Better Life Without You. novel Chapter 5

Hearing this, Henry trembled violently, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Last time, laura had mentioned that her mother had passed away, and he had thought it was just something she said in anger and didn't take it seriously.

Now, he still couldn't believe it. With a forced smile, he said, "Dr. Linda, stop joking with me. Didn't you say my mother-in-law would at least live for another three months? How could she have passed away in just a few days?"

Dr. Linda continued, "It's strange. Her condition really seemed stable enough to last at least another three months, but for some reason, when laura rushed her to the hospital that day, the cerebral hemorrhage had severely affected her nervous system.It seemed like she had been upset. We tried to resuscitate her for three hours, but in the end…"

At that moment, Henry recalled the time when Nancy had visited.

So, it was Nancy who had caused her to fall ill? It couldn't be… No, it couldn't be true.

He couldn't believe this, and kept backing away, his body trembling uncontrollably.

laura, yes, laura must know how her mother's condition worsened. If he could just call her and ask…

He fought to keep his emotions in check, holding onto the wall to steady himself while taking out his phone to call laura.

But no matter how many times he called, he only heard the cold, mechanical voice of the answering machine.

He stared blankly at his phone, feeling his heart sink.

No wonder laura said she wanted to let him go—her mother's death must have been too much of a blow to her.

At that thought, he felt like a terrible person. Not only had he failed to notice the signs, but he had also blamed her all this time.

He thought to himself, once he saw laura again, he would apologize sincerely.

Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed out of the hospital and drove home.

But when he opened the door, he froze in place.

All their wedding photos were gone from the living room, and even the cushions with their couple's pictures were missing.

Even the shoes in the shoe cabinet were gone—only his remained.

He stumbled, rushing into the bedroom, only to find it even emptier than the living room.

The wedding photos, which laura had refused to part with despite their arguments, were gone.

The vanity table he had bought with his first paycheck was still there, though cracked over the years, but laura hadn't thrown it away.

"Do you think I'm lucky? I come home and there's always a table full of food waiting for me. I've never had a sea goddess living in our house, right?"

Every time he saw her smile, he felt a warmth in his heart and would always reply, "Yes, I think so too. And our sea goddess is more beautiful and kind than any other."

But then, as time went on, the memories of warmth slowly turned into endless arguments.

The once joyful girl became quiet and sullen, her eyes filled with emotions he couldn't understand.

He began to find her annoying and spent more and more time away from home.

Now, thinking back, he slapped his face in frustration, "Henry, what the hell have you done?"

If only he had kept his heart in check and continued to love the person he loved from the beginning, how could he have lost her?

It was all his fault.

"I'm sorry, laura. I was wrong. Please come back."

His eyes welled with tears as he sobbed, longing for her return.

Just then, his phone suddenly vibrated.