That New Year’s Eve, I received a mysterious blind box gift. When I opened it, I found Barry’s assistant lying inside. She wore a nearly transparent dress, pointing at me and snapping: “You ignorant housekeeper! Who told you to open Barry’s gift? Where is Barry?” Turns out, she mistook me for Barry’s maid. I was about to kick her out when Barry rushed in and slapped me. He took off his jacket and draped it over Scarlett, then accused me: “Anya, who gave you permission to open my gift? And you dared to hit Scarlett?” I didn’t hesitate to slap him right back. “Barry! This is my house! How dare you bring your mistress here?” Barry then pulled Scarlett into his arms and said: “Scarlett is pregnant. She’s moving in with us, so don’t make a fuss.” I laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. “Then give me back my company shares. I don’t want this home anymore!” The assistant, huddled in his arms, stared at me with incredulous wide eyes. “Barry, who is she? You told me you only had a housekeeper here!” Barry gently kissed her forehead. “She’s just a business partner. I’ll handle it.” He then set her down and ordered someone to take her back. I scoffed, my heart bleeding. “Is that what you tell everyone at the company? That I’m your housekeeper?” Barry stepped forward with a sigh, reaching for my hand, but I pulled away. “Anya, when we got married, you said you wouldn’t interfere. My wife will always be you, no matter what.” I looked at his unreasonable face and closed my eyes. He was right. When the company first went public, He said he didn’t want me to work too hard, so I quit my job and let him take all the credit. I never imagined it would become his excuse for brazen infidelity. I took a deep breath. “I don’t want to discuss anything else. Just give me back my company shares.” Barry froze for a moment, then sneered. “Give them back? I’ve been running the company top to bottom for years, and all the people are mine . Anya, don’t be foolish.” I saw the undisguised contempt in his eyes, And the frozen crack in my heart rapidly spread. For years, Barry had poured all his energy into the company. I knew that trying to get the shares back now was utterly delusional. I had to find another way. Seeing my silence, Barry sighed softly and stepped closer again. “Scarlett will be moving in in a couple of days. If you keep being so paranoid, I’ll have no choice but to send you away.” He then turned and walked upstairs without another glance at me. I leaned against the cold wall alone, my heart aching to the point of suffocation. Why? Why had Barry and I become like this? Was it all because of that one incident…? The day Scarlett moved into the villa was our eighth wedding anniversary. She was wrapped in a new white fur coat Barry had bought her, Carefully cradling her stomach, Her face radiating thinly veiled triumph. “Anya, I’m so sorry about last time,” Her voice was sickly sweet, but her eyes held not a hint of apology. “I was a little startled that day and spoke without thinking. Please don’t take it to heart.” I stood at the top of the stairs, watching her walk in, supported by Barry, my fingernails digging into my palms. Scarlett changed into slippers, Then walked over, reaching out to grasp my hand intimately, but I shifted, avoiding her. She wasn’t offended, instead smiling even more sweetly. “Honestly, you don’t need to be so petty. For a man like Barry, isn’t it normal to have a few flings outside? We women, we need to be more generous.” She caressed her still-flat abdomen, her tone dismissive. “Anyway, when this baby is born, won’t they still call you ‘Mom’? You’ll get a child for free. What a bargain!” Each word was like a poisoned needle, pricking the most painful spot in my heart. Just then, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Barry. “The groceries have been delivered. Scarlett has severe morning sickness, so please make something light and nutritious. I’ll be home early to be with her.” I stared at the screen, suddenly remembering this day last year. I had spent a week planning the menu, Then started cooking in the kitchen from the afternoon, Making his favorite red wine braised oxtail and pan-seared foie gras. Candlesticks, fresh flowers, music – everything was perfect. I waited until midnight, Only to receive a cold message from him: “Meeting. Won’t be back.” Now, for another woman, He was practically itching to stay home all day. “Anya, did you see the message?” Scarlett had approached at some point, glimpsing my phone screen, her face flushing with happiness. “Barry is just so worried about me. You really don’t have to go through all this trouble.”
The next few days, I lived like a true housekeeper. Time quickly passed, bringing the anniversary of my father’s passing. In the early morning, I held a bouquet of pristine white chrysanthemums, my fingertips icy. Every year on this day, no matter how busy Barry was, he would accompany me to the cemetery. He would hold my trembling hand and whisper to my father’s stern photo on the tombstone, “Dad, I’ll take good care of Anya.” But now… My phone vibrated. It was Barry. “Scarlett woke up feeling dizzy this morning. Stay home and keep her company. I don’t trust leaving her alone.” I clutched the flower stems, my knuckles white. “Barry, today is the anniversary of my father’s passing.” There was a second of silence on the other end, only the faint rustle of papers. “I know. I’ll go to the cemetery myself. You just stay home.” “Barry!” My voice trembled. “That’s my father!” “Anya,” His tone held a warning edge of impatience. “Scarlett is pregnant and needs looking after. Can’t you be more understanding? Don’t make things difficult for me.” The call disconnected. I stood in the empty living room, Still clutching the flowers I’d prepared for my father, Shivering with cold. Finally, I gently placed the bouquet on the console table by the entrance and turned towards the study. I needed to do something, To distract myself from this pain that was tearing me apart. I opened my laptop and logged into a dormant account, stripped of its original access. I began to review years of financial records, page by page. I don’t know how much time passed, When a faint, sharp sound of shattering porcelain came from upstairs. My heart leaped, and I rushed out of the study. The sound came from my bedroom. Pushing open the door, the sight before me sent my blood rushing to my head, then freezing solid. Scarlett was half-reclining on my bed, wearing my silk nightgown. On the floor, my sky-blue crackle-glazed porcelain vase, which used to sit on my bedside table, lay in shattered pieces. Amidst the shards, Several torn old letters were scattered – letters my father had written to me a week before he passed. I had carefully folded them and hidden them at the bottom of the vase. They were my last precious mementos of him. Scarlett still clutched half a letter in her hand, Reading with interest: “Anya, the only thing I’m truly worried about in this life is you. Barry is cunning, and you are too honest. You must be more careful.” Seeing me, she didn’t panic. Instead, she flashed a smile that was both innocent and cruel. “Anya, oh, I’m so sorry, I just wanted to lie on your bed for a bit, and I accidentally knocked over this vase. This letter is so touching, your dad was really good to you.” She wiggled the half-sheet of paper in her hand, Then, the moment I lunged to snatch it, “Rip!” The paper was easily torn in half, and she casually tossed it to the floor. I had never dared to even wrinkle that letter. Now, this mistress had torn it to shreds so easily. “Scarlett!” I lunged and gripped her throat tightly! “Ah! You… let go…” Her eyes widened in terror, her hands clawing wildly at my forearms. “How dare you…” My eyes were bloodshot, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably as I squeezed with all my might. “How dare you touch my father’s things! How dare you tear up his letter!” “Stop!” A furious roar erupted, and a tremendous force slammed into my side. Barry had kicked me, And I fell hard onto the cold floor, My back hitting the vanity table, sending bottles and jars crashing down. “Barry! She’s trying to kill me! She’s trying to kill our baby!” Scarlett immediately threw herself into Barry’s arms, crying uncontrollably, Red marks starkly visible on her neck from my grip. Barry held her tightly, His eyes fixed on me, filled with undisguised rage and disgust. “Anya! You’re insane!” he bellowed. “Look at yourself! You look like a lunatic! A shrew!” I tried to push myself up, The searing pain in my side was nothing compared to the agony in my heart. I looked at Scarlett, nestled in his arms, and suddenly began to laugh softly. My laughter grew, tinged with desperate madness. “Lunatic? Yes, I’m a lunatic.” I looked up, staring intently at Barry. “Barry, why didn’t you tell your little mistress why you’re allowing her to have this illegitimate child?” Barry’s body stiffened abruptly. Scarlett’s crying also stopped, and she looked at him with confusion. I laughed until tears streamed down my face. “Because you know perfectly well that I can never have children again!” “Barry, do I need to remind you? Back when we just started our business, how I was pushed down the stairs by creditors while protecting your ‘core documents’, miscarrying our four-month-old child, and becoming unable to be a mother ever again?!” Barry’s face instantly turned incredibly ugly, a mix of green and white. A flicker of guilt and shame crossed his eyes, but it was immediately replaced by deeper fury and humiliation. “Shut up!” he sharply cut me off. “What’s the point of bringing up ancient history?” He pulled Scarlett closer, speaking in a cold voice. “Tomorrow, I’ll contact a private clinic. You need a period of quiet recuperation.” With that, he didn’t look at me again, Carefully helping the sobbing Scarlett out of my bedroom. The door slammed shut. I collapsed onto the cold floor, tears soaking my collar. He had begged my father to marry me, kneeling for three days and three nights. He cried and held me, promising he’d never let me suffer. When we first started the company, we were so poor we could barely afford food, but he still bought me a ring. When my father passed away, I was heartbroken, and Barry stayed with me every moment. In those first few years, we had a warm and loving little home. But I don’t know when it started, he frequently didn’t come home, grew impatient with me, and even cheated. The young man who swore to love me for a lifetime, Now, for an assistant, wanted to send me to a psychiatric facility.
Before dawn, I crawled off the cold floor. The bruise on my waist made me gasp in pain. I quickly got up and pulled a light carry-on suitcase from the walk-in closet. I only packed a few simple clothes and a necklace my father had given me. As I passed the master bedroom, I heard Scarlett’s petulant murmuring and Barry’s low, soothing voice. I didn’t stop, walking straight downstairs and into the kitchen. The refrigerator was filled with expensive ingredients Barry had ordered. I took out a few items and made a simple mushroom soup. Then, I took a small packet of light yellow powder from my pocket and poured it into the soup. I then carried the soup and some bread to Barry’s bedroom door. Barry quickly opened the door, dressed in a robe, his face showing irritation at being disturbed. Seeing it was me, his frown deepened. “Breakfast,” I said, handing over the tray, my voice devoid of emotion. “Scarlett needs nutrition.” He looked at me with some surprise, taking the tray. “Thank you.” I lowered my gaze, said nothing, Turned around, and quietly pushed open the back door leading to the garage. The morning air was sharp and piercing. I drove out of the garage in the most inconspicuous old commuter car, After driving a sufficient distance, I parked the car in a secluded public parking lot. Using a new SIM card I’d prepared, I dialed a number. “Hello, Mr. Davies, it’s Anya.” Mr. Davies was my father’s most capable deputy during his lifetime, and an elder who had watched me grow up. After my father passed, he stayed with the company and was now the Vice President of Finance. Mr. Davies was my father’s most trusted person; he would surely help me. Mr. Davies’s concerned voice came through the phone: “Anya? Why are you using this number? Are you alright?” Hearing the familiar voice, my nose stung, and I fought back a sob. “Mr. Davies, I need your help. Barry… he’s trying to send me to a psychiatric facility.” “What?!” Mr. Davies’s voice suddenly rose, filled with shock and anger. “How dare he! That ungrateful Asshole! Anya, where are you now? Are you safe?” “I’m safe for now.” I spoke quickly. “Mr. Davies, please keep an eye on Barry’s movements at the company for me, especially regarding shares and funds.” “Also… if anyone from a ‘private clinic’ or ‘care facility’ comes to the house or company looking for me today, please say I’ve gone away to clear my head and can’t be reached for now.”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “336368”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #重生Reborn
Leave a Reply