A Philosophical Love Story 2
After brushing my teeth, I sat down at the table. He was enjoying his breakfast, looked up, and smiled at me. I saw my favorite shrimp and broccoli stir-fry on the table and felt happy. I drank the water his mom had prepared and took a sip of the rich soy milk with black sesame and honey. I envied him for having such a nutritious and plentiful breakfast prepared every day.
Suddenly, his mom started scolding him from the kitchen. She complained about raising such a son and how all her efforts were in vain. She said he never listened to her, and if it weren’t for his hard work, she wouldn’t bother with him.
She threatened to call his dad and tell him not to come over and said she would return to the Northeast. She said if we wanted to be together, we could, but she wouldn’t care anymore.
My mom had never gotten mad at me like this before. I choked up, stirring my spoon in the bowl. Seeing him being scolded made me feel even worse. I nudged him, “Don’t talk back. I’ll leave tomorrow, so don’t argue with her.”
The kitchen noises continued to bombard us. I suggested, “Maybe you could find some time today to take me back.” He nodded, and I put down my spoon, grabbed a tissue, and went back to the room, tears falling. I also have parents and am a dutiful child.
On the balcony, I swallowed all my emotions and stopped my tears. If I kept crying, it would only make things harder for him. Luckily, I wouldn’t be his daughter-in-law, or I would surely be mistreated.
He came over to comfort me, reminding me not to argue with his mom while he was at work. I smiled faintly, “There’s no point in arguing with you, let alone your mom.” He was funny, thinking I had any grounds to argue with her.
We had already decided to break up quietly. I asked him not to appear in my life circle and to avoid any business dealings with my company during my current job.
My friends and I used to believe that if a man truly loved you, no matter how much his family opposed, he would persist, and his family would eventually agree. Seeing what happened this morning, I realized he had tried very hard.
But in this long struggle, I had been deeply hurt and had no strength left. I recalled a hurtful thing he once said, “If I could marry you, why would I wait until now?” Now, I finally understood.
Over the past few days, I experienced his work’s hardships—no weekends, rarely leaving work on time. I realized how difficult it was for him to see me twice a week over the past two years, despite being exhausted. When I injured my hand, he stayed with me at the hospital until after one in the morning, carefully looking after me.
Thinking back, I felt moved. He got home around two that night. The next day, I willfully asked him to see me after work. He got angry, saying I didn’t understand how to care for others. At the time, I felt wronged, but now I regret it, realizing he had given as much as I had. Neither of us had ever mentioned “love,” and now it seemed unnecessary to say it.
I was packing my things when his mom came in, urging me to eat. “I was scolding my son earlier. Don’t take it to heart. Stay a couple more days; there’s no rush to leave.” I smiled and said I understood. After eating, she called her husband, telling him not to come and that she was leaving.
The trigger: I felt cold after getting up, so her son brought me a blanket. She asked, “How could your legs be cold?” Her son snapped, “Oh, just don’t worry about it.” That’s how conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law arise: a mother painstakingly raises her son, only to have him take care of someone else and speak harshly to her.
Seeing her still upset, I comforted her, assuring her I wouldn’t contact her son anymore and urging her to take care of her health. She had heart and vascular issues and shouldn’t get angry. She felt better and said, “Then don’t contact him anymore.” Her emphasis felt like a cruel stab to my already broken heart.
Back in my room, I received a text from him apologizing, worried about my feelings. I buried myself under the covers and cried until I felt like I was falling apart. If this were a horror movie, I would have cried myself into ashes.
I cried for an hour, overwhelmed with grief, feeling faint and struggling to breathe, almost passing out from the shock but eventually recovering.
I vowed never to cry like this again or shed another tear for him. I would put on a brave face for everyone, smiling as if nothing happened, leaving it to time to heal all wounds. I hid my sadness deep inside, not letting anyone touch it. That’s why I didn’t rely on my friends for comfort; they understood and silently supported me.
He once said, “Maybe if you spend some time with her, she will like you.” No matter how well I handled things, I couldn’t remove the thorn in her heart. She disapproved of my family, my height, and now I even had a scar on my hand. These were things I couldn’t choose or change, nor did I want to.
I decided to say goodbye to him properly and leave the next day. When I told his mom, she seemed relieved, as if her guilt would lessen. Seeing me with a book, she said, “Don’t read, just rest.” I nodded and went back to my room, knowing she realized I had been crying, as my eyes hurt too much to read.
Three years of feelings were hard to let go of. I felt like I was breaking. When I broke up with Jun, I knew he wasn’t marriage material, so I had no regrets. But Yu was the kind of man I wanted to marry, with big, warm hands that made me feel safe.
But now… our fate ends here.
I said, “If there is a next life, I will switch roles with you and torment you.” But then I thought, if I were a man, I probably wouldn’t bear to hurt such a kind-hearted girl. When he reached out his hand to make a pinky promise, I thought, if there is a next life, let’s not meet again.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
