Ethan sat at the door with a broken look in
his eyes, motionless like a lost soul.
Until the heavy rain drowned him, his body
could no longer bear it.
Everything turned black, and he fell
unconscious in the rain.
And on the other side of the earth I was
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climbing up step by step under the scorching
sun.
Sweat dripped down like rain. I looked up at
the top of the mountain not far away, and a
satisfied smile appeared on my tired face.
Standing on the towering summit, the blue
sky and white clouds were above my head,
and the mountains and rivers were under my
feet.
I opened my arms and felt the magic of
nature, feeling more comfortable than ever
before.
Traveling around the world was once my
father’s wish, but he didn’t have the chance
to fulfill it, so now let me fulfill this wish for
him.
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I had always wanted to travel abroad in the
past few years, but Ethan always said he had
something urgent to do temporarily.
Day after day, I had never traveled in the past
five years.
The only scenery I had seen in the past five
years was him.
But in the future, I will no longer have him in
my eyes, only the great rivers and mountains
and the beauty of the world.
I want to live well in the world for myself and
my father.
Taking out the camera, I took pictures of the
beautiful scenery in my eyes and posted them
<
online, wanting more people to see them and
give more people strength.
“Mr. Blackwood! We found traces of the Mrs.
A netizen revealed that they saw the Mrs. on
a mountain top in A country!”
Ethan took the tablet that the assistant
handed over, and the familiar thin figure came
into view, and his heart was instantly set off
by a huge wave.
He flipped through the photos I took, and they
were excellent photography works in terms of
composition and color.
Ethan looked at the cliff I took for a long time
without saying anything.
I didn’t know if he remembered his promise to
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take me around the world, or if he saw my
change.
“Book a flight to Country A immediately and
send people to keep an eye on the Mrs.’s
whereabouts at any time.”
Ten hours later, Ethan arrived at the hotel
where I was staying. He stood at the door of
my room and raised his hand, but he didn’t
have the courage to knock on the door.
Finally, he sat quietly at the door of my room.
Until the next morning, the cleaner came to
clean the room and told him that the guest
had left long ago, but had not checked out.
Ethan’s hot heart was poured with cold water
and he stood up staggeringly and walked out
<
According to the address given by the
assistant, he ran madly, fearing that he would
never see me again if he was one step late.
He stopped when he ran to the park.
Next to the fountain, I was raising my hand to
tease the pigeons, and the camera on my
neck was shining in the sun.
I was dancing with the pigeons and my face
was full of smiles that Ethan hadn’t seen for a
long time, so bright and dazzling that people
didn’t dare to approach.
A smile appeared on Ethan’s vicissitudes of
face.
He was happy for me at this moment, but he
was unwilling to lose me.
<
After struggling for a long time, Ethan finally
raised his legs, but did not sit next to me, but
at the other end of the bench.
His hoarse voice was full of sadness.
“Chloe, I’m sorry, I’m sorry for what happened
back then. I’m really a bastard. I always
thought that I only felt guilty for you all these
years, but I didn’t realize until you left that,
Chloe, I fell in love with you, very, very much. I
can’t even imagine how I should live without
you in the future.”
“I really regret it, I regret everything I did to
you in the past. I owe you so much that I
can’t pay it back in this life, so Chloe, please
let me stay by your side to atone for my sins
and compensate you, okay? I can give you
everything, including my life.”
“I really want to protect you as I have done all
these years. I will definitely do what I promised Dad. Please let me stay by your
side, okay?”
Pigeons circled in the square, chirping happily, and children were playing carefree.
After a long time, I turned my head slowly to
look at Ethan, my voice calm and without ups
and downs.
“Ethan, you are not qualified to stay by my
side. Everything you have does not belong to
me, it belongs to Ashley. Didn’t you already
make a will? These years I have been living in
the lies you made up, do you know how much
I hate myself when I know the truth? I hate
myself for falling in love with you, falling in
love with a person who destroyed everything
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about me.”
Looking at this face that I had known for twenty years and slept with for five years, I
suddenly felt no hatred in my heart.
Perhaps in a person’s life, there is destined to be such a person who makes you love to the
bone and makes you bruised all over.
I stood up and looked down at him, a relieved
smile appearing on my face, but the smile did
not reach my eyes.
“Ethan, I will never forgive you.”
The sun was scorching, but Ethan was cold
all over, and a miserable smile appeared on
the corner of his mouth.
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“Chloe, but I really, really love you.”
His voice was very soft, so soft that it didn’t
drift into my ears with the wind.
I raised my camera and took pictures of the smiling faces of everyone in the cheering
crowd.
Only the man in the corner on the bench was covering his face, looking very painful.
“Sister, can you take a picture of us?”
A five–year–old boy tugged at my sleeve and
said in a childish voice, while the little girl
next to him was putting a garland on the
boy’s head.
<
“Okay.” I smiled and raised the camera.
I pressed the shutter and captured their purest and most innocent smiles.
Just like twenty years ago, when five–year- old Ethan and I were in the park, he put a grass–woven bracelet on my hand and told me that he would always protect me and not
let anyone hurt me.
When he said this as a child, there was no
calculation in his eyes, only me.
But later, the one who hurt me the most was
him.
Suddenly, a warmth came from behind, and a
familiar breath blew on my earlobe, making
my heart itchy.
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Ethan hugged me tightly, so tightly that I
could hardly breathe, as if he was afraid that
if he let go, I would disappear and never be
seen again.
His choked voice contained deep sadness.
“Chloe, look, aren’t those us when we were
kids? Give me a chance, okay? Let me atone
for my sins in my next life. I will get
everything you want for you, as long as you
let me stay by your side.”
A drop of hot tears fell on the back of my
cold hand.
It seemed to burn a little.
I sighed and said in a faint voice with a hint
of coldness.
<
“Ethan, I just want you to disappear from my
sight.”
Pushing him away,I didn’t stop and
disappeared into the woods without looking
back.
I don’t know how long he stood there, but
Ethan’s hoarse voice sounded low.
“I understand, Chloe.”
A month later at a beachside café, I was
enjoying the sea breeze and sipping a rich
coffee.
The conversations of the tourists around me
drifted into my ears.
“Have you heard? The CEO of Blackwood
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Media turned himself in! He said he used
improper means to bankrupt his father–in-
law’s company, deceived his wife’s feelings, caused the death of his father–in–law, and
killed his unborn child. He’s a real monster!
The person who was loved by him is too
miserable. I feel so sorry for his wife.”
My hand holding the coffee cup paused and I
lowered my head to open my phone. The
news push featured a picture of Ethan in jail.
Facing the accusations of the people around
him and the questions of the police, his face
had no expression. His eyes were silent and
gray.
“Ms. Chloe, your package.”
I took the file and opened it. It contained two
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aocuments.
A divorce agreement, with Ethan’s name
signed on the bottom right corner with every
stroke.
A property transfer agreement, in which Ethan voluntarily transferred all of his property,
including real estate and stock, to me
unconditionally.
Finally, there was a note with familiar
handwriting.
“Chloe, don’t refuse. I promise you I will never
appear in front of you again.”
“I hope you can be as free as the wind, happy
and safe.”
<
I smiled slightly. He finally understood me this
time.
I tore the note to pieces, as if destroying my
broken past with him.
I took another sip of coffee, and the rich, slightly bitter taste lingered on my tongue, making me want to savor it carefully.
I raised my camera and took pictures of the endless sea, the seagulls circling on the
surface of the sea, and the flowers in the
cracks of the rocks on the shore. I posted
them on social media.
“Rebirth.”
