I Threw Away My Wedding Ring

It was our eighth wedding anniversary, and I wanted to surprise Scarlett, my wife. Instead, her assistant, Liam, knocked me down the stairs. Liam looked terrified. “Oh no, did I mess up again? I’m so sorry, please scold me…” Scarlett’s heart ached for him. “Don’t be silly, it wasn’t on purpose.” Then, she glared at me. “Alright, so you fell. Just get up. Don’t lie there making a scene!” At the hospital, the woman in the next bed asked kindly why my wife hadn’t come to see me, even though I had a concussion. Was she too busy? I was silent for a moment, then turned and tossed my wedding ring into the trash can. “No, I just became a widower.”

Scarlett didn’t come home until late the next night. The moment she walked in, she tossed her trench coat onto the sofa. Only to find it already piled with her clothes from yesterday, and a mess of high heels scattered across the floor. A flicker of annoyance crossed her face. As usual, she didn’t notice my pale complexion or the medications on the table. “I’ve been out working all day and night, and I come home to this mess? Are you expecting me to clean it up?” I didn’t even lift an eyelid. I was too tired to remind her that the perfume she was wearing completely gave away her whereabouts. Seeing my lack of reaction, Scarlett scoffed. “Seriously, it’s like I married a prince and brought him home just to worship him.” My lips pressed into a tight line. After we got married, I willingly learned to cook and clean for Scarlett. Back then, even if I burned my hand cooking, a single compliment from her would make my entire day. But now, I was utterly fed up. When I remained silent, Scarlett’s brows furrowed. She finally sensed something was wrong. She slowly walked towards me, reaching out to touch my face, but I subtly dodged her. Scarlett froze, her voice softening a bit. “What’s wrong? Are you still angry?” I calmly shot back, “What good would being angry do?” Yesterday afternoon, after Liam knocked me down the stairs, Scarlett was only concerned with comforting a panicking Liam. She completely ignored the blood seeping from my head. To cheer Liam up, Scarlett even promised on the spot to go shopping with him. That afternoon, while they were on a sweet date, I was alone in the hospital undergoing surgery. “I just don’t get you men. Why do you always have so much to be angry about?” Seeing my cold attitude, Scarlett grew a little impatient. She roughly tried to turn my face towards her, but her hand brushed against my icy-cold skin. Her expression finally showed a hint of panic. “Why are you crying? It was just a fall, and I just snapped at you a couple of times, right?” “Alright, stop crying. It’s all my fault, okay? Blame me for being so busy these past two days that I didn’t have time for you.” Scarlett embraced me gently, letting out a soft sigh. “But wasn’t I doing all this for our home? Can’t you be a little more understanding?” “Do you know how hard I work out there? I’m so busy every day, and isn’t it all to give you a better life?” Hearing her words, my heart felt utterly frozen. Yesterday, right after my solo surgery, consumed by despair, Liam updated his social media. Liam: Thanks for the flowers, Scarlett! The photo showed the boy smiling brightly, holding a bouquet of roses. Scarlett’s blurry figure was unintentionally captured in the background. And Scarlett, from the moment I was knocked down until now, had never once genuinely asked about my well-being. At that thought, a wave of disgust washed over my face. I pushed her away with force and casually brushed her off. “Yeah, I know. You work so hard. Everything is for me. Thank you, you’re truly wonderful.” The words hung in the air, and the living room fell silent. Scarlett stared at me, utterly stunned. In eight years of marriage, this was the first time I had ever pushed her away. My fervent, unreserved love had become the very weapon she used to hurt me, over and over again. Ignoring her bewildered gaze, my eyes were cold and distant. I was about to turn and leave. But Scarlett suddenly grabbed my hand tightly, her voice tinged with a subtle panic. “Alex, where’s your ring?”