And that was Jennifer's happily ever after.
It looked nothing like the fairytales.
On the first day, she woke up relieved that her suitcase was still sitting outside her door—and terrified that Shilem would come back. There was no logical reason for this. The marriage was already over. The affair was real. The apologies were useless. And yet, every pounding sound made her jump for fear he was at her door again.
The first week disappeared into damage control. Returning wedding gifts. Explaining things to family and best friends. Making everyone promise—promise—not to come over.
By the second week, she found out the marriage could be annulled.
By the third week, she realized the rent was due.
What. The. Hell.
Her landlady turned out to be an angel. "Take your time, dear," she said, and gave Jennifer an extension without asking for details.
So Jennifer took two jobs.
She became a kindergarten teaching assistant by day and worked the night shift at the convenience store two blocks away on alternate evenings. She lived on bread, instant noodles, and whatever food her landlady quietly left outside her door. She drowned her sorrows in webnovels because they were free, and because fictional heartbreak felt safer than her own.
Her first real break came when the school offered her a bonded sponsorship to become a certified kindergarten teacher. She quit the night shift to attend evening classes instead. It was exhausting. It was terrifying. But unlike her marriage, she could keep this certificate for life.
Eventually, her family came anyway.
They happened to be "in town." Yes, all of them. Liars.
But by then, Jennifer had fallen in love—with her classroom and the community of teachers and parents. Teachers' Day had just passed, and her family saw the small pile of handmade cards and gifts from her students.
"I kind of like it here. I've found something I'm good at," Jennifer said quietly. "I want to stay."
So they let her be.
"I'll come visit," she promised.
And she did. Once, in the summer. After that, every summer, at least once.
By autumn, Jennifer was teaching full-time at the kindergarten. Two years later, she became the lead teacher. She no longer needed a second job to afford the rent.
That was around the time she stopped reading webnovels and started writing them.
Her first one was about a girl who supported her childhood sweetheart while he chased his dream of becoming a teen idol. She quit school, moved to the city, worked part-time, cooked, cleaned, and waited. The moment he was accepted by an agency, he left her.
"I've outgrown you."
She watched him fall in love with someone else and parade her through the glittering world of show business.
Let's call it Jennifer's revenge novel.
She named the stupid, selfish man Liam. You know—Shilem. Close enough.
Liam's only redeeming qualities were his nice hair, handsome face, and shallow charm. Stupid Liam.
Of course, the heroine would go back to school. Of course, she would become a star in her own right. Of course, she would date the coolest, handsomest actor in the industry. And stupid Liam would see her again and finally realize how beautiful she was, how capable she had always been, and how badly he had messed up.
Because… Jennifer never got round to that.
Halfway through the novel, Jennifer stopped writing.
She lost interest.
More precisely, she stopped caring about Liam—Shilem.
Maybe she had outgrown him too.