The 99th Divorce

It had been 20 days since she arrived in the small town in Jiangnan. Shen Manting found a job as a home tutor and had been working for a week.

The student’s home was very neat, and it wasn’t far from the place she was renting. As a result, it was very convenient for her to get to work.

In addition to working as a home tutor, Shen Manting took a job nearby planting flowers and engaging in a little bit of handiwork. The middle-aged ladies that stayed around her loved her.

In the ninth month of her pregnancy, Shen Manting’s morning sickness became worse. She couldn’t bring herself to eat anything, so she started losing weight.

As a woman living alone and showing obvious signs of pregnancy, she was a very conspicuous individual. There were many busybodies who went up to her and asked questions.

“Where is your husband?”

“Where did your child’s father go?”

“No matter what happened, you should go home. Life is not easy for a pregnant woman.”

Every time Shen Manting heard such words, she just smiled politely but did not reply.

It had been after another exhausting day. She returned to her little rental apartment. She took out a laptop, as usual, opened the Word document, and typed in it.

July 28, a clear day.

It was another day of home tutoring. From initially starting out as an English tutor for two households, I am now the tutor for all the subjects. My working hours have also increased from one to five hours.

Wang Xue’s parents said they’ll be increasing my pay by $10. I’m very happy. The remuneration isn’t too bad. There aren’t any troubles. The weather is good, and the town is kind.

There aren’t any problems at all.

Today, I vomited more than I did yesterday. I couldn’t stomach my breakfast, and my face was pale. It’s a good thing that cosmetics exist. It managed to give me a better complexion and make me look a little healthier.

The baby is getting bigger. I have no idea if it’s a boy or a girl.

It’s the 20the day since I left. Everything is going well.

–Manting.

–

It was another night of nightmares. When Shen Luo’an awoke, he was drenched in his own sweat.

In the dream, Shen Manting was looking at him sorrowfully and laughing. On the surface, she looked unaffected. At the same time, her eyes were full of pain and sadness.

Shen Luo’an could clearly sense that contradiction in her mood. It was almost as if Shen Manting had been by his side, staring at him with that very look in her eyes. It was indescribably complicated and pierced straight into his heart.

Shen Luo’an arose. His heart was a mess. He lit a cigarette and leaned on the headboard of the bed as he gave a long exhale. In that darkness of the room, all that could be seen was stark blackness, with the exception of the amber glow dancing between his fingers.

Shen Manting… Is gone…

There hadn’t been any news of her, and she hadn’t left any word. She had just disappeared from his life without any trace.

He had lain atop that body every night. He had used that body. Now, it had been over a month since he’d last seen or touched it.

The sorrow radiated out from his heart. Even Shen Luo’an could identify just what he was feeling sorrowful about. Everything had come without explanation, but he had no way of controlling it.

The smoke from his cigarette rose to his eyes. Shen Luo’an felt his eyes sting. The loneliness of the night washed over him in waves.

His wedding to Guan Queye was taking place in a few days. He couldn’t muster a single ounce of happiness as a groom. It was almost as if the whole wedding had nothing to do with him.

He picked up his mobile phone and lifelessly reopened the picture that his friend had sent to him. Ye Youyou was sitting opposite a young man. Her head was bent as she quietly ate. The expression on her face was extremely at ease.

The figure in his mind that had been blurred for a long time suddenly became clear. Indeed, it had been a long time…