William just got back from his so-called business trip today.

I hid in the garage, ready to spring a surprise on him.

He parked, but didn't step out.

The car window was open and I caught him whining to his buddy over the phone.

"Gotta go back to playing the good hubby. It bums me out just thinking 'bout it."

John Smith was kinda at a loss for words, "Jane just lost the baby, and you are not at home to accompany her, but you are having fun with your first love, isn't that a bit much?"

William Brown sighed, "But Jane is so boring, I'm about to lose it these days!"

"William, Jane stood by you for seven years. Are you doing this to her?"

William was silent for a while and lit a cigarette.

"I can't help it. Every time I think about when she was stripped of her clothes and pressed down by those two bastards, I just can't shake off how filthy she feels."

A chill ran up from my toes to my whole body.

If I hadn't heard it myself, I wouldn't have believed that such nasty words would come out of the mouth of William Brown, who's always been so sweet to me.

I only stepped out from the shadows after William left the garage.

I hopped in the car, ran the dash cam, and checked the recent footage of the past two days.

He left home yesterday afternoon, but drove into a fancy apartment downtown.

After a while, someone sat in the passenger seat. It was Jessica Wilson.

"William, I haven't seen you for a few days. I'm going crazy from missing you."

They were making out, panting.

"Ain't I here with you now?"

"I don't care, you have to make up for these days' share!"

"You're planning on squeezing me dry!"

Their flirty banter shattered me.

It was still clear in my mind that two days ago, William held me close and tried to comfort me.

"Jane, don't be sad, we're still young, we'll have another baby..."

There was a heavy rainstorm last week. While going to the airport to pick up him returning from a business trip, a speeding car hit my car and I lost the fetus.

I had a hard time conceiving. I finally got pregnant after loads of meds and treatment...

I was devastated.

William took time off and stayed with me at home for three days.

It was not until yesterday that he said he had some crucial project out of town that required him to go there.

But I didn't expect that his so-called work trip was just an excuse for his affair.

William called me and wondered why I wasn't home.

I told him I was out for a walk and would be back soon.

His sounded really tired. "Then be careful. I'm a little tired, so I'm going to sleep first."

I replied, "OK".

When I went upstairs, he was already fast asleep.

Watching his familiar face, my mind wandered back to seven years ago...

We were all college buddies, and William and Jessica were a thing back then.

Not long after, Jessica chose to study abroad and left William in the dust.

William was all down and out after they split.

John Smith and I, being his good pals, often had to drag him out of bars late at night.

That day, He pissed off some thugs, and when I arrived, he had already been beaten black and blue.

I rushed over to protect him, but was caught the eye of some lecherous thugs.

They dragged us into the alley, and in front of William, they tore off my clothes, pressed me under them and tried to rape me.

Luckily, John showed up just in time to save us.

I lay on the dirty ground in an all messed up and hopeless.

William staggered to his knees in front of me, wrapped me in his coat while I was shaking like a leaf.

"Jane, don't be afraid, I will take care of you from now on!"

From then on, William never brought up Jessica again.

He brought me breakfast, flowers, and chased after me non-stop.

But I don't want him to do this just because he feels he owes me.

I told him, "Don't push it, I'm really okay."

But he pulled me close and said with so much feeling, "Feel this, my heart's racing, all because... I like you."

I was touched and agreed to go out with him.

He promised me a happy future.

He quit drinking and started hustling hard.

Before he even graduated, big companies started courting him.

Three years after graduation, he burst onto the business scene like a dark horse and made a name for himself.

The day he proposed to me, he knelt on one knee in front of me and gave me a rock the size of a goose egg.

He said, "Jane, thank you for choosing me. I will never let you down!"

I woke up with a start from a nightmare, feeling a dull ache in my belly.

Maybe my poor kid had a saw it coming and decided to leave me early.

William already had breakfast ready.

He tried to kiss me, but I dodged.

With a smile, he said, "Still grumpy after waking up? Eat up before it gets cold. I'm heading to work."

After he left, I quietly checked my phone.

Last night, after I found out that he was cheating on me, I left a tracker watch in his car.

Sure enough, he didn't go to the office but picked up Jessica first.

Then they drove towards Seaville.

Two hours later, they stopped in the parking lot of a five-star hotel near Disneyland.

While they were flirting in the car yesterday, Jessica mentioned wanting to watch the Disney fireworks.

William really jumps at her every wish, for Christ's sake.

At dinner, I got a text from William.

Babe, I've been sent on another business trip. Won't be back tonight.

Predictable.

I replied, "OK."

That night, I watched a live stream of Disney’s fireworks on TikTok.

I quickly spotted William and Jessica in the crowd.

I called him on the phone.

At the same time, the guy in the video pulled out his phone and hushed the girl in his arms.

William’s voice came through, "Babe, you’re still up?"

"I can’t sleep..." My voice trembled a bit.

William gently comforted me, "Don’t overthink it. I’ll be back tomorrow—"

At that moment, fireworks lit up above the Disney Castle in the video, accompanied by loud bursts.

"Where are you? What’s with the noise?"

William answered smoothly, "Still at the site. Work’s going on here."

I muttered "hmm" and hung up.

In the video, William sighed in relief, then pulled Jessica back into his arms, kissing passionately under the fireworks.

William didn't get back to the office until noon the next day.

I took a cab there.

Since I rarely appear publicly, his employees didn’t recognize me.

The receptionist asked me to wait in the office area.

I spotted Jessica right away, handing out small Disney souvenirs to her colleagues.

I heard them call her "Mrs. Brown."

So, their relationship was an open secret; I was the only one in the dark.

Jessica noticed me and, after a brief surprise, walked over calmly.

"Jane, long time no see."

I asked evenly, "When did you come back?"

"Half a year ago," Jessica's eyes sparkled with provocation, "William hired me as his assistant."

So they hooked up half a year ago...

Around the same time, I quit my job to conceive a child, took bitter medicine to regulate my body, and took care of William diligently.

No wonder when I wanted to bring him soup before, he always declined with various excuses.

I thought he was being considerate, not wanting me to overwork.

Little did I know he had a pretty girl at his office and was afraid I'd find out.

Probably after receiving a call from the front desk, William rushed over, knocking over several folders in his haste.

"Jane, why are you here instead of resting at home?"

I said calmly, "I need to talk to you. Jessica, you come too."

William glanced at Jessica, guilt written all over his face.

He pulled me aside and whispered, "Stop making a scene. I’ll explain at home."

I raised my voice, "It’s just a meal, what are you scared of?"

Everyone in the office stared, leaving William no choice but to agree.

At the restaurant, William ordered a few dishes and reminded the waiter to skip the onions.

He remembered Jessica didn’t eat onions but forgot I couldn’t have anything fishy or spicy during my confinement.

Jessica said she wanted to try the trendy ice cream across the street, and he dashed off to get it without a word.

I knew Jessica sent him away on purpose.

Sure enough, after he left, Jessica propped her chin and spoke cruelly with the sweetest smile, "I heard you were almost gang-raped not long after I went abroad."

I took a sip of coffee and asked, "William told you?"

"Who else?" Jessica raised her eyebrows and chuckled, "He also said that just looking at you makes him feel dirty and disgusting, and he doesn't want to touch you at all."

Hearing this, my knuckles turned white gripping the cup.

"So, you're okay being his mistress?"

Jessica's face changed and she snapped, "Mistress gets all his love."

Instead of getting mad, I asked, "If he loves you so much, why doesn't he marry you?"

Jessica glared at me like I'd hit a nerve.

Don't be so smug! She sneered, "You're just a hen that can't lay eggs. Sooner or later, I'll replace you and become Mrs. Brown!"

She quickly regained her composure, a fake smile on her pretty face.

William is so good to me. He bought me a luxury apartment, took me to Disneyland. Last week, we even vacationed in Bali. By the way, I heard you lost your fetus last week? She clapped her hands in mock delight. "Congratulations—"

Before she could finish, I poured the remaining coffee in my cup on her face.

Jessica was about to curse when she saw William walking towards us.

She immediately squeezed out a few tears and cried to William, acting innocent.

"Jane called me a vixen and said I seduced you..."

William was furious. He shielded Jessica and looked at me like I was a monster.

"Jane, Jessica and I are innocent, you should apologize to her right now!"

Innocent?

How could he even say that with a straight face?

Seeing that I had no intention of backing down, he threw the ice cream he was holding into the trash.

With a gloomy face, he said, "I bought your favorite flavor, but it's a waste of my effort. I might as well throw it away and feed it to the ants!"

I glanced coldly at the pair, took out some photos of them kissing at the Disney fireworks show, and threw them at William's straight face.

"William, you're right!" I sneered, "My seven years of love really have been thrown away!"

He looked at the photos scattered on the ground, his face turning pale as if doused in cold water.

Jessica kept provoking, "Jane, I didn't expect you to be so devious, actually hiring someone to investigate William? Are you trying to use this as leverage to take all of William's property?"

Ignoring her, I spoke to William calmly and firmly, "Let's get a divorce."

I initially wanted a quiet farewell dinner and a calm discussion about splitting our assets.

Clearly, that's not needed now.

William didn't say a word as I left.

He didn't even move, like he'd turned to stone.

The cramps in my lower abdomen became unbearable, so I went to the hospital.

The doctor said I was still very weak from the miscarriage and needed rest.

John came while I was getting an IV drip in bed.

The attending physician was his friend, no wonder he arrived so quickly.

The first thing he said was, "You look terrible."

The second, "Why isn't William with you?"

I forced a smile, "Don't you know who he's with?"

John frowned, opened his mouth, but said nothing.

John and I were close in college.

After dating William, we kept our distance to avoid misunderstandings, only saying hello occasionally.

I said, "John, you're attorney at law, please help me draft a divorce agreement."

He was surprised, "You want to divorce William?"

"That surprised, huh?"

I was too tired to beat around the bush, so I handed John a recorder from my bag.

I'd recorded everything Jessica said at the restaurant.

"In the past six months, William has spent a lot on that minx, even buying her an apartment. On top of divorcing, I'll sue to get my share back without loss."

John held the recorder and, after a long pause, said with difficulty, "I'm sorry, Jane."

I knew he wasn't rejecting my request, but felt guilty for keeping me in the dark about William's affair.

I don't blame John. It's hard to interfere in someone else's marriage.

I joked, "So, you have to use your expertise this time to get the best benefit for me."