Three months into our marriage, my wife, Clara Sterling, suddenly installed a camera in our bedroom. Then she kicked me out to sleep in the guest room. “I lost a bet to Dylan Blackwood.” “The wager was to sleep in separate rooms for thirty days, so you’ll just have to make do with the guest room for now.” With that, she forcefully pushed me out and slammed the door shut. That night, I overheard her telling Dylan on the phone: “I’ve already set up the monitor, you can supervise anytime, anywhere. I promise I’ll stick to our agreement.” “He absolutely won’t step foot in my bedroom this month.” In the past, I would have relentlessly pressed her for answers, demanding to know why. But now, my heart was calm, unburdened by her anymore. I’d become completely detached, letting go of any lingering feelings for her. Suddenly, I felt like this marriage had run its course. It was time to end it. 0 The moment she saw the divorce papers, she completely freaked out. “Ryan Caldwell, it’s just thirty days in the guest room! Are you seriously going to divorce me over that?” Watching her outburst, a bitter smile touched my lips. “What else, Clara? Should I wait until you two sleep together and you’ve completely made a fool out of me before I even think about divorce?” My gaze locked onto her, searching for even a flicker of guilt or hesitation in her eyes. But all I saw was shock and pure fury. Her face flushed with rage. “This is ridiculous! I don’t even know what you’re making such a fuss about!” “If Dylan and I were ever going to do anything, I wouldn’t have married you in the first place! Why would I wait until now?” “It was just a stupid bet, why are you taking it so seriously? After thirty days, you can come back to the room.” I just watched her, calmly observing her hysterical meltdown. After a long moment, I finally countered, “If it was just a bet, then why are you taking it so seriously?” Without a moment’s hesitation, she shot back: “I already promised him! What else was I supposed to do?” “If I don’t follow through, how can I ever face him or my friends again?” “People with twisted minds see malice everywhere. Can you please stop looking at us through such a dirty lens?” Deep down, I knew it. In her heart, I still couldn’t compare to Dylan Blackwood. I was just a pawn in their twisted game. “Are you sure he doesn’t have feelings for you?” I scoffed, my voice dripping with sarcasm. My question stunned her. She paused, momentarily speechless. After a brief silence, she looked me dead in the eye, her expression earnest. “I am absolutely, one hundred percent certain.” I unlocked my phone and found the messages Dylan had sent me. Then I read them aloud, word for word. “Ryan Caldwell, I’m going to compete with you fairly. I’ll take her away from you.” I paused after that sentence, looking up at her. Her face had gone a little pale. I continued reading. “You only snatched her away because I wasn’t around. Otherwise, she definitely would have married me!” “You know what? I hugged her today. Her body was so soft, so fragrant. I almost couldn’t stop myself.” … Before I could finish, she snatched the phone out of my hand. Her movement was sudden and frantic. “No way, he wouldn’t send these! You must have fabricated them to try and divorce me!” I watched her calmly, not a single ripple in my heart. “Whether he sent them or not, why don’t you confront him directly and find out?” Suddenly, Clara gave me a meaningful look. She let out a cold laugh. “Ryan Caldwell, you know what? You’re pretty devious.” “I can’t believe you’d stoop to this level just to break us up. You’re truly ruthless.” “But you think I’ll believe you? Dylan and I have known each other for over a decade. I know exactly what kind of person he is.” “We might not be blood siblings, but we’re closer than any brother and sister I know.” “You think one sentence from you can make us doubt each other and ruin our bond?” “You underestimate our relationship.” She grabbed her bag and walked out, not a moment of hesitation. 0
Clara and Dylan had been neighbors for over ten years. She was five years older than him. Perhaps, as Clara claimed, she really did only see Dylan as a younger brother. It was possible she’d never once considered a relationship with him that went beyond sibling affection. But she was completely oblivious. He, on the other hand, was deeply, irrevocably in love with her. The way Dylan looked at her always held a hidden tenderness and longing. It had only grown deeper and more fervent with time. A year ago, Clara and I met at a friend’s wedding. It was love at first sight for me. Once I confirmed she was single, I began to pursue her relentlessly. I brought her breakfast every day, waited for her after work, and accompanied her to do all the things she loved. I made a genuine effort to understand her preferences and cared deeply about her life. Six months later, we finally started dating. And then, later, came the wedding. All told, it had only been a little over a year since we first met. Our wedding was lavish, with all our friends and family there to wish us well. On our wedding day, Dylan specifically took time off to fly back and attend. He walked up to me in a sharp suit, his eyes filled with a wistful melancholy. “You have to take good care of her. If you ever make her shed a single tear, I swear I won’t let you get away with it.” I laughed then, responding, “Don’t worry, I’ll never let her suffer a moment of injustice.” I initially thought he was just acting like a protective older brother, giving me a stern warning. Now, looking back, that was probably the first skirmish between Dylan and me. From that moment on, he had already seen me as a rival. And I had been completely oblivious. 0
Clara suddenly showed up at my office with Dylan. An ominous feeling instantly washed over me. She sat down, skipping all pleasantries and small talk, cutting straight to the chase. “Ryan Caldwell, Dylan and his friends have a new project that needs promotion. Can you handle it for them, free of charge?” I frowned, my voice firm as I replied, “I can’t do it for free.” Clara’s face immediately fell. A flicker of displeasure crossed her usually bright eyes. “Ryan Caldwell, aren’t you the Creative Director? You can’t even manage this small favor?” I felt a surge of helplessness. She was always pushing her agenda like this. “I am the Creative Director, yes, but I’m not the owner. I don’t make those decisions.” “If you’re serious about collaborating, please follow the proper procedures.” Clara glared at me. “I don’t care. I already promised them.” “You have to do this promotion, whether you like it or not. You can’t make me lose face.” “It’s just a small advertisement, isn’t it? Just have your team pull a few all-nighters, and it’ll be done. That way, it won’t delay your other projects. Don’t tell me you can’t even manage your own staff?” I spoke, my voice cold. “Clara Sterling, can you please get your own affairs in order before you start trying to help other people?” Clara just gave me a dismissive glance and started playing dumb. “What affairs are you talking about?” “Have you signed the divorce papers yet?” My calm demeanor took Clara by surprise. She hadn’t expected me to suddenly bring up that topic and seemed momentarily flustered. Just then, a flash of surprise lit up Dylan’s eyes. “Clara, you two are getting divorced?” “No way. Is it… because of me? If it is, then we’ll just forget about the advertisement.” As he spoke, he actually started to sound tearful, his voice trembling as if he’d been gravely wronged. Clara’s expression already showed her annoyance. She frowned and shot Dylan a glance. “It’s not your fault, he’s just lost his mind and suddenly wants a divorce.” Dylan immediately started fanning the flames. “Clara, don’t say I didn’t warn you. When a guy acts like this, ten to one he’s got another woman on the side. You need to be careful.” He said this, secretly observing Clara’s reaction, a sly glint in his eyes. I let out a cold laugh, my disgust for Dylan deepening. You’re the other man, aren’t you? And here you are, the pot calling the kettle black! “Ryan Caldwell, are you seeing another woman?” Her face was beet red. My tone was uncharacteristically calm. “No!” I had no intention of wasting my breath on such baseless accusations. Clara glared at me, aggressively demanding an answer. “If not, then why are you suddenly divorcing me?” I hinted, “Don’t you know perfectly well why I’m divorcing you?” After a brief silence, she suddenly gave a strange laugh. “He could never have those kinds of feelings for me. That’s just your personal fantasy.” I turned, a playful smirk on my face, and looked at Dylan. “The man himself is right here. Why don’t you just ask him?” I just wanted to see how Dylan would try to squirm his way out of this. Dylan’s face instantly went white. He quickly said, “Ryan Caldwell, what are you implying? You can’t accuse me unfairly.” I chuckled softly, “Unfairly or not? You know the truth in your heart.” Dylan was so furious he turned and stormed out. Clara’s anger flared even more. She shot to her feet with a whoosh! “Ryan Caldwell, you are truly disappointing.” She spun around and ran after Dylan, her urgency making it seem like she was rushing to the ends of the earth. 0
I never imagined the retaliation would come so swiftly and unexpectedly. That night, my phone screen lit up. It was a message from Dylan. “Looks like you’ve trained Clara well, huh? Just watch how I slowly trick her into being mine.” “You must be pretty mad right now, all alone in your empty bed!” And then there was a video. In the video, Clara and Dylan were locked in a tight embrace, passionately kissing. Their eyes seemed to be pulled together by an invisible thread, entwined, full of undeniable intimacy and longing. I quickly saved the video. Well, well, well. Free divorce evidence, I’d be a fool not to take it. It wasn’t until the middle of the night that I heard a soft click as the front door opened. Clara was finally home. The next morning, I nonchalantly brought it up. “Did you two kiss?” Clara’s eyes flickered, a momentary panic flashing before quickly subsiding. In the end, she admitted it quite readily. “Yes, but we had a good reason. It was unavoidable, and I can explain.” My face was stone-cold. “Go on, explain then. I’m listening.” Clara began to recount the events of the previous night. “We were playing truth or dare, and he lost. The dare was to kiss one of the opposite sex for a minute.” “There were a few other women there, but I wasn’t sure if they had any STDs.” “What if they kissed him and passed something on to Dylan? That wouldn’t be good.” “He’s the only son in his family, and his parents are counting on him to carry on the family name. We can’t risk anything happening to him.” “My health is fine, and I don’t have any weird diseases, so I just stepped in to help him out.” “That’s pretty much what happened.” I looked at her, my expression blank. “Clara Sterling, I never knew you had such a charitable side. I guess I underestimated you.” “Since you care so much about him, why won’t you agree to divorce me?” She heard the sarcasm in my voice and frowned. But she continued her earnest explanation. “Two people get together and marry because they like each other and love each other, obviously.” “You and I have love, but with Dylan, it’s just family affection. Do you understand what I mean?” As she said this, she tried to meet my gaze, but her eyes flickered nervously. Clearly, even she knew her explanation was flimsy. I rubbed my temples in frustration. I had no patience left to listen to her justifications. These empty excuses. To me, they were nothing more than a cover-up for her betrayal. “I’m asking you one last time: Are you signing the divorce papers?” She thought for a moment before replying, “Of course not, why would I?” I glanced at her face, my voice flat. “Alright, I understand.” In that moment, the last shred of affection I held for her completely vanished. It was only now that I realized my disgust for her had reached its peak. How could I have ever fallen for her? Was I blind, or was she just a masterful actress? Never mind, I was tired of dwelling on it. 0 Two days later was Mr. Sterling’s sixtieth birthday banquet. I attended the celebration as expected.
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