I had no idea what was going on at the time and spent a lot of time doubting my husband. This was almost 10 years ago when I was in my 30s and had only recently married my husband. He had been working hard even before we got married, and I expected life with him to be difficult, but he never came home for so long that I felt alone.

At first, I tried to let my husband relax at home during the rare times he would be there, but my frustration grew. I became harsh with him every time I saw his face. My husband would try to soothe me, but if he saw that I was still unsatisfied, he started to ignore me. I wanted him to look at me no matter how busy he was with his work because we were married. This emotion got the best of me, and I couldn’t look at my husband objectively any longer.

Whenever I would pick a fight with my husband, he would always say, “I’m going to settle down soon, and then we’ll go to that Island you like.” But this never came true. Work was more important than me, isn’t it? I said, “If so, don’t force yourself to come home. I’m tired too, and seeing you so excited makes me sad.”

No matter how many horrible things I said to him, he never took it seriously, and I began to have a nagging feeling that our marriage was coming to an end. Soon after, my husband could tell I wasn’t even mad at him and had no feelings for him. I didn’t suspect it at first because he worked in a department with many business trips. But one day, I found a receipt and membership card for a hotel near a house in his suit pocket after he came home from a business trip.

The receipt indicated that he had stayed at the hotel on the day when he was out of town on a business trip and he had accumulated points for more than one night. As a successful businessman who could get the job done, my husband was quite popular with the ladies at work. I guessed that he had found another woman to be with. “Why should I have a hard time when he is enjoying being with another woman?” I went out and made plans on weekends too. It was fun for a while, but eventually, I grew tired.

I was tired of forcing myself to smile and not being able to truly enjoy myself. Perhaps it was finally time for my husband and me to be free. We were both avoiding each other, not facing each other as husband and wife. It would be preferable if my husband was happier with someone other than me. I suppose it’s time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life, but this is the husband I used to love until I realized I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with him.

It took a lot of guts for me to ask for a divorce. I also wondered if there was really no other option but to call it quits. But it seems that my husband has a new girlfriend. After days of deliberation, I made a decision and sent a text message to my husband’s cell phone: “Will you come home early today? I need to talk to you.” I texted him on his cell phone. He replied right away, “I need to talk to you too, and I’ll try to leave as soon as possible.”

I found myself thinking that my husband must not want a divorce, even though I was certain I had made my decision. My husband is also seeking a divorce. Just thinking about it made my heart rise so fast that I couldn’t breathe, and I struggled to stand. My husband’s heart was not with me; it went to someone else. “Let’s not cry anymore. At the very least, I should end things with a smile,” I made my decision and waited for my husband to return home.

It was shortly after 9 pm when my husband returned home. He’d lost an unexpected amount of weight. His kind eyes and tone of voice remained the same, but there was a gap between us that seemed insurmountable. My husband, who had never been a man of many words, kept looking down and remained silent except for a few words while I spoke. I wanted to end the conversation with my husband in a respectful manner because I felt he was making a lot of fun of me.

We were a married couple, albeit for a short time, and we were about to divorce, so why wouldn’t he tell me how he felt? I became increasingly angry and began to argue with him. However, my husband remained silent and listened to what I had to say. I wanted him to say something, so I told him that I knew about his new girlfriend. He probably thought I was oblivious to the fact. If he knew I knew everything, he would become impatient and make one excuse after another.

Hearing my words, my husband looked at me in surprise, then smiled briefly after a brief pause. He asked, “What do you know?” Strangely, I couldn’t help but laugh at his joking tone, which made my husband laugh. For the first time in a long time, we laughed together, regardless of the topic of the conversation. I was overjoyed to be able to laugh with my husband like we used to.

We were able to talk again after that, which was a strange sensation. Perhaps it was because he found out I knew about the affair. My husband’s face appeared to be revitalized. “Let’s stop attacking each other. I don’t want to leave you because I don’t like you,” he said. My husband agreed to my proposal, and we decided to clean our room and share our belongings so that we could leave at any time.

They were all precious memories, but they were all things I wanted to keep hidden for a while. My husband had always been the type of person who used things he’d had for years, but today he hadn’t hesitated to throw them away. His grace overwhelmed me even more. “Take anything you want. It’s all my fault, so this is my atonement,” he said.

When the room was clean and tidy, and we only had each other’s belongings, my husband’s eyes seemed to be filled with tears as he said this. Did he feel sad as he cleaned up the mess? That was very clear to me because I felt the same way. “You still have time to think about it, don’t you? Let’s clean up one step at a time,” I decided to take a break for the rest of the day after cleaning up the entire mess.

I took a bath to clear my mind. I should be able to get compensation from my unfaithful husband, but it was clear that our relationship had already ended. Besides, I didn’t want to taint my memories of my husband any further. As I was getting ready for bed after the bath, my husband entered the bedroom. He climbed into bed and gently drew me into his arms. “Hey, this is weird, and I feel bad for your girlfriend,” I said.

My husband said quietly, “Just one more time, I want to be by your side.” I stiffened slightly. He was trembling as he wrapped his arms around me. “Are you crying?” I asked him, but he didn’t respond. I noticed that his body was lighter and more bony as I stroked his back. “Are you sure you’re well? You appear to have shed some pounds,” when I said this to him, his body stopped shaking.

“I’ve been cutting weight,” he said, pulling his body away from mine, taking a deep breath. “Okay, is there anything else I should know? Are you sure you’re okay?” It had been a long time since I had touched my husband’s body, and I was surprised to see how different it looked from before. My husband’s physique was always stocky and muscular, even when he was busy, he enjoyed working out. But he told me she likes me like this. I was sad once more. He’s doing it for her. Why doesn’t he just forget about me if he enjoys being with her so much that he loses weight?

“I see. Then there’s no need to cry because it’s the last day, or is it tears of joy to keep my sadness at bay?” I said something sarcastic that I didn’t need to say. “You’re still the same. I like that part of you too. I wish you a happy life from tomorrow. I’ll be praying for you wherever you are,” my husband said lightly.

After saying that, my husband began to snore. He was a man who moved at his own pace until the end. “I hope so as well,” I fell asleep after murmuring to his sleeping face. I overslept the next day because I had stayed up late cleaning up the room the day before. My husband was no longer in bed when I awoke. When I entered the living room, I noticed an A4 size envelope on the table.

When I opened it, I discovered a bank book and a slew of documents inside. When I removed everything, I discovered that it was related to marital property. There was also an unusually large sum of money in the bank book in my name, and I discovered the divorce papers in a small envelope. My husband’s section had already been filled, so all that remained was for me to complete and submit mine.

In a panic, I dialed my husband’s cell phone, but it was disconnected because it appeared to have been canceled. I spent several days asking about my husband’s whereabouts with his parents and friends, but none of them would tell me. I had no choice but to contact his company, where I discovered that my husband, that workaholic, had resigned a few months before. Who would have thought he’d made a new girlfriend and left? But why go to such lengths? Why didn’t anyone tell me anything?

I’ve grown suspicious of people, and there appears to be no way to contact my husband. The mental fatigue that had been building up since before the divorce nearly crushed me. My husband had gone to the trouble of arranging compensation for me, and now that I was free, I decided to spend some time in a place I really enjoyed. We arrived at the remote island, which took nearly a day to reach from the mainland.

The island was depopulated, and about 3,000 people lived there. I had visited the island once with my husband and was captivated by its natural beauty and the slow flow of time. My husband promised that we would return to the island once this work was completed. I miss my husband, but maybe what I need now is the peace and quiet of that place. I quit my job and moved to this remote island a few months later, after renting the house to someone else.

It was a risky move on my part, but I knew I couldn’t stay in my house any longer. I’m not sure how my husband paid off the mortgage, but I know he worked very hard. But there were too many memories to keep living along in the house. However, I didn’t want to waste my husband’s efforts, so I didn’t want to just let it go. There are many strange things, but I can’t ask my husband about them anymore.

I plan to spend time on this quiet Island, relaxing and letting myself go. I began to adjust to Island life and became acquainted with my neighbors. I had enough assets to live a normal life without working, but I realized that doing nothing was even more depressing. So I started working as a sort of helper, assisting the elderly neighbors with their problems. I was initially treated as an outsider, but as I became more used to the work, I was relieved to be accepted as one of the Islanders.

As I was settling in, I learned from a co-worker that a new client had arrived from the main island for medical treatment. He had become ill and had chosen this island as his final residence because there was no treatment available. Moving to this island with no medical facilities would be difficult unless you are very prepared. When I went to see the new client, I was nervous because of his condition.

We arrived at the small house on a hill with a view of the ocean. The house had been vacant for a long time and had been renovated to the point where it was livable, but it was really just enough to keep the wind and rain out. I questioned whether this was the best place for him to spend his final days. With concern, I ran the doorbell. “Come in,” a small voice said, barely audible.

I gave my usual greeting and entered. I found my client sitting in front of a window, the sun and wind streaming in. I couldn’t see his face because it was backlit, so I squinted as I approached. “It’s a pleasure to meet you today, sir,” as I looked at the face that turned to me, I was speechless. My husband, no, my ex-husband sat there. We were both taken aback. We just stood there, staring.

My husband initiated the conversation, “You found me out,” he said with a mischievous smile, just like before. “What exactly are you doing here?” I was so confused by my husband’s presence, the fact that he wasn’t supposed to be there, as well as the information I had heard at work, that I couldn’t speak properly. My husband grabbed my hand and forced me to sit next to him. He sat next to me and held my hand until I relaxed.

I couldn’t think of anything to say to him, and as I sat there, I heard a voice at the door. I wiped my tears and opened the door, where an elderly man stood. He seemed surprised to see my tear-stained face, but he bowed, went inside, and sat down next to my husband. “How are you doing today?” he inquired, speaking in a soft voice.

My husband said that there was nothing unusual and began chatting with him. The elderly man was most likely the island’s only doctor. I remembered my colleagues telling me that there were no impatient facilities on the island, and that the clinic nurse and doctor were the island’s lifelines. So it appears that my husband came to the island to spend his final days here. Although it was his decision, I listened intently to their conversation.

I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help. My husband’s doctor left after about 10 minutes of casual conversation. I couldn’t help myself and ran after him. I guess my flustered appearance startled him again, but when I told him that I was my husband’s ex-wife, his expression turned serious. “I was told you came from the main island,” I nodded to his words, “The disease has already progressed quite a bit. We are doing the best we can, but it’s just to make him as comfortable as possible until the end,” he explained.

My tears spilled over, and I tried to wipe them away quickly. I asked him if there was anything I could do for my husband. He looked at me kindly and said, “Being with him is enough. He talks about you all the time.” I gave a weak laugh to his words. It’s not the same as it was before. He’s doing this for someone else now. The doctor placed his hand gently on my shoulder and smiled at me.

“Take care of him,” he said, before turning to leave. I returned to the house, determined to do whatever I could for my husband in his final days. Although we were no longer husband and wife, I felt that there was something I could do for him. And so, I spent the last few months with my ex-husband on that island, supporting him through his illness.

As we spent time together, we gradually rekindled the love we once had. I could see my husband’s feelings for me were still there, despite his new girlfriend. We had honest conversations about our past mistakes and the pain we had caused each other. It was a bittersweet time, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to have closure and rediscover the love we once shared.