Because I received a scam call about an "asset check" just as I was leaving, I arrived a bit late to pick up my daughter, Wendy Pruitt, from kindergarten.

It happened to coincide with the end of the school day for the elementary school across the street.

As soon as I got out of the car, my attention was drawn to a familiar figure at the elementary school's entrance.

There, getting out of a black Audi, was Samuel Pruitt, who was supposed to be on a business trip. He wasn't supposed to be back until tomorrow. What on earth was he doing here today?

I assumed he wanted to surprise Wendy and me and had mistakenly gone to the wrong school.

Just as I was about to walk over and call out to him, I saw a little boy in a school uniform run out of the school gate. Shouting "Daddy!" he excitedly leaped into Samuel's arms.

Samuel looked every bit the doting father as he happily picked the child up and asked, "Did you miss Daddy?"

I froze, standing there in shock, a roaring sound filling my ears as if everything around me had vanished. All I could hear was that little boy's voice echoing, "Daddy."

My mind went blank, unable to comprehend what I was witnessing.

Samuel… had a son in elementary school behind my back???

A week ago, Wendy came home from school and told me she saw Samuel picking up a boy at the elementary school across the street. The boy was calling him "Daddy."

At the time, I didn't give it much thought. Samuel had been on a business trip for almost two months, and I figured Wendy just missed her dad and had mistaken someone else for him.

But when she mentioned it for the third time, I began to get impatient and even scolded her harshly.

Knowing Samuel as well as I did, I couldn't believe he would betray me, let alone have a child with someone else!

Yet, the scene before me filled me with both guilt and shame. Samuel had shattered my trust in him, and worse, I had failed my daughter, causing her undue distress.

"Mom?" Wendy's voice snapped me back to reality. I felt as if I were falling from the clouds back into the harshness of the real world. Looking down at her bewildered eyes, I tried to suppress my swirling emotions and smiled as I patted her head.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Samuel turn away with the little boy in tow. Instinctively, I picked Wendy up and got into the car, skillfully avoiding Samuel's gaze.

I didn't have the courage to confront Samuel then, nor could I bear to let Wendy know the awful truth.

I drove home in a daze, running two red lights and hearing countless horns blare at me. I had no idea how I managed to get us home safely.

Just as I entered our community, I was shocked to see Samuel's car pull into the garage of the unit opposite ours. I could hardly believe my eyes. For ten years, I had trusted him completely, and now my world was falling apart.

I couldn't eat a bite of dinner, and after putting Wendy to bed, I stayed up all night, unable to sleep.

Samuel and I had been married for ten years, and Wendy was only five. But that boy, who called him "Daddy," was wearing an elementary school uniform and appeared to be at least seven years old.

If he really was Samuel's son, it meant Samuel had betrayed me shortly after our marriage.

A wave of tightness gripped my chest, and a sickening taste rose in my throat. I couldn't bear to think any further.

Samuel's business encountered a colossal setback, leaving him over a hundred million in debt. His lawyer's professional advice was to first file for divorce to secure a portion of our assets.

We've been married for ten years, weathering storms together and building our life from scratch. Without hesitation, I agreed to this "divorce without leaving" arrangement, determined to face the hardships hand in hand with him.

However, yesterday's events forced me to reconsider.

After a sleepless night of tossing and turning, I decided to slow down the divorce proceedings until I could uncover the truth.

Early the next morning, while Samuel was still out, I took all our important documents to my best friend Keira Slater's house. I asked her to keep them safe and gave her a brief rundown of what had transpired yesterday afternoon, including our plans for a sham divorce.

Keira was skeptical, even suspecting I might have been seeing things. If Keira didn't believe me, then surely no one else who knew Samuel and me would either. Samuel was unremarkable in appearance, of humble origins, with his only notable trait being his simplicity and honesty.

It was precisely his simplicity and honesty that made him stand out among my other suitors, catching my parents' favor. They persuaded me to abandon the more attractive and accomplished Edward Vance in favor of Samuel. Their reasoning? Less attractive men were less likely to betray their marriages.

After our wedding, Samuel indeed treated me well and worked diligently to move ahead. Over the past decade, our combined efforts made our family business thrive. I trusted him completely, never once imagining he could betray me. Thus, a part of me still harbors hopes that everything is just a misunderstanding.

Still, the move to secure assets through divorce amidst a corporate crisis is inherently suspicious. It's fine to hope for the best, but we must prepare for the worst possible outcome.

At its worst, this ordeal might end in an actual divorce. Both of us could start over as adults, but it would be heart-wrenching for our child. Adults might remarry, but a child would truly miss out on having both a mom and dad.

My love for our child makes me want to turn a blind eye, but that's just not in my nature. I can't swallow this bitterness.

I hid at Keira's house the entire morning, forcing myself to calm down. Steeling myself, I returned home, ready to confront Samuel.

When I told Samuel I couldn't find the marriage certificate, he became noticeably irritable, unable to sit still.

He held my hand, trying to appear tender. "Selene, please look for it again. If we can't get this divorce processed quickly, we'll lose everything."

"If we divide the assets in the divorce, the only thing I'll be left with is this house we're living in, right?" I asked, challenging him.

According to the original plan, I agreed to forgo our shared assets, asking only for some real estate. But after calming down, I realized the numerous loopholes. He and his lawyer were clearly plotting to leave me with nothing.

Samuel's expression froze, and he stuttered slightly.

He didn't need to say anything; the answer was obvious.

A wave of dizziness washed over me as I looked at his once familiar face, now a stranger's mask.

In the past two years, Samuel frequently traveled for business. Many people warned me to be cautious and watch for signs of infidelity.

But I had unwavering faith in Samuel’s character and never once doubted him, ignoring all warnings.

However, now the truth forced me to confront my mistake.

Several times, I wanted to ask him where he was last night, who that little boy was, who his mother was, and why he betrayed me! I wanted to scream at him, but I held back.

If Samuel was truly calculating to deceive me into a divorce and take my money, he had no regard for our marriage.

Wendy could live without her father's love, but if we lost all our money, it would be difficult for her to grow up healthy and happy.

Realizing this, I resolved to stop lying to myself and to find the truth. I needed to protect both Wendy and myself and make Samuel pay for his betrayal!

...

While dragging out the divorce process, I closely monitored Samuel’s actions. As expected, within three days, he used a business trip as an excuse not to return home.

This time, I paid special attention to his whereabouts. On the fourth day of his "business trip," I saw him driving back to the apartment building across the street in his Audi. Simultaneously, I hired a private investigator, Gregory Wren, offering him a high fee to investigate Samuel.

Almost as soon as Samuel entered the building, my phone buzzed multiple times. WhatsApp notifications flooded in with a series of messages.

I opened them to find photos from Gregory Wren.

In the pictures, there was Samuel, that little boy I had seen before, and a young woman, heavily pregnant.

The last photo clearly showed the woman's face.

The moment I saw it, my head felt like it was about to explode.

The woman opposite me wasn't tall, and her figure was swollen because of her pregnancy. She had a round face, her features plain, but her expression exuded a certain gentle and unpretentious quality.

It was a look that mirrored Samuel's simplicity perfectly.

The first time I saw her, I thought it was a resemblance carved into their genes, owing to their blood relation. Now, it seemed less certain.

I knew her as Samuel’s distant cousin, Nadia Rook.

Just before our marriage, Nadia suddenly sought refuge with Samuel. We took some money and sent her to night school for accounting. She worked hard, obtained her certification, and I used my connections to get her a job as a cashier in a subsidiary of a state-owned enterprise.

Her colleagues praised her character and abilities whenever I crossed paths with them.

My impression of Nadia had always been good. During that time, I often invited her to dinner at our house and gave her little gifts. I treated her like my own cousin.

Later, Samuel told me she was dating a classmate from night school and they quickly progressed to marriage. She quit her job and moved to his house.

When Nadia got married, I asked Samuel to give her a generous red envelope.

How ironic, I might have used my money and kindness to help my rival reach the pinnacle of her life.

When I discovered the truth and reexamined the past, I realized there had been clues all along, alerting me to Nadia's presence.

About six months ago, a water leak from the upstairs unit flooded my apartment. I knocked on their door several times but got no response. I had to enlist the property management’s help and saw a familiar name — Nadia Rook — on the owners’ list.

I thought it was just a coincidence and didn't dwell on it. Little did I know, Samuel was audacious enough to buy two buildings in the same community: one for me and one for his cousin!

The combined injury and insult caused my ears to ring.

Gregory sent another message, a brief one: "Should I verify her identity and background?"

Of course, I had to know. My fingers trembled as I typed a reply, "Yes! How much extra?"

His response came quickly, and after some negotiation, I got the lowest price.

I didn't want to waste any more money on this pair of scumbags.

While waiting for the results, I wasn't idle.

Since the company was founded by both of us, with the initial capital from selling my parents’ two houses, I had always been the actual head until after our child was born. I had a strong, loyal team in place.

I decided to secretly investigate the company's situation behind Samuel’s back.

What I found was shocking. Samuel had replaced both the key finance and HR directors.

When I reached out to our former colleagues, I learned that Samuel had fired them two years ago over minor work mistakes.

Although his actions were ruthless, their work had indeed been flawed, so they never complained to me, thinking I was protecting their dignity.

In reality, I had been kept completely in the dark!

Replacing the HR and finance directors could only mean Samuel was scheming against the company.

I suddenly remembered that scam call I had received. I quickly pulled up my call records and dialed the number again.

It turned out to be a reputable local investment firm. They had discovered non-compliant stock transfers in our company while considering investing in a new project.

After several conversations, it became clear. Samuel had secretly transferred my shares to Nadia!

If we divorced, I wouldn't get a penny from the company.

All my years of hard work would be for nothing.

Samuel was vicious!

If it weren't for the need for both parties to personally file for divorce at the civil affairs bureau, Samuel might have secretly divorced me without my knowledge.

If I felt heartbroken before, now all I felt was rage.

I quickly scheduled a meeting with the investment firm for a face-to-face discussion.

But when I arrived at the agreed location, the person waiting for me was a complete shock.