"Take this as compensation for the past three years."
Maria Moreno stared at the blank checque in Foster Terrell's hand and asked, her lips trembling, "What do you mean by this?"
After asking it, Maria felt that her question was quite silly.
A month ago, she had heard that the woman Foster truly loved—Jillian Lane was back in the country.
These days, Foster had been spending more time out of the house, leaving early and coming home late. Maria should have guessed much earlier on that their marriage wasn't going to last for much longer.
She was quite shattered about it. They had been married for three years and had spent so much time together, day in and day out. Yet, that was nothing compared to this woman's return.
The biggest fault in this marriage was that Foster did not love her.
Maria bit her lower lip and said in a hoarse voice, "Is there no room for negotiation?"
Foster looked at her in silence. After some time, he finally spat out, slowly, "I'm sorry."
Maria let out a bitter laugh. Disappointment, frustration, reluctance, and sadness overwhelmed her. She sat stiffly on the bed.
Neither of them mentioned Jillian, as if by mutual, unspoken agreement. Doing so would hurt Maria, besides being an insult to their marriage.
It was fortunate then that they both respected each other enough to leave the other their pride.
Trembling, Maria threw off the blanket and made to get out of bed.
Foster grabbed her hand and asked softly, "What are you doing?"
Maria was holding back tears as she replied, "Helping you find a suitable tie."
Every day, Maria was the one who carefully laid out Foster's clothes for the day. It had become a habit long ago.
"I've already dressed." Foster's voice was still as gentle as before. "You don't look very well. You should sleep a little longer."
Maria responded numbly and covered her head with the blanket, obscuring her teary eyes from view.
After Foster left the bedroom, she got out of bed, ran into the bathroom, and covered her mouth. She couldn't help but start sobbing.
She had never known that loving someone hurt so much. It was so painful that she could hardly breathe.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, flowing uncontrollably.
After some time, Foster called from downstairs for her to have breakfast.
Maria responded before turning on the tap and washing all the tears from her face. Still, her eyes were still red despite the cold water.
She gave up and changed her clothes before going downstairs. Foster was waiting for her in the dining room.
Maria quietly walked to the dining table and sat down.
"It used to be you who made breakfast. I made it for you today. Have a taste."
Foster said as he pulled out a chair and sat down. He noticed that Maria's eyes were red, and there was some sorrow there. "Were you crying?"
Maria raised her chin and explained stubbornly, "I accidentally got cleanser in my eyes when I was washing my face just now. It'll be fine after a while."
"Be more careful next time then. Let's eat," Foster said. He personally filled Maria's plate with food and placed it in front of her.
The sumptuous breakfast lay before them, but neither of them started either.
It seemed that both Maria and Foster did not have much appetite for this meal.
Fifteen minutes later, the breakfast spread on the table was still untouched.
Maria put down her cutlery, stood up, and said calmly, "I'm going to pack up my things."
Foster frowned and said softly, "There's no rush."
Maria didn't say anything more. Foster had already paid her the compensation for the divorce. If she didn't leave, should she wait until she was chased out?
After going upstairs, Maria packed up her things neatly and put them into her luggage.
After about two hours of packing, she pulled the zipper of the suitcase closed and went downstairs with it.
Foster was still waiting downstairs. He held out his hand in a gentlemanly manner, intent on taking the heavy suitcase from her grasp. "Give it to me."
"No need." Maria dragged her suitcase and walked out with her back straight.
She walked through the garden of the house she had lived in for three years. Looking at the familiar greenery, she felt even sadder. She would probably never come here again in the future.
How much effort people put in to go from strangers to friendly terms. And yet, when done the opposite way, to go from familiar to strangers, nothing needed to be done. All one had to do was stop seeing the other.
It had been three years. Her hopes of him growing to love her over time had been in vain, a one-sided thing.
She had once loved Foster so painstakingly much. There was passion and affection between them, but what did all that amount to now?
It was better then to just let go.
Maria just wanted to keep her last shred of dignity and leave a good impression on Foster. She didn't want to make things too embarrassing in the end.
Foster walked behind her, following her to the main entrance. A car was already waiting beyond the gates.
Foster suddenly stepped forward and pulled Maria into his arms. In his eyes, there was a hint of him being unwilling to let her go. Even so, he said, "If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, call me."
Maria nodded, burying her face in his chest. She couldn't bear to look at him as it would be for the last time.
She wondered if the day would come when she would be able to stop loving him.
Would it take five years, ten? Or would it take a lifetime?
It was easy to fall in love with someone, but it was too difficult to completely forget that person.
"When you married me a few years ago, I was in poor health and had a bad temper. I gave you a lot of trouble. I'm sorry."
"It's all in the past."
"Take care of yourself from now on."
"You too." Maria stretched out her hand and hugged his waist. She felt that it would be difficult for her to see him again in the future after parting ways.
After a while, she pushed him away. Grabbing her suitcase, she quickly turned away and left.
Foster suddenly asked behind her, "Who is Skye?"
She had been married for three years. Throughout these three years, she had been calling out this name in her sleep as well.
Hearing this, the long-buried past suddenly floated to the forefront of Maria's mind. In her sadness, she couldn't say a word.
Foster laughed self-deprecatingly and asked, "He must be very important to you, right? I'm sorry. I've occupied you for three years. I wish you happiness in the future."
With mixed feelings in her heart, Maria did not know how to answer him.
What was the use of explaining so much to a man who didn't love her? Now, what she should do was to let Foster be together with the woman he loved, right?
Therefore, she smiled, though it looked fragile. "I wish you happiness, too."
After that, she got in the car.
The driver helped to put her suitcase into the trunk before driving away.
Back at the Moreno family home, Maria entered the house with a tired look on her face.
Seeing that her daughter's eyes were red from crying and with a suitcase in hand, Helen immediately asked, "My dear girl, are you being bullied in the Terrell family?"
With a calm expression, Maria lowered her head and changed into slippers. "I'm moving home."
"Why is that?"
Helen was furious. "Three years ago, when that Foster guy had a car accident, you took care of him to exhaustion. Day and night you cared for him. You massaged his legs and helped him recover. It took you a lot of effort to take such good care of him. Now he doesn't want you anymore?"
Maria took out the blank cheque and handed it to her mother. "This is the compensation he gave me."
No matter what sum she filled this cheque with, even if it were hundreds of millions, she knew Foster could afford it.
Helen's expression softened a little as she continued, "Even if he gave you money, can you swallow down the hurt?"
