A Farewell Written in Wine

Our third anniversary. I waited all night. But my husband was with his lover, protecting her baby.

He forced me, pregnant, to apologize to his mistress and called me cruel.

They forced me to down seven glasses of liquor. Before I passed out from vomiting blood, I told him.

The child in my belly was killed by your own hands. Are you satisfied now?

He knelt and begged for forgiveness like a madman.

But he didn't know that I had already taken the check his mother gave me and flown to a world without him.

This time, I would make sure he regretted it for the rest of his life.

Natalie's POV

The clock hand slowly slid past midnight.

I sat at the empty dining table, staring at the completely melted ice cream cake in front of me.

Today was our third wedding anniversary.

It was also the day Ethan promised that no matter how busy he was, he would rush home to be with me.

But he broke his promise.

Outside the window, thunder and lightning raged. Lightning split the pitch-black sky, illuminating the villa's pale walls in a blinding flash.

I took out my phone. The screen was completely empty. Not a single message. Not one missed call.

I took a deep breath and dialed the number I knew by heart.

The phone rang for a long time before someone answered.

"Hello."

The man's voice carried a trace of fatigue and impatience.

"Ethan, when are you coming home? I'm still waiting for you."

I tried to keep my voice steady, but my fingers nervously twisted the corner of my clothes.

There was two seconds of silence on the other end.

Then, a delicate female voice suddenly came through, tinged with a suppressed sob.

"Ethan... I'm scared..."

My heart sank suddenly, as if plunging into a bottomless ice cellar.

Vivian.

It was Vivian again.

"Natalie,"

Ethan's tone instantly turned cold, carrying an unquestionable commanding tone.

"Something happened with Vivian. She's been afraid of thunder since childhood, and today she's very emotionally unstable. I'm not coming home tonight. Go to bed early."

"But today is our-"

"Natalie!"

He raised his voice and cut me off.

"Vivian can't be left alone right now. Can't you be understanding? It's just an anniversary. We'll have plenty of time to make it up later. Stop being so unreasonable!"

Unreasonable?

I forced a bitter smile, my eyes burning.

In three years of marriage, whenever Vivian made one phone call, even if it was the middle of the night, even if Ethan had a high fever, he would push me away without hesitation and rush to that woman.

"Ethan, I'm only going to ask you one thing."

I bit down hard on my lower lip, tasting blood.

"If you don't go out today, will you actually die?"

"What are you going crazy about?"

Ethan was clearly angry.

"Vivian has severe depression. If she does something foolish, can you take responsibility? Natalie, when did you become so vicious!"

The call was mercilessly disconnected.

I stared blankly at the darkened screen, and tears finally broke through like a dam.

Vicious?

I just wanted my own husband to stay home on our third anniversary and eat a piece of cake with me.

And that made me vicious?

I stood up and walked to the dining room trash can. I took the cake I'd spent all afternoon making by hand, the one that had burned my hand when I unmolded it, and threw it in, plate and all.

Cream splattered everywhere, just like my three year marriage, falling apart into something unrecognizable.

At two in the morning, the rain fell even harder.

My head felt like it was splitting, and my stomach churned with waves of pain.

I already had a stomach condition. Today, waiting for Ethan, I hadn't had a drop of water since noon.

I fumbled to get my stomach medicine from the drawer, only to find the bottle had long been empty.

Pain.

Piercing pain.

I curled up on the sofa, cold sweat soaking through my thin nightgown.

I wanted to call Ethan, but thinking of his earlier word "vicious," my fingertips froze.

With trembling hands, I called my assistant Jake.

Half an hour later, Jake arrived with an umbrella and took me, nearly unconscious from pain, to the hospital.

By the time I was hooked up to an IV, dawn had already broken.

The emergency room corridor was cold and deserted, with only the pungent smell of disinfectant making me want to vomit.

I leaned against the hospital bed, watching the IV drip down drop by drop, my eyes vacant.

"Miss Davis, you really can't keep putting off this stomach condition. You need to eat on time. Where's your family? Why are you here alone?"

When the nurse came to change my medication, she couldn't help but ask.

"He's... busy."

I lowered my eyes.

Just then, urgent footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.

I instinctively looked up, but the moment I saw who it was, my blood instantly froze.

Ethan.

He wore the same trench coat he'd had on when he left last night. In his arms, he carefully cradled a woman.

The woman buried her face deep in his chest, wearing his suit jacket draped over her.

"Doctor! Where's the doctor? She slit her wrists!"

Ethan's voice carried unprecedented panic and loss of control.

This was an Ethan I had never seen.

Even when we got married and he read his vows, he had only looked indifferent.

But now, for Vivian, even his voice was trembling.

The two rushed past my hospital room. Ethan's gaze was locked on the person in his arms. He didn't even glance sideways.

I stared at that retreating figure, feeling the stabbing pain in my stomach spread to my heart.

It hurt so much that even breathing became a luxury.

Natalie's POV

Vivian was successfully resuscitated.

Actually, the wound wasn't deep. The doctor said it only broke the surface skin and didn't even need stitches, just bandaging.

But Ethan acted as if it were a matter of life and death. He insisted on arranging the highest-level VIP room for her and stayed by her side every moment.

I pulled out the IV needle and, supporting my weak body, shuffled step by step to the VIP room entrance.

The door was ajar.

The voices inside clearly hammered into my ears.

"Ethan, I'm sorry... I've caused you trouble again."

Vivian leaned against the headboard, her eyes red and rimmed with tears that fell like broken pearls.

"I was just so scared. The sound of thunder made me feel like the whole world had abandoned me. I know yesterday was your anniversary with Natalie. I shouldn't have bothered you. You should go back. Natalie must be angry with me..."

The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she became, clutching the blanket, her thin shoulders shaking.

Ethan sat by the bed and gently reached up to wipe away her tears, his movements so tender they could drip water.

"Don't overthink it."

He softened his voice, his tone full of indulgence and heartache.

"Whether she's angry or not doesn't matter. Your health is what's most important. Don't ever do something this foolish again, understand?"

"But Natalie..."

"Don't worry about her."

Ethan frowned, a flash of disgust in his eyes.

"If she doesn't even have this much tolerance, she doesn't deserve to sit in the position of Mrs. Shaw."

I stood outside the door, feeling as if all the blood had been drained from my body in an instant.

Doesn't deserve.

So in my husband's heart, I didn't even have the right to be angry. If I didn't accommodate Vivian, I lacked tolerance and didn't deserve my position.

I took a deep breath and suddenly pushed open the ajar door.

"Bang!"

The two people in the room simultaneously turned their heads.

Vivian shrank into Ethan's arms like a startled deer, her voice trembling as she called out.

"Natalie..."

Ethan's face instantly darkened. He immediately used his body to shield Vivian, as if protecting a rare treasure, and looked at me coldly.

"What are you doing here?"

His gaze landed on my face but didn't linger for half a second, only filled with questioning.

"Who told you to find this place?"

"This is a hospital. Why can't I be here?"

I pulled at my dry, cracked lips and smiled.

"Ethan, I'm your wife. Can't I come visit your 'little sister'?"

I deliberately emphasized the words "little sister."

Ethan's brow furrowed even tighter. He stood up, strode over to me, grabbed my wrist, and dragged me toward the door.

"Natalie, stop being disgusting! Vivian just suffered a shock and can't handle your attitude. Get out of here right now!"

His grip was extremely strong. Already weak, I stumbled when he yanked me, and my knee slammed hard into the door frame.

Piercing pain.

But I didn't cry out. I just stared at the man in front of me.

"Ethan, I had acute gastric bleeding last night. I was alone in the emergency room on an IV all night."

My voice was very soft.

"When you were holding her and shouting for help, did you ever think that your wife was also dying from pain?"

Ethan froze for a moment.

His gaze unconsciously fell on the back of my hand.

There was indeed a bruise there, left from when I'd pulled out the IV needle.

A flash of panic crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by irritation.

"You're standing right here, aren't you?"

His face was cold, his voice stiff.

"A stomachache. Just take some medicine. Did you have to come here at this moment to play the victim in front of Vivian? Natalie, you weren't this petty before."

Petty? Playing the victim?

I suddenly felt the absurdity of it all.

I burst out laughing, laughing until tears came out.

"Yes, I'm petty. I'm playing the victim. Vivian barely scratches her skin and it's life or death, but my gastric bleeding is my own fault, right?" I forcefully shook off Ethan's hand and took a step back.

"Ethan, you disgust me."

With that, I turned and walked away, my spine straight.

But only I knew that my heart had shattered into powder at this moment.

Ethan instinctively took a step forward, as if wanting to grab me.

"Ethan..."

Vivian on the bed suddenly clutched her chest and let out a pained moan.

"My chest hurts so much..."

Ethan immediately stopped and rushed back to the bed.

"Doctor! Get a doctor here immediately!"

In the corridor, I listened to the anxious shouts behind me, and tears silently fell from the corners of my eyes.

This round, I lost again.

And I lost completely.

Natalie's POV

Three days later, the Shaw family estate held a banquet.

I didn't want to go, but Ethan's grandfather, Samuel Shaw, personally called me.

I was only able to marry into the Shaw family because he insisted, despite everyone's opposition. In this family, Samuel was the only person who genuinely cared about me.

I put on slightly heavier makeup to cover the haggardness from days of insomnia and stomach pain.

As soon as I walked into the living room, the originally lively atmosphere instantly turned cold.

Everyone's gaze fell behind me.

I turned around.

Ethan had his arm around Vivian's shoulder and was slowly walking in.

Vivian wore a pure white haute couture gown, like a fragile porcelain doll, frail and boneless as she leaned against the man.

That dress was a globally limited edition from a certain luxury brand. I'd seen it once in a magazine and casually mentioned it looked nice.

At the time, Ethan promised it would be my third anniversary gift.

Now, that dress was on Vivian.

How ironic.

"Natalie, don't misunderstand."

Seeing me, Vivian immediately pulled away from Ethan as if electrocuted, nervously clutching her dress.

"Mr. Shaw said the banquet would be lively. Ethan was afraid I'd be bored alone in the hospital, so he brought me to get some fresh air."

How thoughtful.

I watched her clumsy performance coldly and said word by word:

"Since when are outsiders allowed at Shaw family banquets?"

As soon as I spoke, the surroundings fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Ethan's expression instantly sank to rock bottom.

He pulled Vivian back to his side, his gaze cutting at me like a knife.

"Natalie, watch your words. Vivian is my lifesaver. In this family, she is not an outsider."

Lifesaver.

That damned lifesaver again.

Years ago, when Ethan was kidnapped, Vivian took a knife for him.

Because of that one knife, Ethan worshipped Vivian like a deity, giving her the stars if not the moon.

I took a deep breath. Just as I was about to speak, Samuel came down from upstairs with his cane.

"What's all this noise!"

Samuel's authoritative voice echoed through the hall.

He walked downstairs, glared fiercely at Ethan, then waved at me.

"Natalie, come help me to the dining room."

Suppressing my bitterness, I walked over and supported Samuel.

During the meal, the atmosphere was bizarrely tense.

Vivian sat next to Ethan like a person who couldn't take care of herself.

She wanted soup, Ethan personally ladled it for her.

She looked at the shrimp in the distance, Ethan put on gloves to peel them for her.

All his gentleness, all his patience, went entirely to her.

And I, the legitimate Mrs. Shaw, was ignored by everyone.

"Ethan, I want to eat that salmon."

Vivian pointed at the poached salmon in front of me.

Samuel had specifically ordered the kitchen to make it for me.

Without even glancing at me, Ethan stood up and placed it in front of Vivian.

"Eat more. You're too thin."

My grip on my chopsticks tightened sharply.

"Enough!"

Samuel finally couldn't take it anymore and slammed his chopsticks on the table.

"Ethan, do you even see your wife anymore?!"

Ethan paused, his tone flat but rebellious.

"Vivian's body is weak. She needs nutrition. Natalie is healthy. She can eat anything."

Can eat anything.

My stomach began to ache faintly again.

After the banquet ended, Samuel called Ethan to the study.

I walked alone to the back garden for air. The night breeze was cool, blowing against my face and clearing my head somewhat.

"Natalie."

A ghostly voice sounded behind me.

I turned around to see Vivian holding a glass of red wine, slowly walking toward me.

Where was the frail, helpless appearance from the dining table?

Now her eyes were full of provocation and triumph.

"Can I help you?"

I looked at her coldly.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to thank you."

Vivian walked up to me and looked down at her white dress.

"This dress is so beautiful. Ethan said only I deserve to wear it. What do you think, Natalie?"

I smiled instead of getting angry.

"Someone else's hand-me-down trash that you treat like treasure. I have nothing to say."

Vivian's face instantly twisted.

"Natalie, what are you so smug about?"

She lowered her voice.

"You think occupying the position of Mrs. Shaw means anything? Ethan doesn't love you at all! He won't even touch you!"

"Whether he touches me or not is none of your business. As long as I don't divorce, you'll forever be a mistress who can't show her face in public." I didn't back down.

"Is that so?"

Vivian suddenly smiled strangely.

The next second, she violently splashed the red wine in her hand onto her own dress, then grabbed my hand and shoved it hard against herself.

Vivian screamed and rolled down the steps.

I stood frozen, not yet understanding what had happened, when a dark figure charged over like an enraged leopard.

"Vivian!"

Ethan shoved me aside, the force so great it threw me directly into the nearby rose bushes.

Sharp thorns pierced my palm, and blood immediately gushed out.

But Ethan couldn't see it at all.

He picked up Vivian, who lay on the ground crying, then looked up at me with eyes that wanted to kill me.

"Natalie, if anything happens to the child in Vivian's belly, I'll make you pay with your life!"

Like a thunderbolt from clear skies.

I sat collapsed in the thorny rose bushes, letting blood drip down, yet feeling no pain at all.

Child.

Vivian was pregnant.

So this was what he meant when he said he wouldn't even touch me.

Natalie's POV

I don't know how I made it back to the villa.

The wound in my palm from the rose thorns was deep enough to see flesh, dried blood crusted on my pale skin, a shocking sight.

But I sat on the sofa, paying no attention.

In my mind, I kept replaying Ethan's furious and cruel eyes when he picked up Vivian, and those words:

"If anything happens to the child in Vivian's belly, I'll make you pay with your life."

He wanted me to pay with my life.

For Vivian's child.

These three years, to cure his stomach condition, I enrolled in cooking classes.

To have common topics with him, I stayed up late reading boring business reports.

To please his family, I endured countless grievances.

I thought even a stone could be warmed.

But it turned out the stone was only cold to me.

Suddenly, a sharp wave of nausea surged up from my stomach. I rushed into the bathroom and violently vomited over the toilet.

I hadn't eaten anything in the evening. What came up was all acid, and by the end, there were even faint traces of blood.

I leaned weakly against the cold tiles, my hand trembling as it touched my lower abdomen.

A few days ago, feeling unwell, I had taken a pregnancy test.

Two lines.

I had planned to tell Ethan this good news on our third anniversary.

I thought that with a child, the ice between us might finally melt.

But now it seemed everything was a complete joke.

Ding.

My phone suddenly received a message.

I opened the screen. It was a photo from Vivian.

In the photo, Ethan was asleep lying against the hospital bed, his hand tightly holding Vivian's, their fingers interlocked.

Beside it was an ultrasound report. Though I couldn't see the specific data, those two words were particularly glaring: Early pregnancy.

Then a voice message came through.

I opened it with trembling hands.

"Natalie, the doctor says the baby is very healthy. Ethan said once he settles things with you, he'll give me and the baby a proper home. You've occupied him for three years. It's time to be sensible and give up your position. After all, the person who isn't loved is the real third party."

The person who isn't loved is the real third party.

These words were like a rusty dull knife, repeatedly pulling and cutting at my heart, so painful I could barely breathe.

I opened my contacts, looked at the name "Ethan," and called.

After three rings, it was answered.

"Are you ever going to stop?"

The man's voice on the other end suppressed anger, even deliberately lowered to avoid waking the person beside him.

"Vivian just fell asleep. What game are you playing now?"

I took a deep breath.

"Ethan, is it true she's pregnant?"

There was an eerie silence for a few seconds on the other end.

"Yes."

Ethan's voice no longer hid anything, carrying a kind of reckless indifference.

"Since you already know, there's no need for me to hide it. This child was an accident, but since it exists, I have to be responsible."

"Responsible?"

I laughed.

"You're being responsible to her. What about me? I'm your wife. You cheated during our marriage and got someone else pregnant. Don't you feel even a bit sorry for me?"

"Natalie, don't use that victim tone with me!"

Ethan completely lost his patience.

"If my grandfather hadn't threatened to die, do you think I would have married you? These three years, you've held the title of Mrs. Shaw and enjoyed wealth and privilege most people never experience. What more do you want? I haven't even settled with you for pushing Vivian tonight. You'd better behave!"

"What if I said I didn't push her at all?"

My voice trembled.

"Enough! I saw it with my own eyes. Can that be fake? You're hopeless!"

The call was once again mercilessly disconnected.

I closed my eyes. Tears silently slid from the corners, shattering into a puddle on the cold tiles.

I thought I would be hysterical, thought I would break down crying.

But when this moment truly arrived, I found my heart was completely hollow.

All my expectations, all my love, crumbled at his words "hopeless."

Early the next morning, I went to the hospital.

But not to the VIP ward. I went to the obstetrics department.

On the way out this morning, my mind was in a daze.

I fell down the stairs and miscarried on the spot.

I cried my heart out.

I'm sorry, baby.

Mommy can't bring you into this world to suffer.

Your father has already given all his love to someone else.

Rather than have you born unwanted, it's better you never appeared at all.

From now on, Ethan and I are finished.

Natalie's POV

After the miscarriage, I left the hospital and went straight back to the villa.

This house I'd lived in for three years was filled everywhere with traces of my careful arrangement.

The plants I'd personally grown on the balcony, the throw pillows I'd chosen for the sofa, even the matching couple's mugs on the coffee table.

I thought this was home.

It was actually just a gilded cage.

I walked into the bedroom and pulled out the suitcase from the bottom of the closet.

I didn't take any of the designer bags or expensive jewelry Ethan bought me. Only the few old clothes I'd brought when I came, and some necessities.

When I reached the nightstand, I saw that velvet box.

Inside was the wedding ring.

A diamond the size of a quail's egg, dazzling and brilliant.

When we got married, Ethan had his assistant randomly pick out the ring.

He said he was too busy and didn't have time to try it on.

I removed the ring and placed it in the box, gently closing it.

Everything was over.

I sat at the desk and took out a document I'd drafted long ago from the drawer.

Divorce Agreement.

Without a moment's hesitation, I signed "Natalie Davis" in the wife's signature column.

I had not a shred of reluctance.

I asked for nothing and left with nothing.

As long as I could escape this man, I found even a single penny dirty.

After neatly placing the divorce agreement and wedding ring in the most visible spot on the dining table, I dragged my suitcase to the entryway.

Just then, the door suddenly beeped open.

Ethan walked in, travel-worn.

He still carried the smell of hospital disinfectant, exhaustion written all over his face.

Seeing me standing in the entryway holding a suitcase, his brow instantly knotted into a tight frown.

"What are you making a fuss about now?"

Ethan looked at me coldly, his tone full of impatience.

"Vivian's been in the hospital these past few days preserving her pregnancy. I don't have time to come back and perform this running-away-from-home act with you."

He stopped in front of me, his gaze sweeping over the cheap old suitcase in my hand, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

"What? Upset I didn't spend time with you, so you're using this trick to force me to give in?"

He loosened his tie and casually tossed his suit jacket on the sofa.

"Natalie, can't you be more mature? Vivian is pregnant and her body is very weak. I was there taking care of her, not playing around. Can't you be understanding and stop causing trouble at times like this?"

Understanding.

Causing trouble.

Looking at this man I'd loved for seven years and been married to for three, I only felt he was terrifyingly unfamiliar.

I suddenly felt like laughing, and I actually did laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

Ethan was extremely irritated.

"Nothing."

I shook my head, looking at him like a complete stranger.

"Ethan, I'm not making a fuss, and I'm not performing. I'm really leaving."

"Leaving?"

Ethan seemed to hear the world's biggest joke. He stepped closer, looking down at me from above.

"Natalie, without me, you don't even have the capital to survive in this city! The moment you walk out that door, tomorrow you'll come crawling back like a dog begging me to let you return!"

I looked at him without arguing, just quietly looking.

"Say whatever you want."

I gripped the suitcase handle tightly.

"I've left everything behind. The divorce agreement is on the dining table. I've already signed it. Whenever you have time, we'll go process it. If you're not available, you can have your lawyer contact me."

Ethan froze.

He instinctively turned to look at the dining table.

There was indeed a document there, with that familiar velvet box on top.

"Fine. Very good."

Ethan laughed in anger, pointing at the door.

"Natalie, you brought this on yourself. Step out that door, and don't ever expect me to look at you again."

"That suits me perfectly."

Without any hesitation, without even looking at him again, I walked past him, pushed open the door, and left without looking back.

Bang!

The security door slammed shut behind me with a heavy thud.

Inside the villa, silence fell like death.

I stood outside the door and took a deep breath.

I didn't look back.

Because I truly didn't love him anymore.