Before Zoe Sanders leaves for a long-term research assignment based in a desert in the Southwest,

Before Zoe Sanders leaves for a long-term research assignment based in a desert in the Southwest, she says to me, "Jared, life out there is rough. Family members aren't allowed to visit, and you need to take care of things back home. Wait for me for three years. I'll be back before you know it." Three years become six. Six years become seven. I spend seven whole years waiting for Zoe to come home, but she never does. We speak on the phone once every five days, and video call once a month. The only time I see her in person is during the handful of vacation days she manages to take each year. Even then, I never complain. I'm afraid if I do, I'll become a burden to her career. One day, I'm diagnosed with a stomach tumor. Only then, my urgent request for a special visit finally gets approved. I travel thousands of miles, enduring the exhaustion of my weakened body, and arrive at the dormitory where Zoe lives. The person who greets me is a little boy. "Mom, someone's here! I don't know him!" For a second, I think I'm at the wrong place. But then, Zoe's gentle and affectionate voice rings out. "Benny, I'm busy right now. Dad will go see who it is." Her research assistant, Liam Parker, walks to the door. When he sees me, he freezes in shock, unable to speak for a moment. "Jared, what are you doing here…" I clutch my aching stomach. The last piece of hope I've been holding onto for seven years finally dies. As it turns out, it's not that Zoe doesn't care about her family. The problem is that the family she cares about isn't ours. Seeing that there was no movement at the front door for a long time, Zoe Sanders finally put down the documents in her hands and stepped out of the study. The moment she saw me, she reacted exactly the same way Liam Parker had. Stunned, she stammered, "Jared, what are you doing here all of a sudden…" I sighed quietly and cut her off. "I'm tired. I'd like to sit down first. Do I need to take my shoes off?" #revengestory #reddit_tiktok #askredditstories #relationship #revengereturns #reddit #drama #revenge #redditstories #redditreadings