6
Just as I arrived downstairs, Emma, a girl from Jack’s company, called me.
She’s outgoing with a straightforward personality that people find likable.
She asked if I was busy. When she learned I wasn’t, she immediately started complaining, asking if Jack and I were really getting divorced.
I didn’t hide it.
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She asked if it was because of Rachel.
I didn’t know why she said that, feeling Jack might have made it public.
Seeing I didn’t respond, Emma wailed miserably.
“Miss Chen, I knew it was because of that woman! No wonder you haven’t brought us afternoon tea lately! I miss you so much!”
When Jack and I were together, I would bring afternoon tea almost every week to thank his colleagues.
The staff often joked that they wanted to keep working there just to eat Mrs. Wilson’s
afternoon tea.
“It’s okay, I’m planning to open a coffee shop. When it’s ready, come by and I’ll treat you.”
Emma exclaimed “Wow!” and eagerly asked for the address.
I said I’d send it to her later.
She said okay, then continued.complaining.
“You don’t know what Rachel’s like. After you stopped coming, she went from receptionist straight to office manager. Her attitude towards everyone changed too. She
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She said okay, then continued complaining.
“You don’t know what Rachel’s like. After you stopped coming, she went from receptionist straight to office manager. Her attitude towards everyone changed too. She used to smile at everyone, but now she’s always finding fault. The smugness on her face is impossible to hide. She even bought dresses and high heels similar to yours. Anyone with eyes can see what she’s doing. What kind of taste does Mr. Wilson have?”
Finally, she said if it weren’t for her mortgage she’d really want to quit to avoid having to look at people’s faces.
I had reached my front door. Seeing Emma was still talking, I comforted her for a while before she reluctantly hung up.
By now, I seemed to no longer want to know anything about Rachel.
Unlike when Jack first
tolding
what charm she possessed.
affair when I went crazy wanting to figure out
I pushed open the door, not expecting to see Jack’s shoes. He was playing a video game
with our son.
Seeing me, our son excitedly called out: “Mom, come quickly! Let’s play together and
beat Dad!”
In the past, Jack would pick up our son at times like this, tickling him until he laughed
non–stop, then come to grab me.
The whole house would be filled with laughter.
Now Jack coughed and rubbed our son’s head: “Mom’s been out all day and is Next time, okay?”
“Okay. Dad, when will you stop going on business trips?”
very
tired.
Back thought for a moment and said softly, “Soon,” then urged our son to go to bed.
After a busy day at the coffee shop, I didn’t have the energy to make small talk with him. I reminded him to close the door properly on his way out.
After a busy day at the coffee shop, I didn’t have the energy to make small talk with him. I reminded him to close the door properly on his way out.
He said he promised our son he’d sleep with him tonight.
I didn’t say anything more.
I had just closed the bedroom door when I heard Jack’s phone ring in the living room. He answered and repeated something a few times,
Finally, his voice lowered, sounding slightly impatient.
“I told you, I’m just home to be with Jason. What are you afraid of? I’ve already signed the divorce agreement with her! How many times do I have to say it? We’re not sleeping in the
same room!”
Finally, I heard Jack hang up the phone.
He came over and knocked on my door.
“Olivia, something urgent came up at the company. I need to go back. I’ll make time to come see Jason again tomorrow.“”
I didn’t open the door, just said okay.
My voice wasn’t loud or soft, just enough for Jack to hear outside the door.
He hadn’t even left the building when I received a bank notification that $50,000 had
been transferred to our son’s account.
The note said to take our son out for something nice tomorrow.
I didn’t reply. I opened my laptop to look at plans for the coffee shop.
But a message from an unknown contact popped up on SnapChat.
No words, just a smiley face emoji.
Their profile picture was a bouquet of flowers. When I clicked on it, it was a simple
No words, just a smiley face emoji.
Their profile picture was a bouquet of flowers. When I clicked on it, it was a simple background with no posts.
I didn’t even remember when I had added this person.
Looking at the chat history, it was from two years ago.
I was still trying to recall when they sent another message.
[You must be feeling pretty smug, huh?]
Almost instantly, I felt this person was Rachel
But hadn’t Rachel only been at Jack’s company for six months?
Why did she have my SnapChat from two years ago?
Could it be that this account had been secretly watching my life for the past two years?
I took a sharp breath.
I replied with a question mark.
The other person typed quickly.
[No matter what methods you use to keep him, I can make him come to me immediately.]
It really was her, Rachel.
Did this mean Jack had known Rachel for two years? Maybe even longer?
Rachel sent over a photo. I opened it to see Jack sleeping shirtless in a hotel room, a
woman’s hand on his chest.
The red date in the bottom right corner of the photo read “2023.2.16“.
I stared at the photo, a wave of nausea sweeping over me.
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I violently threw up into the trash can on the floor.
February 16, 2023.
That was the day of my dad’s first surgery after his health declined.
Jack had been very busy that whole
ebruary
He was constantly away on business trips, but to be with me, he even pushed back
several meetings.
The whole time he was gently comforting me over video calls.
Telling me not to worry.
I couldn’t sleep because I was so anxious, so Jack video called me all night.
With great effort, he finally managed to rush over early on the morning of February 16th.
To stay with me outside the operating room.
As it turns out, on that day, while he was supposedly so busy, he still found time to sleep
with Rachel.
How was he able to face me with a clear conscience when he came back?
Seeing I didn’t respond, Rachel grew even more smug.
She sent several more photos in succession, all with dates marked.
There was our wedding anniversary.
Our son’s birthday.
Every time, he would be with Rachel first, then rush back to reunite with us.
An overwhelming nausea spread from my chest, consuming my pain.
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I had thought Jack had grown tired of us these past six months.
That he was bored of our peaceful, warm family life.
Or that he had found true love in middle age.
But it turns out, he had been rotten for a long time.
I went to the bathroom to wash my face.
Back at the computer, I saved each piece of evidence one by one.
I knew Rachel dared to send these because the $2 million from the divorce agreement hadn’t been fully transferred yet.
Over the past two weeks, Jack had sent $8 million in installments. There was still $12 million left. He said it might take some time.
The house and car were already in my name, with no loans. The agreement clearly stated he agreed, so there was no dispute.
If I made a fuss now, affecting Jack’s company, his angry retaliation would only lead to me losing more.
Our son would also completely lose his father.
When Jack told me about the affair and asked for divorce, he had probably anticipated I would cry and make a scene.
But given my personality, I care too much about keeping up appearances to go crazy at his company.
Rachel just hadn’t expected me to agree so readily.
The fact that I didn’t make a fuss, didn’t even confront Jack, was beyond her expectations.
She knew that whoever lost their cool first would lose at this point.
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expectations.
She knew that whoever lost their cool first would lose at this point.
But one thing was strange.
Rachel had been able to hide by Jack’s side for so long, even pretending to be an innocent good person for six months at the company.
Why was she suddenly so impatient?
In just half a month, Jack and I would be completely separated.
Yet she was making a fuss over Jack coming home to spend time with our son.
I looked at the time. It wasn’t too late.
I called Emma.
She was having dinner with some colleagues from her department, gossiping about Jack
and Rachel.
Everyone exchanged information.
I learned some new details.
At a business dinner two weeks ago, Jack got very drunk. In the end, a beautiful female
CEO they were working with personally drove him home.
Afterwards, she privately arranged to meet Jack several times.
Plus, I hadn’t brought afternoon tea to the company for a week. Everyone guessed Jack and had a fight.
He would soon be single again.
Once this spread, some young women with ulterior motives started throwing themselves
at Jack.
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After that, Rachel couldn’t sit still anymore.
“Miss Chen, you’re so great, I really don’t want to hide this from you. Please don’t be sad. Although Mr. Wilson is handsome, he’s such a jerk. You’ll definitely meet a better man! No, scratch that. Who needs men? Miss Chen, you’ll definitely reach the peak of your career. Your coffee shop will be super popular. Then you can think about men, haha.”
Emma’s words cheered up my somewhat low mood.
“Thank you,
I’ll do my best.”
After hanging up, I saw it was past midnight. The reminder on the calendar was especially obvious.
Divorce countdown: 14 days.
Combining Emma’s words, I understood why Rachel was so anxious to have Jack promote her to office manager and why her attitude had changed.
Jack and I were about to divorce. She originally thought she could successfully take my
place.
But now that others got wind of the news, they were swarming in.
All with good conditions.
All able to provide a fresh excitement.
She was afraid her prize would slip away.
She felt threatened.
She needed to use her “blatant power” to intimidate those with designs on Jack.
This past two weeks probably wasn’t the first time she had made a fuss. Tonight she
forced Jack to leave.
She likely knew she had gone too far.
So earlier she was trying to provoke me with those photos.
Goading me into confronting Jack, so he could see me lose control, and shift the focus
onto me.
Before she sent those filthy things, I really didn’t want to bother anymore.
Since she insisted on making me sick.
I’ll oblige her.
I neither blocked nor deleted her.
I neither blocked nor deleted her.
The first thing I did was arrange to have dinner with Jack.
He was momentarily taken aback, but agreed
We set the restaurant as the place where Jack first took me for my birthday, near the university.
Back then it was a small diner. Now it had doubled in size, with business steadily improving.
When Jack’s luxury car stopped in front, it stood out jarringly against the old alleyways.
This was the best meal the Jack of over a decade ago could afford to treat me to.
He had saved up money from part–time jobs for a long time to buy me a necklace and bring me here for dinner.
Looking at the well–dressed Jack sitting across from me, I saw the earnest young man from my memories overlap, then fade away completely.
I didn’t book a private room, deliberately choosing a table by the street. The sunlight was nice here.
Neither of us spoke. After Jack ordered, he habitually rinsed my bowl and chopsticks with hot water.
While eating, Jack kept saying the taste wasn’t quite right.
He even called over the owner, learning his father was still in the kitchen.
He was slightly surprised but didn’t say more.
I took a bite of the spicy stir–fried pork and found the taste unchanged. I smiled and said he had changed.
Jack asked, “Is that so?”
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“Of course. Over the years, Mr. Wilson has seen and eaten so much. You no longer find the flavors of this little shop good. But to me, the taste is still the same as back then.”
Jack put down his chopsticks and looked at me. After a moment of silence: “Olivia, I’m sorry…”
I smiled bitterly: “People have already moved on. I should learn from you on that.”
Jack spoke slowly, tentatively: “Don’t you want to ask anything?”
“If I asked, would you tell me the truth?”
Tell me that on the day of my father’s surgery you were still fooling around with Rachel?
Jack, you can’t bring yourself to say it.
He fell silent, letting out a long sigh before changing the subject to ask if I had some matter to discuss.
I stated directly that I needed some money recently and wanted to know if he could transfer the remaining $12 million soon.
“Olivia, even if you arranged this meeting just for money, I’m still happy. After all these years, I never realized I had moved on while you remained in place. I’ll transfer the money to you as soon as possible. If you need any help in the future, just let me know.”
After Jack left, I went to the counter to pay.
I sent a tip to the owner, thanking him for the small favor earlier.
He had told Jack his father was still in the kitchen, which wasn’t wrong, but the kitchen now had more than one chef.
This spicy pork wasn’t actually made by his father. The taste was similar but not exactly the same.
It was normal for Jack to taste the difference!
I wanted him to feel superior, to think he had changed and moved beyond this place,
the same.
It was normal for Jack to taste the difference
I wanted him to feel superior, to think he had changed and moved beyond this place, while I was still remembering and longing for our past.
Acting vulnerable makes negotiating terms easier.
After leaving, I went to a private investigation firm.
I had contacted them last night, and they already had results this afternoon.
Fast enough.
He handed me a folder.
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It was Rachel’s information.
Age 41, married with a 12–year–old child.
Her husband works at a factory in a neighboring city.
Besides that, the person she’s had the most contact with these past two years is her brother.
Her brother also knows about Jack’s existence.
To be honest, when I saw this information, I was quite surprised.
I knew Rachel’s age, but at the company she always said she was divorced.
And she even has a child.
The key point is she’s still married!
I asked the investigator if the information was real.
He proudly gave me an “OK” hand gesture.
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“You can trust my work, ma’am. Just say the word and I can send this out immediately…”
“No need.”
I wanted this information not to notify Jack.
On the contrary, I hope Rachel can hide her husband well for now.
At least until I finalize the divorce.
I had underestimated Rachel.
I thought she wanted to be the mistress who became the wife.
Turns out it was a long con.
She spent two years on Jack, and just when she was about to succeed, she definitely wouldn’t let anyone else snatch him away.
I circled a date on the calendar.
Divorce countdown: 13 days.
