But he suddenly frowned, his face darkening, and with extreme irritation, he shouted, “Suzanne, can you stop making a scene?!
“If it wasn’t for you insisting on House No. 1, would we even be in this situation right now? What do you want me to do about it? Can you stop making things more difficult?”
With that, Hank roughly rubbed his forehead, seemingly recalling something, and muttered, “Why can’t you learn a thing or two from Adrienne? Look how considerate and thoughtful she is. She doesn’t demand anything from me.”
I stood frozen in place, not expecting Hank to treat Suzanne this way, let alone bring me up so suddenly.
But I wasn’t really surprised.
I knew all too well how deep and brutal the entertainment industry could be, which is why, despite being criticized, slandered, and even having doctored photos of me spread online, I never complained to Hank.
Back then, I naively followed the principle of always providing Hank with positive emotional support, not wanting to burden him with my troubles.
Even when I received threatening letters and dead mice from haters, I would force myself to bear the fear and clean up before he came home.
Only later did I learn that the reason he hadn’t come home that day was to comfort Suzanne, who had been frightened by a stalker fan.
I snapped myself out of the memory with a bitter laugh.
Unfortunately, just as I did, they both happened to look up, their eyes meeting mine.
Suzanne spat angrily, “If you like Adrienne so much, why are you still with me? Why don’t you just go to her?”
Without hesitation, she raised her hand and slapped Hank across the face; then stormed off.
Hank, however, didn’t react. He stared directly at me, his gaze dark and unfathomable.
After a moment, his lips trembled, as if he’d just realized something. He softly said, “Adrienne, I think I know what I did wrong…”
His eyes held a hint of apology and sadness.
He became more animated, quickly stepping toward me, trying to grab my hand. “Adrienne, I… I shouldn’t have been with Suzanne. Can you forgive me?”
But it was too late.
Though over ten years of our relationship couldn’t be erased completely, all the accumulated disappointment had drained me. I was simply exhausted.
Even when I first signed up for this show, a part of me still held onto some hope.
But that hope had long since disappeared, shattered by each cold shoulder, each abandonment.
It was like that bottle of soda I once opened while cooking. Once the cap was off, the carbon dioxide slowly fizzed out until it was completely
gone.
I pulled my hand away from his, my voice cold. “No, please just sign the divorce papers as soon as possible.”
Without waiting for his plea, I turned and walked away.
The selling event was about to start, and I didn’t want to waste time on someone who no longer mattered.
Chapter 11
When we first arrived at the market, the crowd hadn’t gathered yet.
I sat down at Jesse’s stall, while Aaron stood silently next to us, holding an umbrella over our heads.
D
7:14 PM J
I glanced at him, finally asking the question that had been bothering me for a while, “Aaron, why did you help me that day?”
