Left Outside Her Car and Her Heart

I'm waiting for my wife, Sophia Young, to pick me up. My colleague, Tony Shaw, who habitually hitches a ride with us, stays with me. He complains incessantly, "Why isn't your wife here yet? It's freezing cold! I'd prefer to be home by today!" He lives in the western part of the city. Every time we drive him home, Sophia has to make a large detour. However, my stomach is killing me that day, so I politely break things to him while cradling my stomach. "Tony, I'm not feeling well today and would like to get home early to rest. You should take a taxi home yourself. I'll let you hitch a ride next time." Tony snorts coldly and walks away. I wait downstairs for another 30 minutes, only to receive a call from Sophia. She informs me, "Traffic along the street outside your office is unusually congested. I've stopped the car at the intersection up ahead, so come find me there." I venture into the rain to find her car while struggling to keep the umbrella up and open. When I open the car door, I realize it's already filled with her colleagues and there's no space for me. Sophia rolls the window halfway down and points at the blond-haired man drying his hair with a towel in the front passenger seat. She explains, "Ian saw his friend at the intersection just now. The handsome young man looked rather pitiful soaking in the rain, so I gave him a lift. Your company's close by anyway, so why don't you head back in there first? I'll come back to pick you up once I've sent them home." The storm ruins my umbrella, and rain gets in my eyes, making them sting painfully. As I gaze at Sophia's packed car, I find that my marriage to her suddenly feels incredibly meaningless. Chapter 1 A slightly older male colleague spoke up. "Hey, Jonathan, I'm going to close the door first, okay? It's getting pretty cold with the rain blowing in." I recognized him as Leonard Jefferson, whom Sophia called Leo. Ever since I bought Sophia this car, he'd ask to hitch a ride with her practically every day. I stopped him from closing the door and replied, "Leonard, please take a taxi home today. My umbrella's ruined, and I'm not feeling well, so I'd like to get home quickly." Instead of moving, Leonard cast Sophia a troubled look and said, "Sophie, about that… You once said that you could drive me home every day, so why am I suddenly being kicked out of the car? It's still raining cats and dogs out there." Sophia frowned, got out of the car, and handed me a new umbrella. "The traffic around here is usually terrible, and it's even harder than usual to hail a taxi on rainy days. You know this. Listen to me and wait at the company for a bit. I'll be back to pick you up soon." I swallowed my anger and explained, "Sophia, I was already suffering from a stomachache, and then I got caught in the rain as well. I'm feeling really unwell right now, so I want you to take me home at once." Sophia looked like she'd swallowed a lemon, and she tried to shove the umbrella into my hands. "Can't you put up with it for a while longer? My colleagues are all in the car, so it'd reflect badly on me if I ask them all to get out right now." I shook off her hands and said bluntly, "Well, that's on you for always being a people pleaser and letting so many colleagues hitch a ride with us. If you like playing chauffeur so much, why don't you go register as an Uber driver?" I leaned in close to the back seats and told the men sitting in the car, "Sorry, but if you live further away, please get home by yourself today. I'm really not feeling well today. I'll tell Sophia to give you a lift some other day." As soon as Leonard heard this, he yelled toward the young man in the front passenger seat, "Ian, why don't you and your friend go ahead on your own? There's a subway station just a short walk ahead. Since you're headed for Galactic Studios, Metro Line 1 is a convenient option." The young man named Ian rolled his eyes at that before dragging his friend out of the car. He commented snidely, "I can’t even. First insisted on offering us a ride, but now it's just one thing after another. So what if you own some crappy car? It doesn't mean you get to act all high-and-mighty, picking and choosing who you give a ride to!" He shouted at his friend, "Let's go, Bruce! We'll just take the subway!" Now that the front passenger seat was free, I got into the car, still cradling my stomach. The spare towel in Sophia's car was wet from Bruce using it just now, so I had no choice but to curl up uncomfortably on the seat with my wet clothes and hair. Sophia also got into the car wearing a stony expression. Another familiar-looking male colleague of Sophia's said meekly from the back seat, "Sophia, I live quite far away as well. How about you drop me off at the subway station up ahead? I'll take the subway home." Sophia floored the accelerator and said, "There's no need. I promised to send you home, and I'm not going back on my word." I tightened my grip on my stomach, holding in my temper. Forget it. I had a seat and wasn't getting soaked in the rain. If I got home slightly late, so be it. Sophia glanced at me and said in displeasure, "Jonathan Graham, I'm really disappointed in your behavior today. What's wrong with me giving a few colleagues a lift along the way when it's raining this hard? Was it worth throwing such a huge tantrum and kicking people out of the car?" I gritted my teeth in silence. Sophia's colleagues were still in the car, so I didn't want to argue with her right now. However, Sophia showed no signs of relenting and continued even more emphatically, "You clearly weren't like this when we first met. You were so kind and helpful back then. Why have you become so selfish?" I frowned and cut off her rant. "Shut up! Turn right at the intersection ahead and drop me off before sending these two home." But Sophia ignored me and continued going straight. I frowned at her, but she kept her gaze fixed ahead. "I'm sending Leo home first. He has a kid waiting at home for him," she declared. Chapter 2 Sophia continued, "I'm not done talking—don't behave like that in the future. I don't like it. You had the same sour look on your face when I let that male colleague of yours—Tony—hitch a ride last time. Do you realize how mean it makes you look?" I shot upright and glared at her. "Me? Mean? I told you before that there's bad blood between Tony and me. He was only promoted because he poached my client from me. How am I supposed to face a guy like him with a smile when he shamelessly comes asking for a ride?" Sophia replied calmly, acting as if she had me all figured out, "See? You're making excuses again. You're not only selfish but very fond of making excuses for yourself nowadays." I flew into a rage at her words. No longer caring about the presence of outsiders, I asked her harshly, "So, I'm being selfish for asking your colleagues to get out of the car? And I'm making excuses when I ask to go home first because I'm not feeling well and have a stomachache today? "Get your facts straight. There's no law dictating that I'm obligated to drop your colleagues off after work!" The car fell into a dead silence. After a few seconds, Sophia finally replied, "There also isn't any law stating that I must pick my husband up after work, but I still do it anyway. Usually, the husband picks the wife up after work, yet I'm the one driving you home every day. What more do you want?" I stared disbelievingly at her. "Sophia Young, it was you who told me that you'd pick me up from work every day back when I bought you this car. I didn't put a knife to your throat and force you to do it!" Sophia sighed and said, "I didn't say I wasn't willing to pick you up from work, but since I'm already driving you home, it makes no difference whether or not I pick up a couple more colleagues along the way." I didn't want to hear another word from her at the moment. "Stop the car!" I shouted. I'd never told her that she couldn't let her colleagues hitch a ride, and I'd never objected to her doing so before either. I just wanted to get home earlier because I was feeling unwell that day, yet she was reading far too much into it. I simply couldn't stand the fact that, despite being her husband, I was no more special than the next person in her eyes. In fact, I was always lowest on her list of priorities. "I want to get off!" I demanded. Sophia stopped the car by the roadside. I kicked the door open, then turned and walked out into the storm under her stunned gaze. "Jonathan Graham! Why do you have such a terrible temper?" Sophia yelled after me. She honked the car horn behind me, but I didn't look back. I paid double the usual rate to get a taxi to take me home. After taking a hot shower, I locked the bedroom door from the inside, took both stomach and flu medication, and fell into a deep sleep. The next day, not only had my stomach not stopped cramping, but it actually felt like there were knives scraping against my insides. I didn't even have the strength to stand, so I had no choice but to apply for work leave. After that, I lay groggily in bed until I eventually passed out from the pain. When I next woke up from the pain, it was already 6:00 pm. I was drenched in layers of cold sweat, and my temperature was alarmingly high. Additionally, even the slightest movement sent excruciating pain tearing through my lower right abdomen. This was no simple stomachache! I shakily picked up my phone and called Sophia to ask if she was done with work. If she had, I would ask her to drive over and send me to the hospital. After two seconds of silence, Sophia asked with irritation, "Can you just stop? I'm still angry about yesterday, and now you're feigning illness to gain my sympathy?" I screamed at her, "I'm really sick! Come home and take me to the hospital immediately!" After a pause, Sophia replied, "I'm afraid I can't. I drove Leo to the kindergarten to pick up his kid. The kindergarten is holding a parent-child event that will be going on for another 30 minutes, and I still have to send them home after it's over." I was so angry that I felt like smashing my phone on the floor. "Sophia Young! Who exactly is your husband here, him or me? Why's he more important than me? I'm sick and need to go to the hospital! Are you coming back or not?" Sophia, clearly angered as well, raised her voice. "You're truly becoming more and more unreasonable! Why's your mind so deep in the gutter? Leo is so much older than me! It's not easy for a man to raise a child, so what's wrong with me helping him out a bit? Can you stop making a fuss over nothing?" I took a deep breath and pressed a firm hand against my spasming abdomen. "Fine. I was mistaken. If you come home and send me to the hospital right now, I'll believe that there's nothing between you two." Sophia sounded even angrier than before when she replied, "Jonathan Graham! Why are you like this now? You can't even tell a convincing lie! You've never had stomach problems before, yet you had to use that as an excuse yesterday. I couldn't even be bothered to call your bluff. I didn't expect you to try the same excuse on me again today." My stomach was killing me, yet she was still criticizing me. My grievance washed over me like a wave. I broke down and screamed into the phone, "Sophia Young, are you coming back or not? If you're not, I'm divorcing you!" In response, I heard the sound of the call being disconnected. Before Sophia hung up, I heard a young boy ask, "Ms. Young, are you arguing with someone?" Sophia replied, "It was just some crazy person who called the wrong number." I looked into the mirror. The person staring back at me was sickly pale with chapped lips and messy hair. I really did look like a crazy person. Chapter 3 I wiped away my tears and reached for my phone to call an ambulance. But fearing the cost, I eventually called an Uber to take me to the hospital instead. As I left the house, I received a message from Sophia. "If you're really sick, just get an ambulance to take you to the hospital." I couldn't be bothered to say another word to her, so I just blocked her number. While waiting for the Uber driver at the residential complex's entrance, I suddenly heard a familiar voice call out, "Jonathan, why are you squatting over there? Why did you take the day off? Why's your face so pale? Are you sick?" I lifted my head sluggishly to see a car stop in front of me. The front passenger seat window was rolled down to reveal a familiar face—Tony. "Yes, my stomach's upset, so I'm waiting for a ride to the hospital," I replied. Grinning, Tony leaned against the sill and asked, "Where's your wife? Why isn't your oh-so-kind-hearted wife sending you there when you're so unwell?" I heard the mockery in his tone and replied self-deprecatingly, "My wife's driving her colleague home." Tony's grin widened, and he asked, "Which hospital are you going to? If it's along our route, I'll ask my girlfriend if she can give you a lift." "Nordroi Hospital," I replied. The woman in the driver's seat commented, "We're headed that way." Tony cut her off. "Honey, I suddenly don't feel so well. I want to go home and lie down. What are we to do?" His girlfriend immediately started the engine, anxious to send him home. Tony smiled, stuck his head out the window, and said mockingly, "Dude, you're waiting for an Uber with a stomachache that bad… Your wife, on the other hand, is driving some others home." He clicked his tongue and added, "Feel bad for you." He tapped the car window. "I'll be off first. Maybe next time." I clenched my fists in anger, but then quickly composed myself and shot him a smile. "It's alright. There's no need for a next time. After all, I'm not so shameless as to jump at the chance to hitch a ride with a colleague, unlike you." Without waiting for his response, I waved at the Uber car I'd hailed that had pulled up behind their car. "Over here, sir!" I called out. When I arrived at the hospital's emergency room, the doctor examined me and quickly diagnosed me with appendicitis. "You're certainly a tough one. Your appendix was on the verge of rupturing, yet you only came to the hospital now. Do you have a family member accompanying you?" I lay weakly on the table and shook my head. "No. I'll sign off on the surgery myself." My marriage was just like my inflamed appendix. It was about time I cut it off. The surgery was completed quickly and smoothly. Before the anesthesia completely left my system, someone flung the ward door open with a bang. Sophia rushed into the ward, breathless and visibly panicked, and ran up to my hospital bed. When she saw my pale face and the IV connected to the back of my hand, a trace of panic and distress crossed her face. She took my hand and exclaimed, "Jonathan! Does it still hurt? How did you end up with appendicitis? Why didn't you tell me?" I coldly pulled my hand out of her grasp and turned away from her. Seeing this, Sophia's regret was instantly replaced with fury. She straightened and said accusingly, "Since you knew you were seriously ill, why didn't you call an ambulance? I heard the neighborhood security mention that you spent a long time waiting by the roadside for an Uber! Were you deliberating putting yourself through all that suffering to make me feel guilty and distressed?" I silently watched her rant. Eventually, I said calmly and clearly, "Sophia, let's get divorced." Sophia was first stunned, then panicked. She asked, "Are you angry that I didn't send you to the hospital? I know that was my mistake, so can you please quit with these kinds of jokes?" I closed my eyes and replied, "Sophia, in the three years we've been married, I've never joked about divorce. I'm serious. Let's get divorced." Chapter 4 After being discharged from the hospital, I went home to pack my luggage, then moved out. Since I'd blocked Sophia's number, she couldn't contact me and instead sought out my parents. My mother, Rosaline Almasy, said in a persuasive tone, "I watched Sophia grow up. She's a kind young lady beloved by everyone in the neighborhood." She wasn't wrong, as even outsiders praised Sophia as a wonderful woman. That was why I agreed to go on the blind date my parents arranged between us and eventually married her. It was only after we got married that I realized how stupid a move it was to take a good Samaritan as a wife! I'd made up my mind, so Mom couldn't really attempt to persuade me otherwise. Yet, I didn't expect her to get Sophia to drive me back to my hometown for Thanksgiving the next day. It was only after I'd gotten into the car that I noticed another person sitting inside. I'd never seen them around before. Seeing that I was looking their way, Sophia explained nervously, "Jonathan, he's a new hire at our company who's also from Harbortown. He heard that we were heading back there and wanted to hitch a ride too. "It's not easy to secure tickets on holidays like this, so I thought I'd let him travel with us for part of the trip. Is that okay?" I snorted coldly and replied, "Do as you like. It's your car, so you're free to pick and choose your passengers. We'll be getting divorced soon anyway, so you don't have to consult me on things like this." Sophia opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself. Not long after the car turned onto the highway, my phone suddenly rang. An elderly neighbor shouted over the phone, "Jonathan! Your grandmother was hit by a car at the entrance to the wet market! She's been taken to the town hospital!" My heart instantly sank. I'd been raised by my grandmother, Helen Dawson, so I was closest with her out of all my family members. I didn't dare consider what I'd do if anything were to happen to Grandma. After hanging up, I was beside myself with anxiety. I looked at Sophia and cried, "Drive faster! Grandma got into an accident!" Sophia's expression turned serious, and she floored the accelerator. "Don't panic. I'll drive faster. If we don't stop at any rest areas, we can arrive within three hours," she informed me. However, the man sitting in the front passenger seat then clutched at his stomach and said with distress, "Sorry, Sophia, but my stomach has been hurting for a while, and I was just waiting to use the restroom at a rest area. "Why don't you two drop me off at a rest area? I'll take a taxi back from there." After a momentary silence, Sophia replied, "It's alright. We'll stop for a bit at the next rest area. I just have to drive a little faster from there to make up for lost time." We ended up spending 15 minutes at the rest area. We hadn't been back on the road for very long before we arrived at the next rest area, whereupon the man clutched at his stomach and cried out again. "I have the runs. I'd like to use the restroom again," he said. Again, Sophia stopped the car. Second after second slipped by. My chest burned with anxiety. Unable to wait any longer, I opened the car door and ran toward the patrol car parked nearby with tears in my eyes. I was prepared to beg the police for help. I just had to get back to Grandma. Just as I was about to reach the patrol car, my phone rang again. Grandma said over the phone, "Jonathan, I'm alright. The young lady who hit me was a kind person who insisted on sending me to the hospital for a full-body examination, where the doctor declared me completely fine. Don't worry about me!" When I heard Grandma's hearty voice, I collapsed to the ground as if all the strength had been sapped out of me. A few minutes later, I returned to Sophia's car. Sophia said comfortingly, "See, Jonathan? Your grandma is a good person, so naturally, she's blessed with good fortune. She'll be fine." I said nothing. It was very quiet in the car, and the man never complained about a stomachache again. After arriving in Harbortown, Sophia stayed true to her "kind-heartedness" and dropped the man off at his house first. The man's parents even took the time to come out and thank Sophia. Sophia soon got back into the car, smiling and in high spirits. "Where to next, Jonathan? Is Grandma still in the hospital? Are we going to pick her up from the hospital first or going straight home?" she asked while fiddling with the GPS. I looked forward and calmly offered a three-word reply. "To the courthouse."