I posted a lovey-dovey photo with my husband on Instagram. Suddenly, a comment popped up in the comment section: “Your husband is cheating on you!” The attached photo showed Milo embracing his secretary. I didn’t take it seriously. There were many attractive employees in Milo’s company, and that secretary was quite plain-looking. Milo had even mentioned how annoying she was. I believed him. But later, Milo ended up getting detained for 15 days after beating up her abusive husband. When Milo’s 15-day detention was over, I went to pick him up. His secretary Tiffany was also waiting outside the police station. She shrank back when she saw me, instinctively trying to hide. I ignored her, looking down. Milo came out of the station and rushed straight towards me without even glancing at her, pulling me into a tight embrace. “Lena, I missed you so much!” As I rested my chin on his shoulder, my gaze met Tiffany’s over Milo’s shoulder. She stared at us with reddened eyes, choking out: “Milo…” Milo’s body noticeably stiffened for a moment, but he quickly acted as if nothing had happened and pulled me towards the street. He seemed to pretend he hadn’t heard anything, focused only on me: “Let’s go home first. Do you want to eat at home or go out today?” “Milo, Milo.” Tiffany followed us, repeatedly calling Milo’s name through her tears. Just like her name had come between Milo and me for the past three years. Milo still ignored her, only gripping my hand tighter, so tight it almost hurt. Tiffany kept calling his name. Milo finally snapped, turning to yell at her: “Why are you so annoying? Why are you following me like a stalker? My wife is right here, have you no shame?” Tiffany stood there, staring at Milo with red eyes as tears streamed down her face. “I just wanted to thank you and give you this protection amulet.” She held out her palm, revealing a small amulet. “I don’t want your stupid amulet. Let me make this clear one last time – I didn’t beat that guy up for you. I just can’t stand abusive men. I would have done the same for any woman being hit. Now get lost!” Milo seemed to lose control of his emotions. After yelling, he dragged me straight into a taxi. I stared at my wrist, reddened from his tight grip, and looked down. Tiffany didn’t give up, running after our car. The driver noticed and asked us: “That woman seems to be looking for you. Should I stop?” Milo snapped irritably: “No need. Let her run if she wants!” Then he took my hand again and continued: “After dinner, let’s go for a walk by the river. We haven’t been to that island in a while. Didn’t you used to say you loved watching the night view there together?” He seemed to be earnestly discussing our plans. But he didn’t realize his eyes had glanced at the rearview mirror countless times, and his fingers were fidgeting unconsciously. This was his habit when he felt anxious and uneasy. No one knew him better than I did. I looked in the rearview mirror too. Tiffany was still persistently running after the car. She must have been running too fast, because she suddenly tripped and fell. “Stop the car!” Milo shouted. The car door flew open before we had fully stopped. Milo rushed out towards Tiffany, not even bothering to close the door. In the rearview mirror, I saw Milo help Tiffany up and wipe away her tears. Tiffany grabbed Milo’s hand and put the amulet she had brought around his wrist. Milo made no move to pull his hand away. Instead, he gazed at Tiffany with eyes full of concern. I looked away and closed the open car door. “Let’s go, driver.” My heart felt desolate. Two weeks ago, when I received that phone call, I had a feeling something was about to happen between Milo and me. I was at work when I suddenly got a call from Milo’s colleague. “Something’s happened to Milo, come quickly!” My heart sank. I immediately took time off and rushed to Milo’s company. When I arrived at the lobby, I saw Milo pinning a man to the ground, beating him. The rage and frenzy on his face was something I had never seen before. It was completely at odds with his usual gentle demeanor. The man on the ground was already bloodied and immobile from Milo’s punches. But Milo showed no signs of stopping. If this continued, something terrible would happen. I called Milo’s name from the side. But he acted as if he couldn’t hear me. As he raised his fist again, I rushed forward and grabbed his arm. “Milo, stop!” “Get lost!” He shoved me away without even looking. Caught off guard, I fell hard, bruising my palms and knees. The pain brought tears to my eyes. Just as I was about to get up, I saw Tiffany rush out from the crowd, crying. “Milo, stop!” With just one shout from her, Milo stopped. I stared at him in shock, the pain in my body suddenly magnified, stimulating my tear ducts. Tears streamed down my face. Tiffany went over and pulled Milo up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with red-rimmed eyes. “Does it hurt?” Milo shook off her hand, seeming annoyed, but immediately responded to her. “It doesn’t hurt at all. Stop crying, you’re already ugly enough without crying making it worse.” He then “angrily” tapped the tip of Tiffany’s nose. At that moment, they looked more like a couple. While I was like a clown who had fallen to the ground. A chill of unease spread through my heart. Someone quietly reminded Milo: “Mr. Smith, your wife is here.” Milo turned and saw me, panic evident on his face. “Lena, when did you get here? How did you fall? Are you hurt?” I suddenly felt like laughing, but as I laughed, the tears flowed even harder. In the past, no matter how out of control Milo got, he would always calm down at the sound of my voice. He once whispered in my ear: “Lena, when I’m angry, I can’t hear anyone else’s voice. Only yours can calm me down.” He said: “You’re my anchor.” But now? Now, how had that person become Tiffany? A woman he had complained about to me for three years. He always said: “I’ve never seen someone so stupid, she can’t even do simple tasks.” “Not only is she ugly, she doesn’t even know how to dress herself. It’s really affecting the company’s image.” “I’ll fire her soon and hire a new assistant.” But his actions didn’t lie. Since Milo’s heart had already shifted, I didn’t want it anymore. Tiffany had been Milo’s assistant for three years. When she was first hired, Milo and I had just gotten engaged. Tiffany had a boyfriend at the time. In the first year, I often heard Milo scolding her. “She can’t even make a simple spreadsheet properly. I don’t know how she got her degree.” “I’ve reminded her many times to dress up a bit when meeting clients, to maintain the company’s image. She’s already plain-looking, and she doesn’t even bother with makeup. It’s embarrassing!” “I can’t stand this assistant anymore. I’ll have HR fire her tomorrow and find me a new one.” But Tiffany always stayed. In the second year, Milo and I officially got married. Tiffany wasn’t on the guest list for our wedding. After the wedding, while Milo was in the shower, I happened to see a text message pop up on his phone on the table: “Mr. Smith, I broke up with him today.” I frowned, not understanding why an assistant would need to report her personal relationship status to her boss. And on the day of our wedding, no less. When Milo came out of the shower, I asked him with his phone in hand: “Why is Tiffany telling you about breaking up with her boyfriend?” Milo seemed just as confused. “How would I know? This girl must have issues!” He took the phone, glanced at it, then tossed it aside in disgust. “Not only is she plain-looking, but she also picked a lousy boyfriend. He was always emotionally manipulating her, even physically abusive. She could barely focus at work.” Seeing his disgusted tone, I didn’t think much of Tiffany at the time. But things seemed to quietly change. In Tiffany’s third year at the company. One night, I posted a photo on Instagram of Milo and me holding hands while walking along the Thames. A comment immediately popped up in the comments section: “Your husband is cheating!” The attached photo showed Milo hugging Tiffany. I had seen group photos of Milo’s company employees before. Among the many pretty, stylish girls, Tiffany was the plainest one – bare-faced with a sallow complexion. Having been in love with Milo for so many years, it’s not like he hadn’t been pursued before. A university graduate, tall and handsome, with a decent job. There was no shortage of attractive women with good personalities chasing him. He never paid them any attention. After firmly rejecting them, he would hug me and post a photo on Instagram saying “My wife is the best!” to show his sincerity. Of course, I’m no slouch myself – graduated from a top university, with a job and looks to match his. So I thought there was no way he would be interested in Tiffany. Plus, Milo had explained it to me beforehand. It was during a company team building event, playing Truth or Dare. They probably lost and had to do it as a punishment. But this incident planted a small thorn in my heart. So later I went to Milo’s company. Tiffany really was just like in the photo – no makeup, dressed simply, with a sallow complexion. Sitting among a group of pretty girls, she really didn’t stand out at all. When Tiffany saw me, she shrank back, her eyes showing a timid, submissive look. When she came over to pour me tea, her hands shook so much that she spilled tea on my skirt. She turned red with fright, apologizing in a trembling voice. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!” Her shaking hands tried to wipe the tea off my skirt. When Milo saw this, he yelled at her. “You can’t even do this simple task right. Get out!” Milo came over and carefully asked if I had been burned. Tiffany disappeared from my sight, crying. All along, Tiffany had been the one getting scolded. She was timid, ordinary, with no charm at all – the blurriest face in the crowd. I thought Milo really did dislike Tiffany. But why, in the third year, would he lose his temper and fight for Tiffany’s sake? I went to find out what had happened. The man who was beaten was Tiffany’s boyfriend Kevin, now her ex-boyfriend. Apparently Tiffany wanted to break up with Kevin and had moved out of their shared apartment into the company dorms. Kevin didn’t agree to the breakup and came to the company. They must have disagreed while talking, and during the argument, Kevin slapped Tiffany. Milo happened to see it. Milo immediately rushed over and started beating Kevin without a word. Kevin, unhappy about this, went to the police and had Milo detained for 15 days. Before going in, Milo hugged me tightly and said he would give me a proper explanation when he got out. But where was the explanation? Was it him anxiously abandoning me to help Tiffany up when she fell? Or was it him obediently wearing the amulet she gave him? I sat alone in the car, my heart like dead ashes. When I got home, the table was still set with the welcome home meal I had prepared for him. I sat at the table, waiting until dark, watching the delicious food go from fresh to spoiled. But Milo never came. I lay down to rest. Milo came back very late. He came over and hugged me, softly calling my name: “Lena, Lena…” I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. He went to the bathroom. I happened to see the amulet clearly visible on his wrist. Milo came out of the bathroom just as his phone rang. Probably thinking I was asleep, he answered in a low voice. “What is it?” The bedroom was dark and silent. I heard the voice of Milo’s colleague and friend David. “Tiffany quit her job to avoid affecting you over that incident.” “I heard she’s been harassed by that ex-boyfriend she broke up with for you after dating him for 10 years.” “She likes you. I don’t believe you can’t see it.” “She’s done so much for you. Don’t let her down.” Milo was silent for a long time, so long I thought he had already hung up. Then I heard him say: “I know.” The other side of the bed sank. Milo had lain down too. Usually he would come over and hug me while we slept, but this time he lay with his back to me. The space between us felt like an unbridgeable chasm. It couldn’t be filled anymore. His phone screen lit up all night. The next morning, after Milo left for work, I didn’t go to the office. My stomach wasn’t feeling well, so I took a day off to go to the hospital. I happened to run into Milo’s friend David. He saw me too. “Let’s sit down and talk,” I said. David spoke frankly. “No need. I know what you want to ask about. It’s about Tiffany, right?” “Tiffany isn’t as pretty as you, not as accomplished, doesn’t come from as good a family.” “But she cooks for Milo, takes his place drinking at business dinners, and is always there to comfort him when he needs it most. That’s what men really want. You can’t give him that.” “Milo’s family background isn’t great. Marrying you was like selling himself to your family as a live-in son-in-law. He’s worried about being looked down on by your parents, treating you like a princess. Do you know how much pressure that puts on him? What man wants to live in such a suffocating environment?” “So don’t ask why. You should reflect on yourself first.” I was shocked listening to these words. It’s true my family background is better than Milo’s, but my parents liked him because he was steady and ambitious. They didn’t ask for anything material when we got married. Even our home was prepared by my parents. Later they gave Milo a lot of support and help with his work too. You could say his success today is largely due to my parents’ behind-the-scenes support. But now, he complains all of this is pressure? I remembered our wedding day, when he earnestly recited his vows, promising to never let me suffer for the rest of my life, to love only me forever and ever. If he ever betrayed me, may heaven strike him down! Now that’s become pressure too? The bitterness in my heart spread. I laughed through my tears. When I got home, Milo was on the phone. When he saw me, there was obvious panic on his face. He immediately turned and went to the balcony to continue the call. A few minutes later he came back in, looking very annoyed. “This new assistant is such a headache, calling me over every little thing.” I looked down. Actually, I had heard. He was talking about resumes and job hunting. The only one who needed to find a job now was Tiffany. I just didn’t expect Tiffany’s resume to be sent to my company. My colleague in HR kept praising her resume after seeing it. “This person’s resume is so beautifully done, it’s practically perfect!” The moment I saw the resume, I knew it was Milo’s handiwork. The color scheme and layout all showed his personal style. Back in university, it was well known that Milo made excellent resumes. When we started working, he carefully designed and formatted all my resumes for me. I once told him adoringly: “You should do resume writing as a side job this graduation season. You’d make a fortune for sure.” He laughed and pinched my cheek. “My time is precious. I only have time for your resume, no one else’s.” Now, all those “only you”s felt like a joke. I looked down, an idea forming in my mind. When I returned the resume to the HR colleague in charge of hiring, I casually mentioned: “This applicant looks pretty good.” My hint was taken. And that’s how Tiffany joined our company. She still came bare-faced, with a sallow complexion, wearing a plain white t-shirt and faded jeans. She also wore the same amulet as Milo on her wrist. When she saw me, she wasn’t surprised at all. On the contrary, she greeted me very naturally. “Hello!” I glanced at her without responding. In the break room, besides me and Tiffany, there was also Lisa who loved playing matchmaker. “Tiffany, you don’t have a boyfriend, right? Let me introduce you to someone. He comes from a good family.” Tiffany hesitated, about to refuse. But when she saw me come in, her expression suddenly changed, and so did her attitude. She smiled and agreed. “Sure, Lisa. I’d be happy to meet him.” Scalding hot water overflowed from my cup, but I didn’t notice. “Careful, it’s hot!” Though her words sounded concerned, there was a hint of challenge in her face. At dinner that night, Milo ate while absentmindedly looking at his phone. Suddenly, he slammed his phone down on the table. “Are all women so desperate to get married? All they think about is going on blind dates!” I was startled by his unusual outburst. Blind date? I thought of Tiffany and Lisa’s conversation in the break room earlier. I didn’t ask who he was talking about. Pretending not to know, I just said: “It’s normal for single men and women to go on blind dates at a suitable age, isn’t it? Why are you so angry?” Milo was taken aback, unable to respond for a moment. He just kept putting food in my bowl. “Eat more, you’ve gotten thinner lately.” At 10:30 that night, Milo got a phone call. We were sitting in the living room watching TV. When the phone lit up, I glanced at it casually. It was Tiffany! Milo nervously scratched the back of his head, cursing as he hung up. “What’s she calling for so late at night? Is she crazy?” He put his phone on silent and back in his pocket. He continued sitting next to me watching TV as if nothing had happened. But he became restless and uneasy. Sighing constantly, scratching his head repeatedly. I pretended not to notice. After about 15 minutes, he finally stood up. “I just remembered I have an email I need to deal with. You keep watching, I’ll go take care of it.” I gripped the remote control tightly. “Mm.” Our study was soundproofed, considering that whoever was working inside shouldn’t disturb the other person. So Milo never closed the door when he was in there, saying: “I’m afraid I won’t hear you if you call me.” But now, the study door was tightly shut. A few minutes later, the door suddenly burst open. Milo rushed out, hurriedly putting on his coat. “I’ve told you before, there’s nothing between me and Tiffany. Why are you doing this?!” His face showed annoyance and anger. I didn’t understand. “What did I do?” “You know very well!” With that, he stormed out the door. Since he mentioned me, I could only follow to see what was going on. I didn’t know. I hadn’t done anything, yet I was getting this anger for no reason. I followed Milo to a bar. From a distance, I saw Tiffany crouched alone by the roadside. She seemed different from usual today, wearing makeup and a white dress. In the cold wind, she looked pitiful and fragile. When she saw Milo get out of the car, she immediately stood up and ran towards him, crying. On the last step, she stumbled and fell right into Milo’s arms. Milo naturally reached out to steady her. They looked just like a loving couple on the street. Tiffany nestled in Milo’s arms, sobbing. “I shouldn’t have bothered you and Mrs. Lin so late, but he touched me and I was so scared.” Milo immediately took off his coat and draped it over Tiffany’s shoulders. “I told you, no matter what happens, you can call me anytime. Remember, anytime at all.” What sincere words! He had said the same to me before. I felt as if I had been nailed to the spot, my whole body numb. The cold wind blew at me from all directions, the chill in my heart spreading to my limbs. “Milo!” I called out to him. They both looked at me at the same time. Tiffany instinctively pushed Milo away. “Don’t misunderstand, there’s nothing between Mr. Smith and me.” “I was just so scared, I didn’t know who else to call for help. I had no choice but to call him.” “Don’t blame Mr. Smith. If you want to blame someone, blame me.” As she spoke, she cried even harder. The coat slipped off her shoulders as she sobbed, revealing her arms bruised purple. When Milo saw me arrive, there was still a hint of guilt and panic in his eyes. But when he saw the bruises on Tiffany’s arms, his gaze instantly turned cold. He reached out to help Tiffany put the coat back on, shielding her behind him. “You don’t need to apologize to her. If it weren’t for her setting you up with this scumbag, you wouldn’t have suffered this abuse.” “If anyone should apologize, it’s her apologizing to you.” I stared at Milo in utter disbelief. Suddenly understanding why he had gotten angry earlier that night. Was he upset about Tiffany going on a blind date? Or did he mistakenly think I had set Tiffany up with an abusive date? Or was he angry that Tiffany had been mistreated? Or all three? But he was wrong. None of those things had anything to do with me. The wind stung my eyes. I took a deep breath, controlling my emotions. “It wasn’t me.” “It’s not Mrs. Lin’s fault. I wanted to meet him myself.” Tiffany rushed to answer, her eyes brimming with tears. She went over and tugged on Milo’s hand, looking at him pitifully. “I heard the company was gossiping about you beating up Kevin for me, so I thought if I got married quickly, people would stop talking about you.” Milo’s face darkened. “Don’t worry about the company gossip. And you don’t need to cover for her.” “She set you up on a date without checking the guy’s character first, causing you to be abused tonight. That’s her fault.” Milo looked at me. “Lena, apologize to Tiffany.”
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