The One Who Waited

Over the next three days, Uriah did not come home.

During that time, Irina packed up all her belongings and had everything shipped back to her parents' house.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally called Linda. "Mom, I'm coming home in a few days."

On the other end of the line, Linda sounded thrilled. "Oh? Are you taking time off? Is Uriah coming with you? Irina, how's the baby planning going? You need to eat well. A healthy body means a healthy baby. Oh, and make sure you tell Uriah: no smoking, no drinking, and no staying up late."

She continued, "Mrs. Rogers downstairs brags about her granddaughter every single day, going on about how pretty she is. Well, you're so beautiful, and Uriah is a handsome man! When you have a baby, they'll definitely be better looking than her granddaughter."

Every time they talked on the phone, Linda had so much to say to Irina. However, this time, as she listened to her mother's rambling and reminders, Irina's eyes welled up with tears.

As if she heard her daughter's choking sobs, Linda's tone suddenly changed. "Irina, what is wrong? Are you crying? What happened?"

Irina wiped her tears and told the truth. "Mom, I'm divorcing Uriah."

The moment the words left her mouth, the line went quiet for a long time. After a while, Linda's gentle voice sounded again.

"Then come home. I just bought a new set of bedding. You'll definitely love the pattern."

"Okay." Irina could barely hold it together, so she said she had something to do and hung up.

Leaning against the couch, she stared at the wedding photo of herself and Uriah on the wall, her eyes brimming with icy, unshed tears.

She thought, 'See, Uriah... Even without you, there are still people in this world who love me unconditionally.'

Just then, a chat notification chimed, pulling Irina back to reality. She opened it and saw a photo sent by Sophie.

It was a photo of Sophie and Uriah in wedding attire. Sophie wore an elegant royal-style dress and leaned sweetly against Uriah, while Uriah wore matching formal attire and looked like a refined gentleman.

Irina looked back up at her own wedding photo with Uriah. She suddenly felt that the eight years she had poured into this relationship were nothing but a massive joke. Back then, she had wanted to wear a royal-style wedding dress, but Uriah objected. He said he didn’t like her wearing it because it was too gaudy.

Not only did he have no problem with Sophie wearing it, but he also posed willingly for the photos.

It was obvious who he truly cared about.

Another notification chimed as Sophie sent another message. She wrote, [Irina, Uriah and I are getting married tomorrow. I wanted to invite you, but Mom's emotions are quite unstable, and she doesn't want to see you, so please don't come. Once it is over, Uriah and I will treat you to a meal.]

Irina sneered, thinking it was a clumsy attempt at showing off and provocation. She simply replied with just one word, [Congratulations.]

After that, she blocked Sophie. Then, she called a demolition contractor she had worked with before.

Everything in this house was a product of her love and devotion. Since she was leaving, there was no point in any of it remaining.

...

The next day arrived. Everyone attending the wedding was a relative or friend of Sophie's family.

Uriah kept searching for Irina's figure, but from the start of the ceremony to the end, he never saw her.

That evening, after taking Beth back to the hospital, Uriah wanted to go home. Sophie wanted to go with him, saying she wished to thank Irina in person. He saw no reason to refuse, believing that he and Sophie had nothing to hide since their relationship was completely innocent.

However, the moment Uriah opened the front door, he froze. All the finishes in the huge house were gone.

The walls and floors had been stripped back to their lifeless, concrete gray, and except for a few large boxes in the center of the living room containing Uriah's personal belongings, nothing remained in the home he had shared with Irina.

Under Sophie's shocked gaze, Uriah walked to the boxes and picked up the envelope sitting on top with trembling hands. When he opened it, inside was the divorce agreement Irina had signed, along with her ectopic pregnancy surgery records.