After I Left It Was Spring Again

"This phrase is called 'out with the old, in with the new'," said Eric. "This is just a way for your mother to encourage you to draw a brand-new family portrait for her. After all, our little Ben has grown so much."

It was clear, Ben took his father's words to heart because he threw his body to Wanda's arm and with his childish voice he vowed, "Mommy, I’ll draw lots and lots of new family portraits for you!"

Well! Out with the old, in with the new, huh?

Wanda's eyes were full of self-deprecation. So, this old wife and old mother would have to give way to the younger and prettier Christina.

The aroma of food lingered faintly in the air and entered Eric's nose. However, when he spotted the still steaming beef stew discarded in the trash, he was surprised.

"Wanda," he called out. "Did you cook dinner last night?"

"I haven’t cooked in a long time," Wanda answered calmly. "It turned out so awful that I threw it away."

Wanda had no idea why he cared enough to ask. Even the sight of Ben clinging to her legs felt suffocating.

She stood abruptly and to bush them off, she said she felt unwell and headed upstairs.

No sooner had she reached her bedroom than her phone began buzzing incessantly. When she opened her WhatsApp, she saw Christina had sent her three photos.

The first one was a photo of Christina holding a bouquet of red roses. She was posing with Eric and Ben.

The second one showed the trio of them enjoying a meal at the restaurant they had booked weeks ago.

The last one was a close-up of an emerald bracelet on Christina's wrist.

As she stared at the warm and intimate image in the photo, the dull pain in Wanda's heart turned into a sharp pain that stabbed her heart continuously. The hurt was so bad that it was so much harder for her to breathe.

Vaguely, the memory of twenty years ago resurfaced in her mind. When she was just nine years old, her parents died in a plane crash. While her relatives were fighting to take over her custody so they could take a dip into the enormous Hamilton Family's inheritance, only Eric, who was only fourteen years old at that time, took her hand and gave her home again.

Back then, he had said, “Wanda, I’ll protect you and never let you suffer.”

That promise had turned him into the single light in her life. She had stumbled and fallen over the years, but she always followed him.

When she learned of his stomach problems, she chose to major in food science and tirelessly honed her cooking skills, just to make him comforting, nourishing meals.

When he went abroad to study, she pushed herself to take the IELTS and practice her English, all to enroll in the same university.

High society circles whispered that Wanda was nothing more than a child bride raised by the Gordon Family. Yet, she did not care. She believed with all her heart that she and Eric would have their happily ever after.

However, in the world of the wealthy, true feelings fade faster than the seasons. Eric now had a new lover, but he still tried to deceive her with lies.

As Wanda wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Christina's message came again.

"I presume you have received your wedding anniversary gift, right? The emerald bracelet is too big and old-fashioned for me, but it should suit you perfectly."

The arrogance of the younger woman clearly could be seen in her writing. Her words dripped with veiled insults about Wanda’s age and fading beauty.

Wanda turned off her phone, took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. She wanted desperately to act as though nothing had happened. However, she could not lie to her heart.

The red roses and the jade bracelet … Actually every single "gift" from Eric and Ben had been nothing more than Christina’s discarded leftovers.

That realization alone was enough to suffocate her. She couldn’t help but question every gift from the past. Had they all been things rejected by other women? The thought made her feel like a fool forever believing she had been cherished.

Just then, Eric entered. He was holding Ben's hand who was dressed in his bear-print pajamas. "Ben insisted on sleeping with us tonight," he said.