The night my son’s high fever wouldn’t break, I overheard Jack flirting with his secretary Lily in Spanish on the phone. Jack’s lips curved into a smirk. “Emma’s had a child. She’s not as tight as you are. Don’t worry, she’s busy taking care of Tommy’s fever and won’t pay attention to me.” Lily’s seductive voice came through the speakerphone. “Where would you like me to wait for you, Mr. Zhou?” Jack glanced at me. “The usual hotel. I’ll make sure to satisfy you tonight.” I held our son close, my fingertips trembling with heartache. Jack didn’t know that I had minored in Spanish in college. I understood every word he said to his secretary tonight. Jack put on his coat, turning to leave. I touched Tommy’s feverish little face, looking at Jack anxiously. “Jack, could you please take Tommy and me to the hospital first?” Jack frowned. “There’s an urgent matter at the company. I can’t delay.” Urgent matter? Urgent to get in bed with Lily? I tried to hold back. “Tommy’s fever is so high, he could have a seizure at any moment. What urgent matter could be more important than our son’s life?” Before I could finish, he had already slammed the door shut. Looking at my son who had passed out from the fever, I hesitated but finally called Jack’s brother. “Michael, Tommy has a high fever that won’t break. Jack said he has urgent business at the company tonight. Could you take us to the hospital?” A steady male voice came from the other end of the line. “Of course, I’ll be right there.” I hung up, tears welling in my eyes. I was once the daughter of a wealthy family, growing up alongside the two brothers of the city’s wealthiest family. Both of them had deep feelings for me. Jack was lively and outgoing, while Michael was calm and reserved. In my youth, I was captivated by Jack’s sweet words and went on an island vacation alone with him. I often wonder now, if I hadn’t drunk that spiked wine he gave me, would my life be completely different from what it is now? In less than twenty minutes, Michael arrived. The headlights of his Bentley cut through the thick darkness. He drove steadily, and I could smell the familiar scent of his cologne, a fragrance both silent and domineering. When Tommy’s fever finally broke after receiving IV fluids in a private hospital room, I finally felt relieved. I went to the hallway and gratefully looked at Michael. “Thank you so much. I’m so glad you were here tonight.” He said quietly, “It’s my duty to take care of my nephew. I’ve sent a message to my brother. He’ll be here soon to take you both home.” In the dim light, his cold, handsome features softened slightly. Suddenly, my eyes welled up with tears. “Why are you crying?” Michael raised his hand to wipe away the tears on my face, but then, as if realizing something, he quickly withdrew his hand. I shook my head, covering my face. Suddenly, a cold laugh came from behind us. Jack strode towards us. “Emma, Tommy’s fever has broken. Instead of taking our son home to rest, you’re here getting cozy with my brother in the hallway. Hm? What’s this about? Tired of the younger brother and want to play with the older one now?” My face turned pale. Michael frowned deeply. “Jack, what nonsense are you spouting? Tommy’s fever was so high he passed out. Instead of taking your son to the hospital first, you rushed off to the company. What could possibly be more important than your child?” Lily followed behind Jack, her face still flushed with passion. “Mr. Zhou had a big deal with Spanish clients a few days ago. He’s been busy with the contract signing these days. Mr. Zhou works hard to provide a better life for Tommy and his wife, doesn’t he?” No one responded to her. Jack pulled me into his arms, looking at Michael provocatively. “Brother, thank you for tonight. I’m taking my wife and son home now. In the future, unless it’s absolutely necessary, you shouldn’t meet with Emma alone. You should understand the meaning of ‘avoiding suspicion’, right?” I struggled out of his embrace, my eyes red. “Jack, the doctor said if we had brought Tommy in any later, the fever could have damaged his brain. Can you stop throwing dirt on your brother and me?” Lily blinked and giggled. Jack suddenly glared at her. “What are you laughing at? Go home now. Don’t be late for work tomorrow morning, or I’ll dock your attendance bonus.” Lily smiled seductively. “Yes, yes, yes. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Mr. Zhou.” As she brushed past me, I caught a whiff of her strong rose perfume. My face immediately changed.
When I was two months pregnant, I had smelled this same scent on Jack’s shirt. Perhaps it was a woman’s keen sixth sense, but even then, I felt that Jack might have another woman outside. But Jack was extremely attentive to me at that time. He always informed me about his business dinners, never stayed out all night, and frequently gave me expensive gifts. During holidays, he would turn off his phone to spend time with me wholeheartedly. He even hired specialists to give prenatal education classes for the baby in my belly. So apart from that perfume, I couldn’t find any evidence of Jack’s infidelity. Looking back now, Jack had perfected the art of “counter-surveillance”. He had kept everything hidden perfectly. If it weren’t for overhearing him flirting with Lily in Spanish tonight, I might have continued to be deceived, constantly reflecting on what I had done wrong, whether my postpartum recovery wasn’t good enough, unable to give him extreme pleasure at night, causing his mood swings! After returning home, I looked at Tommy’s adorable sleeping face, tears streaming down uncontrollably. Tommy is only three years old this year. I don’t want him to live in a broken home at such a young age, nor do I want his childhood to lack a father’s companionship. I’m really afraid that when he grows up, he might say something like “I don’t need a lot of money, I just want a lot of love.” In wealthy families, pearls and gold may be as common as dirt, but love and companionship are especially precious. So even though I knew Jack had betrayed me and was having an affair with his young and beautiful secretary Lily, I didn’t bring up divorce. But I never expected that my endurance wouldn’t awaken Jack’s conscience. Instead, it invited Lily’s provocation. On Sunday night, Jack actually moved Lily into our villa. This was our marital home. He once stood at the front door of this villa, smiling and swearing to me that he would love only me for the rest of his life. But now, for another woman, he had forgotten all his vows. As he helped Lily bring her suitcase into the guest room, he said to the housekeeper, “Mrs. Johnson, please make some Sichuan dishes tonight. My secretary loves spicy food.” I stood on the second floor, coldly watching them. “Tommy has just recovered from his illness. He can’t eat spicy food.” Jack’s eyes flashed with guilt. “Oh right, my son had a fever recently. Mrs. Johnson, please make some seafood porridge as well.” Perhaps he also knew this was inappropriate. That night, he came to my bedroom to explain, “Emma, listen to me. The reason I let Lily stay at our home is because this Spanish business is urgent. It’s not unprecedented for a personal secretary to temporarily stay at the CEO’s home. Try to understand, this is all for work.” I smiled faintly. “Mm, I understand. Work is important.” Seeing that I wasn’t arguing or making a fuss, Jack kissed my forehead with satisfaction. “Emma is so good. Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll take you and Tommy to the lake resort for a few days.” I watched his back as he left, then took out a tissue to wipe the spot he had kissed. The kiss of an unfaithful person is truly dirty.
Early the next morning, Lily was busy in the kitchen wearing a tight-fitting nightgown that accentuated her slim waist and shapely bottom. A moment later, she brought milk and sandwiches to the dining table. Jack’s eyes kept lingering on Lily. He took a bite of the sandwich. “This is really good. The cheese is melted just right.” I looked at the sandwich, feeling no appetite at all. “Tommy, try Aunt Lily’s cooking. Is it good?” Lily smiled, pointing at the sandwich in front of Tommy. Before I could stop him, Tommy had already grabbed the sandwich and taken a big bite. Suddenly, he started coughing violently, his cheeks turning bright red. “Baby, what’s wrong!” I panicked and picked Tommy up, patting his back to help him breathe. He coughed even harder. I grabbed the sandwich he had eaten and looked at it, only to find it was spread with a large amount of peanut butter! I couldn’t help but scream, “Call 911 quick! Tommy is allergic to peanuts! He can’t eat anything with peanuts in it! He’ll swell up if he eats it!” Standing in front of the emergency room, Jack’s face was grim. Lily’s face turned pale, her eyes reddening. She said softly, “Emma, I… I really didn’t know Tommy was allergic to peanuts.” I sighed. “From now on, let’s leave the cooking to Mrs. Johnson.” Lily’s tears fell. “It’s all my fault. Emma must be angry with me. Jack, I should move back to my apartment.” Jack frowned. “Move? Why? This wasn’t intentional. You didn’t mean to harm Tommy. Just stay.” I stared at him in disbelief. Two weeks after the sandwich incident, Jack suddenly called me into his study. Lily was wiping her tears pitifully. Jack looked at me unhappily. “Emma, can you stop giving Lily a hard time?” I laughed bitterly. “When did I ever give her a hard time?” Jack tapped the desk. “You and Mrs. Smith cleaned the guest room where Lily is staying, right?” I nodded. His eyes were full of anger. “The window in Lily’s room won’t close properly, and the draft is giving her headaches. She likes spicy food, but when I’m not home, you always have Mrs. Johnson cook such bland food. She’s not used to it and has lost weight. Also, can you stop letting Tommy disturb her all the time? We don’t want another incident like last time where he ate the wrong thing and ended up in the ER!” It was Lily who specifically requested a well-ventilated guest room. I had Mrs. Johnson prepare two different flavors for each meal. It was Lily who often wanted to play with Tommy, and I was afraid she might unintentionally harm him, so I kept Tommy away from her. Now she had turned everything around and was blaming me! I silently looked at Jack, not saying a word to defend myself. After all, no matter what “grievances” Lily suffered, Jack was willing to stand up for her. No matter what mistakes she made, Jack was happy to find excuses and cover for her. My expression darkened. Lily suddenly looked at me timidly. “Emma, I’d like to talk to you alone.” The study door was closed. Lily sat on the desk, her eyes seductive. “Emma, let’s be frank. I’m pregnant with Jack’s child.” My expression remained calm. “What do you want?” Lily smiled charmingly. “I want the position of the mistress of the house. I hope my child will be an only child, with no one to compete for the family fortune. I hope Jack won’t hide me under the guise of a secretary anymore. Emma, are you willing to give him to me?” So it was her pulling the strings behind the scenes all along. For this wealth and status, she had repeatedly twisted facts, played mind games, and pretended to be pitiful. She even tried to use peanut butter to threaten my son’s life. Looking at her confident smile, I felt both irony and pity. Men love the feeling of “stealing”. Having an affair with a mistress under the pressure of the original wife is an intense stimulation for men. If the original wife lets go, the man will quickly lose interest. By then, even a passionate rose-like mistress will become a boring mosquito bite. That night, I prepared two copies of divorce papers and slipped one into the documents Jack needed to sign the next day. Early the next morning, I took Tommy on a flight back to my parents’ home in the city. As I left, I smiled at Jack and Lily. By the time he discovers the signed divorce papers, I should have already arrived at the city airport.
“Emma? Why didn’t you tell me you and Tommy were coming back? I could have had Mrs. Wilson prepare a table of your favorite dishes,” my mother said with surprise as she looked at Tommy and me. Mrs. Wilson took Tommy back to the bedroom. I sat down next to my mother, tears suddenly streaming down my face. “Mom, I’ve divorced Jack.” My mother’s expression changed slightly. “He wronged you, didn’t he? Your father and I never approved of Jack. When you insisted on going to that island vacation with him alone, I tried to persuade you for so long, but you wouldn’t listen. You even stole your documents and ran away. Sigh, we originally wanted you to marry his brother Michael, but then Tommy came along…” I sniffled and interrupted her. “If it weren’t for Tommy, I would have cut ties with him long ago.” My mother sighed, lovingly stroking my head. “He and his secretary…” I choked up, unable to continue. “Emma, men who chase novelty never end up well,” my mother said with a cold laugh. At 10 PM, I lay in my childhood bedroom, lost in thought. In our youth, Jack was always quick-witted and knew how to make people laugh, while Michael was like a gentle and silent shadow. I was too young then, always distracted by Jack’s grand promises and sweet words, forgetting to pay attention to the one who always did practical things. I remember one snowy night in the city when I was playing chess with the two brothers at their home until late. Jack looked at the dancing snowflakes outside the window and yawned. “It’s snowing heavily today, it’s so cold outside — Emma, since our two families’ villas are close by, why don’t you just wrap your scarf tightly and go home by yourself?” Before I could say anything, Michael silently stood up, put on his coat, ready to brave the snow to send me home. Under the dim streetlight shrouded by wind and snow, Michael stood there looking at me, his eyes full of endless cherishment and tenderness. My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively avoided Michael’s gaze, rushing towards the gate of my family’s house in a few quick steps. I also recalled what happened during the island vacation with Jack. Without my knowledge, I drank the glass of spiked wine Jack handed me, falling drunk into his arms for a night of passion. Afterwards, he apologized pitifully: “Emma, I love you so much that I resorted to this. I did it to get ahead because I know my brother has feelings for you too. I was so afraid he would steal you away.” When the doctor diagnosed me as one month pregnant, Jack touched my belly with a joyful face. “That night’s efforts weren’t in vain after all. Now that you’re carrying my child, I can rightfully marry you.” I lowered my gaze, hesitating for a long time before deciding not to tell him about my application to study oil painting abroad. The next day, I quietly canceled that application. After all, the aunts and sisters around me at that time were all women who sacrificed themselves for love and family. I thought my sacrifice was also necessary. Later, when I married Jack while carrying our one-month-old child, everyone was smiling and applauding in congratulations. Only Michael stood in the crowd, his expression solemn as he gazed at me from afar. After that, Michael never got involved with other women. He immersed himself in his archaeological career, using his skilled hands to restore many precious and rare cultural relics. I took a deep breath and covered my face with my hands. Perhaps I had loved the wrong person from the very beginning? When I woke up again, I found that Jack had called me twenty-six times. What was he in such a hurry for? I rubbed my temples and called him back. “Hmm?” Jack quickly answered the phone, his voice hoarse: “Emma, you want to divorce me?!”
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