On our fifth wedding anniversary, I drank the hot milk Brendan handed me and slipped into a deep sleep. When I woke up, a chilling sensation ran across my scalp. In the mirror, I saw my head was shaved bald, with a childish drawing of a turtle scrawled across my forehead. Sofia, the scholarship student I’d sponsored, held the clippers, laughing hysterically. “Her head is so round, like an egg!” Brendan stood beside her, his gaze doting on Sofia. “Sofia’s practicing her hairstyling. She just used you for practice, that’s all. Your hair will grow back, don’t be so dramatic.” I touched my slick, bald head, staring at this vile couple who found amusement in humiliating me. Practice, huh? Well, when they’re living on the streets, they can practice on homeless people. Brendan’s smile froze on his face. Sofia, the student I’d sponsored for three years, was still cackling beside him. “Don’t be mad, Brendan said you’re the most generous person ever.” She shook the electric clippers in her hand, still clinging to strands of my hair. I ignored her. My gaze landed on Brendan. “Brendan, five years of marriage, and this is how you surprise me?” He scowled, his tone dripping with impatience. “Audrey, that’s enough. Seriously.” “It’s just some hair, it’ll grow back.” “She didn’t do it on purpose. She just wanted to give you a trendy new look.” “Look at you, can’t even take a joke.” Sofia chimed in, fanning the flames: “Exactly! And your skin is so fair, a shaved head really makes your features pop, honest!” She even pulled out her phone, trying to snap a picture of me. “I’ll help you post it on social media, all your friends will say you look so cool!” I stared at her, enunciating every word. “Put the phone down.” My voice was calm, but it made Sofia freeze. Brendan felt embarrassed. He grabbed my arm, pulling me roughly towards him. “What’s your problem with Sofia? She’s just a student! Why are you scaring her?!” His grip was strong, and my scalp hit the buttons on his chest, sending a jolt of pain through me. I didn’t struggle. I let him hold me. I just lifted my head and looked at him. “Brendan, the sleeping pills in that milk, the dosage wasn’t small, was it?” “How long was I out?” He flinched, his eyes darting away. “Sleeping pills? Don’t be ridiculous.” “You’ve just been really tired lately, you slept soundly.” How sweet. He could talk about drugging me so casually. I nodded, acknowledging his words. Then, right in front of them, I picked up my phone, aimed it at my bald, turtle-decorated head, and took a high-definition photo. Brendan exploded. “Audrey, what the hell are you doing?!” He lunged forward, trying to snatch my phone. I took a step back, slipping the phone into my pocket. “Don’t touch me.” “I think this look is quite memorable.” “After all, it’s your fifth-anniversary gift to me.” I turned and walked into the walk-in closet, locking the door behind me. I heard Brendan’s enraged pounding on the door and Sofia’s sweet, pleading voice from outside. “Brendan, don’t be mad. She’s probably just overthinking things.” “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have used her for practice.” I didn’t listen. From the safe, I retrieved my ID, birth certificate, property deeds, and my prenuptial agreement. My dad, fearing I’d be taken advantage of, had hired the best legal team to make everything crystal clear. My company shares, the properties under my name, and my savings before marriage had absolutely nothing to do with Brendan. Yet, the startup capital for his company? That came from me. The spacious apartment we lived in? It was under both our names, but I paid for the down payment and the renovations. I gathered my things, stuffing them into an inconspicuous backpack. Then, I changed into a new outfit and put on a hat. I opened the door. Brendan and Sofia were lounging intimately on the sofa. Seeing me emerge, Brendan immediately stood up, looking a little uneasy. “Did you come to your senses?” “Just delete the photo, apologize to Sofia, and we can forget this ever happened.” I looked at him, as if he were a complete stranger. “Apologize?” “Alright.” I walked up to Sofia. She cowered in Brendan’s arms, looking at me timidly. “I…” *Smack!* A crisp, resounding slap. I put every ounce of strength into it. Sofia’s face instantly swelled, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She clutched her cheek, staring at me in disbelief. Brendan was stunned too. When he finally reacted, he shoved me away. “Audrey, what the hell is wrong with you?!” I was pushed against the wall, my back aching. But I stood firm. “That slap was for me. Thank you for showing me that the person I was sleeping next to was a piece of trash.” I didn’t look at them again, walking directly towards the door. Brendan roared behind me: “If you walk out that door, don’t ever come back!” I didn’t stop. I pulled open the door, turned around, and smiled at him. “This head with a turtle drawn on it doesn’t quite match your glittering doghouse.” “Don’t worry. I’m not just leaving; I’m going to make sure you roll out of here too.”
I booked a suite at a downtown hotel. The first thing I did was call my private lawyer. “Daniel, prepare for a divorce. I’m filing.” Daniel sounded a bit surprised on the other end, but his professionalism kept him from asking too many questions. “Understood, Ms. Lin. What materials do you need me to prepare?” “Everything. Asset division, and I want to sue Brendan for assault.” “Assault?” “Yes.” I sent him the photo I took last night. There was silence on his end for a full minute. “Ms. Lin, I understand.” “Don’t worry, I’ll handle this.” I hung up, then looked at my absurd reflection in the mirror. The turtle on my forehead was drawn with an oil-based marker. Water didn’t wash it off; it just smudged, making it look even uglier. I used makeup remover, scrubbing bit by bit. My scalp was red and raw by the time I finally got it off. Looking at my bald head, I didn’t cry. Tears were the most useless things in the world. What I wanted was for them to pay. The next morning, I went to the bank. “Hello, I’d like to freeze all my bank cards, including all supplementary cards.” After finishing my business, I had just walked out of the bank when Brendan’s call came through. “Audrey, what is this?! Why did you shut down my cards?!” “Sofia picked out a bag, and the card wouldn’t go through! Do you know how embarrassed she was?!” I chuckled softly. “Oh? Is that so?” “Well, she should be even more embarrassed now.” “Because from this moment on, if you spend one cent of my money, it has to be with my permission.” “You!” Brendan was too furious to speak. “Audrey, don’t forget, half the company is mine!” “Is it?” I said slowly. “Are you sure you want to go over the company’s accounts with me?” “The five million dollars you started your business with? That was my money. According to our prenuptial agreement, it’s a personal gift from me, and I have the right to revoke it at any time.” “The company’s cash flow and accounts, every single transaction is clear. How much money did you spend on your little mistress, how many luxury cars and watches did you buy for yourself? If we really investigate, what do you think you’ll get from the company?” On the other end of the phone, only heavy breathing remained. Brendan was speechless. All these years, he’d grown accustomed to living lavishly, accustomed to my unconditional support. He’d forgotten that everything he had was built upon my contributions. “Audrey, what exactly do you want?” “Nothing much.” “Just want you to experience what it’s like to be broke.” “You love to practice, don’t you?” “Now, it’s my turn.”
My second target was Sofia. A lowlife who claimed to be a struggling student, shamelessly spending other people’s money. The university she attended, Harvard University, a prestigious institution. I had initially decided to sponsor her because of her excellent grades. Thinking back, it was truly ironic. I went directly to the Harvard University President’s office. Without an appointment, I was stopped by the secretary outside. “Ma’am, do you have an appointment? The President doesn’t see guests without one.” I smiled at her. “Tell your President that Audrey Lin from Lin Corporation is here to report one of your students for moral misconduct, being a mistress, and defrauding scholarship funds.” “If he doesn’t see me, these details will be on the Harvard University forum and the front page of every local media outlet in the next minute.” The secretary’s face paled, and she immediately rushed into the office. Less than thirty seconds later, the door opened. A middle-aged man with a receding hairline came out, a forced smile on his face. “Oh, Ms. Lin, please come in, please come in!” I walked into the office and sat on the sofa. The President himself poured me a glass of water. “Ms. Lin, what were you just saying about…” I took a stack of documents from my bag and dropped them on the table. “President, I won’t beat around the bush.” “For three years, I’ve been individually sponsoring a student in your Foreign Language Department, Sofia Jiang.” “These are the sponsorship proofs for each year.” I pointed to the first document. “And this is her annual poverty application, stating that both her parents are unemployed and in poor health, with a younger brother in school, and the entire family relies on meager income to get by.” The President nodded: “We know Sofia, an excellent student, one of the university’s top prospects.” “Excellent student?” I chuckled. I pulled out a second stack of documents and slapped them on the table. These were what my private investigator had dug up overnight. “President, take a look. This is the ‘excellent, top prospect’ scholarship student you speak of.” “A Hermès Birkin bag, costing fifty thousand dollars. A Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra necklace set, well over twenty thousand. And this watch, a Patek Philippe, retailing for over a hundred thousand.” “She also owns an apartment near the university, with a monthly rent of five thousand dollars.” “Excuse me, how can a family living on welfare afford all of this?” He picked up the photos, his hands trembling. “This can’t be. Is there some misunderstanding?” “Misunderstanding?” I pulled out my final trump card. A photo of Brendan and Sofia kissing in my bed, captured by my home security cameras. “President, this man is my husband. Sofia used my scholarship money to sleep with my husband, live in the apartment I bought, and then turned around to humiliate me.” “Is this how Harvard, a century-old prestigious university, educates its students? Teaching them how to break up families, how to be a shameless home-wrecker?” My voice wasn’t loud, but every word was like a hammer, striking the President’s face. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “Ms. Lin, please calm down. Please calm down. The university was completely unaware of this matter. We will absolutely handle this seriously and provide you with a satisfactory explanation!” I stood up. “I don’t want an explanation. I want results.” “Harvard University’s regulations, regarding students who defraud scholarships and engage in misconduct, I’m sure you’re more aware than I am, President.” “Expulsion, and a campus-wide announcement.” “I expect to see the announcement tomorrow. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee where these photos and documents will end up.” I put on my hat and turned to leave. Sofia, aren’t you most concerned about your reputation and future? I’d like to see what kind of future a home-wrecker expelled from a prestigious university can have.
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