All Chapters of The Dissipation of Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

I had always been weak, and the abortion left me feeling as if I had just had a brush with death. I was in the hospital for three days after that, yet my husband, Jonathan Shaw, didn't call me even once.I went home before I had fully recovered, only to run into Jonathan just as he was leaving through the front door. He was clutching his phone and frowned when he saw me. "Where have you been? Why didn't you answer any of my calls?"I glanced at my phone. It had been switched off the entire time. I had no intention of telling him about the abortion. "Why did you call me?""Ms. Sanders' daughter has been hospitalized and put on an IV drip for the last few days. She refuses to eat. Make her some chicken soup, and I'll take it over," Jonathan said."What?" I thought I might have misheard him until he repeated himself. As it turned out, he couldn't care less that his pregnant wife hadn't been home the last few days; all he cared about was that he needed someone to make soup for his ment

Chapter 2

The Dissipation of Love/Blue Thing

A soundless laugh escaped me. The low hum of crickets outside the window cut through the silence in the room. Why did I bother hoping Jonathan would correct Amanda?I drew in deep breaths to ease the pain in my heart.At that moment, Charlotte spoke up to diffuse the tension. She lightly hit Amanda's arm as she chided half-heartedly, "Amanda, we talked about this. He's 'Mr. Shaw' to you.""No, he's not! He's Daddy Jonny, and he's mine!" Amanda argued.Jonathan lowered his gaze as he looked at Amanda with a gentle expression. He had never looked at me with such tenderness. My heart bled once more, and the pain became more unbearable with each breath I drew.Even though I had expected such behavior from Jonathan, I couldn't help my heartache.I watched mutely as he carried Amanda to the bed and opened the soup flask. He poured her some soup and said, "Be a good girl and have some soup, Amanda. It should help you feel better."Jonathan and Charlotte stood on either side of Amanda a

Chapter 3

The Dissipation of Love/Blue Thing

Charlotte said, "I'm sorry for coming between you and your wife, Jonathan. Don't worry about me and Amanda anymore. We shouldn't have bothered you with our troubles in the first place."At that moment, Jonathan emerged from the hospital room. I thought he would give me a talking-to, but he simply hugged me from behind and caressed my belly. "Tess, can't you be a little more understanding about this?"Ms. Sanders has helped me a lot, and she's a widow struggling to raise a child on her own. Once this is over, it'll be just the three of us—you, me, and our baby.""Oh, so you do remember we have a kid on the way," I drawled sarcastically as I broke free of his embrace. "You knew I was pregnant, yet you woke me up in the middle of the night to gather clothes for Ms. Sanders and her daughter. You had me slave away in the kitchen on a hot summer day to make soup for Amanda."You were never around when I needed you, but you happily tended to their needs. If I didn't know better, I'd thi

Chapter 4

The Dissipation of Love/Blue Thing

I said, "I lost the baby. I'd like to go abroad as soon as possible."There was a brief moment of silence on the other line, followed by Bailey's response. "All right. I'll put your name down on the list of employees we're dispatching abroad and make the flight arrangements. You leave in a week, so get some rest before then.""Thank you, Mr. Jones," I replied gratefully. I heaved a breath of relief after sorting out my work plans.Throughout my week-long stay at the hospital, Jonathan didn't contact me once. He couldn't care less that I'd suffered a bad fall while I was supposedly pregnant with our child.I might have thrown a hysterical fit in the past and demanded he make it up to me, but now that I'd come to terms with the cold, hard truth, I saw no point in arguing with him.During my stay, I overheard the nurses talking among themselves. "The kid in Room 19, Amanda Grossman, sure is lucky to have such loving parents. Her dad got her a whole bunch of toys and health supplement

Chapter 5

The Dissipation of Love/Blue Thing

Jonathan had spent days keeping Amanda company at the hospital, and he was starting to smell. The summer heat did him no favors, either."Perhaps you should go home and get some rest, Jonathan," Charlotte pointed out, feigning concern when in truth, she couldn't stand seeing him so disheveled.Jonathan was scrolling through his and Tessa's texts. He was about to turn down Charlotte's suggestion when he realized it had been days since Tessa had reached out to him. He wondered how she was coping with her pregnancy and said, "You're right. Give me a call if you need anything."Before he left, Charlotte began, "Jonathan…"The lights brought out the faint lines on her pretty face as she gazed at Jonathan sentimentally. The look she gave him tugged on his heartstrings, but he quickly came to his senses and asked, "Yes, Ms. Sanders?""Amanda's medical bills are due. Could you…" Charlotte trailed off, but Jonathan got the message.The temptation he had felt vanished into thin air as he

Chapter 6

The Dissipation of Love/Blue Thing

When I first arrived in Perinia, I was so heartbroken and jet-lagged that I couldn't sleep a wink at night.When I did fall asleep, I would dream of the first time I had met Jonathan. My family hadn't gone broke at the time, and I was studying abroad. I spent my days aimlessly having fun. I had no plans for the future.I would lounge by Sidras River and watch the sunset. After that, I would stroll through Roselle Street, but I always felt lonely, like I was missing something.That was until I entered a bookshop and saw Jonathan reading in the corner.He was surrounded by tall piles of books. He set every book he finished reading on one side before moving on to another. He seemed content in his world of ink and paper and looked like nothing could intrude on his peace.I grew curious and asked the old man who ran the bookshop about him. The old man clicked his tongue and replied, "That young man has come here three days in a row. He sits here from morning until nightfall, and he e

Chapter 7

The Dissipation of Love/Blue Thing

Jonathan's sentimental promises had come too late, and I no longer needed them. He tried to grab my hand but ended up grabbing thin air instead. "Please, Tess, give me another chance."The company's car slowly rolled to a stop before me. I brushed past Jonathan and headed into the car. The moment the door closed behind me, I heard his anguished sob cut through the crisp, autumn air. But I didn't so much as give him a backward glance.…A week later, I came across a video online. I clicked on it to find that it was footage of Jonathan and Charlotte.Charlotte was on her knees as she tearfully clung to Jonathan's shirt, but that didn't stop him from walking away, his jaw clenched.When the video went viral, netizens poured in with their two cents and wondered if Jonathan was so cruel as to dump his wife. However, it wasn't long before Jonathan released a statement explaining that Charlotte was his mentor and nothing more.He further said he had drained his savings to help the wid

Chapter 8

The Dissipation of Love/Blue Thing

My friend elaborated, "And now, Charlotte's refusing to pay him back. She claims he footed her bills voluntarily. Jonathan took desperate measures and consulted a litigator."The case could very well end up in court. Still, who knows if it's enough to make Charlotte cough up the money?"After hanging up, I stared out the window at the well-lit, bustling streets below. I was surrounded by skyscrapers, and beyond the glass laid the bright cityscape.I once believed that intellects were pure of heart, but it seemed some of them were vile and reaped pathetic ends.…On the day the project I had worked on launched its first line of products, I was invited to a celebratory dinner party back in the country. I dressed in a stylish cocktail dress and high heels for the event. Just as luck would have it, upon arriving at the venue, I ran into Jonathan by the entrance.The moment he saw me, surprise flickered in his eyes before it was swiftly replaced by a forlorn look."What?" I asked,

Scan code to read on App