Running From Betrayal: Goodbye to You

My ex-best friend's birthday is also my mother's death anniversary.

When I see Susan Lloyd picking a birthday cake with Hans Luther, I know she's going to snatch my husband after snatching my father from me.

I won't let her get away with it, though.

I don't want to follow in my mother's footsteps and be forced to jump off a building. So, after ruining Susan's birthday party, I leave the divorce agreement I've prepared and move out of my marital home.

It's been less than seven hours since the incident. In that time, I've spent one hour packing, one hour getting to the train station, and three hours getting to my grandmother's house.

In my final two hours, I convince my grandmother to let me stay.

Hans, I don't want you anymore.

Hans Luther was stunned when he realized that Yarmilla Sullivan had blocked him.

After three years of marriage, Yarmilla had always been Hans' dignified, graceful, and kind wife. Her behavior was always impeccable, no matter the occasion.

It wasn't until he came home and saw the divorce papers left on the table that he finally realized he had done something wrong.

The words he had said to her replayed in his head.

"It's been years since it happened. Susan has always wanted to reconcile with you. There's no need to make things so tense. It's Susan's birthday today. She's your elder, and she offered you a toast; you should have accepted it.

"When you were younger, you could blame your upbringing. But if you can't control yourself now, it only shows you're still immature. How could I even think about having children with you when you're like this?"

Hans picked up the divorce papers from the table and read through them before placing them back down.

He didn't think he had done anything wrong. Whether Yarmilla accepted it or not, Susan Lloyd had long ceased being just her best friend and had become her stepmother.

Yarmilla maintained an air of hostility toward Susan, straining family relations and making it difficult for Hans to navigate events where he needed to bring his wife along. Besides, from his interactions with Susan, she didn't seem nearly as intolerable as Yarmilla had described.

Hans genuinely believed that instead of clinging to the past, it was better to change one's mindset and embrace life with a smile.

Still, he couldn't help but panic at the thought that this was the first time Yarmilla had been this furious.

Tightening his grip on the phone, Hans tried calling Yarmilla again.

He was still blocked.

…

From the moment I saw Hans and Susan standing together in the bakery picking out a birthday cake, I knew my marriage with him had come to an end.

To avoid repeating my mother's mistakes, I packed my things and moved out of our marital home right after ruining Susan's birthday party. It had been less than seven hours since it happened.

In these seven hours, I spent an