Farewell Love

Chapter 1

My death was three days ago, and my overbearing wife, Gloria, was already bathing her paralyzed best friend, William.

She asked her assistant, “Has my rebellious husband confessed to stealing my best friend’s masterpiece?”

The assistant replied, “Madam Chairman, you left him by the roadside to reflect, and he froze to death in the suburbs. Now you’re the sole inheritor of all his artwork. Whoever you say painted it, painted it.”

Gloria sobbed dramatically, “He dared to die without my permission?”

Initially, to give Gloria, my stay-at-home wife, a sense of security, I gave her 90% of my company’s shares, and all my income went into her account. Yet, we lived a surprisingly frugal life.

I thought it was simply her personality.

Until William had his car accident and became paralyzed. Then she spared no expense in providing him with material and emotional support. But William, in return, stole my phone from my pocket when I was kicked out of the car, leaving me stranded and helpless.

That’s when I realized our incompatibility.

Then, I woke up. I was reborn.

This time, I decided to spare myself and watch my enemies get what they deserved.

1.

I was reborn.

“All you have to do is admit to stealing William’s sketches! It’s not a big deal! Lots of rich guys chased me when I was younger, but I was too much of a hopeless romantic and chose you, an ordinary guy. I became a modern-day Wang Baochuan for you, and you can’t sacrifice once for me, to make me and my best friend happy? You simply don’t care about me!”

Hearing Gloria’s self-righteous moral lecture again left me speechless. A series of images flooded my mind.

Gloria, to secure William a “ticket to a lifetime of comfort,” framed me for stealing his sketches, launching his career.

I refused, and Gloria berated me, kicking me out of the car in front of William.

In that moment, I saw William’s triumphant smirk.

Then I realized my phone was gone from my jacket pocket. William’s smirk made sense now.

In the freezing snow, I walked all night in the wilderness, freezing to death.

If it weren’t for a passing homeless man who scared away the hyenas, my body would have been left to the elements.

But right now, I wasn’t in the wilderness. I was in a hospital, holding a box of Gloria’s favorite Chaozhou wife cakes.

A surprise I’d flown to Guangdong to get.

William was attempting suicide again, and I rushed here after Gloria’s frantic calls.

I died on my way home last time.

Knowing I had a second chance, my heart pounded like a war drum.

Gloria spotted my surprise, snatched it, and threw it on the floor, scolding me.

“William’s so pitiful, and you dare to fly to Guangdong to buy wife cakes? I asked you to give William the copyright to the ‘Shocking’ painting, and you kept dodging the issue. It’s just a lousy painting! Do you think you’re Van Gogh? I asked you to help William get discharged, and you went to buy cakes! Can romance feed us? Are you rebelling to spite me?”

Gloria was always talkative, and she’d become even more domineering in the past couple of years.

My heartfelt surprise was crushed, and this wasn’t the first time.

In my past life, I felt wronged but still cut the cakes and offered them to Gloria and William, hoping to please her.

Thinking back, I was pathetic.

But I never agreed to give up the painting in my past life.

“Shocking” was already exhibited under my name. Giving it to William would mean I was a thief.

But Gloria, focused on saving William, sacrificed me, claiming it was for my own good.

“Just say you took the wrong painting. The one you painted is still at home, isn’t it? I’m doing this for you, helping you accumulate good karma, can’t you see?” She said, with red, tear-filled eyes, as if I didn’t understand her plight.

Then she gently fed the cut cakes to William.

“Sweetheart, you haven’t had breakfast yet. Be good. If you eat all the wife cakes and milk, Gloria will make Fu Jingchuan perform the gorilla chest-thumping for you. Guaranteed fun.”

William, in his wheelchair, punched his useless leg, his eyes filled with melancholy. “Don’t let me affect your relationship. Just let me be.” He’d had his art supplies burned, so he declared that the artist William was dead, and only a useless person remained.

Gloria looked distressed, holding William’s hand and patting his back. “Sweetheart, believe me, you’ll rise again someday.”

I scoffed.

William was a boastful painter with a fancy art school degree; he’d never had a “rise,” let alone a comeback.

But in Gloria’s eyes, he was just misunderstood.

“William’s not an outsider; he’s family. Don’t worry, Fu Jingchuan isn’t stupid. A devoted and loyal wife like me? He’d search high and low for someone like me, even in his next life.”

Gloria comforted William while reinforcing her own image.

After my death, I finally understood her better.

Gloria was certain I wouldn’t leave her, but she feared losing control, so she constantly tested my love for her.

“Honey, hurry up and perform! Then we’ll get William discharged,” Gloria urged, tapping the table like she was training a dog.

2.

Before, if Gloria was unhappy, no matter how tired I was, I’d perform the gorilla chest-thumping to make her laugh. I never disobeyed her.

Today, I ignored her.

“You two can arrange your own discharge and get a cab home. I’m taking the car. I have something more important to do.”

Avoiding death on the way home today was simple: take the car and kick them out.

Gloria was furious, bombarding my phone with messages, which I ignored.

Gloria and I met ten years ago. I was an unknown artist, and she worked at an art gallery.

After we married, I started my studio.

With Gloria’s unwavering support, I went from a nobody to a famous painter.

To give my stay-at-home wife security, I hired a housekeeper, gave her 90% of the company shares, and deposited all my income into her account.

Yet, our family lived a life far less extravagant than our income allowed.

Initially, I thought it was her personality.

Then William’s accident happened. To prevent William from feeling inferior because of his disability, Gloria bought him a million-dollar wheelchair, gave him diamond watches for his birthday, and filled two large wardrobes with designer clothes for him.

I, with no spending money, said, “Dear, I want new clothes. Requesting funds.”

Gloria complained, “Have you noticed I haven’t bought clothes in six months? Anna’s husband takes her to Milan for custom-made haute couture every month.”

She controlled our finances and constantly preached about frugality.

She also moved William into our house, providing him with full-time care, even handling his personal hygiene.

I suggested hiring a caregiver, but Gloria vehemently opposed it.

She sobbed, “I can’t believe you’re so cold-blooded! William’s parents abandoned him after his accident. We vowed to never forget each other, even if we became rich. I’m his best friend and his only family now. You’re my husband. Shouldn’t you take care of him with me? I get it now; you’ve grown tired of me, haven’t you? You’ve changed!”

William cried and threatened to leave, while persuading us not to let an outsider affect our relationship, all the while giving me a mocking look.

His tears caused Gloria to nag me all day. I was forced to apologize to William to end the conflict.

In the car that day, I, always emotionally stable, lost my temper with Gloria for the first time in ten years.

For three days, Gloria didn’t contact me because her dear, disabled best friend tried to kill himself again.

She was inseparable from him, feeding him, giving him medicine, and attending to his every need.

William needed her. He couldn’t live without her.

Unlike me, I was too capable, financially and otherwise, which frightened her, making her insecure.

Therefore, I was the one she readily sacrificed.

On the third day after my death, my soul returned home, and I saw Gloria bathing her paralyzed best friend.

She finally remembered me and called her assistant.

“Has my rebellious husband confessed to stealing my best friend’s masterpiece?”

The assistant replied, “Madam Chairman, you left him by the roadside to reflect, and he froze to death in the suburbs. Now you’re the sole inheritor of all his artwork. Whoever you say painted it, painted it.”

Gloria sobbed dramatically, “He dared to die without my permission?”

William grinned before my portrait, revealing the truth. As I suspected, he stole my phone.

Even worse, all my unregistered artwork became his.

He secretly spread the rumor that I was his “ghostwriter,” making me a thief.

This was the kind, pitiful man Gloria spoke of!

Gloria said she loved me deeply and would never love anyone else, because she poured all her energy into me.

I wanted to say, some people deceive themselves so much that they believe their lies.

She talked about love, but her words were all hurtful.

Now, fate gave me a second chance.

This time, I decided to spare myself and watch my enemies get what they deserved.

3.

True awakening leads to change, and action is the first step.

I immediately contacted Fang Jie, our housekeeper, to learn about my nine-year-old daughter’s daily routine and life.

Before the battle, I had to secure my daughter, my weakness.

Then, I contacted my agent, Wu Ge, to investigate William’s life and hire a lawyer for a divorce.

Hearing I wanted a divorce, Wu Ge thought I was joking, teasingly asking if I had a different soul inhabiting my body.

I insisted, and Wu Ge, still doubtful, said, “You don’t love Gloria anymore? No, I should ask if you’ve learned to stop loving Gloria?”

Wu Ge’s question made me hesitate.

I once vowed to love Gloria forever.

Orphaned at a young age, my wife and daughter became my everything, my reason to live. I’d do anything for them.

Even my love for art was more meaningful because of them.

I kept my promises.

But Wu Ge thought Gloria was a narcissist, and I willingly became her blood bag, which is why he was so persistent.

Seeing my hesitation, Wu Ge urged me to reconsider, suggesting temporary separation.

He said abandoning a blameless wife after achieving success would ruin my career.

I agreed.

So I told Gloria I was going to my mountaintop retreat to work on my art and asked her not to disturb me.

I took this opportunity to make copies of my unregistered artwork, mail them, and have Wu Ge register the copyrights.

It would take about three months to get the certificates. I had to be prepared.

My worries were justified.

Gloria remained determined to secure William’s future.

She was supportive of my retreat but spent an hour on the phone complaining, suffocating me with her words.

“Focus on your work. Don’t waste time on your phone and useless friends. William can’t wait. You’re already famous; fame doesn’t matter to you, but it’s crucial to William, who has talent but no opportunities. It’s his hope for survival.

“Why aren’t you talking? Why is it so hard to paint two paintings for William? You’re successful, and I’m just a stay-at-home wife; I don’t deserve to ask you for anything, right?

“Are you jealous of William? Fu Jingchuan, I’ve contributed the most to our ten-year marriage. I’m the least likely to hurt you. Where’s your conscience? You don’t trust me? William is genderless to me, that’s why I bathe him. We swore to be sisters forever, you know that…”

Hearing her disregard for me didn’t bother me as it had before.

I put my phone on the table and went for a walk, letting her rant.

Although I left Gloria, she called constantly, using my daughter as a messenger.

“Daddy, Mommy and I miss you. Mommy cried looking at our wedding photos last night.”

The next day, she switched to “good wife” mode, delivering a six-hour simmered stomach-soothing soup.

She said the housekeeper would visit daily, so she didn’t need to deliver it herself, but she cared for me and wanted me to know.

“Fang Jie said you’ve had a stomachache these past few days. William is worried too and asked me to care for you more, but you’re always biased against him. That’s not right.”

Her concern initially touched me, but I didn’t understand why she always mentioned that annoying cripple.

She went straight to the studio and then issued a command.

“I saw your new artwork, ‘Rebirth.’ A phoenix-like sunrise emerging from the dark sea, everything reviving, a stunning piece. I don’t want the exhibited painting; I’ll give William ‘Rebirth,’ so you don’t have to worry about stealing sketches. See how good I am to you? You don’t appreciate it. Paint another one while you’re feeling well.”

My stomach ached even more.

Looking at the face I once loved, something inside me seemed to be dying.

“My stomach hurts. Tell Fang Jie to bring Miao Miao over for a couple of days. Just the three of us.”

I didn’t answer directly, but Gloria took it as agreement, happily arranging for our daughter to come over.

It was rare to have just the three of us. We took many family photos. I deliberately posted them on social media and tagged William.

Predictably, within a day, William cracked.

He tried to kill himself again, this time by jumping off a building, even calling the firefighters.

Gloria grabbed her bag and left.

Heartbroken, I said, “Let’s divorce!”

Gloria erupted, “What’s wrong with you? Can you manage this house without me? You’re treating me like a doormat!”

She stormed out, taking the “Rebirth” artwork.

My stomach ached again.

Miao Miao showed concern. “Daddy, don’t be sad. Let’s eat chocolate; it’ll make you happy.”

While eating chocolate, I thought.

What was William’s game?

I hadn’t reached this point in my past life, so I could only rely on what I knew to guess what would happen next.

I planned my counterattack.

It turned out, no scheming person is innocent.

Two days later, my stomachache worsened, preventing me from getting up.

Miao Miao then experienced breathing difficulties and called Gloria for help. “Mommy, I feel sick!”