Evelyn's POV:

The phone screen suddenly lit up in the darkness, its harsh glow falling over the cold, untouched dinner on the table.

A message popped up.

“Evelyn, guess who I'm with right now?”

It was a message from an unfamiliar number.

I frowned.

My finger was on the delete button when another message popped up.

“Take a look. See how your dear husband’s emergency business trip really looks.”

Attached was a long video.

The words “emergency business trip" made me hesitate.

My breathing caught as I tapped to open it, my heart pounding involuntarily faster when I touched the screen.

Pressed play.

A woman's sweet moans, intertwined with a man's heavy breaths, immediately poured out. The intimate sounds rang out clearly, sending a chill straight down my spine.

Because I recognized that voice.

Perfectly.

“James, that feels so good.”

“Faster, darling. I love you so much.”

In the video, the two people were entangled in the most intimate of acts, passion unmistakable.

The woman's arms were wrapped tightly around the man's neck.

The screen trembled slightly, and I caught sight of the man’s back.

Broad shoulders.

A solid, bare back.

It was my husband.

James Caldwell.

The man who had left me alone on our fifth wedding anniversary, claimed he had an urgent business trip.

The man who, just hours ago, had told me I was the one he loved most in the world.

The man who spoke softly about celebrating our tenth, our twentieth anniversaries together.

My stomach twisted with nausea. My face drained of all color as my fingers tightened around the phone.

My heart clenched in agony, so painful that I couldn't even make a sound.

And the woman in the video,

I knew her.

Lena Whitmore, James's ex-girlfriend.

The woman who had abandoned James six years ago to pursue her career as an artist in Australia.

The woman who had once boldly declared that she no longer needed James's love and had discarded him like trash.

In the end, the one who was left behind and the one who abandoned him reunited, tangled in bed as if nothing had ever happened.

And the wife who had stayed by James's side through his darkest years, the woman who had shared his bed for five years, was nothing.

The video kept playing.

Amid the moans, Lena's voice is a bit lazy.

“Oh, darling, aren't you afraid your wife will be sad if you keep doing this with me?”

“I remember today is your wedding anniversary, isn't it?”

Lena’s hand intimately tracing the muscles on James’s chest.

My hand clenched unconsciously until my knuckles turned white. Deep down, there was still a trace of hope.

As long as James hesitated.

As long as James still thinks of me, even a little, perhaps I could still give him another chance.

I could treat it as him having momentarily lost his way.

But James's next action,

turned that fleeting thought into a cruel joke.

“Don’t mention that boring woman right now”, James lowered his head to kiss Lena before replying impatiently, irritation clearly in his tone.

“Ever since she got pregnant, she’s been like a block of wood.”

“We haven't touched each other in ages.”

My heart seemed to stop beating, because that last shred of hope had been extinguished.

Completely.

“I already told her I had a business trip”, James continued casually.

His hand gently strokes along Lena's collarbone.

“She won’t ask too many questions.”

“I’ll just buy her some random gift when I get back…”

James said this as he lowered his head and kissed Lena intimately.

The sound of their kiss echoed clearly through the space.

The video stopped.

The phone nearly slipped from my hand.

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably, blurring my vision. My mind went blank, my whole body overwhelmed by exhaustion.

So it turned out that the husband who always claimed to be busy, who had even kissed me apologetically just a few hours ago for missing our anniversary, was busy sleeping with his ex-girlfriend instead.

The man who had once vowed lifelong fidelity, who promised to love only me, had still ended up cheating.

How ridiculous.

A new message from Lena appeared almost immediately.

“So, how is it, you bitch? If you know what’s good for you, divorce James.”

“At least you can keep the last shred of your dignity.”

“The one who isn’t loved is the real third wheel. Make room for me to be by his side.”

The blatant provocation pierced me like a knife.

Yet I stubbornly wiped away my tears and, with trembling fingers, typed a reply.

My mind felt strangely clear.

“Don’t even think about it. As long as I’m still James’s wife, you’ll forever be nothing more than a mistress.”

“A filthy woman stealing someone else’s happiness.”

“He doesn’t even dare to introduce you to anyone.”

Perhaps my message enraged Lena, because more messages flooded in.

“You bitch. Fine. Then don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

“Do you want to see the gift he gave me today?”

Before I could even react, Lena sent a photo.

It was a picture of her wrist, adorned with a jade bracelet that gleamed brilliantly under the light.

The carved lotus pattern stood out with striking clarity.

My breath caught in my throat. My eyes widened in disbelief.

That bracelet was the keepsake my late grandmother had given me.

The object I cherished the most.

How could Lena have it?

Urgent and furious, I typed back.

“How did you get that?”

“That belongs to me. Give it back to me immediately!”

Lena’s reply came cold and indifferent.

“So what?”

“James gave it to me. That means it’s mine.”

“Everything you have, I’ll take it from you one by one.”

“Good night, loser.”

With that final taunt, Lena disappeared.

No matter how many messages I sent afterward, there was no reply.

I stared at the darkened screen, then at the pitch-black emptiness before me, the untouched dinner on the table, the cake with melted cream, the silent house.

Five years of marriage, reduced to a cruel joke.

The man I once believed would never abandon me, the man I thought would never leave me alone to be with another woman.

Perhaps everything had changed since that kidnapping incident back then.

Or rather, since Lena returned.

If everything had gone off course, I still had a way to force it back onto the right path.

To end this marriage.

To put an end to the days of enduring betrayal.

I let out a quiet sigh, wiped my tears dry, then gently rubbed my abdomen.

“Don’t worry, my love.”

I whispered.

“I won’t let you grow up in this rotten marriage.”

After that, I slowly unlocked my phone and called my personal lawyer, Charlie.

“Charlie, help me draft a divorce agreement.”

I said calmly.

“I can leave with nothing, as long as after the baby is born, the custody belongs to me.”

The faint glow of the phone illuminated my face, still streaked with tears.

This marriage

should have ended long ago.

Evelyn's POV:

James didn’t come home that entire night.

I didn’t text.

Didn't call as well.

I heard enough lies for a lifetime.

Silently, I dumped all the food into the trash.

Anything is no longer whole.

Anything spoiled.

Anything reeked.

I no longer needed.

Including James, and his love.

In truth, our marriage hadn’t always been this distant.

We had once shared genuinely happy times.

After Lena left, James pursued me obsessively. He kept saying I was the destiny of his life, and the one he loved the most.

Late at night, just because I casually mentioned wanting milk tea from a popular brand, he spent two full hours lining up, just to bring it to my door.

Under the scorching sun, I joked that I wanted to go to Iceland, and he dropped all his work and took me there, to see white snow and the aurora.

The love I had once drowned myself in, now dragged me down into the depths of the sea.

And the one who did this to me, was the very person I loved the most.

My tears had long since dried up. All I felt was an overwhelming exhaustion.

And, anger.

James knew how much my late grandmother meant to me, as well as how much I cherished that bracelet.

And yet, he gave it to Lena.

But no matter what, I would take it back.

Anything that belonged to me, as long as I did not let go, Lena would never be able to have.

...

I barely slept at night.

The next morning, dark circles were clearly visible.

Just as expected.

Wearily, I requested a day off work.

"James didn’t come to the company today either.”

“You sweet couple, where did the two of you go on a date this time?”, the head of human resources joked.

“No, I just have some personal matters to deal with”, I replied coldly.

After a passionate night with Lena, the two of them were probably still wrapped up in each other.

By evening, a friend told me that Lena would attend a dinner party with James.

I decided to go immediately.

Put on a white evening gown, I applied heavier makeup to conceal the pallor on my face.

I drove to the luxury hotel where the dinner party was held.

It wasn’t hard to find Lena.

She was sitting with a group of other women, chatting cheerfully, blending in perfectly.

My gaze fell on the bracelet on her wrist. A sense of disgust flicked.

“Give the bracelet back.”

Those were the first words I spoke upon arriving.

Everyone instantly fell silent, and all eyes turned toward me.

Perhaps my words caught Lena off guard. She looked up at me, and when she recognized who I was, the surprise in her eyes shifted into mockery.

“Which bracelet?”, she asked deliberately, the corner of her lips curling into a provocative smile.

I had no intention of arguing or playing along, just replied flatly.

“The jade bracelet on your wrist.”

“It’s a keepsake my grandmother left to me.”

“You have no right to wear it.”

My hands clenched tightly as I struggled to stay calm. Otherwise, I feared I might snatch it away on the spot.

It was unbearable.

Just the thought of my grandmother’s keepsake being worn on Lena’s wrist made me feel sick.

Lena let out a cold laugh and deliberately raised her wrist.

“This one?”

“Are you illiterate? I texted you yesterday that James gave this to me."

"So, that means it's mine. Isn’t that right, everyone?”

Lena deliberately glanced around.

Mocking laughter immediately erupted.

“If James gave it to Lena, then it’s hers. What right do you have to come here and say it to her?”

"It's just a worn-out bracelet. Why so serious?"

“Don’t tell me you’re just jealous because you’re poor and have never seen anything valuable, so you came here to make a scene?”

The barrage of harsh mockery made my scalp go numb. The smug curve of Lena’s lips only deepened, fueling my anger further.

The angrier I felt, the calmer I became.

I swept my gaze around and spoke coldly.

"Why are you guys defending a mistress like Lena? Don’t tell me it’s because you see yourselves in her?”

Silence.

Faces flushed red, then pale, like a chaotic palette of colors. Yet every gaze fixed on me with undisguised resentment.

But I didn’t care, I just coldly shifted my eyes toward Lena.

“Lena, that bracelet belongs to me. So James had no right to give it to you.”

“I’ll say this one last time, give it back to me.”

“Otherwise, don’t blame me for calling the police”, I emphasized each word with an icy voice.

“This is a natural jade bracelet, custom-carved at my grandmother’s request.”

“The market value of this jade bracelet exceeds six hundred thousand dollars.”

“If I report it as stolen, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Lena’s expression changed instantly because she knew I meant every word, and I would do exactly as I said.

She bit her lip in anger, yet didn’t dare provoke me any further.

Reluctantly, Lena removed the bracelet.

I finally let out a breath of relief, and reached out to take it. But the moment it came off, a flash of malice lit up in Lena’s eyes.

She suddenly hurled it hard into the swimming pool beside us.

Splash.

Water burst upward. The bracelet sank instantly, disappearing into the depths.

My face turned deathly pale at once, and my heart skipped a beat.

How dare she?

Evelyn's POV:

Lena looked pleased with herself. She lifted her chin slightly and laughed coldly.

“Want the bracelet back? Then jump in and get it yourself.”

Her eyes were filled with mockery.

“Oh, I forgot."

"You can't swim, do you?”

“Then you can call the police and ask them to help."

“Aren’t you so fond of calling the police?”

Laughter erupted around us.

“That bracelet is worth at least six hundred thousand dollars. It’d be a waste not to retrieve it.”

“Isn’t it your grandmother’s keepsake? Why do you hesitate?"

Each word, cut deeper than the last.

I clenched my teeth.

Stared at the deep pool ahead, overwhelmed by helplessness. I hadn't imagined that Lena could be this cruel.

“If you can’t get it back, then blame your own stupidity. Don’t blame me.”

Lena mocked, and I closed my eyes, stepped forward, forced myself to jump in.

Splash.

The water instantly closed in around me, as if trying to drag me down to the bottom of the pool.

Water rushed into my nose and throat, my body struggled instinctively. Yet the more I struggled, the deeper I sank.

I forced myself downward, then, my fingers finally touched something icy.

That bracelet, at the bottom of the pool.

Summoning the last bit of energy I had, I struggled upward to the edge of the pool.

“Evelyn, I’m sorry, don’t push me...”

Lena suddenly screamed.

She threw herself into the water before I understood what was happening.

A sharp pull yanked me off balance, and a hand grabbed my leg.

Unprepared, water immediately flooded into my nasal cavity and throat, leaving me unable to breathe.

Underwater, Lena was smiling.

I choked violently, struggling in the water, with my strength faded.

The sensation of death closing in turned my face ashen, my body ice-cold. The sounds from the poolside echoed faintly into my ears.

“James, save Lena! Evelyn pushed her and jumped in herself!”

"She's insane!"

“James, you have to protect her!”

All the voices filled me with even greater rage and despair.

It's not true.

They are liar.

Another splash.

James dived into the pool.

A flicker of hope ignited within me. After all, James knew better than anyone how afraid I was of water.

He knew I couldn't swim.

And besides, we were husband and wife, I think he wouldn't leave me.

He had promised it.

I remembered how, in the past, James had fired one of his subordinates at the company on the spot just for trying to undermine me.

Clinging to that memory, I forced myself to conserve my strength as I waited for him, but James didn’t look at me. Instead, he swam straight toward Lena.

He lifted Lena out of the water, then shoved me hard, as if he found me utterly repulsive.

My chest tightened. I could barely breathe, struggle, and swim toward the edge again.

Pathetic.

And utterly humiliating.

The cold wind made me shiver.

On the opposite, Lena weakly leaned into his chest, sobbing.

“James, I was so scared....”

“Evelyn dropped it herself. I don’t know why Evelyn suddenly lost control and pushed me down."

“I really thought she was trying to kill me…”

Seeing her put on that fragile act, I interrupted in fury.

“Lena, it was clear...”

My voice was hoarse and weak from choking on water for so long.

James glanced at me, but the first thing he said was a cold sentence.

“Apologize to Lena.”

The words hit harder than water. I stood there, frozen in place.

My evening gown was soaked through, my body trembling from the cold, my skin drained of all color.

“Apologize?”

“Why should I?”

I lifted my head stubbornly.

“I didn’t push her.”

“She's pretending, can’t you see that?”, I said, my voice hoarse, my throat burning.

“It was Lena who threw the jade bracelet into the water.”

“That bracelet is a keepsake..."

"Stop lying”, James cut me off impatiently before I could finish.

"It’s disgusting.”

“I even heard Lena’s desperate cries for help.”

James lowered his voice as he looked at me.

“Don’t you hear what everyone is saying about you?”

“You’re really embarrassing me.”

At that moment, the murmurs around me drifted clearly into my ears.

“That’s truly disgusting. She is still refusing to admit it.”

“She can’t even swim, and she still jumped in. Now she’s blaming others?”

“Lena was the one who got pushed, and she’s still defending Evelyn. She’s far too kind…”

The girls around twisted the truth without restraint.

I'm forcing myself to calm down, nearly begging him to believe me.

“James, please, Lena threw the bracelet into the pool."

“I can’t swim. I almost…”

“Enough, Evelyn!”

“When did you become so vicious?”, James interrupted me again.

“Why did you refuse to admit it?”

“If your grandmother knew you’d turned into someone this disgusting, she would be deeply disappointed in you.”

My gaze went hollow, a chill creeping up my spine.

He knew exactly where my weakness lay.

He knew full well that my late grandmother was the one I cherished the most.

And he used that very thing to hurt me.

Disappointed?

“If she were disappointed”, I said coldly.

“My grandmother would be disappointed that I married a man who doesn’t trust me."

My words made James freeze for a moment, and my voice was trembling.

“And another thing, you are my husband, James. How can you side with an outsider like this?”

“If you love Lena so much, then let’s get a divorce.”

“I’ll set you free, and you can marry her!”

All sound died away.

Every gaze around us turned toward me.

My defiance ignited James’s anger.

He strode forward, his face darkening as he raised his hand.

Smack!

The slap rang out sharply, leaving my ears buzzing. I even staggered and fell.

My abdomen lightly struck the poolside floor.

My heart grew cold, and I wrapped my arms around my abdomen.

I was pregnant, and James knew that. How could he do that to me?

He had no right to hurt my child!

"Apologize", James said coldly.

I trembled as I stood up again, yet I still let out a cold laugh. I turned my gaze toward Lena.

“Lena, I’m sorry for coming to reclaim what belongs to me.”

“I’m sorry for not divorcing James, forcing you to resort to such disgusting tricks to humiliate me.”

Every word I spoke froze Lena’s expression, while James grew furiously angry.

He strode forward aggressively.

The distance between us closed rapidly.

I instinctively took a step back, staring at him warily.

“You’re still keeping that stubborn attitude?”

“Fine!”

Before I could react, James suddenly shoved me hard. The force was too strong, sending me straight into the pool.

Splash.

I fell straight into the water again.

Water rushed in instantly.

It was hard for me to breathe as I struggled in panic and exhaustion.

On the shore, James only spoke in a mocking tone.

“Stay down there and repent for what you’ve done.”

Then, he intimately pulled Lena away. They are leaving without hesitation.

I was left alone in the pool, ignored by everyone. I struggled weakly until I was completely drained.

“James, I regret only one thing.”

“Marrying you.”

My vision blurred, and I finally lost consciousness.