I Erased Our Marriage Timeline Chapter 05
Joseph’s grip on the discharge papers tightened slightly.
He didn’t speak, only stared at Bethany.
Bethany kept laughing as she patted his arm. “Your little sister has grown up. She’s going to run away with someone. Don’t you have anything to say?”
“Hm,” he murmured. “Good for her.”
He looked past Bethany at Perla.
With her head bowed, she stood quietly by the window, her shadow stretching long in the setting sun.
She didn’t look at him.
From start to finish, she didn’t spare him a glance.
“I’ll take you both home first,” Joseph said.
He tucked the papers away and led Bethany out of the hospital.
“The doctor said you need more rest. Don’t tire yourself out.”
“I know,” Bethany replied with a smile, then turned back and waved at Perla. “Perla, let’s go home.”
Bethany called shotgun, and Perla sat in the back.
In the car, no one said a word.
An old song played on the radio as Bethany leaned against the seat and drifted off to sleep.
Joseph cast a glance at the back seat through the rearview mirror.
Perla stared out the window, her face reflected in the glass, but her expression was unreadable.
She looked much thinner now.
Over the past three months, she had been shuttling between school and the hospital. She lost so much weight that her chin had grown sharper.
He opened his mouth, trying to speak, then closed it again.
What was there left to say?
Ask her not to move out?
But it was his decision, and he bought the apartment. He couldn’t undo it now.
The car stopped at the red light.
In the rearview mirror, he saw Perla’s phone flicker on.
The screen displayed a WhatsApp message, and he caught a glimpse of the contact name — Theodore Payne.
He couldn’t see the content, but after Perla read it, her lips curled into a smile.
It was faint, but genuine.
The traffic light switched to green, and the cars behind started honking.
Joseph snapped out of his daze and stepped on the gas.
He drove steadily. At some point, Perla also fell asleep, her breathing even.
Bethany woke up when they arrived home. She rubbed her eyes as Joseph helped her out of the car.
Perla carried the luggage and followed behind.
Entering the house, Joseph suddenly said, “Leave the luggage. I’ll help you move it tomorrow.”
Perla froze, then met his eyes.
“No need. I called a moving company. They’ll be here at nine tomorrow morning.”
Joseph’s fingers curled. “Suit yourself.”
That night, Bethany turned in early.
Joseph sat in the study and stared blankly at the computer screen.
The name “Theodore Payne” kept popping up in his mind.
Who was he?
When did they meet?
Was their relationship serious?
He pulled out his phone and tapped into Perla’s WhatsApp chat.
The last message was from three months ago, a simple “Good night.”
He didn’t reply.
He scrolled up and found the messages were all about everyday things. “Joe, what do you want to eat tonight?”
“Joe, I passed the exam.”
“Joe, it’s raining. Did you bring an umbrella?”
He rarely replied, usually just saying “Okay.”
Perla never complained. Her messages were always cheerful.
He didn’t know when she stopped sending them.
He checked again. The last time she talked to him alone was two months ago.
It was the day Bethany broke up with him.
After that, Perla never texted him again.
All their conversations happened in group chats.
Joseph put down his phone and rubbed his forehead.
Outside, the night had thickened. He sat for a long time, lost in thought.