They Called My Husband Her Soulmate

Late at night, the high school alumni Snapchat group suddenly blew up.

Someone had too much to drink and started a poll.

[If you could bring one high school couple back together, who would it be?]

In less than a minute, the votes were almost completely one-sided.

[Serena and Ethan]

Messages flooded the chat.

"It was such a tragedy they broke up."

"If it weren't for that misunderstanding, theyd probably have a kid in elementary school by now."

"Even after all these years, I still think they are soulmates."

Just then, Serena, who had been silent for years, finally appeared.

She replied with only one sentence.

"Sometimes, missing someone for a moment means regretting it for a lifetime."

The group chat instantly exploded with teasing emojis.

But I slowly put my phone down.

Because the man they were calling her "lifetime regret" was currently sleeping right next to me.

Ethan Vance.

My husband.

And a man who had never loved me in our seven years of marriage.

The notifications on my screen kept flashing.

[Serena, are you staying for good this time?]

Serena replied quickly: [Yes, Im back for good.]

That single sentence set the group chat on fire again.

[Why isn't Ethan in this chat? Does anyone know if he has a girlfriend right now???]

[Hes a billionaire CEO now. Hes so busy every day, and theres never been any gossip about him! He definitely doesn't have a girlfriend!]

[Wait, why did they break up in the first place?]

[Serena went to Europe to study, and Ethan stayed. He didn't want a long-distance relationship.]

[Oh my god, now Serena came back, does that mean they still have a chance?]

Serena didn't confirm or deny it.

A few seconds later, she sent a smiling emoji.

[If its meant to be, well meet again.]

The chat filled up with flower and applause emojis.

I quietly exited Snapchat and locked my phone.

Beside me, Ethan was fast asleep.

In our seven years of marriage, he had always been like this.

Calm, restrained, and polite.

He remembered every anniversary. He transferred money into our joint account on time every month. He accompanied me to visit my family.

But he didn't love me.

Just as I was about to turn off the nightstand lamp.

His phone suddenly lit up.

A new message popped up on his screen.

[I'm back.]

There was no contact name saved.

But I recognized the sender instantly.

It was Serena.

I turned my head to look at Ethan.

His breathing was steady. He didn't wake up.

His long, elegant hand rested gently on my waist, just like it did every night.

The wedding band on his ring finger pressed cold against the back of my hand.

It was so cold it made my chest ache.

My fingertips hovered over his phone.

All I had to do was enter his passcode, and I could see their chat history.

But a second later, I pulled my hand back.

Ethan never hid his phone from me.

Because he knew I would never spy on him.

And because I knew.

Even if I saw something, it wouldn't change a thing.

Back in high school, I had seen with my own eyes how deeply he loved Serena.

Once, a girl from a lower grade secretly handed him a love letter.

Serena ignored him for a whole day.

After school, he chased her across half the football field. He stuffed his phone into her hands, a helpless smile on his face.

"Are you jealous?"

"I already rejected her friend request."

"If you don't believe me, you can check my chats. Delete whoever you want."

Back then, Ethan only had eyes for one person.

But now.

He had locked all his warmth away.

Dawn was just breaking.

Before the alarm could ring, Ethan woke up.

Almost instinctively, he reached for his phone on the nightstand.

Usually, he would get up early to workout for an hour.

But not today.

He just leaned against the headboard, staring down at his phone.

The screen went bright, then dark, then bright again.

It wasn't until almost eight o'clock that he finally put it down, got up, and started changing.

I acted casual and asked,

"Are you going to the Alumni Reunion next week?"

He paused while buttoning his cuffs.

"Yeah."

We never had much to talk about.

Despite sharing the same bed, I had only found out about the reunion from the group chat last night.

Ethan hesitated for a moment. "Are you going?"

I shook my head.

To others, high school was a beautiful memory of youth.

To me, it was nothing but humiliation I never wanted to recall.

He didn't push it.

He just gave a faint nod.

"Okay."

He probably didn't want me there either.

The moment the front door closed, I picked up my phone.

The alumni group chat had already accumulated over two hundred messages, and they were all about Ethan and Serena.

The rebellious billionaire heir and the beautiful, sweet straight-A student.

The two of them together had always been the ultimate gossip topic.

Serena finally popped up:

"Just woke up. See you guys at the reunion next week!"

Various members replied instantly:

"Can't wait to see you!"

"Does that mean you saw everything we talked about last night? I thought you muted this chat long ago."

"I totally ship you and Ethan!"

Serena replied with a cute cat waving emoji.

"It's fine. Actually, it was... pretty interesting to read."

Her words were vague and hard to read.

Nobody pushed further. Instead, they moved on to the reunion:

[By the way, is Ethan actually coming?]

[The news says he's been traveling abroad for business lately. He probably won't have time for a high school reunion.]

[The boy who used to climb over school walls and skip classes for Serena is now the mature, powerful CEO of the Vance Group.]

[Who can even reach him anyway?]

The group went silent for a few seconds.

Then.

Serena sent a message.

[He'll be there.]

Someone immediately asked.

[How do you know?]

She waited a few seconds before replying.

[He promised me.]

"Valerie."

Ethan stood at the bedroom door, fastening his cuffs as he reminded me.

"Don't you have plans at nine?"

I quickly checked the time.

8:40 AM.

I had barely slept last night, and I had actually forgotten to set my alarm.

I didn't have time to look at my phone anymore. I jumped out of bed.

Today, I had planned to visit his grandmother at nine to help her with some gardening.

I had a strict sense of time and was never late.

Except for once in high school.

It was a Monday. There was a massive pile-up on the highway, and traffic was deadlocked.

I had jumped off the bus halfway and run all the way to the classroom, gasping for breath.

The teacher for that class was extremely strict and hated tardiness.

There was only one minute left.

Ethan was walking ahead, staring at his phone, his pace leisurely.

Just one step away from the classroom door, he suddenly stopped.

He squatted down and began to tie his shoelaces slowly.

It looked like he was waiting for something.

He could have easily made it inside, but instead, he got locked out of the classroom with me.

It wasn't until I saw Serena panting as she ran up from behind us that I finally understood.

He was waiting for her.

In the living room, I looked back at him.

Ethan was sitting at the dining table, sipping his coffee.

An impulse suddenly took over me, and I wanted him to drive me.

"Ethan, I'm running late. Are you busy?"

In our seven years of marriage, this was the first time I had ever asked him for a favor like this.

If he just said, "I'll drive you."

I think I would have been happy for a very long time.

But he just glanced down at his watch.

"I'll have my driver take you."

I froze for a moment.

"Okay. Thank you."

"Thank you" was a phrase we used all the time in our daily lives.

Thank you for the gift. Thank you for grabbing my coat.

We were as polite as roommates who had lived together for years. We didn't look like a married couple at all.

Thanks to his driver, I wasn't late.

Grandma Evelyn was already waiting for me in the garden.

She wore a sun hat, bending over to prune the roses.

We had met in a community garden years ago.

She loved flowers, but her children and grandchildren were always too busy to keep her company, so she always went alone.

I went to that garden often too.

She always said that even the most beautiful flowers needed patient care.

Slowly, we got to know each other.

We became close friends despite the age gap.

Back then, I didn't know she was Ethan's grandmother.

During our casual chats, she would only mention that she had a rebellious, troublesome grandson.

Until one day, Ethan came to pick her up.

"Valerie,"

Grandma Evelyn waved her hand in front of my face.

"What's wrong? You seem distracted today."

I had cut several wrong branches.

I snapped out of it and shook my head with a smile.

She noticed my unusual behavior and asked,

"Did you and Ethan have a fight?"

I shook my head.

Let alone fighting, we had never even had an argument.

"Ethan is a bit emotionally clueless. I'll give him a piece of my mind later."

Hearing the word "clueless" used to describe Ethan was almost funny.

In high school, he was the crush of countless girls.

He came from a wealthy family and was incredibly handsome.

More than that, he was an absolute romantic.

Before the winter formal, he had the entire lobby filled with white roses just because Serena once said they were her favorite.

On New Year's Eve, he didn't go home just so he could set off fireworks outside the classroom window while she was studying.

I had received white roses and watched fireworks before.

But it was always because of Serena.

My thoughts were a mess.

Later, I married him.

But I never saw that passionate side of Ethan again.

As the breeze swept through the garden, a sudden realization hit me, explaining my unusual behavior since last night

I was afraid.

I had always been good at waiting.

When I was a kid, I waited for someone to adopt me.

Later, I waited for the last bus after my part-time shift ended.

And even later.

I waited for a husband who would never proactively come home to me.

Out of habit, it felt like I was preparing to wait again.

Wait for Ethan to rekindle his old flame with his first love.

And then passively accept a divorce.

My waiting in the past had always been numb and dull.

But this time, I was terrified.

A person has to be brave at least once.

So, for the first time, I went to Ethan's office building.

On the way, I rehearsed the words in my head a thousand times.

"Do you still love Serena?"

"Do you plan to divorce me?"

But I was stopped right at the lobby.

The receptionist wore a polite smile.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Visitors must book an appointment a week in advance."

I wasn't sure if Ethan wanted everyone to know about our marriage.

So, I didn't reveal my identity.

I called Ethan. Just as the phone started ringing,

I heard his familiar ringtone echoing from the elevator bank.

Ethan was walking at the very front of a group.

He looked at his phone, a puzzled expression on his face, seemingly debating whether to answer.

I instinctively hung up.

He didn't seem to care much either.

He deliberately slowed his pace, occasionally turning back to speak to someone.

It wasn't until he passed within four yards of me

that I saw Serena, who had been blocked from my view behind him.

Time had left no marks on her face.

She still had that pure, innocent first-love face.

She looked exactly like she did in the photos on Ethan's old private Instagram account from eight years ago.

She caught up and walked side-by-side with him.

Her voice carried a hint of joy.

"Oh? You haven't changed your ringtone after all these years? It's still my favorite instrumental piece."

Seventeen-year-old Ethan had been incredibly rebellious.

He only listened to hip-hop, reggae, rock, and electronic music.

But Serena was different. She loved instrumentals.

Ethan's taste in music had changed solely because of her.

I suppose that was the mark love had left on him.

Even today, the habit remained.

Only after they walked away did the receptionist call out to me.

"Ma'am, as you can see, Mr. Vance is already in a meeting. If you need to see him, you can make an appointment with the executive office."

I forced a smile.

"Thank you. No need."

I felt so exhausted, and my eyes stung with unshed tears.

I figured I just needed to go home and sleep it off.

But the alumni Snapchat group kept buzzing.

[Guess who I just bumped into at a restaurant? Ethan and Serena!]

[Oh my god, are they really back together? The high school drama I've been shipping is finally getting a happy ending!]

[@Serena, come verify this right now!]

Serena posted a photo.

A window seat, fine dining, and a man.

His face wasn't in the frame, but from the veins on his toned forearm, it was easy to recognize him.

She replied:

"This restaurant is amazing. Highly recommend."

She didn't give a direct answer, but anyone with eyes could see it.

I zoomed in on the photo, over and over again.

Ethan had very beautiful hands, with distinct knuckles.

I had held them countless times.

I had also slipped his wedding ring onto his finger.

My eyes kept drifting back to his left hand.

His ring finger was completely bare.

He had taken off the wedding ring he always wore.

Ethan came home very early.

He didn't come to our room immediately. Instead, he went to the balcony to smoke a cigarette.

He had quit smoking the day we got married.

But meeting Serena again seemed to have thrown him off balance.

After his shower, he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

Aside from when we were in bed, we had never had this kind of physical intimacy.

He asked in a low voice,

"Should we talk..."

Talk about what? The divorce?

My breath caught, and my body instinctively went stiff.

"Never mind," he changed the subject.

"Why did you call me today?"

Our saved phone numbers were practically useless.

We only messaged on Snapchat occasionally and never called.

I didn't know what to say.

And I didn't have the energy to say it anyway.

"Accidental dial? No wonder you hung up so fast."

He quickly came up with an explanation.

That night, his kisses in bed were meticulous and unusually gentle.

But I actually preferred his wild, unchecked side.

At those moments, I could catch a glimpse of the seventeen-year-old boy he used to be.

They say loving someone makes you childish.

I had seen him playfully mess up his lover's hair, laughing freely and wildly.

I had also seen him stand up for her, fighting until he was bleeding.

But in front of me, he never showed any emotion. He was always quiet and distant.

Precisely because I had seen how he loved someone,

I knew clearly that Ethan did not love me.

I didn't know what to do.

I had no friends or family to confide in.

Except Grandma Evelyn.

That entire afternoon, I stared at the rose in front of methe one I had carefully tended to, yet it had still withered.

I had watered it, loosened the soil, and cut off the dead leaves.

But when some flowers withered, no amount of saving could bring them back.

I wondered if marriage followed the same rule.

I asked softly,

"Grandma, if a flower can't be saved, what should I do?"

She smiled.

"Then don't save it."

"Pull it out and make room for a new one."

She gently patted my hand.

"Not everything is worth wasting a lifetime on."

Yes, I should just let it go.

Autumn was coming.

I didn't swap out the clothes in my closet for the new season.

My body wash was running out.

But I didn't stock up during the big sale like I usually did.

I packed many of my clothes into cardboard boxes.

Ethan looked at the half-empty closet, confusion in his voice.

"Where are your clothes?"

"I'm planning to donate them to the foster home."

I lied.

I just didn't want to be in a rush when I left, so I was preparing early.

Even the speech to bring up the divorce had been rehearsed hundreds of times in my head.

That night, he was working in the study.

I stood outside, taking three deep breaths before failing to turn the doorknob.

Ethan was sitting at his desk, holding his phone to his ear with one hand while rubbing his temples with the other.

He looked exhausted, and his voice sounded incredibly soft.

"Serena, I can handle the issues on my end anytime. It's been too long, and I don't want to wait anymore..."

I didn't have the courage to hear the rest.

I quietly stepped back and gently closed the door.

I felt so pathetic.

Ethan was more impatient than me, yet he was much better at hiding it.

Divorce was something I had to treat with absolute seriousness.

I needed to be fully prepared psychologically and bring it up at the right time.

But he didn't care at all.

Perhaps he was just waiting for the exact moment he and Serena officially got back together.

Then he would notify me of the divorce and "handle" me.

I was the one taking it too seriously.

I had placed too much weight on this marriage of convenience.

That night, I still brought up the divorce.

I chose the most abrupt moment, using the most casual tone.

As Ethan was passionately kissing my ear,

I turned my head away, my face expressionless.

"Ethan, let's get a divorce."