Mindy Horton and I got married on Thanksgiving.

Coincidentally, her assistant went abroad to further his studies that day. I did not pay much attention to it until the eve of another Thanksgiving three years later.

I was browsing TikTok and came across Mindy, who was in a street interview about couples.

The reporter stopped her and asked, "Excuse me. Could I have a second of your time? Who would you like to spend today with?"

Mindy paused for a moment. She struggled to answer after a long while, "With my lover."

"Call him now. He should know how you feel!"

I smiled as I sat up, ready to pick up Mindy's call.

However, when I looked up, I saw Mindy sobbing to another man on the screen. "I know you've returned, and I still can't forget you after all these years. Do you know how much I regret not marrying you and marrying another man? We missed our chance with each other three years ago. Let's spend Thanksgiving together this year!"

I sat in bed all night and booked a flight out of the country the next morning.

"When are you leaving?" my assistant asked.

I replied, "On Thanksgiving."

The woman sobbing so hard on my phone screen that she could hardly speak was my wife, Mindy Horton.

Looking at her face, I could hardly recognize her.

"You have no idea how long I sat out on the balcony on the day you left. You have no idea how I got through the last three years without you. Do you know that my heart feels like it's about to be torn apart when I wake up every day and see that you're not the man I married, Harvey?"

Mindy was always so calm and composed. I had never seen her so out of control before. I thought she had sat out on the balcony on our wedding day because she was so happy to be marrying me.

Now, it seemed like that was all just wishful thinking on my part. Tears silently slid down my face as I watched the phone screen. Her former assistant, Harvey Leeman, finally spoke up and replied, "Okay. Come and find me, then."

Mindy's desperate expression vanished instantly. She looked like a kid who just got some candy.

The reporter cheered beside her. "How sweet! It's truly a Thanksgiving night of reunions. These two lovebirds can finally be together!"

Mindy smiled at the reporter. "Thank you. This is definitely the only fulfilling Thanksgiving I've had in the last few years."

'The only fulfilling Thanksgiving? What about the holidays we spent together?' I wondered as I curled my fist and watched Mindy drive straight to the address Harvey had given her.

My palms turned white and even started to bleed. I could not help calling Mindy and asking, "Where are you? When are you coming home?"

There was a pause before she replied in a low voice, "I'm not going home today, so you can spend tonight by yourself. I have some work to attend to."

The indifferent tone sounded no different from her usual one.

However, I could not contain my emotions. Biting my lip, I asked, "Are you really busy with work? Aren't you looking for another man?"

This remark struck a chord with Mindy, and she instantly flew into a rage. "Mason Gregory, what's wrong with you? Can't you calm down a little and stop causing trouble for me? Stay home today and reflect on yourself. Stop calling me, or I'll block you."

With that said, she hung up.

My fingers trembled, and I did not even notice that I dropped my phone until a notification from Facebook rang out.

[This CEO booked out all of Ackerville's fireworks just for her man! Her husband is so lucky. He's the happiest man in the world tonight!]

Fireworks exploded in the dark sky outside the window.

Who else but Mindy could book all the fireworks in the city? However, her husband was not the happiest man in the world by a long shot.

My eyes swelled as I switched on my phone to check Harvey's Facebook.

Sure enough, I saw two hands clasped together tightly against the backdrop of fireworks. The caption read: [Those who once loved you will always love you, no matter how many years or how long you've been apart.]

Mindy commented below: [The reflection of the moon shines in both the sea and the sky. The man before me holds the key to my heart.]

They might have forgotten that Harvey and I were Facebook friends.

Our mutual friends commented below.

[Oh, you two finally got back together? I'm crying tears of joy!]

[It's great to see you two standing side by side again.]

[Does Mason know?]

Mindy then replied to the comment about whether I knew.

[You're just trying to cause trouble, aren't you? Can you please stop mentioning him? How annoying.]

[Jeez! So what if Mason knows? Everyone knows he loves Mindy to death. Even if he knew, he'd just beg Mindy not to divorce him.]

Mindy did not reply, but she liked the comment.

My heart felt like it had dropped from my chest to the floor, only to be stomped on.

It turned out she was certain I would not leave.

I sat on my bed all night while tears streamed down my face.

The next morning, I called my assistant. "Transfer all my assets and book me a flight abroad immediately."

My assistant asked, "When are you leaving?"

I lowered my eyes. "On Thanksgiving Day."

It was just like three years ago, except this time, it was me leaving.

Mindy stayed out all night and did not come back until the next day.

"Why are you still asleep?" I had just fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning when she woke me up.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the red marks on her neck. My heart skipped a beat for a moment.

Then, I saw her eyes suddenly light up with joy as she caught a glimpse of me. "Mas."

She had not said my name like that for a long time. It reminded me of what she was like during the year when we first met.

Just when I thought she had changed her mind, her next words made my blood run cold. “You have a rare blood type, right? That’s amazing! Harvey can be saved! It turns out that he quit his job back then to get medical treatment abroad, not to ditch me so he could further his studies."

I watched her talking excitedly to herself.

"Did you come back this morning just to tell me all this? What do you mean? Do you want me to give my blood to Harvey?" I looked at her with red-rimmed eyes.

I had been weak and sickly since childhood, and I could not do any heavy labor due to anemia. She was aware of this.

At the look on my face, Mindy's excited face suddenly darkened.

"Mason, when did you become so selfish? Harvey's sick. We're just asking you for some blood. What's with your attitude?"

Looking at her face, I muttered, "So his illness is serious, but mine isn't? Mindy, who is your husband in the eyes of the law?"

Mindy stared at my face for a long moment before clenching her jaw and yanking me away with her. "You have to give your blood today, whether you want to or not."

It was not until we got to the hospital that I saw Harvey. His face was rosy, and he did not look sick at all.

Mindy flung me over to the doctor. "He has a rare blood type. Draw his blood."

She grabbed Harvey's hand with a look of concern. "How are you feeling? Are you feeling any discomfort?"

Harvey shook his head before shaking Mindy's arm. "What took you so long? I've been waiting for you for ages. I felt like my heart was about to stop while waiting."

"Don't be afraid. I'm here now." Mindy then glared at me and said to the doctor, "Hurry up and draw his blood."

The nurse plunged the needle into my arm, making my heart skip a beat from the pain.

As one after another blood bag was filled, I felt my body grow colder and colder. Even my lips turned pale.

Even the nurse could not take it in the end. "Ms. Horton, let's stop at this much for today. If we take any more..."

Mindy said to the nurse, almost sinisterly, "You’ll do what I say, and you’ll stop when I tell you to. He's such a scoundrel. We don't know when we'll be able to draw his blood the next time. Draw more this time so it's enough for Harvey."

By the end of the blood draw, my mind was a little hazy. Even the doctor said, "Ms. Horton, we can't draw any more. Mr. Gregory isn't in good health. If we keep on drawing blood, I'm afraid something might happen."

Mindy glanced at me, her eyes landing on my pale lips and flickering away.

Just as she was about to speak, Harvey coughed harshly. "Mindy, I'm fine. After all, I've been alone overseas for three years. I'm used to it. It's okay if Mason doesn't draw more blood. My heart will just hurt a little, but I can get through it."

Mindy's tone turned cold. "Draw more!"

Then, the needle was thrust back into my arm. My consciousness grew increasingly hazy. At the last moment before I lost consciousness, I heard Mindy curse, "How stupid! You can't even do something as simple as giving your blood? What a loser!"

Tears streamed down my face. All those years of love had been wasted on her.

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

The nurse was pleasantly surprised to see me wake up. "Mr. Gregory, you're finally awake. You've been unconscious for two days."

'How could it have been two days already?' I pondered.

I looked at the nurse and asked, "Where's Mindy?"

The nurse's eyes looked a bit off. I frowned and asked, "Has she left?"

The nurse quickly waved her hand and replied, "No. Ms. Horton is in the hospital. It's just..."

She stammered but eventually made up her mind and told me, "Ms. Horton is in the hospital, but she’s never come to see you in the past two days. Even when you fainted that day, it was the doctor who sent you here. Ms. Horton has been with Mr. Leeman."

I paused for a moment before biting my lip hard. I never thought Mindy could be so cruel to me. Naively, I thought Mindy still had some feelings for me.

Just then, piano music came from the ward next door.

Harvey's voice rang out, "Mindy, you're amazing."

My eyes froze, and I ran to the corridor without even putting on my shoes. This was a private hospital, and the other patients on this floor seemed to have already been sent away.

Harvey and Mindy were sitting at a piano in the hospital corridor.

Mindy's fingers danced nimbly across the piano, and she looked at Harvey with a smile. "Does it sound good? Is it the same song I played for you before?"

It was the first time she had played the piano since we got married.

When I asked her to play a piece for me before, she always answered, "Why should I bother doing that?"

It was not playing the piano that she did not want to bother with—it was the person she would have been playing to.

I walked over with tears in my eyes. "It sounds beautiful. Really beautiful! Of course, that’s as expected of Mindy. No wonder you were known to be so talented and accomplished back in college."

Mindy froze instantly.

Harvey narrowed his eyes before turning around to look at me. "Mason, you're awake! I was thinking of visiting you in the ward later." He reached out to grab my arm.

I looked at his defiant face and shoved him away. "Go away! Don’t bother pretending."

I had not expected Harvey to be so weak. He fell to the ground at the slightest touch, and tears immediately streamed down his face. "Mason, I was just concerned about you."

Mindy looked at Harvey on the ground and quickly pulled him up. Then, she glared at me. "Mason, you lunatic! Harvey cares about you. What's with your attitude?"

I looked at how close they were. I deserved to be the third party in this relationship. "He cares about me? You didn't care when I was lying in the hospital ward for two days, but now that I'm awake, you care? Mr. Leeman, you're a bit slow, aren't you?"

Harvey's tears kept coming. "Mason, I know you've never liked me. If that's the case, I'll leave. I won't show my face in front of you anymore."

He was about to stand, but Mindy grabbed him. "Why are you leaving? He should be the one to leave."

I let out a bitter chuckle. "Okay, Mindy. You said it yourself."

I turned around and walked out of the hospital without even changing out of my hospital gown. Harvey said, "Mindy, Mason isn't mad, is he? Go and comfort him! What if he really leaves?"

Mindy scoffed. "Don't worry. Pigs would fly if he ever got mad. He'll find his way back home in less than two days."

I thought I would burst into tears after hearing her cruel statement. However, when I touched my eyes, there was nothing.

It turned out that love really could be eroded, bit by bit.