My husband has a mistress. It’s his childhood friend, Chloe, who just married and moved overseas. At Chloe’s wedding, he actually walked up to the altar, took her hand, and warned the groom, “If you ever hurt her, I swear, I’ll take her back.” My friends secretly said I was too soft, that I didn’t even get mad. When I needed his signature after a severe car accident and heavy bleeding, he flew to Africa for Chloe’s birthday: “Chloe will be lonely in a foreign country; she can’t celebrate her birthday without me.” The day Chloe came back, her friends forced me to chug 99 shots of hard liquor. My husband poured 98 of them down my throat himself. The last one? I smashed it in his face. He didn’t know that the day before, I’d already sent a message to my father, a powerful figure in the underworld: 【Dad, I was wrong. I’ll be back in three days to take over the family business.】 I had spent seven years trying to be a good girl for him, almost forgetting who I really was. … My actions froze everyone in the room. One of Chloe’s friends shouted at her, “Chloe, your friend is so rude!” Chloe glanced at Derek, her face twisting in anger. “Derek, what’s wrong with your wife? My friend was kindly inviting her for drinks, and she acts like this?!” Derek’s face was still dripping with liquor, his expression dark. He glared at me, pointing at my face and yelling, “Autumn, what the hell is wrong with you?!” I ignored him, turning around and walking out of the club. Behind me, I heard Chloe’s snarky, ‘I’m not like other girls’ kind of comment: “See, this is why I don’t like dealing with women. So much drama!” When the rideshare arrived, I got into the passenger seat. But my hand brushed against something soft – a piece of lingerie. And right under my feet were two used condoms. Derek had driven this car earlier today to pick up Chloe. It was obvious who they belonged to. My stomach lurched with disgust. I stumbled out of the car, throwing up until my vision swam. Almost as soon as I got home, Derek arrived. Seeing me look at him, he slapped me hard. “Do you have any idea how much embarrassment you caused Chloe today?!” My face stung, instantly red and swollen. I winced in pain. But Derek’s expression softened in a panic, and he cradled my face. “Why didn’t you dodge?” I recoiled from his touch, forcefully swatting his hand away. Derek swallowed his anger, trying to soothe me. “That man was Chloe’s friend. Don’t you know you made things really difficult for her?” His words ignited a furious fire in me. I looked at him coldly and asked, “Derek, have you forgotten who your wife is?” Derek paused, then quickly pulled me into a hug. “Of course it’s you, honey. Are you jealous? Chloe and I are just like siblings. Don’t overthink it, okay?” Siblings? Do siblings wear lingerie and use two condoms in a car? I wasn’t in the mood to expose Derek’s lies, but at that moment, he received a text message. His body was pressed against mine, and I instantly felt how hot he was beneath his clothes. Derek immediately let me go. “Honey, I left something at the club. I’ll go grab it.” Before leaving, he even kissed my cheek tenderly. “I’m sorry. I’ll help you with your face when I get back.” Watching his desperate, eager back disappear, even though I had already decided to leave him, my eyes still welled up. Seven years of marriage, and it was still nothing compared to his childhood friend. To marry him, I had cut ties with my father, not returning home for seven years. For seven years, I had built our life with him from scratch. When we were at our poorest, we squeezed onto a bed barely bigger than a twin. Back then, Derek would hold me, promising earnestly, “Autumn, I’ll always be good to you.” He said he liked docile girls, so I changed all my bad habits, learning to be a kind and sensible wife. I suffered with him year after year. Now that we had everything, his promises were long forgotten. My tears had dried on my face. My phone vibrated with a text from Chloe. The picture showed her and Derek’s clothes scattered on the floor, with three used condoms nearby. 【Derek told me you two haven’t done it in ages. He said he loves a ‘little firecracker’ like me; he’s been bored of a good girl like you for ages.】 I wiped my tears, cursing myself for just moments ago feeling sad. Derek was trash. He wasn’t worth my tears. The next day, Derek dragged me out of bed. Before I could even figure out what was happening, he frantically shoved me into the car. “Derek, what are you doing?!” Derek didn’t speak, driving the car at over 100 mph down the road. I could only grip the seatbelt tightly, watching him pull up to the emergency room. My arm was throbbing where he’d pulled me. Derek practically threw me in front of the doctor. “Doctor, she’s ready for the blood!” He held me down, forcing the doctor to draw a full 800cc of blood from me. I was so lightheaded from blood loss I couldn’t even sit straight. But Derek abandoned me again, rushing to another patient’s room. While resting, I overheard the nurses talking: “You know that couple next door? Apparently, the woman had severe internal bleeding from… well, let’s just say ‘overdoing it’ in the bedroom last night.” “But then, one of their friends—or whoever she was—actually volunteered to give 800cc of blood! Who in their right mind could handle that? Luckily, nothing serious happened.” The nurses’ voices faded as they walked away. My heart pounded, a dull, aching throb spreading through me. So that’s why he dragged me here in such a hurry – Chloe had gotten herself into trouble because of their excessive ‘bedroom activities,’ and I was just here to be her involuntary blood donor. Why should I pay for their mistakes? I rested in the hospital room all afternoon. Then, Chloe, clutching her stomach, actually walked into my room. Seeing my pale face, she chuckled. “Oh, sorry, Autumn. We were just a little too intense last night. Hope we didn’t embarrass you.” Derek, who was supporting her from behind, quickly explained after hearing her words, “Her husband actually came home last night. And honestly, it’s my fault for not… ‘supervising’ them better. Honey, don’t get the wrong idea.” I merely glanced at him. “Is that so? Then why isn’t her husband by her side?” Derek was momentarily at a loss for words. Chloe chimed in, “He has to work, Autumn. Not everyone is as lucky as you, being a stay-at-home wife.” With that, she slowly shuffled toward my bed, but just as she reached out to touch me, she collapsed onto the floor. Derek quickly helped her up. Chloe pointed at me, her face contorted in pain. “Autumn, I just wanted to thank you! How could you push me just because of one little comment?!” More blood stained the bed beneath her. Derek, frantic, scooped her up and rushed her back to her room. Less than half an hour later, he stormed back, his face furious, and shoved me hard. Having lost so much blood, I was still disoriented. Derek pushed me directly to the floor. My head hit the bedside table, and blood trickled out. “Autumn, how can you be so vicious? Chloe came specifically to thank you, and you actually pushed her!” “What she said was true! Aren’t you just a lazy freeloading wife who does nothing but live off my money?!” Derek’s words made my heart tremble even more. I had co-founded our company with him. In the early days, to secure clients, I drank with those bosses until my stomach bled. To raise funds for him, I practically begged like a dog outside their company buildings every day. Later, as the company earned more and more, Derek told me to stay home and rest. “Autumn, things are better now. I can’t bear to see you suffer.” “I told you, I’d take care of you.” But I had only been home for less than half a year, and now, to him, I was “lazy and good-for-nothing.” I looked at the man I had loved for seven years, disappointed, realizing he had become such a stranger. I raised my hand and slapped him without hesitation. This slap was the final punctuation mark on our seven years together. That night, the nurse let me go home after confirming I was stable. As I passed Chloe’s room, I saw Derek bustling about, bringing her water and cutting her fruit. So attentive, so gentle. I swallowed the bitter ache in my heart and went home. Just as I arrived, my front door began to pound. I instinctively grabbed the baseball bat leaning against the wall. The door instantly flew open, unlocked with a key. My heart jumped into my throat when I saw the group of men stride in. I spoke to them in English, “Who are you? Get out of my house, or I’ll call the police!” The leader of the group held up a key. “We’re not breaking in, are we? Isn’t this your key?” But only Derek and I had a key to this house. Before I could speak, they grinned menacingly and lunged at me. They snatched my baseball bat and started laying their hands all over me. My skin crawled. “Get off me!” Their touch made me nauseous; a wave of disgust brought tears to my eyes. They forced me onto a table, tearing at my clothes, taking countless photos with a camera. “Chloe was right, this woman is damn hot!” “Her man is so generous, he even gave us the keys.” Rage blinded me. I kicked out at the man in front of me with all my might. In their stunned faces, I snatched up the baseball bat and swung it at them. I fought back with all I had. They quickly reacted, trying every way to subdue me. In the end, those men lay groaning on the ground, clutching their heads. I stood huddled in a corner like a cornered animal, unwilling to lower the baseball bat. The next second, Chloe’s shrill scream pierced the air: “Ah! What happened to you all?!” Tears streaming down her face, she looked at Derek. “Derek, these are my husband’s friends! I just thought it was dangerous for Autumn to go home alone, so I asked them to protect her. Why did Autumn hit them like this?” “If my husband finds out, how will I face him?” It was the first time I realized Chloe wasn’t just a snarky manipulator, she was a total snake, too. Derek didn’t notice the dark bruises on my face from their punches. He looked at me with a cold, furious face. “Autumn, you’re so ungrateful!” Chloe nestled into his arms, her eyes fixed on me with venom. “Derek, I heard Autumn is terrified of snakes. My friend happens to have a bunch of non-venomous snakes. How about we put her in a room with them? Otherwise, I don’t think she’ll ever learn her lesson.” Derek’s eyes flickered with hesitation. Seeing this, Chloe immediately pulled away from him. “If you don’t want to, then fine. Don’t come looking for me anymore.” Derek agreed without a moment’s hesitation. He and Chloe’s friends locked me in the room, and he spoke to me in a low voice: “Autumn, don’t worry, these snakes aren’t venomous. But if you’re willing to apologize to Chloe and her friends, I can persuade Chloe to let you go.” I sneered, spitting on his face. “Derek, you’re truly blind!” The reason I was terrified of snakes was that once, while running an errand for Derek, I went to a boss’s hillside villa to find him and got bitten by a venomous snake. That time, I almost died. Since then, I’m absolutely terrified of snakes. And now Derek was using this to force me to apologize to Chloe. For the first time, I felt like everything I had done before was so foolish. Derek’s face turned beet red with rage, and he slammed the door shut. Half an hour later, they brought in two baskets of snakes and emptied them all into the room. The slithering sounds of the snakes on the floor made my skin crawl. In the darkness, I could almost see them flicking their tongues, moving closer to me. A cold, slithering sensation wrapped around my ankle. I struggled to break free, only for the snake to bite down hard. More and more snakes coiled around me. My calves, my thighs, my waist, my arms. I was covered in their cold, icy scales. Fear made me tremble uncontrollably. The pain felt like it was crushing my will. I crawled toward the door, but outside, I could hear Derek and Chloe’s joyful laughter. “Open… the door…” My voice made the laughter outside abruptly cease. A moment later, I heard Chloe’s triumphant voice: “Autumn, if you’re willing to kneel and beg for forgiveness, I’ll let you go, how about that?” The next second, she spoke in a voice only I could hear: “My friends took a lot of pictures of you just now, you know? What do you think would happen if I leaked those photos? Would Derek still want you?” Another snake bit my thigh. I had countless wounds all over my body. Blood was gushing from the wounds, and combined with the blood I’d already lost today, I was so dizzy I was about to pass out. I regretted it. I regretted not listening to my father, regretted marrying Derek. I was supposed to leave after tonight. I couldn’t accept being bitten to death here. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier. I couldn’t even speak. Just before I lost consciousness, I heard a commotion erupt outside. The door in front of me burst open, and I fell into a familiar, warm embrace. “My sweet girl, Daddy’s late.” I opened my eyes and saw my father’s reddened eyes. The accompanying doctor immediately began treating me. After I had recovered slightly, my father carried me to the bed. Chloe and her friends, along with Derek, were all pinned to the ground by my father’s men. Seeing my bruised state, Derek’s face flashed with surprise and worry. He tried to rush over to me but was held down, unable to move. “Who are you people? Why are you breaking into my house? Let me go!” Seeing that I was finally okay, my father walked up to Derek and kicked him hard. Derek coughed up a mouthful of blood. Chloe shrieked in fright. “I never approved of Autumn marrying you. Seven years, and this is how you treat her?” Derek finally recognized who was standing before him. Because he said he liked ‘good girls,’ I had never told him about my family background. Seeing the group of men in black, even Derek, as foolish as he was, started to guess. “Father-in-law, you’ve misunderstood. Autumn was in the wrong, and I just wanted to teach her a lesson. I never expected it to be this serious.” My father scoffed, kicking Derek again with unrestrained fury. Before his foot could land, Chloe screamed, “Stop! You’re not allowed to touch him!” Derek’s eyes welled with a touch of emotion. “Chloe, don’t say anything, they might hurt you.” My father chuckled. One of his men brought a chair for my father to sit on, then tossed a phone onto the ground in front of Derek. On the video, Chloe was embracing her husband, whispering sweet nothings. “Don’t worry, honey. Derek is such an idiot; all I have to do is lift a finger, and he’ll give me all his money. Once we get the cash, we’ll run away and live happily ever after.” Chloe’s voice echoed in the room, replaced by her panicked explanations. “No, it’s not! Derek, don’t listen to them, the video is fake!” Derek stared intently at the video, then looked at Chloe with a betrayed expression. “You’ve been lying to me all along!” Chloe shook her head fearfully. “I, I haven’t, Derek. Don’t you believe me?” Derek sneered, watching as my father’s men retrieved the photos they had taken of me from the men’s phones. Seeing those pictures, Derek was completely consumed by regret. Looking at my body, covered in snake bites, he fell to his knees, remorseful. “Autumn, it’s all my fault. I just lost my mind for a moment.” He crawled towards my bed, only to be kicked to the ground by one of my father’s men. “Autumn, I want to see you.” I sat up with the doctor’s help, calmly looking at Derek at the foot of the bed. “Derek, do you want to see how much you and your friends have hurt me?” Derek frantically shook his head. “No, Autumn. I’m just worried about you.” His words made me laugh. Worried about me. If he hadn’t discovered Chloe’s true colors, would he be regretting it now? How laughable. My father sat beside my bed, stroking my hair. “Autumn, Dad’s here to back you up. Do whatever you want.” My heart warmed, and when I looked at Derek, only coldness remained in my eyes. “Derek, I’ll deal with our business later.” With a glance from me, one of my father’s men dragged Chloe forward. Chloe was trembling with fear. “Autumn, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have treated you like that. Please, let me go.” I couldn’t be bothered to waste words on her. I simply instructed my father’s man, “Do to her exactly what she did to me.” Chloe, terrified, rushed towards the door but was caught and thrown back into the midst of her friends. “She’s all yours. You know what to do.” Immediately, the men exchanged glances, and their hands reached for Chloe. Chloe screamed in horror. “Don’t touch me! Get your filthy hands off me! Ah!” Gradually, her screams turned to whimpers, then back to gut-wrenching wails. Two hours later, Chloe was half-dead. My father had the captured snakes placed in the bathroom, then ordered his men to throw Chloe in. Hearing this, Chloe desperately fell to her knees, begging for mercy, gathering all her strength to kowtow to me again and again: “No, I was wrong, I really was wrong! Please, spare me, please spare me!” Seeing that begging was useless, she hugged Derek’s leg, pleading: “Derek, save me! Didn’t you say you loved me the most? Save me!” “I did all this for you! You go instead of me, okay?” Derek looked at Chloe like that, and a flicker of disgust crossed his face. He kicked Chloe away, then personally grabbed her hair and threw her into the snake-filled bathroom. The door slammed shut, and Chloe’s heart-wrenching screams echoed from within. The sounds quickly faded. I didn’t know if Chloe was dead or alive. As for her friends, my father’s men had already broken their arms and thrown them out, half-dead. After all that was done, I finally closed my eyes with a satisfied sigh. Derek was still at the foot of my bed, pleading: “Autumn, are you in a lot of pain? Can I take a look?” Seeing his fake concern, I said calmly, “Derek, we’re getting a divorce.” The word “divorce” hit Derek like a shock. He instinctively cried out, “No! I won’t divorce you! Autumn, I know I was wrong. I promise, I’ll treat you well from now on. Please, let’s not get a divorce, okay?” … Seeing me close my eyes and say nothing, he turned and knelt before my father: “Father-in-law, I truly know I was wrong. Please, help me convince Autumn, okay? We have seven years of history; we can’t just end it like this.” My father remained silent, waiting for my decision. I carefully sat up in a wheelchair with the doctor’s assistance. Seeing my movements, Derek’s eyes filled with tears of regret and heartbreak. He suddenly began slapping himself repeatedly on both sides of his face. “It’s all my fault, all my fault! Autumn, I was wrong. Hit me, please, hit me!” Too little, too late, Derek. I looked at one of my father’s men, who placed a prepared divorce agreement in front of Derek. “Sign it.” A pen was forced into his hand, but Derek refused to sign it, fighting with all his might. My father, enraged, ordered his men to drag Derek aside for “education.” But even as he was beaten until he spat blood, Derek still wouldn’t sign. “Autumn, you’re my wife. I… I won’t divorce you! Please, just give me one more chance, okay?” As soon as he finished speaking, several of my father’s men held him down, grabbing his hand and forcing him to write his name on the divorce agreement. I kept one copy and gave him the other. Staring at the divorce agreement, Derek suddenly broke down. He lay on the ground, clutching the papers to his chest, crying uncontrollably. As I was pushed away in the wheelchair, he lunged, grabbing a wheel. “Autumn, don’t leave…” The doctor didn’t stop, continuing to push me forward. Derek’s hand was crushed under the wheel, and he sweat profusely from the pain. His leg was broken, but enduring the pain, he still crawled after me. “Don’t leave…” My father glanced at me worriedly, as if afraid I would soften. I looked up at him with a reassuring smile: “Dad, when I’ve made up my mind, I don’t look back.” Seven years of history, lost is lost. Trash isn’t worth picking up. I followed my father back home. The journey back to my hometown, a city just a few hundred miles away, was a path I hadn’t set foot on for seven years, all for that ridiculous love. Looking at the gray hairs at my father’s temples, a wave of deep guilt washed over me. My father patted my shoulder. “Autumn, I never blamed you.” The tears I had held back for so long finally burst forth. I buried my face in my father’s embrace, sobbing. Crying for my foolishness, for my naivety, for finally escaping that absurd marriage. After returning home, my father hired the best doctors in the world to treat me, and the scars on my body slowly faded. Once I recovered, I began to take over my father’s businesses. Though my father was once a powerful figure in the underworld, he had begun transitioning to legitimate business years ago. “Autumn, I don’t want you to come back and live a life of fear like I did.” Remembering my father’s words, a warmth spread through my heart. Perhaps I was lost in thought, because I accidentally twisted my ankle. Just as I was about to fall, Lucas quickly caught me. Lucas was more than just my father’s trusted butler; he was his right-hand man, and my father had assigned him to be by my side after I returned. Lucas was mature and handsome; I understood my father’s intentions perfectly. I was about to say thank you when I saw Derek running towards me, holding a bouquet of flowers. “Who are you?!” Derek pointed at Lucas and demanded. I hadn’t expected him to follow me here. Seeing the jealousy in his eyes, I deliberately leaned into Lucas’s embrace. “Isn’t it obvious?” Derek’s eyes filled with hurt. “Autumn, I know you’re still mad at me, but don’t just pick up a random man to spite me. Come here.” Derek’s words made me laugh in anger. “Who do you think you are? And Derek, we’re divorced. Who I’m with is none of your damn business, is it?” Derek’s face turned ashen at my words. He held out the red roses he was carrying. “Autumn, I know what you’re mad about. Trust me, Chloe and I are really just like siblings. There’s nothing going on between us.” “Nothing?” I scoffed, pulling out the photos Chloe had sent me and showing them to Derek. “This is your ‘nothing’? Derek, I never realized how truly disgusting you are.” Derek’s lips trembled. Faced with undeniable evidence, he was speechless, his face pale as he pleaded with me: “Autumn, I just lost my mind for a moment, she seduced me. My heart has always been with you. Didn’t you used to love red roses the most? I specially picked the most…” He didn’t finish his sentence. I took the roses from his hand and tossed them directly into a nearby trash can. “Derek, you’re just like these red roses now. To me, you’re nothing but trash.” I watched his face crumble, feeling a twisted sense of satisfaction. I guess I was never a ‘good girl’ anyway. “I don’t believe it!” Behind me, Derek’s heartbroken roar ripped through the air: “Were seven years of love all fake?! Autumn, I don’t believe you don’t love me anymore!” He screamed, completely unconcerned about his image, drawing curious stares from passersby. This utterly unhinged display bore no resemblance to the powerful businessman I once knew. “Autumn, I’ll keep begging you until you change your mind! I won’t give up on you! You can only ever be mine!” I heard some young girls nearby whispering enviously. I clenched my fist, about to step forward, but Lucas was quicker. He landed a punch directly on Derek’s face. “She said she doesn’t want to see you anymore. Don’t you understand?” Derek crumpled to the ground like a broken rag, utterly defenseless. He clutched his swollen face, looking at me with pathetic hope. “Autumn, I’m hurting so much.” I smiled. Did he really think I would rush over to comfort him, to worry about him, like I used to when he got hurt? I looped my arm through Lucas’s and said, “Well done. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.” Then, Lucas and I got into the Maybach. Leaving Derek sitting there, stunned, regretful, and heartbroken. He clutched his face, sobbing loudly, oblivious to the people passing by. He didn’t understand. Why did Autumn, who had loved him so much, suddenly stop loving him? He had only made a mistake any man could make, right? He had already repented, so why wouldn’t she forgive him? He sprawled on the ground like a drunkard. Autumn’s words had torn his body in half, the pain unbearable. After that day, Derek never gave up. Every day, he came up with new ways to send me gifts. I simply instructed my butler to throw all of them in the trash. Until one day, he appeared before me, his hands red and raw, holding a bowl of soup. “Autumn, didn’t you say you loved my homemade soup the most? You’re not feeling well, please have some.” His pleading eyes were clear to me. I raised my hand. The diamond ring on my finger stung Derek’s eyes. “Don’t ever come looking for me again. I’m getting married.” Lucas was incredibly good to me. At the very least, he knew how to respect me, how to care for me, making me feel a tenderness I hadn’t experienced in years. I wasn’t the kind of person who, after being hurt by one relationship, would refuse to believe in love again. So, faced with his sincerity, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Seeing the engagement ring on my finger, Derek completely panicked. His eyes red-rimmed, he knelt before me. “Autumn, you loved me the most! How can you marry someone else?” “Love? Don’t you think it’s hilarious hearing that word come from your mouth?” I ignored his pale face and said calmly. When I had loved him so much, he still betrayed me so easily for Chloe. So he was the last person who had the right to talk about love. Just then, Lucas drove the car up. He ignored Derek, who was still kneeling on the ground, and smiled as he opened the car door for me. Today was the day we were taking our wedding photos. Through the rearview mirror, I saw Derek chasing after the car, eventually stumbling and falling to the ground, like a pathetic, abandoned stray.
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