The Eight-Year Lie： Shattered Vows and a Vengeful Heart - Chapter 16

As I got into the taxi, a black car pulled up. I recognized it as Xu Ge’s father’s car.

I watched Xu Ge’s father get out first. Having lost a loved one, he was visibly disoriented and had aged, but his figure was still tall and straight. Xu Ge got out later, hunched over, his head bowed, looking as if he had been crushed.

“Let’s go!” I told the driver.

Returning to the wedding house felt like a lifetime ago. There were people viewing the house today, and the agent led them inside. I stood at the door, hesitated, then went in.

In the bedroom, there was a small brocade box in the dresser drawer. I picked it up and hurried out of the bedroom, unwilling to stay any longer.

The people viewing the house haggled for a lower price, and I knew it was a losing deal for me, but I still agreed. After signing the contract, I sent Xu Ge a message.

My former colleague’s husband was the director of studies at No. 1 Middle School, so I easily got in. As I walked into the school, seeing the boys and girls in their uniforms, standing in the light, at the best time of their lives, I suddenly felt incredibly envious.

The old classroom was abandoned, now a storage room for desks and chairs. I dragged a stool over and sat down. Outside, the sound of the morning exercise music played. That music reminded me of those times. After morning exercises in summer, it was always very hot. Xu Ge would always pester my back-row classmate to switch seats, just to fan me for a few minutes, even though he himself was sweating profusely, he wouldn’t fan himself.

During winter exercises, my hands would be frozen. Xu Ge would warm up hand warmers in advance and then give them to me. A hand warmer would only stay warm for two or three hours, and he always accurately calculated the time to replenish my warmth.

The sound of the door opening interrupted my memories. Xu Ge stood before me, unshaven, looking disheveled and lost, his eyes bloodshot. He looked at me, his lips trembling, the corners of his eyes red, and his emotions began to stir.

“Wife, have you seen mom yet?”

I nodded slightly. “My condolences.”

He covered his face with his hands, then suddenly knelt before me, his fragmented sobs laced with a choked voice. “Wife, I was really wrong! I don’t love her, I just drank too much that day. You know how much I love you. I made the biggest mistake possible. I wish I could die. We shouldn’t be like this…”

Of course, I knew he still loved me, but he didn’t love me like he did when he was eighteen.

He cried intensely, his voice broken. “Wife, today is our wedding day. Originally, by this time, I should have already brought you home. You’d be wearing the wedding dress we chose together, and I’d carry you home to kowtow to my parents. I’d hand over all the red envelopes without keeping a single one, and in the evening, our family would eat a reunion dinner together… This is what our life should be!”

Xu Ge’s words were exactly what I had hoped for all these eight years, but what was missed was missed.

I turned my face away to wipe a tear, then pushed him away. “Xu Ge, you know, we had no chance after that night. Even if the future we fantasized about for eight years was right before us, there’s no chance.”

Xu Ge grabbed my hand, shouting loudly, “No, wife, listen to me, I will make amends. We’ve loved each other for eight years, these eight years I’ve loved you with all my heart…” I interrupted him.

“The video was taken by me, I caused you to lose your job, I made you despised by everyone, and most importantly, I bear some responsibility for your mother’s death.”

“I love you! But I still love you! Without you, I’m better off dead, wife, you know I’m a good boy, I made one mistake out of desperation, can you forgive me just this once, just this once!”

He cried like a child, hugging my waist tightly, making me unable to move.

My heart had no ripples left. Undeniably, I still loved the person in front of me, but what did it matter? We were ultimately impossible.

I took out the brocade box from my bag and handed it to him. He reacted strongly when he saw it. “Wife, don’t be like this, I really can’t live without you!”

I opened the brocade box and took a deep breath. “Xu Ge, this plain silver hairpin was placed in my hair by you on the day of our graduation.”

“The silver hairpin, pure white throughout, signifies purity, but now, neither of us is worthy of it anymore.”

I picked up the hairpin, cool to the touch, and forcefully placed it in Xu Ge’s hand. Xu Ge was about to push it back to me, but then I suddenly blurted out, “I’m pregnant,” which stunned him.

I looked at him, too excited to speak, and handed him a B-ultrasound report. It was just a dark blur, nothing visible, but he stared at it for a long time, his hands trembling continuously, showing his nervousness and excitement. Yet, I had to be the villain again.

“He’s only five weeks old, and we don’t know the gender yet. The doctor said he’s too small, not even as big as a green bean.”