more important things in life.
"Ava,it's not about the quarrel.I suddenly realized how amazing you are,"Ethan kept explaining. I wasn't listening.
