Mismatch in Love

Three years into our marriage, my husband had never taken me to visit his family's graves.

He always said he didn't want me to go through the trouble.

This time, I secretly followed him, hoping to surprise him.

Instead, I found him sobbing until he nearly fainted in front of a grave.

The tombstone bore the smiling face of a young woman, with the inscription - The Beloved of a Lifetime, Kiera Dawson.

1

"What are you doing here?"

Carson Hopkins exclaimed, almost throwing himself against the tombstone to cover the eyes in the photograph.

He whispered to the tombstone, "Kiera, let me explain... I didn't bring her here on purpose."

"What are you still doing here? Leave!"

His sudden outburst startled me.

Carson had always been gentle and refined, never losing his composure in front of me.

A surge of inexplicable emotions overwhelmed me, and I fled, feeling utterly lost and desolate.

It was one in the morning when Carson finally returned home.

He glanced at me with a weary look. "Why are you still up?"

"I was waiting for you. I thought you might have something to say to me."

He paused for a few seconds, then refused with a tired sigh.

"Stop it, Emely. I'm exhausted. I have work tomorrow."

I quickly blocked his path. "Don't I deserve an explanation?"

Carson threw his coat to the ground in frustration, his eyes burning with anger.

"Emely! Everyone is entitled to their secrets, right? You followed me without asking. Have you ever respected my privacy?"

But I was his wife!

Clearly, he was the one at fault!

Looking at the man I had shared my life with for three years, I felt an eerie sense of unfamiliarity for the first time.

"Carson, I just wanted to talk. But you're the one questioning and pressuring me. Why don't you tell me how you deceived me?"

Carson's eyes held a hint of mockery. "What did I deceive you about? I told you I had been in a relationship before. What more do you want? Are you really going to argue with a dead person?"

His words hit me like a shard of ice, leaving me speechless.

Yes, she was already gone.

I didn't even have the right to compete.

I had never snooped on Carson's social media.

He was the man I chose at first sight, and I trusted my judgment.

But on this sleepless night, I felt justified in crossing that line.

Scrolling back ten years, I realized Carson hadn't lied.

He had never hidden his feelings.

November 21, 2013. "She said yes! I'm the happiest man in the world."

May 20, 2016. "We're graduating together. Time to start planning the proposal!"

November 21, 2017. "She said yes."

February 14, 2018. "Marriage isn't as simple as I thought. I couldn't convince my parents. It's my fault."

November 21, 2019. "Kiera, my world died with you. Maybe in my next life, I'll be with you."

February 14, 2020. "Kiera, life is hard to compromise, but my heart will always belong to you."

The messages stopped abruptly on that day-the day Carson and I exchanged vows.

I thought we were meant to be.

Little did I know, I was just his compromise.

2

The next day, Carson emerged from the study early in the morning.

Seeing me asleep on the couch, a flicker of emotion crossed his eyes.

He mentioned casually, "Go back to bed. You'll catch a cold."

Groggy and half-awake, I fumbled for the asthma medication I had been holding onto and handed it to him.

"Remember to take it... You forgot yesterday, which is why I chased after you."

Carson seemed to realize something, pulling me into his arms.

"Emely, I'm sorry... It's all my fault."

I knew his guilt was genuine, just like when he held my hand at the altar, sincerely apologizing to Kiera in his heart.

"Emely, it's just a few days each year... Can you give me some time? I promise I'll move on."

His plea lingered in my ears, but disgust welled up inside me.

I pushed him away, looking up at him coldly.

"So you're saying I have to willingly share my legal husband with a dead person?"

Something in my words seemed to infuriate him, and Carson suddenly became angry.

"Emely! She has a name! Her name is Kiera! I don't need you to remind me with 'dead person'! You already have everything she couldn't. What more do you want?"

According to him, I was the one being unreasonable, never satisfied.

A sudden chill swept over me, and I could hear the sound of my heart breaking.

I asked him sarcastically, "So when I die, even having a tombstone that says 'The Beloved of a Lifetime' is too much to ask?"

Carson's face darkened, and he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Carson and I met through a blind date.

But even before that, I had already fallen for him from afar.

My parents had been in a tragic car accident and were in the hospital for a long time.

After a week of fighting, they couldn't escape death's call.

When I received the death notice, it felt like the world had gone silent.

In my panic, Carson found the recording toy I had dropped and handed it to me just as I was about to run towards death.

It was a gift from my parents on my 18th birthday.

They said, "May Emely be safe and joyful, smooth and worry-free."

At that moment, it felt like I had a family again.

So when I saw Carson again, I knew he was the one.

I once thought he felt the same way about me.

Then I realized that his almost mechanical, flawless gentleness was just traces of love for someone else.

I methodically packed my belongings, preparing to stay at my grandmother's for a while.

The wisteria in the yard was in full bloom.

After a moment of hesitation, I put down my luggage and watered them thoroughly.

I had chosen wisteria to surprise Carson because it was the background of his social media profile.

A thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I trembled as I took out my phone to search.

Born from love, perished for love, love unfulfilled, intertwined in life and death.

That was the language of wisteria.

3

The greatest hallmark of adult dignity was probably keeping silent.

As I entered my grandmother's house, I was on the verge of crying as a feeling of being wronged overwhelmed me, and I quickly gave her a hug.

Grandma noticed something was off but didn't press for details.

"Staying here with me is nice as well. I'll cook your favorite Roasted Chicken for you."

And so, the days passed slowly and steadily for half a month.

On an ordinary workday, just as I stepped out of the company building, I saw Carson approaching with a large bouquet of sunflowers in his arms.

"Emely."

Time really could dilute many things.

Just like my resentment towards Carson, which seemed to have faded away at the sight of those sunflowers.

They were the flowers I had eagerly chosen for our wedding, and Carson had once cherished them too.

"Grandma wanted me to bring you over for dinner."

I accepted the bouquet and silently followed him to his car.

Before we even entered the house, I could hear grandma bustling around inside.

"Oh, finally you're back. Emely, come over and take a look."

Grandma eagerly pulled me into the living room, where the coffee table was piled high with my favorite snacks.

"Carson is so thoughtful. He brought a whole bag of goodies early this morning, afraid you'd be hungry."

Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Carson, who had the expected awkward look on his face.

Grandma didn't know that Carson never let me indulge in snacks like this, always insisting they were unhealthy.

She also didn't know that just the night before, I had seen her secretly hiding snacks in her room.

I let out a silent sigh, understanding her good intentions.

After dinner, Carson volunteered to wash the dishes.

Grandma held my hand tightly, speaking earnestly.

"Emely, life is a series of twists and turns, and things don't always go as planned. But when you reach my age, you'll realize that youthful obsessions aren't that important. The most important thing is, Carson... he is a good man."

Following grandma's gaze, I saw Carson, his head bowed, washing dishes with the seriousness of someone studying a complex instrument.

"I understand."

Just like Carson said, I couldn't let past grievances haunt me forever, could I?

With a heart ready to reconcile with myself, I packed my bags to return with Carson.

However, when I opened the car trunk, sadness hit me unexpectedly.

Inside lay a discarded bouquet of vibrant red roses.

Seeing grandma's startled and evasive expression, I suddenly understood.

The sunflowers' warm and abundant love didn't come from Carson but from my grandma who always stood behind me.

4

Carson and I continued to live our lukewarm lives.

We both tried hard to avoid mentioning that painful scar.

Towards the end of the year, as we were making preparations to move to a bigger house for the sake of having a child, I stumbled upon a strange transaction while organizing our finances.

My heart skipped a beat.

The recipient's account was familiar. Searching my memory, I suddenly remembered Carson had mentioned it before.

It was for a student he was sponsoring, claiming it was to accumulate good karma for our future child.

But the substantial amount transferred this summer seemed excessively generous.

When I asked Carson about it, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but he quickly explained casually, "The kid got into college, so expenses are naturally higher."

Seeing my lingering doubts, Carson added, "She had to repeat a year to finally get in, so the expenses are necessary, right?"

His righteous demeanor made further questioning seem petty, so I let it go.

Little did I know, this compromise would mark the beginning of our unraveling.

Two weeks later, on a weekend, Carson brought a girl home without informing me.

As I entered, the girl was playfully bantering with Carson in the kitchen.

"Emely, why are you back so early today?"

I looked at the girl without showing any emotion, and she quickly wiped the smile off her face.

She seemed young, probably just starting college, vibrant and lively.

Her radiant smile was particularly striking, yet somehow familiar...

I joked, "Am I in your way?"

Carson was taken aback and hurriedly explained, "What are you talking about! Let me introduce you. This is my distant cousin, Keira Hopkins. Her school is on break, and her family home is being demolished. She wanted to stay here for a summer job, so she'll be staying with us for a while."

Though slightly displeased, I couldn't show it.

"I didn't mean to intrude... but I really have nowhere else to go. Please let me stay."

Her endearing, playful manner was hard to resist.

I eventually nodded in agreement.

When we got married in a hurry, we bought a two-bedroom apartment. Besides the master bedroom, Carson had a study.

I considered it and instructed Carson, "Move the computer out of the study and tidy it up for Keira to stay."

Keira, perceptive and quick to respond, said, "No need to trouble yourself. I work long hours and am rarely home. Besides, when Carson needs the computer, I'll just step out."

Though it sounded a bit odd...

Carson found her reasoning sensible, so I didn't insist further.

Summer days passed uneventfully, and the bright season should have been spent with my husband.

However, Carson spent more and more time engrossed in the computer this summer.

He felt it was too disruptive for Keira, so he let her stay in the room without moving around.

When I occasionally complained, Carson grew impatient, "The company's project is going public! And you're here talking about trivial things!"

Though the study door was always wide open, the constant laughter from within weighed heavily on my heart.

Inside and outside felt like two separate worlds.

I began bringing fruit and soda to the study, hoping to share in their joy, even if briefly.

Keira lounged on the sofa corner, sipping iced soda.

Her long legs, draped over the armrest, sparked endless imagination.

I reminded her, "Keira, wearing so little with the air conditioning on, you'll catch a cold."

The girl smiled, her eyes twinkling as she blinked at me.

"Emely, I'm young, I don't fear the cold. You don't have to keep sneaking in to peek. I promise I'll be good and not disturb Carson's work!"

Carson, who had been focused on coding, paused, his shoulders trembling slightly.

He couldn't help but turn around, "Honey, I just asked Keira to help test the game. After all, it's developed for young people. If you could help with feedback, I wouldn't have to bother Keira."

His calm tone carried an unspoken reproach.

Somehow, I had become the villain in this relationship.