Chapter 10
So, that was why Benson was willing to keep Yara hidden and provide for her in secret.
I found it ironic.
“Benson, what was your first feeling when you found out she was pregnant?”
He almost ran away when he heard my question. It was rare to see him like this. Ever since he turned 30, he had been the picture of composure.
But he didn’t need to answer. I already knew–it was joy. The joy of becoming a father for the first time.
People were strange like that. With their wives, these men would be careful, following every rule. But with the women they kept on the side, they’d dance dangerously close to the edge just for the thrill.
There were still five days left before the hiking club’s activities ended. During those five days, Benson kept following behind me and Nessa, always keeping his distance–neither too close nor too far.
I ignored him and focused on living my life with Nessa. When we were climbing, I would leave Nessa in the care of the club leader’s wife. And when we came down from the mountain, I would find Benson waiting with bags of toys and snacks, trying to win Nessa’s favor.
But she wasn’t impressed. The moment she spotted me, her eyes lit up and she darted over, hugging my leg and asking sweetly for snacks.
Benson followed behind, looking dejected and saying nothing.
I picked Nessa up and walked right past him. “Benson, you should go home. Aren’t Yara and her son still waiting for you?”
But he refused to leave. Instead, he kept showing me photos on his phone.
“Yvonne, look. This is the new lemon tree I had planted at home. I even carved a wooden plaque for it.”
He zoomed in on the plaque. When I saw the words carved into it, I stopped walking and stared at him in silence.
A long pause passed before Benson finally gave in, as if all the strength had drained from his body. “Yvonne… I really regret it. If I had just gone along with you and we had a child together back then…”
He looked at Nessa and me with longing. “If that had happened… Maybe we’d be truly happy now.
I said nothing and just turned slightly to the side to walk around him.
Half a month later, I returned to the city with Nessa to finalize my divorce with Benson. He looked even more haggard than the last time.
When he saw me, he forced a bitter smile and murmured something. That was when I learned quite a bit had happened in the past two weeks.
Yara had miscarried the night Benson threw her out. A few days ago, he also found out that Stellan wasn’t biologically related to him. After raising the child for seven years, it was a hard truth to swallow.
“I guess this is my karma.” Benson forced a smile. He looked at me, wanting to say something. “Yvonne… do you think we could still-”
I cut him off, reminding him, ‘Let’s go. Time to get our divorce certificate.”
The divorce certificate was soon in hand.
I turned to Nessa and said, “Let’s go! I’m in a great mood today. We’re going out for a nice meal!”
Behind
me,
Benson said something.
That night, I received a notice of asset transfer. I accepted it silently without asking him anything. Ne had liquidated a large portion of his assets and company shares, transferring it to me. His company probably wouldn’t survive much longer.
But that didn’t matter to me. His affairs no longer had anything to do with me.
I settled down in another city with Nessa.
In the decades that followed, life was peaceful. And I never saw Benson or
anyone else from my old life again,
