The Last Snowfall We Shared

I had been married to Ava for four years. Rumors about her and different men had surfaced countless times. They left me humiliated in public until my heart finally went numb. I asked for a divorce. Ava gave me a mocking smile. “Ethan, can you really let go? Can you really give up everything you have now?” I couldn’t blame her for thinking that way. After all, I had walked out without a word when she was at her lowest. Years later, she returned after becoming successful. What Ava didn’t know was that I would soon be free. On our wedding anniversary, Ava was photographed riding a Ferris wheel with her new lover. The video spread like wildfire. The man beside her was Caleb. He was young and bright, with the fresh energy of someone who had barely stepped into adulthood. He was nothing like me. I was more like a stagnant pool, only knowing how to stop Ava from drinking and partying. But the young man in the video looked uncannily like me when I was younger. Even the mole at the corner of his eye seemed deliberately copied. Ava had always kept mature, sophisticated men around her. I was shocked that she had started liking this type instead. My heart ached uncontrollably, but I had no reason to make a scene. There had never been a shortage of people around Ava. I assumed he would be like all the men before him. The longest any of them had stayed by Ava’s side was less than a month. But Caleb seemed different. Half a year passed, and Ava still hadn’t replaced him. Most people in our social circle were simply waiting for the drama. Only a few advised me to be careful and win Ava back while I still could. Otherwise, by the time she divorced me, it would be too late. The first time I formally met Caleb was at the hospital. I held my medical report in my hands, unable to believe what I was reading. Stage-two lung cancer. The doctor said I needed chemotherapy, and it would cost a lot of money. But I didn’t have any. Ava gave me a fixed allowance every month. Nothing more. In that moment, I thought of her. If Ava found out, would she give me the money? I wandered down the hall in a daze. When I turned the corner, I didn’t notice someone in front of me and bumped into him. The man shoved me to the floor, furious. “Are you blind? My wife just got pregnant. What if you hurt the baby?” His wife pulled him away, and the two of them left while cursing under their breath. When I arrived at the company, the secretary lifted her chin and told me Ava had gone out to discuss a contract. She ordered me to wait in the office. Then she turned around, sat at her desk, and started whispering with the employees nearby. “A man who lets himself get treated like this is pathetic.” An hour later, Ava came out of the lounge. Caleb came out with her. Their clothes were slightly disheveled. Everyone in the office looked completely used to it. Ava saw me and immediately looked irritated. She started to leave. I pretended not to notice and forced myself to block her path. “Can you give me one million dollars?” Ava said nothing. Caleb couldn’t hold back a laugh. He tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Are you made of gold, or are you some priceless treasure? You open your mouth and ask for a million dollars?” I ignored him and stubbornly stood in front of Ava. To my surprise, Ava turned around and went back into the lounge. Caleb stepped in front of me. He looked me up and down with undisguised contempt. “What a freeloader. Being kept by Ava wasn’t enough? Now you’re shameless enough to ask her for money too. If I were you, I’d have killed myself already. At least then you wouldn’t be such an eyesore.” The moment he finished speaking, all the whispers in the office stopped. Everyone held their breath. In the past, the men Ava kept might provoke me outside, but almost none of them dared challenge me to my face. There had been one exception a year ago. Ava replaced him the very next day. I smiled indifferently. “What’s wrong? Ava won’t divorce me, so you’re in a hurry to take my place? If you’re so capable, make her divorce me and marry you.” Caleb’s face darkened. Enraged, he grabbed me by the collar. “You’re asking to die, aren’t you? Why wouldn’t Ava divorce you? She already told me that you clung to her until she had no choice but to marry you. Otherwise, why would someone as amazing as Ava marry a useless man like you?” So that was what Ava had told him. That I had clung to her. But the truth was that she had forced me to marry her to punish me for leaving years ago. She had even used my grandmother to threaten me. At the time, Ava was already worth tens of millions. I couldn’t even afford my grandmother’s medical bills. I had no choice but to agree. Ava could say whatever she wanted. But who the hell did Caleb think he was to order me around?Before I could push Caleb away, the world spun around me, and I fell to the floor. When I came to my senses, Ava was staring at me suspiciously. Her eyes moved over me as if she were sizing me up. Caleb looked stunned. Panic flashed across his face as he hurried to explain himself to Ava. “It wasn’t me. I swear it wasn’t me.” Ava smiled faintly at him. “I know. You’re too simple-hearted to do something like that.” Then she turned to me, her voice turning cold. “Ethan, when did you become so unreasonable? Does framing people make you feel better about yourself? Or did you think I’d blindly accuse Caleb without asking questions?” I gave a self-mocking laugh. “Did I ever say he pushed me? You’re the one who decided that.” Ava looked embarrassed at being called out. Then her embarrassment turned into anger. “If Caleb didn’t push you, why are you still lying there? Are you waiting for me to help you up?” I lowered my eyes, too tired to argue with her. But I still wanted to live. Even if it meant being humiliated. If I died, no one would visit my grandmother’s grave or leave flowers for her. Eventually, no one would remember she had ever existed. And if my grandmother saw me down there, she would probably scold me to death. The old woman had always loved to nag. I got to my feet and shamelessly asked again. “I need one million dollars.” Ava laughed in disbelief. “Ethan, where do you get the nerve to ask me for money? I already support you. Isn’t that enough?” I stared firmly at her. Her eyes reflected my pale face, but she didn’t notice anything unusual. I closed my eyes and steeled myself. “I don’t care what you do. But I need one million dollars, and I need it now. Otherwise, I won’t mind letting his school and family learn about all the disgusting things he’s done.” After Caleb appeared, I had investigated him. He looked too much like me. It was almost as if he had been created specifically to replace me. I couldn’t help wondering why. Caleb’s expression turned vicious. He stepped forward and shoved me. “What are you trying to do? What do you get out of ruining me?” Ava looked at me as if she were seeing me for the first time. The shock on her face was impossible to fake. She clenched her back teeth and gave a bitter laugh before looping her arm through Caleb’s. “Fine. I’ll give you the money. Don’t bother us again.” Then she turned to Caleb. “Caleb, are you upset? Does your heart hurt?” Being humiliated by my wife and her lover in front of so many people must have been hard. But I was happier knowing I might finally be able to stay alive. I never believed Ava would come to regret everything after I died. By then, I wouldn’t be able to hear her or see her. What use would her regret be? I cared more about how much longer I could live. I just forgot to ask why she wanted Caleb to transfer the money to me.Ava had loved me once. I still remembered how poor I had been back then. Truly poor. She had never looked down on me. For all four years of college, she lived with me in a damp, run-down rental. When it rained, water poured down outside and dripped from the ceiling inside. Whenever that happened, Ava would comfort me. “Ethan, it’s okay. Everyone has hard times. One day, we’ll have bread. We’ll have milk too.” She looked so hopeful that I couldn’t bear to ruin it. I could only nod along. We would share one blanket, listening to the rain as we fell asleep in each other’s arms. I hated myself for being useless. I wanted to spend every spare minute working part-time, terrified that Ava would eventually grow tired of me. But I knew that even if I disliked myself, she never would. During our third year together, my grandmother’s medical bills drained every penny I had. Ava’s birthday was coming up, though. I wanted to save enough money to celebrate with her. So I secretly took a job at the mall as a living advertisement. I covered myself in gold paint and stood motionless for hours. I knew it was bad for my health, but it paid quickly. In just five days, I saved three thousand dollars. On Ava’s birthday, I finished work and bought a ten-inch sunflower cake. Then I jumped on my bike and raced home. I was so excited that I didn’t see the little girl skipping toward me. The moment my bike hit her, I knew I was doomed. I had ruined Ava’s birthday. I hurried to help the girl up and check her injuries. Her mother, who had been walking behind her, was terrified and called for help in tears. I took them to the hospital. Fortunately, the girl had only been frightened. She wasn’t seriously hurt. But I had almost no money left. I couldn’t even scrape together the cost of a single bill. I walked past the bakery again and again, but I never found the courage to go inside. The cake had already fallen into the snow. I couldn’t tell whether the white covering it was snow or frosting. When I finally pushed my bike home in silence, Ava stared expectantly at my empty hands. Then she glanced eagerly at the back of the bike. After searching for the cake and finding nothing, the excitement in her eyes faded into disappointment. In the end, she forced a smile. I bit down hard, but I still broke down. I threw myself into Ava’s arms and sobbed. “I’m sorry.” I cried, and Ava cried too. That night, we held each other and cried until we fell asleep. When we woke, neither of us mentioned it. But that night became a thorn buried in my heart. Afterward, I worked even harder, determined to give Ava a proper birthday. I wanted to make up for it with a cake. A cake that belonged only to her.Then my father, who had gone to prison for robbery, finished his sentence and came looking for me. At first, I thought nothing would happen as long as I ignored him. I was wrong. He threatened me with my grandmother. Ever since I could remember, he had been an alcoholic who beat my mother. Whenever he got drunk, he would hit her. My mother always shielded me with her body, trying to keep me from getting hurt. When he ran out of money for alcohol, he would apologize and promise to change. Later, when my mother refused to give him money, he started stealing from the house. Eventually, she abandoned me when I was seven and disappeared. I never found out whether she was alive or dead. After that, my father kept stealing whenever he needed money. In the end, someone tricked him into collecting gambling debts, and he was sentenced to prison. He had never given me a father’s love. Yet now that he was old, he expected me to support him. My grandmother had raised me through all her hardships. I couldn’t let her spend her final years in fear and misery. Maybe I was meant to remain buried in the mud. Maybe I shouldn’t have dreamed of breaking through the dirt and reaching the sunlight. I forced myself to break up with Ava. That day, snow covered the ground. I could clearly see the heartbreak in her eyes, but she stubbornly demanded an answer. “Ethan, why are you breaking up with me? What did I do wrong? I can change. Please don’t leave me.” The icy wind cut across my face. But my words were even colder. “Ava, I’m tired of struggling. I want to drive sports cars and live in a mansion too. So please, don’t hold me back.” Ava’s eyes turned red. She clenched her teeth, took off the bracelet I had spent three months saving for, and smashed it onto the ground. Then she walked away without looking back. I picked up the broken bracelet and watched her disappear into the distance. Ava always seemed bright and carefree, but I knew how proud and stubborn she was. This time, we were truly over. I tilted my head toward the sky so my tears wouldn’t fall. Snow landed on both our heads. At least we had grown old together in the snow. Perhaps this was the best ending we could have. It was just a shame that I had never managed to give her the birthday cake she deserved. I waited until all the money I had was gone. Ava still didn’t transfer anything. The pain kept me awake every night. I swallowed my pride and called her again. And again. Every time, I heard only the automated voice. Ava had vanished from the world. I couldn’t find her. I couldn’t find Caleb either. Without money for chemotherapy, I could only take painkillers to dull the agony. Then, at the hospital, I saw something I never expected. Caleb was carefully supporting a pregnant woman as they walked out of the obstetrics department. They were discussing whether the baby was a boy or a girl and trying to choose a name. In that instant, the scene from the day I was first diagnosed with lung cancer came rushing back. The pregnant woman I had bumped into. Her furious husband. Now I could finally see their faces clearly. I followed them. Caleb drove the woman home, then turned around and went to Ava’s company. For the first time, a vile thought formed in my mind. What would happen if Ava found out she had been betrayed? I wanted to see her reaction. I stared at the photos on my phone for a long time. In the end, I went upstairs. When Caleb saw me, surprise flashed across his face. It quickly turned into guilt. I hadn’t even reached Ava’s office before he hurriedly blocked me. “What are you doing? Ava doesn’t want to see you right now.”