All Chapters of Forgiven Once, but Never Again: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

Tristan's POVMegan Carrick shut the door behind her without a moment's hesitation. She didn't even look back at me before walking out.I had lost count of how many times she dropped everything to run to her ex-husband, Ian Reynolds, and their son, Aiden Reynolds.Whenever I complained, she would just dismiss me with an impatient wave of her hand. "Aiden is still my son, no matter what happened between us. Ian is a man—he doesn't know how to look after a toddler."You need to be the bigger person here, Tristan Hayes."The bigger person, huh?Being the bigger person was why I had tolerated this miserable marriage for three years.Reaching across the dining table, I swept the birthday cake and dishes straight into the trash can before walking out of the suffocating house.I wandered aimlessly down the streets. As I passed a restaurant, something in the window caught my eye and made me freeze in my tracks.Megan cradled Aiden in her arms while Ian stood beside her with an arm int

Chapter 2

Tristan's POVMegan said nothing in response to Ian's taunt. Instead, she stayed by his side, as if her actions were enough to tell me that he was right.She calmly looked at me and said, "Stop making a fool of yourself, Tristan. Delete the photos, apologize to Ian, and I'll come home with you."Ever since Megan suffered from postpartum depression, I had never once mentioned the son we lost in front of her. That loss felt like a permanent thorn lodged in my heart, yet she had no problem letting Tristan rub it in my wounds over and over again.I looked Megan straight in the eyes and smirked. "Fine. I'll apologize."A flash of condescension and triumph flashed in Ian's eyes.I stepped up to him. Before anyone in the room could process what was happening, I grabbed a plate of food off the table and dumped it upside down, slamming it onto his head.The bystanders had gotten quite a show. They pulled out their phones and started taking photos of Ian's face.Megan finally snapped out

Chapter 3

Tristan's POVAfter I laid bare Megan's broken promises, her expression darkened. She was visibly stung by the sheer contempt in my eyes.Almost on instinct, she snatched the fruit knife from the counter and held it to her throat. Her hand shook violently, as if she couldn't believe that I didn't trust her at all."We've been together all these years, Tristan. Can't you even give me this much trust?"Fine. Just kill me if I break my promise!"Before I could even say a word, she dragged the knife across her forearm twice. Blood trickled down and dripped onto the floor.Her face was pale as she held up the fresh cuts in my face. "I'm sorry that I killed our son. I'm sorry that I failed to spend your birthday with you today and made you upset. If I break my promise to you this time, give me the third cut and kill me yourself."She laid down a brutal, grim vow to prove her devotion and stared at me with the same intense stubbornness she had three years ago.The throbbing pain in my

Chapter 4

Tristan's POVI continued, "I'm not Aiden's father. If you believe I killed him, you may call the police. But if you keep up this mess, I'll sue you for defamation."Megan's eyes widened at my words, while Ian kept wailing hysterically. "Your son is dead, so you don't want mine to live either! You're jealous! You're just envious that Megan and I have a son together!"Megan shoved me away and helped Ian up from the floor. Her voice was cold and resolute as she said, "I was completely wrong about you, Tristan. This isn't over."She stormed away with Ian by her side. The parting look she threw at me was full of raw hatred, as if she wanted nothing more than to rip me to shreds.…From that day onward, Megan completely disappeared.She blocked my number, had me blacklisted across social media platforms, and never returned home again. However, every so often, Ian would send me photos.She had moved in to stay with Ian all this time. I blocked all his burner accounts with practic

Chapter 5

Third-Person POVThe sharp pain in Megan's shoulder triggered every nerve in her body.After stabbing her, Tristan walked away without looking back. She gritted her teeth, barely able to calm the boiling rage inside her.Megan had lost two sons now. After her miscarriage three years ago, the doctor had told her that her uterus was permanently damaged, and she would never have another child again.Beside her, Ian frantically pressed his hands against her bleeding shoulder wound. Concern was written all over his face as he said, "Let's call the police, Megan. Tristan assaulted you. He'll be stripped of his assets if we report him for domestic abuse!"Megan shook her head and said nothing. She had to admit that she had wronged Tristan, too, which was why she had given him that bloody promise of three cuts back then."After this, he and I are even."As she said so, Tristan's retreating silhouette flashed across her mind, and her heart suddenly sank.Their son's urn, which Ian had s

Chapter 6

Third-Person POVMegan panickedly pulled out a medical file hidden at the bottom of the first-aid kit. The pages were ripped to shreds and taped back together.The word "depression" on the diagnosis report seemed to stab into her eyes. It was Aiden's medical record.Megan froze. Since when had Aiden been diagnosed with depression? How could she have no idea? Ian had never mentioned it to her either.She searched the drawers in the bedside table and, sure enough, found a white pill bottle. After looking it up online, she confirmed that it was antidepressant medication.A violent buzzing sounded in her mind. She jumped to her feet, ready to confront Ian and demand an explanation about Aiden's illness. But just as she reached the door, a phone notification stopped her.It was the phone she had bought for Aiden. She had told him that if he ever missed her, he could use that number to call her anytime.But in all the time since her divorce from Ian, her phone had never rung with Aide

Chapter 7

Third-Person POVIan didn't seem to feel the slightest grief over Aiden's death. The grief and sorrow he had shown disappeared the moment Megan returned to the apartment."Did you feed Aiden the crushed peanuts?" she asked in a hoarse voice.Ian was briefly stunned and looked completely at a loss. "Of course not. He ate them by accident. I just didn't notice in time."He immediately lowered his head and continued, "This is all my fault for not knowing how to take care of him. If I'd been more careful, this would never have happened."But in the end, it's still Tristan's fault. If he hadn't forced you and stopped you from picking up my calls, Aiden would've gotten to see you one last time."There it was again.Megan dug her fingernails deeply into her palms. How had she never noticed that every time such topics came up, Ian always found a way to shift the blame onto Tristan?She grabbed the ashtray from the table and smashed it onto Ian's head. He let out a sharp howl of pain, c

Chapter 8

Third-Person POVThe only response Megan received from the other end of the line was a cold, automated voice.Still, she refused to give up and dialed the number dozens of times until her battery died and the phone powered off.The pain in her shoulder reminded her that this time, Tristan would never forgive her again. He had watched Ian scatter their son's ashes into the wind, so how could he ever forgive her after that?"That's the third cut. Now, we're even." Tristan's voice echoed relentlessly in her mind.Since Megan couldn't locate Tristan, her only option was to call the police right away. Then, she hired a lawyer, determined to get justice for Aiden.But after she left the police station, Ian vanished without a trace.All this time, Megan barely had a night of peaceful sleep. She was worried about Ian being on the run, as well as the fact that she had no idea where Tristan was.It wasn't until a week later that she finally received a call from the police. "Is this Ms. C

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