It has been three years since the divorce, not too long, but enough time for people to assume that everything in the past has passed and all wounds have healed. But sometimes, a small decision can awaken all the memories that were thought to be dormant.

I was unexpectedly transferred to my ex-wife’s hometown for work. This job came as a surprise and was a good opportunity, but my heart was filled with mixed emotions. On the way, an idea suddenly occurred to me: to visit my ex-mother-in-law, who had always treated me like her own son, and whom I hadn’t contacted for years after the divorce.

When I drove to the old housing area, everything seemed the same. The walls, the staircase, and the old corridors retained their familiar look, but I felt a sense of unfamiliarity inside.

I remembered every day I drove my ex-wife to work; she would sit in the back, her long hair blowing in the wind, sometimes carrying the faint scent of shampoo. Three years is long enough for everything to change, but the memory was still as vivid as ever.

I knocked on the door, and it opened. My ex-mother-in-law stood there, her hair pure white, her face haggard, her small frame covered in a dark sweater. But what left me stunned was not her aging, but the sight behind her, where an altar was placed with a framed photo on top.

I looked closely, and my heart seemed to stop, because the person in the photo frame was my ex-wife. She… was gone.

The person who opened the door for me was my ex-mother-in-law. (Illustration photo)

In that moment, all the memories flooded back. We met in the university library, those student days, studying together, eating meals, and walking around campus. My ex-wife always knew how to tell stories, even the most minor ones that made my heart flutter.

We married very young, starting with nothing, renting a small, simple apartment, but it was filled with love. My mother-in-law, though not completely satisfied, could only smile when she saw her daughter happy.

But happiness didn’t last long. Work required me to constantly work overtime, leaving my ex-wife alone at home. From then on, a gap gradually formed between us.

Then, one time, on her birthday, I had to attend an important meeting. She cried over the phone, saying I didn’t care about her. I got angry, thinking she didn’t understand me. And then… we divorced.

After the divorce, I threw myself into work, got promoted, and received a raise. I bought a house and dated a few people, but nothing worked out. Because sometimes at night, when everything was quiet, my ex-wife’s image would still appear in my memory. It was the bowl of noodles she cooked, the scarf she knitted, the times she was upset… I told myself that time would heal, but it turned out that memories never truly disappear.

After the divorce, I threw myself into work, got promoted, and received a raise. (Illustration photo)

Now, standing in front of my ex-mother-in-law, looking at my ex-wife’s photo, everything shattered. I didn’t know when she had passed away, how I could have been so unaware.

My ex-mother-in-law told me she died three months ago. When discovered, the cancer was already in its final stage. “Actually, my daughter always missed you. She looked at your photo every day. She didn’t say it, but I saw everything.”

After saying that, my ex-mother-in-law handed me a box, saying it contained the keepsakes my ex-wife cherished. I opened the box my ex-wife had left behind, and inside was the scarf she had knitted for me, small items, a few pictures of us together, and a diary. Flipping through the pages, I read the lines she wrote just two months before she passed away:

“I used to hate you, but then the hatred slowly gave way to regret and longing. The thing I regret most in this life is divorcing you. If only I had set aside my ego and come to find you sooner. But by the time I regretted it and wanted to turn back, it was too late. I only wish that you live well and happily in this life. If there is a next life, I hope I will still meet you, and there will only be beautiful memories between us.”

Every single word, every line, I could feel her loneliness, her fear, and the love she still held for me until the very last moment. I was remorseful, regretful, and felt that I had been too careless, too absorbed in my work, missing out on love, family, and the most precious things.

When I left my ex-mother-in-law’s house, I drove to the beach my ex-wife loved. Sitting on the cold sand, listening to the waves, and looking at the moonlight on the sea, I tossed our shredded wedding photo into the waves. The waves swept away the fragments like they washed away the past, but the pain in my heart remained intact. I cried, crying for the lost love, for the life that no longer had a chance, for the mistakes that could not be undone.

But my ex-wife is gone, and life must continue. I know I have to move on, live well for her, and turn that love into the motivation to embrace life and love the people around me. Although the pain is still there, I will carry the memory of my ex-wife to mature, appreciate things more, and live each day more meaningfully.