The Wife Who Jumped on New Year's Eve

Chapter 20

Ryan Bennett's head jerked to the side from the impact, his voice hoarse.

"I'm sorry, Joanna."

"But Grandma Wilson's death anniversary is coming up soon. Can we visit her one last time?"

Joanna Taylor couldn't hide the mockery in her expression.

"Visit what? A pile of ruins?"

Ryan shook his head.

"Joanna, trust me. I'll show you my sincerity."

The car came to a slow stop in front of Grandma Wilson's courtyard.

When Joanna looked up, the familiar gray-tiled roof, white walls, and carved wooden door were exactly as she remembered. Clearly, Ryan had painstakingly restored the house.

Tears welled up in Joanna's eyes as she took in the sight of the familiar yard.

Once, she had run carefree through this place, listening to Grandma's stories under the grapevine on summer afternoons. On winter nights, she had curled up in Grandma's warm embrace, watching the snow fall outside.

Those precious moments with Grandma had been like bright stars—now reduced to fleeting meteors, impossible to reclaim.

Inside the courtyard, the old locust tree still stood lush and full, with a stone table and stools beneath it. Joanna remembered sitting there with Ryan and Lily, sharing Grandma's homemade treats.

But in the blink of an eye, the dream had shattered. Everything was different now.

"Joanna, look. It's just like before," Ryan said softly, his eyes filled with hope, searching for even a flicker of emotion in her expression.

Joanna's face remained cold with scorn.

"Yes, exactly like before. You took away the two people I loved most and left me with nothing but an empty shell. Do you expect me to thank you for that?"

Ryan fell silent. Instead, he pulled a letter from a drawer.

"This… was left by Grandma. We found it when we were rebuilding."

Joanna's hands trembled as she took the envelope. But when she opened it, she didn't find a letter—just pages of heartfelt wishes.

"May Joanna be healthy and happy."

"May Joanna stay safe and go to college."

"May she have a blessed and joyful marriage."

"May our family always be together."

Some of the papers had yellowed with age, while others were still fresh. Grandma hadn't been literate—some words were clumsily written, others spelled out in pinyin. But every stroke carried her sincerest blessings.

Joanna's tears spilled over uncontrollably, then turned into wrenching sobs.

Ryan moved to embrace her, but she shoved him away again.

Collapsing to the ground, she cried until her voice broke, as if trying to pour out every ounce of grief inside her.

Then everything went black.

When she woke, she was back in the hospital.

The doctor scolded her relentlessly.

"Your wounds haven't fully healed, and now you've gone through such emotional turmoil."

Joanna's face was pale, but her eyes were clear.

Suddenly, she understood—Grandma's only wish had been for her happiness.

Ryan walked in with a thermos of chicken soup, his gaze filled with concern.

"Joanna, eat something."

She looked up at him, her expression empty.

"Ryan, I used to think that if we loved each other, we could overcome anything. But I lost everything."

"Maybe I loved you once—so much that I lost myself. But now, I see it was all just a pointless struggle."

"Grandma and Lily will never come back. And we… can never go back to how things were."

Ryan's eyes darkened, his fists clenching. His voice was low and strained.

"Joanna, I won't give up. And I won't let you leave me."

Looking at him, Joanna felt nothing but exhaustion and sorrow.

But she was done fighting.

She wanted to free herself—to cut ties with Ryan forever.