Ten Years of Marriage, Ten Years of Future

　　The moment Emily saw me, her first reaction was to shrink in fear beside Samuel.

　　The irritation on his face was palpable as he questioned me.

　　"What are you doing here?"

　　Before I could think of a lie, he continued coldly.

　　"Natalie, let's part on good terms. Emily has a weak heart; your following me could easily frighten her."

　　Hearing this, I realized he had misunderstood the situation.

　　To avoid complicating things, I didn't bother to explain. I simply smiled weakly and said.

　　"Sorry, I'll leave now."

　　As I took a couple of steps, I heard someone call my name from behind.

　　A handsome man in a doctor's uniform walked toward me with determination, and Samuel's expression grew even colder.

　　"Chris, why are you here?"

　　Chris was not only my orthopedic surgeon but also a high school classmate of both Samuel and me.

　　Ignoring Samuel's unfriendly tone, Chris walked straight up to me and asked how my leg rehabilitation was going.

　　I smiled in gratitude, "Thanks to you, I can basically walk normally now."

　　I remembered the two calls Chris made to me last night, which I hadn't answered.

　　I opened my mouth to ask him what he needed, but Samuel suddenly interrupted.

　　"What rehabilitation? Your leg was just a scrape, wasn't it?"

　　Samuel only knew that I had an accident that day; he had no idea how serious my injuries were.

　　If only he had paid a little more attention to how I walked, he would have known how painful my rehabilitation was.

　　Unfortunately, he was too busy juggling work and sneaking around with Emily to spare any energy for me.

　　How could he find the energy to spare on me?

　　"My leg is none of your business," I replied flatly. "Don't forget, we're already divorced."

　　At my words, Samuel's face visibly darkened.

　　At that moment, Emily unexpectedly knelt down in front of me.

　　Tears streaming down her face like ricochet, this made me seem like a devil incarnate.

　　"Natalie, I've always wanted to say sorry to you."

　　"I've advised Samuel to cherish you."

　　"What has happened is all my fault. Whether you want to hit me or scold me, I'll accept it."

　　Facing Emily's hypocritical apology, I responded lightly.

　　"First of all, we're not so intimate. Secondly, this isn't a theater; no matter how well you perform, I won't give you a tip."

　　Seeing that I wasn't reacting the way she wanted, Emily stiffened, clutching her heart, looking pitifully at Samuel.

　　Pain flickered in his eyes as he helped Emily to her feet, wiping her tears while shooting me a cold glare.

　　"Natalie, there are twenty-nine days left in the divorce cooling-off period. You know my temper; don't cause trouble. If things get ugly, you'll be the one embarrassed."

　　After Samuel took Emily away, Chris sat down beside me, ignoring the curious gazes of passersby.

　　"Natalie, are you all right?"

　　I could handle everything on my own.

　　But as soon as I received someone else's concern, my eyes instantly turned red.

　　I looked at Chris, exhaustion evident in my gaze.

　　"Can I ask you for a favor?"

　　Before I could explain what it was, he eagerly agreed.

　　The next day, under Chris's care, I successfully underwent the abortion procedure.

　　As I was wheeled out of the operating room, I seemed to catch a glimpse of a familiar female figure flash by.

　　However, I was too weak to think further and quickly fell into a semi-conscious state.

　　After the surgery, Samuel didn't receive any calls from me.

　　Just as I had been clingy to him before, now I was completely quiet.

　　A week later, a drunken Samuel returned home with Emily.

　　He brought her into my dressing room, just as he was about to kiss her with a smile, he caught me changing clothes.

　　"Perfect timing," I said, moving my freshly curled black hair aside, revealing my smooth, fair back.

　　"Could you help me pull up my dress zipper?"

　　The air seemed to freeze for several seconds.

　　Samuel let go of Emily's hand and instinctively stepped forward to help me with the zipper.

　　Receiving my faintly smiling thanks, Samuel turned to Emily and gently said.

　　"Emily, I'm thirsty. Go get me a glass of water."

　　Emily shot me a resentful glance before obediently walking toward the living room.

　　With bright eyes and alluring red lips, while I was busy putting on earrings, he silently leaned in behind me.

　　With a swift motion, he trapped me between the dressing table and himself.

　　"Natalie, why are you dressed like this at night? Are you going to meet Chris? I didn't know he liked to wear shoes I've worn before."

　　Dressed like this?

　　Looking at the luxurious short skirt that highlighted my figure in the mirror, I began to doubt Samuel's taste for the first time.

　　I pushed against him but couldn't move him at all.

　　"Are you going to see Chris?"

　　After I shook my head, Samuel's mood seemed to improve somewhat.

　　Hearing Emily's footsteps approaching, he voluntarily released me.

　　Seeing this, I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

　　It felt like we were having an affair.

　　"Natalie, you look so beautiful. Are you going on a date? I didn't expect you to..."

　　Emily hesitated, her words trailing off.

　　Samuel clenched his jaw, as if he had more to say.

　　Fortunately, my phone rang just in time. With a faint smile, I answered the call while walking toward the front door.

　　Watching my lighthearted silhouette, Samuel followed me with a cold expression.

　　He watched as I got into a silver car and left without looking back.

　　That night, I didn't come home.

　　It wasn't until noon the next day that I hummed a tune as I opened the door to my house.

　　As soon as I walked in, I found a man sitting on the sofa, and I instinctively jumped in surprise.

　　It was Samuel.

　　He hadn't slept all night, and his white shirt was wrinkled and messy.

　　His dark eyes were filled with endless resentment as Samuel gritted his teeth and said to me.

　　"Natalie, I already know what you've done."