Divorce’s Hidden Impact on Second Love

1

Scarlett wanted a divorce, but the reason for it was difficult for her to articulate.

The wedding night didn’t go well.

The eagerly anticipated bridal chamber candlelit night, filled with nervousness and excitement, ended in failure.

Dylan hugged Scarlett, apologizing and feeling awkward, “I’m sorry, today was too exhausting.”

Scarlett thought it was just because they were tired from the busy wedding day and didn’t think much of it.

However, it never succeeded afterward.

And then, three years of a sexless marriage.

2

This is something that can’t be brought up with anyone.

Scarlett and Dylan are colleagues.

Not long after joining the company, some older colleagues intentionally played matchmakers.

They were both single in the office, and their ages were close, so they started dating.

With family pressures mounting, they quickly moved on to marriage discussions.

Dylan is a man of few words, doesn’t smoke or drink excessively, and doesn’t have any major flaws.

Scarlett thought marrying such a man would be fine, and so she did.

Both being traditionally minded, they believed the most beautiful thing should happen on the wedding night.

Little did they know, it was the beginning of a tragedy.

Initially, they would try, but later, it never succeeded. Dylan became somewhat sensitive and insecure.

He even started smoking and drinking, coming home to cry and act out, calling himself a failure.

Scarlett understood Dylan’s feelings.

She felt sorry for him and always comforted him, saying, “Even if it’s like this for a lifetime, I won’t leave you. Let’s find a solution together; don’t burden yourself.”

But Dylan was a bit evasive about addressing the issue.

Eventually, they dared not touch upon this topic again, living together without desires or expectations.

3

In reality, the reason for the divorce goes beyond the lack of intimacy. After getting married, to avoid suspicion, Dylan changed his job and the couple commuted together every morning, with Dylan driving Scarlett to work. In the eyes of outsiders, they were a loving couple. However, Scarlett knew that there were problems between her and Dylan. Their home was eerily quiet. When they returned home from work, they either stared at each other or played with their phones, then went to sleep separately, resembling strangers sharing a rented place.

Once, Scarlett had a fever and lay in bed. Dylan was playing games in the study, and after finishing, he went straight to bed without realizing Scarlett had a temperature of 40 degrees in another room. Another time, Scarlett was hit by a tricycle on her way to work, injuring her arm. When she called Dylan, he just said, “Oh,” and that was the end of it. Her heart gradually grew colder.

The pressure for having children at home was increasing. Scarlett had thought that if their relationship was truly good, she would be willing to keep his secrets, adopt a child, and slowly heal together. But their relationship wasn’t good, was it? With increasing pressure to conceive, Scarlett felt overwhelmed. Her stress manifested physically, with hair falling out in handfuls, sleepless nights, and even a hint of depression.

Should she really get a divorce? Scarlett hesitated at first. The town was very small, and once divorced, it would quickly become common knowledge. She didn’t want to embarrass her parents or become the talk of the town. Until one day, Scarlett felt so repressed that she considered ending it all. It was in that moment that she suddenly understood. Since life and death were already involved, what did a divorce matter?

So Scarlett made up her mind to get a divorce. She contemplated how to broach the subject with Dylan. In truth, her heart was already dead, and any small spark could become a reason for divorce. That day, Dylan wanted to go out for a drink. Scarlett tried to stop him, but he insisted. Then, a war broke out, and Scarlett said, “Let’s get a divorce.”

4

Parents don’t understand.

To be fair, although Dylan is indifferent to Scarlett, he has always been respectful to the elderly. During holidays, he would buy things and visit Scarlett’s parents. If there was anything going on with Scarlett’s parents, Dylan would be the first to offer help. So Scarlett’s parents couldn’t understand why she wanted a divorce.

Unable to bear it any longer, Scarlett had to awkwardly explain Dylan’s situation to her mother, detailing their daily life together. Tears welled up in Scarlett’s eyes as she said, “Mom, I really can’t endure it anymore.”

The expression on her mother’s face went from confusion to shock and then to deep sympathy. She hugged Scarlett and said, “Silly girl, why didn’t you say it earlier? Get a divorce and come home.” Dylan made some attempts to persuade Scarlett, but in the end, he sighed with a sense of powerlessness, “Forget it. You have the right to pursue happiness and shouldn’t be held back by a failure like me.”

Scarlett didn’t know what to say. She wanted to offer a comforting word but felt it was somewhat unnecessary. The two of them calmly went through the divorce process.

Publicly, they claimed personality differences and a broken relationship. Exiting the Civil Affairs Bureau, under the clear sky, Scarlett thought, “At least it’s a new beginning.” Of course, there would be various baseless speculations, with the most common one being that Scarlett couldn’t conceive, leading to the divorce. Scarlett heard these rumors but chose not to dwell on them.

As for Dylan, she could only offer her blessings. However, Scarlett didn’t expect that this new beginning would still be connected to Dylan in some way.

5

It was three months after the divorce when a friend introduced Caleb to Scarlett. Caleb, divorced for a year, had a three-year-old son with his ex-wife. During their first meeting, Scarlett had a positive impression of Caleb. He was very talkative, and Scarlett could just sit back and follow his topics, occasionally chiming in with random thoughts.

Afterward, they began chatting on WeChat. When discussing their respective failed marriages, there was a sense of mutual understanding. It didn’t feel like a blind date; rather, they seemed like friends. Sometimes, in the midst of their conversations, they would offer advice to each other.

Scarlett didn’t mention Dylan’s situation. She simply said, “My ex-husband and I have incompatible personalities, and reconciliation is not possible.”

Caleb had been divorced. His ex-wife had a strong and domineering personality, expecting everything to go her way. Even the divorce decision was solely based on Caleb spending too much time playing games. During that period, Caleb was facing some challenges at work and turned to gaming for relaxation. He never expected his ex-wife would insist on divorce for this reason.

Scarlett advised him to think about the child and consider reconciling for the sake of their son. Caleb remained silent. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered reconciling for the child, but he ultimately felt that he and his ex-wife were not compatible. To her, his role wasn’t that of a husband but a suppressed partner in the marriage.

As time went on, they gradually stopped trying to persuade each other to reconcile. They seemed to have known each other for years, sharing a rare sense of understanding.

6

Initially, Scarlett resisted the idea of love. After her experience with Dylan, she felt somewhat disheartened, considering love and marriage to be dull and hurtful. Therefore, she preferred to see Caleb as a friend and avoid emotions beyond friendship. Caleb wasn’t in a rush either. He took her out for meals and movies, carefully removed fish bones from her soup, and warmed up her drinks in a large bowl before serving them.

Whenever she expressed a liking for something, Caleb would always say he didn’t like it. Later, she realized he didn’t actually dislike those things; he just wanted her to eat more. Despite being a year younger, Caleb treated her like a daughter. In this delicate tenderness, Scarlett’s heart gradually surrendered.

One foggy morning, right after Scarlett swiped her card at the office entrance, she received a call from Caleb. He said, “I’m downstairs at your company, bringing you breakfast.” Scarlett replied, “I’ve already had breakfast.” Caleb said, “Well, I just suddenly missed you this early, so I found an excuse to see you.” A gust of wind seemed to blow through Scarlett’s heart. It felt like she had never experienced love before, and suddenly, the softest kind of love had appeared.

She went downstairs and saw him waving with a smile. That day, Scarlett was a bit under the weather with a cold, and Caleb noticed. He was particularly concerned, insisting on taking her to the hospital for intravenous therapy. Only after the doctor assured them that everything was fine did Caleb finally relax. Scarlett admitted that she was moved.

The care and affection that had been missing in her three years of marriage seemed to be compensated for by Caleb. In that moment, she decided to hold onto this man and the happiness in front of her. However, happiness didn’t come without its challenges.

7

Two months into Scarlett and Caleb’s relationship, Caleb’s family found out and vehemently opposed it. Surprisingly, Caleb and Dylan’s families were from the same village and had some old acquaintances. After Scarlett married Dylan, she only visited the countryside during major holidays. Caleb, who used to work in the provincial capital, rarely went home, so they had never met.

When Caleb’s family learned that his new girlfriend was the former daughter-in-law of a family from the same village, each member vehemently objected. Nobody knew the real reason behind Scarlett and Dylan’s divorce. The village gossip suggested that Scarlett and Dylan had incompatible personalities, and due to Scarlett’s inability to conceive, they divorced.

Caleb explained the truth to his parents, but they refused to believe it. His mother said, “Even if it’s true, how can we let you marry someone rejected by another family? It’s too embarrassing.” To prevent Caleb and Scarlett from being together, his parents frequently invited his ex-wife and their child to come home.

Upon learning about Caleb’s new relationship, his ex-wife regretted her impulsive decision and was eager to reconcile. Grandparents, uncles, and aunts all took turns trying to persuade Caleb. However, Caleb adamantly refused to break up with Scarlett.

His father became so furious that he ended up in the hospital, and his grandparents resorted to emotional blackmail. His father even declared, “If you insist on being with that woman, we’ll sever our father-son relationship.” Scarlett heard about all this from messengers sent by Caleb’s family. He found Scarlett and conveyed the silent pressure Caleb was enduring.

Scarlett, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but feel a mix of heartache and sympathy for the challenges Caleb was facing behind the scenes.

8

That evening, Scarlett prepared a table full of dishes, all of Caleb’s favorites. Despite the immense pressure he was under, he pretended everything was normal and tried to make her happy. Before Scarlett could say anything, her eyes were already red. She said, “Don’t do this, I already know.” Caleb’s gaze dimmed. Scarlett continued, “Caleb, let’s break up. Seeing you struggle like this hurts me.”

Caleb hugged her tightly and said, “Don’t talk about breaking up. I won’t break up with you. You have to trust me; I’ll handle this.”

Scarlett didn’t want to break up either. They decided to keep their relationship underground. Caleb said, “Give me time; I’ll definitely marry you openly and proudly.”

Scarlett didn’t need any grand gestures; she just wanted to be with this man. However, it was challenging. In a rural setting, rumors can be terrifying. When Dylan’s family learned about Scarlett and Caleb being together, they began concocting stories that Scarlett and Caleb had been involved before the divorce. This intensified the opposition from Caleb’s family. Meanwhile, his ex-wife apologized and threatened not to let Caleb’s family see their grandson if they didn’t remarry.

Parents and grandparents, desperate to see their grandson, constantly pressured Caleb. Eventually, it reached the point where his father and grandparents knelt down to plead with him. It’s heartbreaking to imagine elderly parents and grandparents, aged seventy or eighty, resorting to kneeling. How desperate must they be to kneel for their grandson?

9

Caleb suggested, “If it’s not possible here, let’s leave and go to a strange city.” Scarlett also considered leaving but couldn’t bear to leave her parents. With advanced age and being the only child, she couldn’t selfishly abandon them. Moreover, if Caleb’s grandparents had an accident due to their elopement, it would be a lifelong regret for Caleb. She didn’t want him to regret.

Scarlett knew that separating from Caleb would bring regret. Perhaps she wouldn’t find someone so compatible again — someone who understood her with just a glance. After years of being strong and independent, she could be herself and act like a child with him. Many people advised her to be brave and pursue true love despite everything. But marriage involves two families.

Caleb was being driven mad by his family, while Scarlett only wished for his happiness. She didn’t know if she and Caleb had a future, but in this moment, she could only let go and spare him from further distress.

If you’ve truly loved someone, you might understand Scarlett. Because she loved him, she only wanted him to be happy, even if they couldn’t be together. So, they parted ways, hoping that in the future, everything would be fine for him. That would be enough.