Chapter 3

She returned home after 1 a.m.

Thinking I was asleep, she didn't call me and went straight to the guest room.

I lay awake, recalling our seven years together, unable to sleep.

She made long calls from the guest room, speaking coquettishly and ambiguously. It was undoubtedly Jasper on the other end.

When I got up in the morning, she had already made breakfast.

Including my favorite soft-boiled eggs.

She apologized, "I was busy at work yesterday and couldn't make it to the restaurant. You won't blame me, right?"

Saying this, she leaned in to kiss my forehead.

I reached for the egg, avoiding her kiss.

She seemed startled.

Her eyes flashed with a brief disappointment.

Thinking about her kissing another man made me feel dirty.

Today's task was still to tail her.

She went to the hospital for a blood transfusion, and the man holding her waist was Jasper.

"I heard someone has been donating blood for you for years? 800ml a month, who could it be?" Jasper wondered.

"Idiot, who would willingly give so much blood monthly," Nora scoffed.

If not for loving her deeply, I wouldn't have.

The doctor always scolded me for donating too frequently.

But if I didn't, she wouldn't have any.

Only two people in the city matched her blood type.

The other person wasn't healthy enough to donate.

Jasper pinched her under her clothes, "You should thank him. What if he stops donating?"

Nora pinched Jasper's butt in return, "Don't jinx it."

A while later, they came out of the transfusion room.

Nora's face was dark, visibly puzzled.

If it weren't for the profound love I have for her, I wouldn't find it so hard to let go.

The doctor often scolds me for donating blood too frequently.

But if I didn't, she wouldn't have any.

In this entire city, only two people have a compatible blood type for her.

The other person is in poor health and unable to donate.

Jasper jokingly teased as he touched her waist: "You should be grateful. What if he stops donating? What would you do?"

Nora playfully pinched Jasper back: "Don't jinx it."

A short while later, they emerged from the transfusion room.

Nora looked troubled, clearly perplexed.

"Why didn't he donate? He's never missed a session in seven years. Even during a snowstorm, he still came. Something must have happened this time," she speculated.

I was supposed to donate yesterday, intending to get my suit tailored first and then donate for the last time—to finish what I started.

But she left me for another man's embrace, so I canceled the donation.

Yesterday, the blood center called me, but I didn't pick up.

Nora made a few calls, trying to find out the name and number of the donor.

I don't know what was said on the other end, but her face remained a mask of disappointment and concern.

Jasper gently tapped her nose: "Don't worry, there must be a solution."

They hugged and headed to the car, both getting into the back seat.

Through the car window, I saw Nora nestled into Jasper's arms.

Soon after, the car began to shake slightly.

Not long after, they returned. Nora's hair was disheveled, and her clothes were wrinkled, clear signs of intimacy.

I turned away, unable to watch.

Their affection felt like knives and arrows to my heart.

I looked down at my hand.

I touched the wedding ring she had lovingly placed on my finger.

The vows that once moved me now felt nauseating.

I took off the ring and tossed it into the trash can.

When I looked up, they were gone.

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