Chapter 1: Then Let’s Divorce

The man spoke, adjusting his tie. 

The impeccably tailored, high-end suit accentuated his tall, slender frame. 

Though in his late forties, he showed none of the typical signs of a middle aged man; instead, time had only added a certain composure and depth to his appearance. 

His every movement exuded quiet confidence and elegance.  But Lin Yiwan had no interest in appreciating it.

She’d been running a high fever for two days, utterly weak, even breathing a struggle. 

Fighting back the itch in her throat, she pleaded in a hoarse voice,

“Can… can we not go? I have the flu, the doctor said it’s influenza A.”  He also said she had underlying health conditions and needed constant care.

Song Huaqing glanced at his watch; it was getting late.  His eyebrows furrowed slightly, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

“It’s just a cold, any doctor can treat it.  Duoduo’s coming-of-age ceremony is only once in a lifetime.  As her aunt, why don’t you understand the importance of this for your niece?”

Lin Yiwan’s last flicker of hope died at his predictable refusal.  The itch in her throat was almost unbearable, a wheezing sound emanating from her lungs.  She gasped for air.

“Are you really determined to go?”

She stared at him intently, as if trying to see through the man she’d known for over thirty years.

“I have to go, and you don’t need to pretend to be sick to scare me.”

Song Huaqing’s reply was firm.

At this, Lin Yiwan couldn’t help but laugh softly.  He actually thought she was faking it?

Last year, she’d been rushed to the emergency room. Had he forgotten?

Knowing she had severe asthma and now influenza A, he was determined to leave her to attend his niece’s birthday party across the ocean.

Her lungs wheezed like a broken bellows.  Lin Yiwan suppressed a violent cough, her voice calm, “Then let’s divorce.”

Song Huaqing had one foot out the door.  His impatience was uncontainable.

“Lin Yiwan, can’t you be reasonable? Yirou is your sister, Duoduo is your niece.  You want a divorce over a little cold?”

Lin Yiwan chuckled, murmuring, “Sister?”

Which sister calls her brother-in-law in the middle of the night? Which sister demands her brother-in-law fly halfway across the world because there’s a power outage and she’s afraid of the dark?

Lin Yiwan couldn’t remember how many times they’d argued over Lin Yirou.  She was tired.

“I’m serious.”

Holding up the divorce agreement she’d prepared, she stood on her shaky legs, her back straight, walking towards him.

Song Huaqing’s face darkened at the sight of the document.

“You’re emotionally unstable. I won’t discuss this now. My flight’s about to leave.  We can talk when I get back.”

He turned to leave, but Lin Yiwan blocked his path.

“Sign this agreement, or I won’t move.”

Her determined gaze left no room for doubt.

Seeing her stubbornness, Song Huaqing felt agitated. He didn’t understand why his wife was suddenly making such a fuss.  It was just a birthday party; was it really necessary?

“Are you sure you want a divorce? Once signed, there’s no turning back.”

He spoke with a veiled threat, hoping she’d reconsider.

“I’m sure. I’ve already consulted a lawyer about asset division.  Review it, and sign if there are no problems.”

Song Huaqing could no longer maintain his composure.  He was furious.

“You’ve been wanting a divorce? Lin Yiwan, when will you stop being so selfish?”

Selfish?

Lin Yiwan found it ludicrous.

She’d “selfishly” given her spacious, bright room to Lin Yirou because she was afraid of the dark.

She’d “selfishly” given up her job for Lin Yirou, who only had a junior high education and couldn’t find better work.

She’d “selfishly” transferred her mother’s courtyard to Lin Yirou for convenience.

And her precious jewelry, entrusted to him during times of upheaval, ended up in Lin Yirou’s closet.

Everyone told her to love and yield to her sister, her stepmother’s daughter.

But no one considered that she, having lost her mother at a young age, was terrified of the dark, or that she had to work in the countryside after losing her job.  She spent ten years there, her once bright face now weathered and haggard, leaving her with asthma.

Closing her eyes, she said wearily, “If you don’t sign, I’ll contact a lawyer.  Don’t make it a court case.”

Song Huaqing’s face turned ashen.

“You’re threatening me?”

Lin Yiwan remained silent, watching him, the man she’d loved for half her life.  She’d thought he was her salvation, her protector after losing her mother.  But she realized most of her hardships were because of him.

“Heh, Lin Yiwan, you initiated the divorce. Don’t come crawling back if you regret it.”

Song Huaqing, enraged, signed without looking, threw down the pen, and slammed the door.

Lin Yiwan stared at the familiar signature on the divorce agreement, hardly believing it.  Eighteen years of marriage, ended.

After confirming it was real, she laughed softly, tears welling in her eyes.

Composing herself, she called someone to pack her belongings.  Then, she contacted her lawyer, retrieving the assets left by her mother and grandmother.

Two days later, after settling the divorce, her fever returned.

That night, a severe coughing fit threatened to tear her lungs apart.  Her chest felt constricted, her breathing short and sharp.  Her asthma worsened!

Lin Yiwan clutched her chest, reaching for her inhaler.  It was empty.

Impossible. She’d bought it recently.

Then, she remembered Lin Yirou and her son playing with her medicine cabinet a couple of months ago.

Her breathing grew more rapid, her consciousness fading.  But she didn’t want to die!  She hadn’t fully recovered her mother’s belongings.

With a desperate will to live, she grabbed her new Nokia phone.  Clutching her chest, she tried to dial 911.  But as she pressed a number, the phone emitted a series of beeps.

Before she could understand, a deep voice came through,

“Lin Yiwan?”

Why was it him?

Lin Yiwan realized she’d dialed the wrong number.  She could only gasp for air.

The voice changed,

“Where are you?”

Lin Yiwan managed to utter “Yi Garden” before the call ended.

The phone fell to the ground.  She gasped for air, but less and less oxygen reached her lungs…

Her vision blurred, the world fading into a hazy mist.  Just as she slipped into darkness, she saw a figure in military uniform bursting through the door!