I went home early on May Day to give my wife a surprise.

But there was no one in the house.

I called her, "Where are you, honey?"

I heard her gasping on the other end of the phone as she answered, "I, I am at home!"

I looked at the empty house and fell into silence.

I sent a photo back. "If you were at home, then where am I?"

——

My wife immediately changed her words and said she was out for a run and would be back soon.

The joy I had when I just got off the plane was instantly extinguished.

I looked at the sunshine with a high temperature outside.

A bone-chilling coldness seeped from the bottom of my heart.

Half an hour later, my wife, Heidi Amery, came in sweating profusely.

I sat on the sofa without saying a word.

She grumbled unhappily, "Why didn't you call before coming back?"

I remained silent.

Seeing that I didn't coax her like before, Heidi slammed the door loudly and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

I calmed down and hoped that I was overthinking.

When she came out, I spoke directly, "It's so hot outside, and you're not feeling well. Why did you go for a run?"

As she dried her hair, she retorted, "What's the matter? You seldom come back, and now you're telling me when I can go for a run?"

I remained silent, and she seemed to realize that she was too agitated and explained again.

"I just went to my mom's house to deliver something. It's too hot in the neighborhood, so I ran back. If you don't believe me, call my mom and ask for it."

The tone was as impatient as ever.

Heidi's parents lived in an old neighborhood, and they were in the innermost building. This explanation was also reasonable.

I tried to ignore the strange feeling in my heart.

I forced a smile and said, "How could I not believe you. I'll tell you some good news after I take a shower."

"Yes."

I hurried into the bathroom.

When I was almost done washing, I suddenly realized that I forgot to bring clean clothes. I called Heidi a few times but she didn't respond, so I had to turn off the water and go out to get them myself.

But I heard voices coming from the bedroom.

Because the door wasn't closed tightly, her voice drifted out.

"Don't worry. He's clueless, and hasn't noticed anything. Of course I only love you..."

I couldn't hear the sound clearly, so I took a few steps and pushed open the bedroom door.

There was a sudden look of panic on Heidi's face.

She hung up the phone in a hurry.

She smiled as if to hide something and said, "Why did you come out so quickly?"

"I'm a bit tired and want to rest early."

I heard my calm voice coming out of my mouth.

"Didn't you say you have good news to tell me? What good news?"

"We have two extra days off for the May Day holiday."

I made up a random excuse.

Her face changed.

"Is that it? Hasn't your company given you any bonuses or anything?"

"No. I'm going to sleep."

Thinking about the appointment letter from the leader, I smiled bitterly.

I originally wanted to share this good news with her, so I came back early.

But I saw this scene by accident, and I no longer had the mood to share.

Looking back now, every time I came home, Heidi was not very happy.

Only when I give her rewards other than my salary could I get a smile from her.

At first, I thought it was because I had spent too little time with her.

But in order to pay off the debt, I still endured it and told her that I would definitely come back to accompany her more in at most two years.

Since she got sick and had surgery three years ago, her body hadn't been very good and she had been staying at home.

To prevent her from suffering, I gave her almost all of my monthly salary after paying back the debts.

I was afraid that she would be materially disadvantaged.

When we got married, she said I was the best person to her and that she would love me forever.

In less than two years, her love for me changed to someone else.

I didn't want to accuse her wrongly, so I asked someone to investigate.

The result was even more disheartening.

Heidi had indeed started a relationship with someone else.

Recently, they even had sex.

On that day, I moved out of the house.

Heidi and I were high school classmates.

Her parents had three children. She was the second oldest and also a girl, so they didn't pay as much attention to her.

Even her name was randomly chosen.

Her parents already had a daughter, and they thought this would be a boy.

Unexpectedly, Heidi was a girl. If it weren't for the persuasion of the neighbors, they would have given Heidi away at that time.

When Heidi was three years old, her mother became pregnant again and finally gave birth to a son as she had hoped.

Naturally, this boy was highly valued.

As the second daughter, she had to share all the good things to her younger brother.

In high school, she would wear the clothes that her younger brother didn't want. Fortunately, she had a slim figure, so she could fit into them.

Both the teacher and classmates were aware of her experience and had been particularly caring towards her.

I was no exception. I didn't know since when her figure had always been lingering in my mind.

Just looking at her thin and small figure made me want to protect her.

I couldn't help but help her and treat her well.

I brought her food, helped her with work, and studied with her. She never refused, so I thought she also had feelings for me.

But I couldn't disturb her at this time. After all, it was not easy for her to be able to go to school. If her study was affected, I would never forgive myself.

I was ready to confess after the college entrance examination, but I found out that she was with another classmate.

I thought we were not meant to be.

Two years after graduation, when I went home for the New Year, I saw her again at a high school classmate's reunion.

And she was alone at this time.

Many classmates knew about what happened back then and intentionally tried to match us up.

Facing the girl I had liked for many years, how could I remain indifferent at this moment.

After the party, she became my girlfriend.

I thought that God had been kind to me.

Although Heidi was not very enthusiastic towards me, I was still very happy. No matter when I looked at her, I felt joy.

But the good times didn't last long. She was diagnosed with cancer soon.

The doctor said that the treatment cost would be at least 100 thousand, and she would need careful care in the future.

When her parents heard that it would cost so much money, they immediately refused the treatment.

I didn't give up. I took out all my savings since I started working and borrowed money to pay for her medical treatment.

I resigned and took care of her by her side for two months until she was discharged from the hospital.

After she recovered, she agreed to my proposal. I thought we would be very happy together.

But I didn't expect reality to give me a hard slap.

When we got married, her parents asked for 50 thousand dollars.

Heidi said, "Although my parents treated me badly, it's not easy for them to raise me."

She clearly knew about my situation.

My parents bought me a house in full payment when I graduated and decorated it. It almost used up all of their savings.

I had used up all my savings for her medical treatment, and even borrowed money from friends.

I had to borrow from loan sharks for so much money.

But she was still unhappy, saying that others would look down on her if I didn't give money.

For the sake of her face, I made up my mind to borrow from loan sharks.

I didn't dare to let my parents know throughout the process, for fear that they would make things difficult for Heidi after she married into our family.

If they knew that in order to marry Heidi, I not only spent all my savings, but also borrowed so much money, they would be very worried.

After marriage, I worked hard to earn money, just to repay the loan as soon as possible and provide her with a good living environment.

Therefore, when the leader asked me if I wanted to be stationed in another state for a long-term project with double the salary, I signed up.

I thought that as long as I came back to see her every month and gave her enough money, we could live happily together after two years of persistence.

But I didn't expect to get such a result.

That night, I told her that there was something urgent at work and I needed to go back early.

She responded expressionlessly.

Every time, she had always been cold and indifferent to me.

I used to think that she was unhappy because I had to leave and was throwing a tantrum.

Now I knew that she just didn't care about me.

I didn't send her any money after I received my salary this time.

That night, she called me.

"Cornel Silva, where is your salary? Are you planning to give it to another woman outside?"

I laughed angrily. She was the one who cheated, but now she was turning the tables on me.

I held back my anger, thinking about the phone call my mom just made.

She said on the phone that my dad had been feeling uncomfortable with his heart for a long time, and the local hospital suggested going to a higher-level hospital for examination.

How much of a failure was I? For these past few years, I had been focused on Heidi, and I didn't even know that my father wasn't feeling well.

With a last glimmer of hope, I told Heidi.

"My dad isn't feeling well and needs to go to a big hospital for examination. I won't give you the money for now."

Heidi exploded with anger.

"What does it have to do with me if your dad is not feeling well? It's not my fault. Don't forget that you are my man and you should support me. If you don't give me money, I will have to go hungry."

My last glimmer of hope was shattered.

It was not until now that I truly saw what kind of person Heidi was.

Since we got married, my parents often bought her gifts, gave her money, and even cooked delicious food for her.

Every time I went home, I would clean the house, just to make her less tired.

Before leaving, I would purchase the daily necessities and make a few dishes in advance, so that she could heat them up when she wanted to eat.

Heidi enjoyed all the efforts of our family, but had never bought anything for me or my parents.

Every time we went to her parents' house, she would almost fill a car with gifts.

Despite this, she still complained that I seldom accompanied her home enough, which made others laugh at us.

Last year, when her father got sick, I took a week off to take care of him. Later, when the company urged me to go back to work, my dad took over and helped take care of him for half a month. Their family only said a simple thank you.

Now, when she heard that my dad was sick, this was her reaction.

I finally sobered up.

I hung up the phone and went to the hospital with my elderly father.

The test results would not be available until three days later.

These days, I had been accompanying my parents to go around.

Looking at their aging faces and facing my mother's subtle inquiries about whether I should go for another check-up to see if I could be cured, I was so heartbroken that I almost shed tears. They wanted to have grandchildren.

During the surgery, the doctor told me that even if Heidi got better, she couldn't have children.

I kept it from her and told her that the surgery was very successful.

But I told my parents that it was my problem.

I was afraid they would urge Heidi and make her feel guilty.

Thinking of this, I solemnly said to my mother, "Since that, you have to take good care of yourselves. Once I'm cured, I'll bring you a grandchild in a couple of years."

My mother was instantly overjoyed.

My father, who rarely smiled, also had a hint of a smile on his face.

Three days later, the test results came out. It was early heart attack.

The good news was that it could be completely cured through surgery.

I immediately took a long leave and arranged for my father to be hospitalized.

My mother said she would take care of my father and told me not to bother, but I insisted on accompanying them.

I burst into tears of joy when I saw my elderly father come out of the successful surgery.

My dad even made fun of me, saying that I was scared by such a small surgery.

After a few days of recovery, my father finally got discharged.

When I was taking them home, I ran into Heidi.

She was furious and didn't even ask how my dad's illness was. She just yelled at me.

"Cornel, are you still a man? You have ignored me for the past few days. You must be disgusted with me because I can't make money..."

As she spoke, she started crying on the road.

My mom tried to pull her up, but she pushed her away.

Soon, a crowd gathered to watch the commotion.

The suppressed anger finally surged up again.