I helped my husband Derek build his empire from the ground up. I stood by his side when we had nothing. Yet, when I was six months pregnant and needed him most, he told me he was going to a remote village for charity work. He’d always been kind-hearted, so as his wife, I understood and fully supported him. That was, until I saw a man, hailed as “the most discreet philanthropist,” appear on my best friend Maya’s livestream. Maya, flushed and coy, snuggled into his arms, thanking him for splashing a fortune on her. The man didn’t show his face, but as he gently wiped the sweat from Maya’s forehead, I saw the ring on his ring finger. It was that cheap $5 silver band we’d bought when we got married. “Honey, the signal in the mountains can be spotty, so please be careful. If you need more cash, just tell me.” I gently stroked my six-month pregnant belly, softly reminding him over the phone. Derek’s voice, tired yet content, drifted through: “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces when they get their supplies makes it all worth it.” “I just feel bad about leaving you alone at home while you’re pregnant.” “Don’t be silly. You’re doing good deeds. I couldn’t be prouder of you.” I hung up, a sweet warmth filling my chest. Turning, I reheated last night’s leftovers and ate them with plain rice. Derek was teaching in the mountains; I knew he must be roughing it, so I had to be frugal too. We’d been together since college, scraping by on ramen and cheap takeout in a dingy basement apartment for three years, before finally building our way up to owning a house and cars and our own company in this major city. Now that he was successful, he hadn’t forgotten his roots, choosing to help those in need. I admired him from the bottom of my heart and felt a pang of sympathy for the hardships he was enduring. After dinner, I opened Maya’s livestream, planning to send her some gifts to boost her viewership. Maya was my best friend, a moderately popular outdoor content creator. Today’s stream was being broadcast from the city’s most exclusive luxury resort. “Hey everyone, we’ve got a super special guest in the stream today!” Maya’s voice buzzed with barely contained excitement. “It’s the internet-famous ‘most discreet philanthropist,’ Mr. Miller, who anonymously donated ten million dollars to schools in remote areas!” My heart gave a sharp lurch. Miller? And a philanthropist? What an odd coincidence. The chat exploded instantly. “Wow! Is that the mystery billionaire who refused all interviews?” “Maya, you’re awesome! How did you get him on your stream?” On screen, Maya coyly linked her arm through the man’s, but he subtly turned, keeping his face out of frame. “Mr. Miller is a very private person, everyone, so let’s not overwhelm him,” Maya explained, a radiant smile on her face, but the adoration in her eyes was impossible to hide. I frowned, a strange discomfort settling in. Maya had a boyfriend. This kind of flirty behavior with another man felt totally inappropriate. “A huge shout-out to Mr. Miller! He’s covering all the gifts for tonight’s livestream!” As Maya cheered, the screen was instantly flooded with super chats and gift bombs. I watched the animations for gifts worth thousands of dollars flash by, my jaw slightly agape. This Mr. Miller certainly had deep pockets. Maya was flushed with excitement, her forehead dotted with fine sweat. Seeing this, the man beside her naturally reached up, gently wiping away the beads of perspiration with his thumb. It was that simple gesture that made my blood run cold. The ring on the man’s ring finger was plain, almost dull, with some of its cheap plating already chipped. It was the $5 silver band Derek and I bought at a night market right after we graduated. He’d said it was more precious than any diamond, a promise of a lifetime to me, and he’d never take it off. I felt a wave of icy dread wash over me, as if I’d plummeted into a frozen abyss. Still desperate, I posted a comment in the chat. “Could Mr. Miller say a few words? I really admire him!” Maya saw my comment and playfully nudged the man’s arm. “Mr. Miller, my fans want to hear your voice.” The man paused, then let out a soft chuckle. That voice, that tone, I knew it to my very core. “Hello, everyone.” Just three words, and I was utterly shattered. It was Derek! Wasn’t he supposed to be teaching in the mountains? He’d said the children there couldn’t even afford food, yet here he was, splashing a fortune to make my best friend smile! My stomach churned violently. I rushed to the bathroom, throwing up until I was dizzy and breathless. My phone chimed. A text from Derek. “Sweetheart, just finished distributing school supplies to the kids. Exhausted. It’s cold in the mountains at night, so I’m heading to bed. Don’t reply.” The message was accompanied by a photo: a pair of mud-caked, worn-out boots next to a dim, dilapidated shack. But on the livestream, Maya was standing on tiptoes, kissing “Mr. Miller’s” cheek, with a dazzling crystal chandelier from the resort sparkling in the background. “Thank you, darling. You’re the best to me.” I clutched my phone, my nails digging into my flesh. Tears blurred my vision, and a sharp, twisting pain shot through my belly. My hands trembling, I dialed Maya’s number. It rang for a long time before she finally answered, her voice languid and laced with a suggestive intimacy. “Hey, babe, what’s up? I’m a little busy right now.” Through the phone, I heard Derek’s suppressed panting. “Maya, that ‘Mr. Miller’ in your livestream…” My voice was an uncontrollable tremor. “Oh, him?” Maya chuckled, her tone triumphant. “Just a man who’s completely in love with me, that’s all.” “What, are you interested in him too?” “Well, I wouldn’t bother if I were you. He only has eyes for me.” “He said his wife is old and boring, a worn-out housewife with a burden of a child, and he’s been sick of her for ages.” Maya’s words were like venomous darts, piercing my heart one by one. I could even hear her and Derek’s unrestrained laughter and heavy breathing on the other end. I couldn’t take it anymore. I slammed the phone down. A worn-out housewife… a burden of a child… I looked down at my swollen feet, a common side effect of pregnancy, then at my haggard face in the mirror. My heart felt like it was being torn to shreds. For this family, for his career, I’d worked tirelessly for ten years. Was “old and boring” all I got in return? No, I couldn’t let myself be defeated like this. I wiped away my tears, my gaze hardening, turning icy cold. Derek, Maya, you two-timing cheats. I’ll make you pay for this. Taking a deep breath, I opened a phone app I’d long suspected but never wanted to confront. It was a home surveillance app. Derek had installed cameras all over the house, ostensibly “for your and the baby’s safety,” and linked them to his phone. But what he didn’t know was that the installer, while calibrating the system, had discreetly set up a copy on my phone as well. I opened the app, my heart pounding, and immediately tapped on the live feed from the living room camera. The screen was empty. They weren’t back yet. I stared at the screen, like a hunter waiting for their prey to fall into the trap. Suddenly, something else occurred to me, and a fresh wave of icy dread washed over me. Derek’s so-called “charity” trip had cost me a full five million dollars. That was the last of my parents’ inheritance. He’d claimed the company was facing a cash flow crisis and desperately needed the funds. I had, with tears in my eyes, given it to him. Now, it hit me. That money wasn’t for the company; it was for Maya! I couldn’t wait any longer! I sprang up, changed clothes, grabbed my car keys, and rushed out the door. I had to get to the company. Before he returned, I needed to find proof and protect my parents’ last legacy and what was rightfully mine! The night was cold, but my heart was even colder. Derek, you’d better pray I don’t find anything to use against you!
I sped all the way to the company building and used my spare key to unlock the empty office. The familiar surroundings now felt utterly alien and repulsive to me. Without hesitation, I headed straight for Derek’s office. His self-proclaimed secrets were utterly exposed to me, his wife of ten years, with whom he’d shared a bed. I walked to the massive framed calligraphy piece behind his desk, a quote that read “Fortune Favors the Bold,” and lightly pressed an inconspicuous spot on the lower right corner of the frame. The frame silently sprang open, revealing a hidden safe behind it. Derek thought I’d never know the password. He used the anniversary of his first time sleeping with Maya. How ironic. I still remembered the scent of perfume on him that night, a scent that definitely wasn’t mine. I entered the password, and the safe door clicked open. Inside, there wasn’t much cash, just a few luxury watches and a black hardcover ledger. This was my true target tonight. My hands trembling, I flipped open the ledger. The dense pages recorded far more than just the whereabouts of my five million dollars. It detailed how he’d abused his position to falsify company records, illegally transfer assets, and pay under-the-table kickbacks to various “partners.” Every single entry was enough to land him in jail for life. It turned out his so-called charity trip to the mountains was just a cunning ruse. He’d planned it all along: to bleed me dry using my five million, then run off with the assets he and Maya had secretly transferred, leaving me and our child to fend for ourselves! I pulled out my phone, turned on the video recorder, and meticulously filmed every single page of the ledger. The light from my phone screen illuminated my face, cold as ice. Derek, you want me and my child to suffer the consequences of your actions? Then tonight, I’ll personally dig your grave and show you what it means to reap what you sow! I placed the ledger back, closed the safe, restored the framed calligraphy, and wiped away every trace of my presence. After it was done, I felt utterly drained, collapsing onto the cold floor. The baby in my belly seemed to sense my despair, kicking me uneasily. I jolted, looking down and stroking my swollen belly. No, I couldn’t fall apart. For my child, I had to get back up. I wiped away the mess on my face, pulled myself off the floor, and dialed a number I knew by heart. “Mr. Davies, it’s Chloe.” The voice on the other end was steady and firm. “Ms. Dawson, it’s late. Is everything alright?” I calmly recounted everything that had happened. After listening, Mr. Davies was silent for a moment, then his tone took on a hint of approval. “Ms. Dawson, you are more composed and decisive than I imagined.” “This evidence is crucial, but it’s not enough. We need undeniable proof, something that will utterly destroy him.” “Go home now. Act as if nothing happened. Remember, from this moment on, every word you utter could be used against you in court.” After hanging up, the huge stone in my chest eased slightly. I drove home. As I pulled my car into the garage, Derek’s familiar BMW slowly drove in after me. He was back. I took a deep breath, adjusted my expression, and pushed open my car door. Derek saw me, paused, then his face broke into a tired yet doting smile. “Sweetheart, why are you still up so late? I told you to get some rest.” He walked over, opening his arms to embrace me. The scent of an expensive cologne mixed with Maya’s perfume clung to him. My stomach churned. I subtly sidestepped, clutching my waist, and frowned. “My stomach’s been a bit uncomfortable, couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d come down for a walk.” His hands froze in mid-air. A flicker of something dark, almost imperceptible, crossed his eyes, but it quickly morphed back into tenderness. “Really? Do you want to go to the hospital to get checked out?” “No need, it’s just my usual discomfort.” I looked at him, feigning concern. “You… weren’t you in the mountains? Why are you back?” “The project finished ahead of schedule, and the local leaders insisted on celebrating, so I had a few drinks and stayed at the resort overnight.” He lied without batting an eye. “I wanted to give you a surprise, you know?” A surprise? I stared at his affectionate face, finding it utterly sarcastic. He pulled a beautifully wrapped gift box from the trunk and handed it to me. “Sweetheart, look, I had someone bring you the latest designer bag from abroad. Do you like it?” I opened the box to find a six-figure Hermes Birkin bag nestled inside. I scrimped and saved, barely buying myself anything new, while he used my money to splash a fortune on the other woman, then tried to buy me off with a mere designer bag. My heart bled, yet I forced a moved smile onto my face. “I love it, honey. You’re too good to me.” “Silly girl, who else would I be good to?” He laughed, playfully nudging my nose, his actions as intimate as ever. Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, his eyes instantly softening, and walked away to answer it. “Hello, darling… yeah, I just got home… she didn’t suspect anything… don’t worry, everything’s going according to plan…” His voice was hushed, but I heard every word crystal clear. I stood rooted to the spot, chilled to the bone. He hung up and walked back, the tenderness still lingering on his face. He looked at me, then suddenly sighed, pulling me into his embrace, resting his chin on my head. “Sweetheart, you’ve worked so hard all these years, following me.” His voice held a chilling, almost “farewell” tenderness I’d never heard before. “Once things settle down, we’ll sell the company and travel the world. How does that sound?” I stiffened in his arms, feeling the warmth of his chest, yet a wave of dread shot from my feet all the way to the top of my head. I finally understood what Mr. Davies meant by “undeniable proof.” The ledger could only prove his financial crimes, not his complete lack of affection for me, nor could it force him to leave empty-handed. I needed evidence that he not only didn’t love me but even wanted me dead! And now, it seemed, that opportunity had arrived. I looked up, meeting his “loving” gaze, my voice trembling with a feigned excitement. “Honey, are you serious?”
“Of course, I’m serious.” Derek stroked my hair, his eyes brimming with a tenderness that seemed to drip with honey. “I’ve already lined up a buyer. Once the company is sold, we’ll have endless money to live the life we’ve always wanted.” He paused, his hand gently covering my lower belly, his voice filled with a vision of the future. “By then, our baby will be born, and the three of us will go watch the sunset on the beaches of Santorini, soak in hot springs in the Swiss Alps, making up for everything we missed.” The future he painted was so beautiful, every scene a dream I’d once cherished. But now, coming from his lips, it sounded like a carefully spun web leading straight to hell. My heart screamed, it wept, yet my face had to maintain the facade of happiness. “Honey…” I choked, burying my face in his chest, hot tears soaking his shirt. Half of it was an act; the other half, genuine heartbreak. Derek gently patted my back, as if comforting a wronged child. “There, there. You’re about to be a mom, acting like a little girl.” The more tender he was, the more the hatred churned within me. Back home, he thoughtfully drew a bath for me and brought me a cup of warm milk. “Sweetheart, get some rest. Tomorrow I’ll have Mom come over to take care of you. Her special herbal tonic is the best for pregnancy.” Herbal tonic… My heart sank. I remembered that from my fourth month of pregnancy, my mother-in-law, Mrs. Miller, had, without fail, personally brought this special herbal tonic every single day, urging me to drink it while it was warm. She claimed it was a secret recipe she’d obtained from a renowned herbalist, after pulling countless strings, and was the best for the baby in my belly. I’d always believed it was her way of expressing a grandmother’s anticipation for her unborn grandchild. But now, thinking back, could there be a darker plot hidden behind it? “Fine,” I said, suppressing the turmoil in my heart, and gave him a compliant smile. “Thank Mom for me.” He smiled contentedly, leaned down, and kissed my forehead goodnight. “Good girl, sleep tight.” I lay in bed, listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom, feeling like I was submerged in ice water, utterly devoid of warmth. I pulled out my phone and opened the home surveillance app. I needed evidence, undeniable proof that would nail them to the pillar of shame! But, I scrolled through months of cloud recordings and found nothing useful. Derek and Maya were incredibly cunning; they never showed any intimacy at home. And Mrs. Miller’s daily tonic, I’d always drunk every drop. In the surveillance footage, she always appeared as a kind and affectionate mother-in-law. Could I be overthinking this? No. My woman’s intuition told me that tonic was definitely suspicious! But where was the proof? Without it, everything was just my speculation. I tossed and turned restlessly until the bathroom water stopped. Derek walked out, wrapped in a towel, drying his hair. Seeing me still awake, he frowned. “What’s wrong? Still uncomfortable?” “No… just having trouble settling in.” I mumbled a random excuse. He didn’t press further, walking straight to the bed, pulling back the covers, and lying down. His familiar masculine scent enveloped me, but I only felt waves of nausea. I lay with my back to him, my body stiff as a board. In the darkness, he suddenly pulled me into an embrace from behind, his warm breath on the back of my neck. “Sweetheart,” his voice was a husky, seductive whisper, “we… it’s been a while.” His hand began to roam over my body, becoming bolder. Every hair on my body instantly stood on end, a chill of revulsion shooting from my tailbone to the top of my head. My first instinct was to push him away. “No… don’t… the doctor said it’s not safe during late pregnancy,” I stammered. His movements paused, then he let out an ambiguous chuckle. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. It won’t harm the baby.” His hand, with an undeniable force, slipped beneath my nightgown. My mind went blank with a deafening roar. I struggled desperately, but my strength was nothing compared to his. In despair, my hand fumbled frantically on the nightstand, just wanting to find something to defend myself with. Suddenly, I felt my phone. A wild thought instantly flashed through my mind. I stopped struggling, my body slowly going limp, letting out a suppressed sob. Derek mistook my submission for consent, his actions growing bolder and more aggressive. I closed my eyes, letting tears of humiliation stream down my face, while my other hand, hidden beneath the covers, clutched my phone tightly, my fingers rapidly manipulating the screen. I opened Maya’s familiar livestream app. Then, with every ounce of strength I had, I turned the phone’s volume to maximum. The next second, Maya’s sweetly seductive, yet now piercingly shrill voice, echoed through the entire bedroom. “Thank you, darling. You’re the best to me!”
Maya’s sweet, simpering voice, amplified by my phone’s speaker, blared through the silent bedroom like a clap of thunder, instantly shattering the illusion of tender intimacy. “Thank you, darling. You’re the best to me!” Derek’s movements on top of me froze. I could distinctly feel every muscle in his body tense up instantly, even his breathing hitched. The air in the room was thick with a deathly silence. I slowly opened my eyes, meeting his gaze-a mixture of shock, panic, and finally, a chilling malice. “Derek,” I enunciated each word, my voice low but sharp as an ice-cold blade, “the signal in the mountains… it’s really good, isn’t it?” His face, before my very eyes, drained of color, turning sickeningly pale. “You… what are you talking about?” He tried to fight back, but his voice was riddled with unconcealed panic. I didn’t answer him. I simply raised my phone. On the screen, Maya’s livestream replay was still playing. She was coyly snuggling into “Mr. Miller’s” arms, and on that man’s ring finger, the $5 silver band glinted with an unbearable irony under the resort’s dazzling lights. Derek’s pupils contracted sharply. It was as if all the strength had been sucked out of him. He rolled off me, landing clumsily on the carpet. “You… you know everything?” “Yes, I know everything.” I slowly sat up, pulling my slipped nightgown back into place. I looked down at him with an expression of pure disgust, as if he were a piece of trash. “I know you took my parents’ five million dollar inheritance to send lavish gifts to my best friend.” “I know your so-called charity work in the mountains was just an excuse to roll around in bed with her at the city’s most expensive luxury resort.” “I know that while you were whispering sweet nothings to me, you were telling her on the phone that you were sick of me, your old and boring worn-out wife!” Every word I uttered was like a resounding slap, hitting him hard across the face. His face was a sickly combination of green and white, his lips trembling, but he couldn’t utter a single word in rebuttal. “Chloe, let me explain.” He struggled, trying to crawl over and grab my hand. “Explain?” I scoffed, then abruptly threw my phone at his face. “Explain that you’ve been with her for five years! Explain that you have more photos with her than with me! Or explain that your safe’s password is her birthday!” “Derek, you make me sick!” He was utterly stunned by my outburst, his eyes now filled only with terror. He couldn’t fathom where his foolproof plan had gone wrong. “You… you touched my safe?” He finally reacted, his voice sharp and distorted. “Not just the safe,” I looked at him, slowly, a chilling smile forming on my lips. “Also that ‘broken’ old computer in your study.” On that computer, there were videos of him and Maya intimate on our marital bed. There were recordings of him explicitly stating that after I gave birth, he’d find an excuse to divorce me and seize all our assets. That was incriminating evidence he could never erase! Derek’s face completely lost all color. He collapsed onto the floor, his eyes vacant, muttering to himself, “Impossible… impossible…” “Nothing’s impossible.” I threw back the covers and stood before him. The sharp pains in my abdomen reminded me that I couldn’t waste any more time on him. “Derek, we’re done.” “Tomorrow, my lawyer will contact you to discuss divorce and asset division. You committed marital infidelity and illegally transferred marital assets; the evidence is irrefutable. I advise you to cooperate. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to make all of this public and destroy your reputation!” “Divorce?” Derek reacted as if those words had pierced him. He suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with a savage hatred. “Chloe, don’t even think about it!” He sprang up from the floor like a cornered beast, lunging at me! “You think you’ve won? I’m telling you, without my signature, you won’t get a single penny!” “You damn bitch! You pushed me to this!” His face was contorted in a grotesque mask, his hands tightly clasped around my neck. The sensation of suffocating instantly overwhelmed me. I struggled desperately, clawing at his hands with my nails. But the stark difference in our strength made all my resistance futile. My vision blurred, and the baby in my belly seemed to sense the danger, kicking me violently. Baby… my baby… The instinct to survive ignited a final surge of strength within me. With all my might, I raised my knee and slammed it hard into his lower abdomen! “Agh-!” Derek let out a piercing scream of pain, clutching himself and curling into a ball on the floor. I scrambled to the door, fumbling with trembling hands to open it. Just as I was about to unlock the door, Derek’s voice, like a vengeful ghost, echoed behind me. “Chloe! Stop right there!” I turned, seeing him leaning against the wall, swaying as he stood up. His handsome face, distorted by pain and fury, looked utterly monstrous. “Do you really think I haven’t prepared for this?” He spat the words through gritted teeth, a chilling, malicious smirk spreading across his face. “You want a divorce? Fine! I’ll give you one!” “But first, you’ll have to pay back the five million dollar loan shark debt you owe me!”
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