After I Left It Was Spring Again

When the whole world envied her perfect family relationship,only she knew the truth,After her husband built another family,she made a decision to let him regret!

"Miss Hamilton, are you certain about staging your own death as a car accident on the fourteenth of this month?"

Wanda hesitated briefly, but the image of the father and son laughing with another woman stiffened her resolution. So, she nodded resolutely.

"I have one more request," she added. "The fake version of me must die in front of Eric. Ideally, it should be him who hits me with his car."

If she couldn't have Eric's undivided love, she would ensure that he spent the rest of his life consumed by unrelenting regret.

"That request …," the voice on the other end of the phone hesitated.

"Money is not an issue," Wanda interjected. Then after she hung up the phone, she glanced at the family photo nearby. The three of them were beaming with joy. Her gaze softened with nostalgia.

She still remembered he day he proposed, how Eric had been so nervous that he could barely speak. On the day of their wedding, he had been so overcome with emotion that he wept in front of thousands of guests.

When their son was born, he had lovingly wiped the sweat from her brow. He told her that one child was enough.

They had once been so happy, the picture-perfect family everyone envied.

No matter how busy Eric was, he would always come home with a bouquet of flowers. He always said, "Loving you is like tending a garden. I want to see you bloom every day."

Even their son, Ben Gordon, mimicked his father’s gestures. He would proudly carry her bag when they went out and insisted on being her little gentleman. His small face would flush red from the effort, but he never let her worry about a thing.

Who would have thought that the husband and son everyone saw as the epitome of devotion were secretly fawning over another woman?

Countless nights when Eric claimed to be "away on business," he was whispering sweet words to someone else. Even their son, Ben, had begun calling the woman "sister" with unreserved affection.

That father and son had built a new life outside and hit it from Wanda for three whole years.

She never imagined that after surviving the challenges of young love and the struggles of building a life together, her marriage would succumb to the infamous "seven-year itch."

When she opened her phone, Wanda saw the trending news. The rising star, Cristina Laurence had just won the Best Actress Award at the Moviegoers Award Festival. The news was accompanied with an image of stunning actress in a red gown, radiating her beauty and youthfulness.

She was followed by Eric. He was walking not far behind her, though he had old me that he was at the company. He was not alone but walking hand in hand with Ben, their five years old son.

The loving gaze Eric directed at the woman was the same look he had once reserved for Wanda.

Tonight, it was Wanda and Eric's seventh wedding anniversary and Wanda had spent the whole day preparing for it. She had personally made Eric's favorite soup, the beef stew and made Ben's favorite food, barbeque pork ribs.

Yet neither father nor their son came home.

She waited from six o’clock until ten, only to receive a single, curt text from Eric. He wrote, "Something came up at work. I won’t be home tonight. Our son is with me.”

When she remembered this, Wanda suddenly lost the will to ask for an explanation. She didn’t want them anymore. She did not want neither Eric nor the son she had risked her life to bring into the world.

She stood up, dumped the carefully prepared dishes into the trash, flipped the family portrait face-down and headed upstairs.

Over the years, the father and son had given her plenty of gifts, especially Ben.

Children expressed their love in simple, earnest ways.

The leaves picked up from the roadside, the flowers plucked along the way, or the simple stick-figure drawings from kindergarten. As long as he liked it, Ben would present it carefully to Wanda.

However, their loving mother and son's bond began to deteriorate ever since Wanda forbade him to eat sweets because Ben had a tooth decay problem.

As this thought went across her mind, Wanda choked back tears and began packing up all these items.

When the delivery man arrived, Wanda handed him the package and gave precise instructions, "Please send this to Villa No. 14 in Clear Water Bay exactly one week from now. The recipient’s name is Christina. Tell her she can have the husband and son now. After all, I’ve decided to discard this garbage heap of a father and son.”

"What are you discarding, Wanda?"

Just as the words fell, Eric held his son, Ben, in his arms as he walked towards her. The boy held a bouquet of vibrant red roses in his hands.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Ben ran eagerly toward Wanda. “Mommy, I picked these flowers just for you! Do you like them?”

He stood on his tiptoes and thrust the bouquet into her hands, his bright eyes were glistening with hope for getting her praise.

Eric glanced briefly at the departing delivery man. Suspicion flashed in his eyes as he asked, "What were you sending just now?

Wanda did not elaborate, she only said, "Nothing important., they were just some useless junks."

“You should’ve let the housekeeper handle that. You know you’re not in the best health and should be resting more,” Eric said disapprovingly, his brows furrowed. It seemed he was really concerned for Wanda, his wife.

“I’m not made of porcelain. A bit of housework won’t hurt me," Wanda refuted.

Eric shook his head helplessly. "You’re always like this. Leave such tasks to me from now on.”

He continued, "By the way, for our wedding anniversary tonight, Ben and I picked out a jade bracelet for you. Do you like it?”

He handed her a bag and his face was full of apology. “I had planned for us to have a nice dinner together in a restaurant, but something urgent came up at work. I had to take Ben with me to the office. How about we reschedule and celebrate the anniversary properly next week?”

Ben nodded his head enthusiastically and chimed in, "Daddy was super busy. I even fell asleep waiting for him at the office!”

Wanda studied Eric's face for a long time. Yet his expression only showed the love she used to see, there was not a trace of guilt there.

As for the supposed dinner at the restaurant, Eric had brough Ben along with him to see Christina. There was no way he could split his time to celebrate with Wanda, even if he wanted to.

Wanda only laughed as she looked briefly at the banquet in her hand and said carelessly, "I see. Let's go inside immediately. Look! Ben is freezing with cold."

In the past, Wanda would have immediately shielded Ben from the cold wind at the door. She would even offer him her scarf. Now, however, she didn’t bother. She simply used this as an excuse to change the subject.

Once inside, both father and son duo looked around the noticeably emptier living room with puzzled expressions.

Eric quickly realized that something was amiss. His lips tightened as he asked cautiously, “Wanda, did something go missing in the house?”

Ben also noted that the family portrait he had given his mother was gone. He hurriedly tugged the corner of Wanda's clothes and asked anxiously, "Mommy, where is my painting?"

Wanda calmly shook away her son's hand. She took a sip of water in the living room, then replied slowly, “Those things were taking up too much space. I sold them to the scrap collector."

When he heard this, Eric sighed a quiet sigh of relief. For him, as long as that matter remained concealed, everything was okay. Although he was cheating on his wife, inside his heart, Wanda was his one and only wife.

He relaxed his tense expression, leaned down and pinched Ben's dejected cheeks.

Chapter 3

"This phrase is called 'out with the old, in with the new'," said Eric. "This is just a way for your mother to encourage you to draw a brand-new family portrait for her. After all, our little Ben has grown so much."

It was clear, Ben took his father's words to heart because he threw his body to Wanda's arm and with his childish voice he vowed, "Mommy, I’ll draw lots and lots of new family portraits for you!"

Well! Out with the old, in with the new, huh?

Wanda's eyes were full of self-deprecation. So, this old wife and old mother would have to give way to the younger and prettier Christina.

The aroma of food lingered faintly in the air and entered Eric's nose. However, when he spotted the still steaming beef stew discarded in the trash, he was surprised.

"Wanda," he called out. "Did you cook dinner last night?"

"I haven’t cooked in a long time," Wanda answered calmly. "It turned out so awful that I threw it away."

Wanda had no idea why he cared enough to ask. Even the sight of Ben clinging to her legs felt suffocating.

She stood abruptly and to bush them off, she said she felt unwell and headed upstairs.

No sooner had she reached her bedroom than her phone began buzzing incessantly. When she opened her message, she saw Christina had sent her three photos.

The first one was a photo of Christina holding a bouquet of red roses. She was posing with Eric and Ben.

The second one showed the trio of them enjoying a meal at the restaurant they had booked weeks ago.

The last one was a close-up of an emerald bracelet on Christina's wrist.

As she stared at the warm and intimate image in the photo, the dull pain in Wanda's heart turned into a sharp pain that stabbed her heart continuously. The hurt was so bad that it was so much harder for her to breathe.

Vaguely, the memory of twenty years ago resurfaced in her mind. When she was just nine years old, her parents died in a plane crash. While her relatives were fighting to take over her custody so they could take a dip into the enormous Hamilton Family's inheritance, only Eric, who was only fourteen years old at that time, took her hand and gave her home again.

Back then, he had said, “Wanda, I’ll protect you and never let you suffer.”

That promise had turned him into the single light in her life. She had stumbled and fallen over the years, but she always followed him.

When she learned of his stomach problems, she chose to major in food science and tirelessly honed her cooking skills, just to make him comforting, nourishing meals.

When he went abroad to study, she pushed herself to take the IELTS and practice her English, all to enroll in the same university.

High society circles whispered that Wanda was nothing more than a child bride raised by the Gordon Family. Yet, she did not care. She believed with all her heart that she and Eric would have their happily ever after.

However, in the world of the wealthy, true feelings fade faster than the seasons. Eric now had a new lover, but he still tried to deceive her with lies.

As Wanda wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Christina's message came again.

"I presume you have received your wedding anniversary gift, right? The emerald bracelet is too big and old-fashioned for me, but it should suit you perfectly."

The arrogance of the younger woman clearly could be seen in her writing. Her words dripped with veiled insults about Wanda’s age and fading beauty.

Wanda turned off her phone, took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. She wanted desperately to act as though nothing had happened. However, she could not lie to her heart.

The red roses and the jade bracelet … Actually every single "gift" from Eric and Ben had been nothing more than Christina’s discarded leftovers.

That realization alone was enough to suffocate her. She couldn’t help but question every gift from the past. Had they all been things rejected by other women? The thought made her feel like a fool forever believing she had been cherished.

Just then, Eric entered. He was holding Ben's hand who was dressed in his bear-print pajamas. "Ben insisted on sleeping with us tonight," he said.

Chapter 4

Eric brought their child to bed and out of habit, wrapped his arm around Wanda.

“You seemed upset tonight,” he said gently. “Anniversaries aren’t about the date. What matters is who you spend them with.”

He smiled faintly as his mind drifted to the surprise he had planned. On her birthday, he was going to unveil a special gift. It was a new brand that he had named after her, "Wanda." However, he would hold this surprise for a week time before revealing it to her.

Wanda did not respond because she was afraid that the moment she opened her mouth, her voice would betray her emotions. So, she lay stiffly in his arm and murmured a barely audible response.

By the time Eric thought of saying more, he noticed she had already slept. Their son, Ben, exhausted from playing, had also fallen fast asleep in her arms.

Then, Eric's phone began to vibrate repeatedly. It was a message from Christina.

He slid his arm from under Wanda's neck and opened their chat box. Perhaps because of the guilt, he purposely turned around from the sleeping Wanda.

She sent him a message, "Do you want to come out and play tonight?"

Just when Eric was about to decline, she video-called him. "Are you sure you aren't coming?" Christina teased. "Christmas is around the corner and I can fulfill one of your wishes … let's see … how about I act as a Christmas fairy? The kind that will grant everything you want."

Eric's heart raced. Christina sure knows how to play her cards right, he thought. Yet, tonight was his wedding anniversary and leaving Wanda alone had already crossed a line. Meeting someone else in the middle of the night would be a bit too far.

Slowly, Eric got up as he promised himself it would be the last time that he indulged his desire before Wanda’s birthday.

Just as he reached for his coat, Wanda stirred awake. When their eyes met, Eric forced himself to remain calm and smile, "Something urgent came up at work. Did I wake you?”

He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead as if to reassure her. Without waiting for a response, he grabbed his car keys and left.

With the slam, the door closed and once again the room went silent.

Ben startled awake by the noise, rubbed his eyes.

When he noticed that Eric wasn't there, he muttered in a small voice, “Dad is sneaking off to meet Christina alone again, next time I'll be sure to follow!”

Wanda froze. Her gaze fell on her son as her heart broke into pieces.

Realizing he had said something wrong, Ben quickly covered his mouth and hugged her as he tried to cover it.

“Mommy, Daddy must be busy with work,” he said, his voice soft and comforting. “However, I’ll always stay with you.”

Despite his words, there was a tinge of regret in his young eyes.

Wanda didn’t respond. She didn’t praise him for being thoughtful, as she usually would. She just tucked Ben back under the covers, then stared blankly at the ceiling.

Hearing the sound of the car engine downstairs, she curled into a ball and covered her ears with her hands.

Maybe if she blocked out the noise, she could convince herself that Eric really was busy with work and he was not with another woman.

Eric didn’t come home that night. He even did not return in the morning.

As Wanda sat down for breakfast, her phone buzzed with a message from him:

“I asked Jane to make chicken soup for you. Don’t forget to have some. Let the nanny take Been to kindergarten. You should rest more and not tire yourself out.”

Eric had her daily life arranged down to the last detail.

Chapter 5

Yet, this kind of care was nothing more than a guilty conscience. It was a feeble attempt to atone for his infidelity. Every time Rick cheated, he would pour a lot of attention to Wanda.

These text messages often came at odd hours of the night. Maybe they were sent as he smoked his cigarettes after doing the deed, or perhaps ….

The thought made Wanda's stomach churn violently. She bolted to the bathroom and vomited until she felt utterly drained.

When she finally stepped out of the bathroom, Ben had already finished his breakfast and waited patiently by the door.

When he saw her, he instinctively grabbed her hand. “Mommy, if you don’t take me to school soon, I’ll be late.”

Wanda pulled her hand from his grasp and said nonchalantly, "Jane will take you to school today. I’m tired.”

"I want you, Mommy, to take me to school," Ben pleaded. "Please."

"No, I'm tired," she replied coldly and ruthlessly.

Her ruthless refusal made Ben froze and he closed his mouth. He did not understand the reason his mother who usually did what he wanted would become so cold to him. He gulped down the words as he held back his tears.

Jean, who was standing at the side, sensed Wanda was in a bad mood. She wisely dragged Ben out of the house.

Wanda didn’t have the energy to console her son’s wounded feelings.

At the front desk, the receptionist hesitated as she looked up to confirm Wanda’s identity, her disbelief was evident. Yet, she quickly masked her shock and directed Wanda to Room three hundred and two to proceed with the paperwork.

Inside the room, a masked figure confirmed the details with her, such as the time and method of her death.

After she gave her firm answers, the man reminded her once again, his voice low and somber, “Once you sign, there’s no turning back. Seven days from now, Wanda will cease to exist.”

Wanda nodded. With steady hands, she signed her name. Then she handed over the sandalwood bracelet she’d worn for years as she said, "If I’m going to die, let’s make it convincing."

The bracelet held special significance. After Ben was born, Wanda fell into a mysterious coma. In desperation, Eric, despite being a staunch atheist, had traveled to Tibet. He endured freezing temperatures and knelt every three steps to pray for her recovery.

His sincerity had moved her back then, so much so that she had vowed never to take the bracelet off, even in death. Now, in a cruel twist of fate, she was making good on that promise.

As she left the office, she overheard the murmured gossip from the reception desk, “They say Mr. Gordon dotes on Mrs. Gordon like she’s his whole world. Yet here she is, signing up for a fake death service.”

"This shows that even the most glamorous marriages can be miserable behind closed doors.”

“I can’t believe I used to root for their love story. Turns out it was all fake.”

Wanda did not wait to hear the rest of the conversation. Maybe Eric had truly loved her at some point in the past seven years. However, for him, love was just a fleeting thing.

Leaving the service center, Wanda wandered into a nearby mall. She hoped she could distract herself.

Yet, fate was cruel. Unexpectedly, she bumped into Ben, who was supposed to be in kindergarten. At that time, he was being with Eric and Christina. The trio of them were walking side by side like a real family.

Wanda froze and stood rooted to the ground. Her mind went blank.

It wasn’t until Christina noticed her that reality snapped back into focus.

"Mrs. Gordon, why are you here?" She covered her mouth in pretend surprise. She walked briskly on her high heels toward Wanda. There wasn’t the slightest trace of guilt on her face being caught in an affair.

“Please don’t misunderstand,” she continued with a practiced innocence. “Mr. Gordon was just being kind. I recently got cast in a role where I play a mother and he thought it would be helpful for me to spend time with Ben to practice.”

“If you’re upset, please take it out on me. It’s my fault, not theirs. Mr. Gordon and Ben are completely innocent," she added.

Chapter 6

Christina deliberately played the role of a pitiful damsel, her teary eyes brimming with innocence. However, she used the fact that Eric was standing behind her, so she subtly exposed the faint red marks on her neck.

"Alright, Wanda isn’t the petty type," Eric interjected, as he was massaging his temples in frustration. "There’s nothing for her to misunderstand. We’ve done nothing wrong."

Before Christina could say anything more, he cut her off, "Don't you have to appear at the media conference? You should leave now."

"Mr. Gordon … but … but you promised that today you'll …."

When Eric saw Christina was about to say something detrimental and revealing, Eric's voice turned cold, "Christina, you're crossing the line!"

Her lips tightened in defiance, but seeing his expression, she eventually relented. Shooting a covert glare at Wanda she put on her mask and left, her reluctance palpable.

Using his young age, Ben walked toward Wanda and said, "Mommy, Christina is here to help pick out a present for you! I wanted to get you the world’s most amazing birthday gift.”

Wanda said calmly, "I’m not upset. It’s just … such a coincidence running into you all here."

She seemed detached, "Do you need anything else? If not, I’ll be heading back first."

“It’s rare for us to go out together,” Eric said, his softened voice. “There’s a charity auction tonight. Will you join me?”

Wanda said nothing, but her silence was enough for Eric to take it as agreement.

Without hesitation, he placed an arm around her slender waist. “You’ve gained some weight,” he remarked absentmindedly, then quickly added, "Yet, that’s a good thing. You were too thin before. Whether you’re slim or not, I love you either way."

Wanda’s lips curled into a cold smile, but she did not say anything.

Her weight hadn’t changed in years. His comment about her being fat was only because he was accustomed to Christina’s waist.

Perhaps out of guilt, Eric took her to an upscale boutique and personally picked out a red dress for her.

When Wanda emerged in full makeup while wearing a tailored gown, there was a flicker of amazement in his eyes.

Ben, on the other hand, clapped his hands directly and cheered, “Mommy, you look so pretty!”

When Wanda looked at her reflection, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the red gown Christina had worn on television just days ago. For so many years, she had never worn a red dress.

Yet, when it came to choosing a dress for her, Eric had instinctively picked Christina’s favorite color.

In the past, she would have confronted him, demanded him to give answers and even threatened to get a divorce. However, she did not care anymore.

With less than a week left, she decided to let him do as he pleased.

When they arrived at the auction that evening, Wanda wasn’t surprised to see Christina again. This time, she stood on the stage as the host of the show. Her witty remarks earned laughter from the crowd.

When she got off the stage, Christina intentionally sat next to Eric and even pinched Ben's face intimately.

On the contrary, Wanda, who was sitting on the side, was extraordinarily indifferent to the father and son duo. She did not take Christina's provocation in her heart.

Her attention was directed to the stage and her eyes slowly reddened as she recognized the final auction item.

If she wasn't mistaken, the last exhibit was the necklace her mother had worn the day she was killed, the Eternal Heart.

The name symbolized the truest form of love.

Her mother had once joked that when Wanda grew up, she would gift her the necklace as part of her dowry.

Perhaps he noticed the way Wanda looked at this place was a bit strange, Eric was the first to raise his sign to bid. "Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars," he said.

However, a crisp female voice sounded immediately afterward, “Fifteen hundred dollars.”

Eric frowned when he heard that. He was very unhappy with Christina's recklessness.

Yet the woman was spoiled and pretended to be envious, “Mrs. Gordon is now a winner in life, Mr. Gordon loves you so much. Surely you wouldn’t begrudge me to get this necklace, right?”

When he heard Christina's provocative words, Ben tugged the corner of Wanda's clothes. “Mommy, why don’t we just let Christina have the necklace? We already have so many at home.”

Wanda forced a bitter smile. “What if this is the only one I want?”

Chapter 7

She had never cared for luxury items, but this time, she refused to back down.

Eric gently squeezed her hand to comfort her before giving Ben a playful flick on his forehead. “In this family, we listen to Mommy. How can you give away something Mommy likes?”

He raised his paddle again. In the end, Eric won the bidding with the price of Seventeen million and five hundred thousand.

Christina's face turned red with rage. Tears glistened in her eyes as she stormed out of the auction hall.

Eric took a deep breath, got up and prepared to chase after her. However, before he left, he leaned down and kissed Wanda on her forehead. "I’ll go get the necklace and grab a hot milk for Ben while I’m at it.”

Ben, who had been about to follow his father, stopped in his tracks turned to Wanda and started to pester her to tell him a story. It was a familiar tactic and silent agreement between the father and son duo.

In the past, Eric would use this trick to distract Wanda and give himself a legitimate excuse to slip away and indulge his passion in his escapades.

However, children were children and Ben's ploy was easy to unravel. Wanda used the excuse of needing fresh air and slipped away. Ben didn’t press any further and let her go.

She stalked Eric until he stopped Christina in the bathroom. From behind the wall that separated them, she could hear clearly Christina's crying voice.

“It’s all your fault! You made me lose face in front of that woman. You only love her. You don’t care about me at all. If I’d met you earlier, there’s no way you would’ve married her!"

Then she added, "The only reason she’s still around is because she is your childhood sweetheart."

Christina cried for a long time. Eric just listened and did not say anything. When she could not cry anymore, Eric laughed softly and said, “Look at you, you've cried like a little kitten. You’re such a mess.”

His teasing only made the young woman puff out her cheeks in indignation and she put her hands on her hips. “I don’t care! Your wife stole the necklace I wanted. You have to make it up to me tonight!”

The air between them grew thick with passion and Eric’s voice dropped to a husky murmur, “You said it yourself. Don’t beg me to stop later.”

The man who always held himself when he was with Wanda turned into a ravenous wolf in front of Christina.

When it was about to end, Wanda finally couldn't bear it and fled the place that was suffocating her.

Wanda had no idea where to go. She eventually found an empty room, the darkness within matching the emptiness in her heart.

Chapter 8

Tears fell uncontrollably. Seeing it with her own eyes was far more devastating than any picture could have been.

Since giving birth, her intimacy with Eric had dwindled to almost nothing. Back then, she had naively believed it was because he cared for her fragile postnatal state.

However, now, she realized it was simply because he had indulged himself elsewhere and couldn’t be bothered to fake interest with her.

Her phone vibrated. Another message from Christina lit up the screen.

This time, it was a photo of the disarrayed bathroom and a pair of torn black stockings.

She wrote, "Guess what Mr. Gordon just did? Isn't it just a necklace? If you want it, take it. After all, his heart is with me."

Wanda did not block her because Christina still had a purpose to serve in the coming days.

Her bitter thoughts were interrupted by a distant wail. “Mommy! Mommy, where are you?”

The heartrending cries jolted her back to reality. Wanda wiped her tears and stepped out of the room.

Ben dashed toward her like a little whirlwind and flung himself into her arms. “I thought Mommy didn’t want me anymore! Waaaaah.…”

Tears clung to his lashes as though he’d suffered an unimaginable grievance. “Mommy, promise me. Wherever you go, you have to take me with you.”

Hearing the commotion, Eric hurried over. He paused for a moment at the heartwarming scene but couldn’t shake a creeping sense of uneasiness.

He walked up to them and handed Wanda the necklace. I expectedly ran into a client. We chatted for a bit longer than planned.”

Wanda's trembling fingers brushed over the familiar necklace. Once, she had believed that marrying Eric would give her the family she longed for.

However, not all men were like her father, who loved only one woman his entire life. Most of them were just like Eric. They were unfaithful men who had the skill to maintain the façade.

Perhaps overwhelmed by everything, Wanda fell ill with a high fever upon returning home.

Feeling the scorching heat of her body through the night, Eric panicked. He scooped her up and rushed her to the hospital.

When she woke up, a nurse greeted her with a warm smile and offered her a glass of water. “Mrs. Gordon, you’re finally awake! You’ve had a fever for three days and three nights. Mr. Gordon and your child stayed by your side the whole time without rest.”

She added, "Honestly, I don’t know what’s on your mind. If I had a husband and child who loved me this much, I’d be grinning from ear to ear.”

The nurse sighed and after advising Wanda to think positively and let go of her worries, she left the ward.

As Wanda glanced at the calendar to confirm the date, Christina strutted in, her stomach noticeably bulging.

“I'm pregnant, the baby is Mr. Gordon.” She threw the pregnancy report to Wanda's face.