At a class reunion, my husband got drunk. He slumped into my best friend’s arms and called her his wife. “Jade, remember to come early tomorrow night. I bought you some new lace underwear, still your favorite red…” The private room went dead silent. Jade looked horrified, shaking her head at me. “Stella, this is a misunderstanding. Marcus is just drunk, he doesn’t know what he’s saying.” But the next second, Marcus yanked the scarf from her neck. “I’m not drunk! See? Those hickeys on your neck? I put them there. We’ve been going at it for days. And these bite marks on my arm? You did that…” My mind went blank. I had only just returned home today after a three-month business trip. Were the marks of passion on my best friend’s neck left by my husband? The humiliation burned my face, fueling my rage. I stood up and yanked Marcus away from Jade’s lap. “Marcus, what did you just say? Try saying that again?” They say alcohol loosens the tongue and reveals the truth. So a thoroughly drunk Marcus stared at me, his eyes cold and troubled. “I know you’re Stella. If you want to hear it, I’ll say it again: your measurements aren’t as good as Jade’s. You can’t satisfy me, and you’re always too busy making money to spend time with me.” Hah. Hearing that, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. If I just stayed home doing nothing, what would my family eat? How would we survive? By relying on my body to charm a man? Before I could speak, Marcus staggered back over and sat on Jade’s lap again. Jade, startled and flustered, quickly urged Marcus, “Get a grip! Stop it, get up! Stella is your wife!” But Marcus didn’t just stay put; he leaned in, bit Jade’s lips, then reached his hand into her shirt with a smirk. “See? I told you Stella’s aren’t as big as yours.” Gasps filled the air. Everyone held their breath, daring not to speak. My face burned, as if I’d been publicly slapped. The humiliation was absolute, and a sickening green washed over me as the truth hit. Everyone in the room was savvy enough to know. My beloved husband had cheated on me with my best friend. In that moment, both love and friendship had betrayed me. Jade tried to push Marcus away, but he seemed to anticipate her move. He quickly wrapped his legs around her waist, clinging to her tightly. “Marcus, get off me! Stop it, everyone’s watching us!” “But you used to be so gentle with me, Marcus. You even said Stella was a loser. What good is making money if her husband still ends up in my bed?” “Stop moving! You were always on top before. This time, I want to be on top!” I couldn’t take it anymore. I rushed forward and punched Marcus, knocking him to the floor. Jade, still entangled around his waist, fell with him. I could have bet good money that if there were no onlookers, they’d be tearing off each other’s clothes and going at it right there. “So this is how you ‘take care’ of my husband, Jade? By taking him straight to bed? Bravo, truly.” I was trembling with anger. My husband could cheat, but not with Jade. We’d grown up together. Her family was poor, but I never looked down on her. I gave her everything I had. When someone bullied her, I’d fight for her without a second thought, even getting two ribs broken once because of it. After graduation, she struggled to find work, hitting dead ends everywhere. I pulled strings to get her an opportunity at my company. And my dear husband, Marcus? I pampered him, treated him like a king. If he didn’t want to work, I let him stay home. I gave him anything he desired. And yet, after all my selfless devotion, I was repaid with their betrayal.
I pulled Marcus to his feet and splashed a glass of water onto his well-maintained face. “Are you sober now? If you want to make a complete ass of yourself, go home and do it there.” Everyone, fearing I might lose control and attack them both, rushed over to restrain me. “Stella, calm down.” “Maybe Marcus was just drunk and didn’t know what he was saying…” Hah. They thought too much of me. I never hit people. I just wanted to stop him from humiliating me further. “You’ve all been drunk. You know how people act when they’re hammered, right?” They froze, then exchanged knowing glances, falling silent. Their gazes turned to Jade. “You’re really something, too. Calling you an ungrateful snake is an understatement. You know what Stella has done for you. Why would you seduce her husband? Have you no shame, Jade? What happened to your heart?” “Exactly! If it weren’t for Stella, you’d still be looking for a job right now.” “Jade, I despise you. You’re not a good person.” Faced with universal condemnation, the panic on Jade’s face vanished, replaced by a surge of bitter resentment. This resentment seemed to have festered for years. She stood up and kicked the table over, her face contorted. “Shut the hell up, all of you! Stop feeding me that garbage about how ‘good’ Stella was to me! I’m sick of it!” “Ever since we were kids, she always outshone me in everything – academics, grades, even family background. She always had the upper hand. I don’t need anyone’s pity. Her ‘help’ only made me feel more useless, like she was rubbing my face in my own incompetence.” “What makes you so special, Stella? You’re just lucky you were born into a better family. If we’d swapped places, if I’d had your background, you’d know true suffering.” At her words, our other friends immediately burst out in anger. “Bullshit! You think everyone’s as sick and twisted as you are?” “Stella helped us too, but we never felt that way! We were grateful!” “Exactly! Because we have consciences, unlike you, you animal!” The shouting was loud. Combined with the water splashed on his face, Marcus sobered up considerably. But as soon as he cleared his head, he saw everyone taking my side, tearing Jade apart. Marcus exploded. He stood up straight, shielding Jade. “Shut up, all of you! This is between my wife, Jade, and me. It’s none of your business to lecture us outsiders!” “I was just drunk! I made a mistake, I thought Jade was…” I didn’t give Marcus a chance to waffle. I threw my phone at him. “Look at this! A video clip I just pulled from the security footage.” When Marcus saw the video of himself and Jade naked and intertwined, he didn’t show shame. Instead, he angrily smashed the phone to the floor. “Enough! Do you want to scream to the world that you, Stella Brooks, are a cuckold? Can’t we just talk about this at home?” “I wanted to interrogate you two at home! But you were the one acting like a horny dog, clinging to Jade and spilling all your dirty secrets!” I had never felt such pain and fury. My chest ached as if someone were tearing it open. Every breath was agony. I couldn’t stay there another second. I grabbed my jacket and fled like a coward. I ended up at a bar, walking down the quiet, cold street, tears brimming in my eyes. I knew our marriage was over. My best friend and my husband – I wanted neither of them anymore. It was late when I finally returned to the home that once felt so happy and warm. But seeing our wedding photo, faded memories, sharp as daggers, ambushed me, leaving me no escape. I took the wedding photo down and smashed it myself. The noise was loud. Marcus, wearing a flimsy, sheer nightshirt, rushed out. “Stella, that’s enough!”
“Now that things have come to this, you only blame me for betraying you. But what about you? Have you ever thought about your own shortcomings?!” “Where were you when I was lonely and desperate? Where were you when I was scared?” Marcus was a master at clearing his name. Even when he was clearly in the wrong, he always found a way to walk away unscathed. But not this time. My eyes were bloodshot, a sign of extreme fury. “Hah. So you wore this to have Jade beneath you, to let her pleasure you, right?” When he was drunk earlier, and in the security video, he was wearing this same disgusting, sheer outfit to satisfy himself and pleasure Jade. I was so angry my nails dug deep into my flesh, but Marcus seemed oblivious to my rage. “Oh, so you’re jealous of that, huh?” “Come on!” “I’ll make it up to you, let you have some fun too.” He shamelessly lay on the sofa, spreading his legs, looking utterly perverse, as if he wanted me to defile him. I felt an unprecedented insult. Before I could even react in anger, he yelled at me impatiently. “Go on! I’m offering myself to you now, hurry up!” To emphasize his supposed helplessness, he even reached up to tear away the flimsy fabric that barely covered him, revealing his supposedly flawless skin. But it was covered in hickeys and marks left by another woman. Far from feeling desire, I felt sick to my stomach. “Ugh!” I rushed to the bathroom and threw up into the toilet for a long time. My body trembled uncontrollably from the anger. Only then did I realize how shameless and unrestrained a pampered man could truly be. When I came out, Marcus had changed his clothes and was carrying a suitcase. “Stella, I don’t want to fight with you. Let’s separate for a while and cool down.” He didn’t wait for me to speak, just opened the door and walked out, slamming it shut behind him – a clean, swift exit. I pulled out a cigarette and stepped onto the balcony. As I lit it, I saw Marcus downstairs, sprinting towards Jade. They were locked in an embrace, clinging to each other as if they wanted to melt into one. So his idea of “cooling down” was just an excuse to spend the night at Jade’s place. By then, my heart no longer ached for him. Instead, it was terrifyingly calm. Close to dawn, Jade sent me a video clip. I tapped it open and immediately heard the foul gasps and moans of a man and a woman. Then came the sight I would forever despise: Jade had completely thrown away any pretense of friendship, openly turning against me. “See that, Stella?” “You won against me so many times, but this time, I won.” “Your beloved man is beneath me right now. How pathetic and disgusting.” “Hahaha, aren’t you furious? But what can you do? The angrier you get, the happier I am.” But my heart was as calm as still water. Where was the anger from last night? I curled my lips in a sneer. “Jade, I don’t want that man anymore. He’s yours to play with.” “And also, you don’t need to come to work tomorrow. I’m officially firing you. You’re so eager to wear my sloppy seconds, so go ahead and wear him out! A kept man like Marcus isn’t worth my love anymore.” As I was about to put down my phone, Marcus’s angry voice boomed through. “Stella, how dare you talk about me like that?! Fine, I won’t hold back either. You want a divorce, right? I’ll make sure you lose everything!”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “303772”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance
Leave a Reply