Liam cheated with an employee twelve years his junior. After I found out, he chose to come back home. Until I accidentally saw an unsigned text on his phone. “I’m getting married tomorrow. Can you come to Manhattan to see me one last time?” From our city to Manhattan, it was only a three-hour drive. If he left now, he’d probably get there around one in the morning. Watching him pack his bags, I said softly, “Taking so many clothes? Planning to sleep with her again while you’re there?” “Do you need me to pack a box of condoms for you two?” Liam looked up, his face etched with a weariness I’d never seen before. “Scarlett, I’ve already chosen you. What more do you want?” “Are you really going to push me until I break?” I remember the sheer panic on his face when I caught him and Chloe checking into that hotel room. Just like those wives on TV who catch their cheating husbands, in my extreme rage and heartbreak, I tore into them, hitting and scratching, snapping humiliating photos, and posting them online. Chloe was utterly disgraced. She was fired from her job and moved out of town shortly after. Liam, because of the scandal, lost a major contract worth hundreds of thousands, and was fired from his executive position. Under immense public scrutiny and moral pressure, he formally apologized to me and returned home. After coming back, he was completely devoted to me. Even when he was restarting his business, he took on the daily care of our newborn daughter, shouldering unprecedented stress, just so I could get some sleep. In just one year, despite being busy and exhausted, his new company had taken off. As his status rose, he was absolutely thriving, both professionally and personally. It was as if there were no real consequences for him at all. Except for a few bad colds he caught early on from overwork. And this was him saying I was pushing him until he broke? How ironic. I smirked. “Liam, how can you even say that?” “Did you forget you swore you’d never go near her again?” Liam folded his clothes one by one back into the closet, then closed his suitcase. “Scarlett, it’s been a while since we visited Mr. Davison and the kids at the orphanage. Let’s go together tomorrow.” “Let’s get some rest before Lily wakes up. You know how fussy she gets.” A hint of tenderness mixed with Liam’s sickeningly calm expression. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, but I barely felt it. I hated his infuriating way of sidestepping the real issue. He was the one who screwed up, so how could he act so completely unbothered?! I scoffed, “What about Chloe then? You love her so much, aren’t you afraid she’ll be heartbroken if you don’t go to Manhattan? Or are you afraid you’ll be struck by lightning for breaking your vow?” His face remained impassive. “Scarlett, the kids love the puddings from that little dessert shop downtown. Remember to grab some tomorrow.” Liam was always like this. The colder and more detached he acted, the deeper his feelings ran. It used to be that way with me, and now it was the same with Chloe. I just wanted to tear that fake mask right off his face. I pulled open a drawer and took out a stack of letters. Fighting the nausea in my stomach, I read them aloud, word by word. “Chloe, you’re like a cloud in the sky, untouched by the world. Seeing you, I finally understood such pure goodness exists.” “They say love can be fleeting, like a cloud, but I want to keep you forever in my heart, year after year, protecting your pristine purity.” “All I ask for in this life is to be by your side, never apart.” “Chloe, the one next to me isn’t the one I truly want. Only in the deep of night, when I dream, can I see your eyes as pure as ever, so clean they make my heart tremble.” Finally, a crack appeared in Liam’s composure. He roared, losing control, “Shut up! Scarlett, I just made a mistake! Haven’t I paid enough for my mistakes this past year?” “It’s over! Why won’t you ever forgive me?!” I sneered, picking up the lacy thong that wasn’t mine and throwing it in his face. “Forgive you? Your love letters to her are just so… moving. I had to keep them. A constant reminder of the pure, beautiful Chloe you carry in your heart!”
“Besides, is that really atonement? Lily isn’t my daughter alone. You’re just taking responsibility for your child!” Liam was always romantic; he often wrote love letters when he was in love. I used to pretend to dislike them, but secretly, my heart would flutter. I thought he would only ever love me. Until one day, while cleaning out of boredom, I found this stack of papers in a box on the bottom shelf of his bookshelf. In two years, he had written her 600 love letters. The red rose lace thong Chloe had given him was her response to his affections. It was like I’d opened Pandora’s Box, and the demons inside immediately devoured my soul. That day, due to extreme emotional distress, I went into premature labor. Liam still didn’t know I’d discovered their secret. He continued to play the role of a tragic, star-crossed lover with Chloe until I finally exposed them. I had just given birth. I stuffed that thick stack of love letters into my bag and rushed to his company, ready to expose them in front of everyone. But the receptionist said Liam had taken Chloe out for some purchasing. A female colleague, seeing me looking weak and exhausted, thought I was just there to bring my husband some documents. She took pity on me and said, “This morning, I heard Mr. Liam tell Chloe he was taking her to the Butterfly Inn.” The last shred of hope shattered, and I didn’t care about anything else. When I arrived at the hotel, the staff thought I was there to cause a scene, so I had no choice but to call the police. With the police’s help, I finally found my husband in a suite, panicked but still tenderly shielding his mistress. I completely lost it and attacked them both. I cursed them with every hateful word I knew, taking photos to expose them. The whole process was surprisingly smooth and not difficult, but it completely drained all my strength. Liam rubbed his temples, annoyed. “Is this really necessary? Yes, I messed up at the hotel, but our intimacy was limited to that one time. You walked in and ruined everything, so we didn’t even finish anything, did we?” I shot back, “Don’t you dare act so righteous about cheating!” Liam smirked, his voice calm and cruel. “Scarlett, don’t you know? The more you make a scene, the more beautiful Chloe becomes in my eyes.” “You could never compare to her. Let’s see how long you can keep this up.” My breath hitched, and I stared at him, unblinking. His emotions finally wavered, but my chest tightened as if a massive stone was crushing it, suffocating me. The man who once loved me with all his heart was now utterly repulsive. I had even thought about letting it go. He had repented, changed, and returned home. We had a newborn daughter. But this past year, every time he tried to be intimate with me, I would always picture him entwined with Chloe. I was so disgusted I wanted to throw up. I couldn’t pretend nothing had happened. The accumulated resentment and fury in my heart finally erupted. I shrieked, “Then divorce me and marry her! Liam, stop pretending you’re some martyr, it makes me sick!” With that, I picked up the thong and tore it to shreds. “You pathetic excuse for a human! Both of you are!” Liam watched my fury with a satisfied smirk, then reached out to wipe away my tears. “See? You’re making yourself such a mess just to get a reaction out of me. Is it worth it?” “Scarlett, it’s over. Why can’t you just move on?”
“We have a daughter now. Don’t talk about divorce anymore.” I slapped his hand away, offering no response. Lily woke up from our commotion, crying incessantly. I walked to her crib, picked her up, and started to soothe her. Liam watched for a moment, then closed the bedroom door and left. After I’d calmed Lily down and went to the kitchen to make a bottle of formula, I was hit by the strong smell of alcohol. I looked at Liam. He was sitting on the floor, his eyes glazed with a hint of drunkenness, several empty bottles scattered around his feet. He looked completely lifeless. Was he wallowing in self-pity because his precious Chloe was getting married? His phone suddenly rang. He glanced at it, his eyes flickered, and with a trembling hand, he pressed answer. “Chloe, I’m here.” Chloe’s soft, almost childlike voice came through the phone, “Liam, she’s not letting you come see me, is she?” Liam’s eyes darkened. “Chloe, she’s my wife, and we have a daughter. I have to be responsible.” “I understand, Liam. You’re so responsible, so committed, a good man. My judgment about men is never wrong.” Chloe’s voice was barely a whisper, as if she were about to crumble. Liam gripped his phone, his voice gentle. “We shouldn’t see each other anymore. Chloe, I wish you happiness.” Just as he was about to hang up, Chloe pleaded, “Liam, can I say a few words to her?” Liam paused, then handed me the phone. “Chloe wants to say a few words to you. Try to keep your temper in check, don’t scare her.” I didn’t take it, but Chloe seemed to know I was right there. “Scarlett, since he’s returned home, I beg you to be good to him from now on. The hardships and exhaustion he faces earning money out there are no less than yours.” “He doesn’t like spicy food and prefers sweet lattes. Don’t let him eat too many cold things in the summer; his stomach isn’t good.” “Oh, and I bought him a massage device before. His neck and shoulders aren’t great, so remember to give him a massage when you have time. Also, his career is on the rise, and you just gave birth to Lily not long ago, so be careful when you’re intimate with him. Don’t get pregnant again and distract him. Remember to use protection…” I sneered, “Are you done?” “So you can’t let him go? Fine, I’ll package him up and send him straight to your bed tomorrow, how about that? You can have a new groom!” “Someone as shameless as you, you don’t care what people say, right? Let everyone see you for…!” Liam quickly snatched the phone away, yelling at me, “Shut up! What the hell are you doing?!” I looked at him, my eyes burning with hatred. “She did it, so I’ll talk about it! Liam, you two are absolutely disgusting! Flirting right in front of me!” Chloe’s soft whimpering instantly filled the room. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make your wife angry.” Liam’s face darkened further. “Scarlett, apologize.” All rational thought was burned away by my fury. It was like I was back in that hotel room, catching them in the act. I lunged at him, hitting and scratching. “Liam, are you even human?! You two deserve to rot in hell! Both of you!” Liam pushed me away, covering his face, uncontrollably furious. “Scarlett, are you deaf?! Didn’t you hear me say goodbye to Chloe just now?! If you keep acting like this, I swear I’ll go to Manhattan and find her!” As he said the last sentence, a clear spark of longing flashed in his eyes—a longing to see Chloe. But he still had to play the role of the long-suffering, responsible good guy. It made me look like the villain, as if I was the one who pushed him to this point. I scoffed, running back into the bedroom. I grabbed the clothes he’d just packed, threw them and the suitcase at him. “Get out!” “Liam, I can’t even stand to look at you; you make me sick.”
“Scarlett, you brought this on yourself. Let’s see how you manage to raise our daughter alone once I’m gone.” Liam gave a cold, mocking smile, grabbed his suitcase, and left. The living room finally fell silent. I collapsed to the floor, like all the strength had been sucked out of me, silently weeping into my arms. Only when Lily started crying again did I pull myself up, shaking the half-mixed formula evenly, and carry it back to her room. I held my daughter’s tiny body, staying awake all night. I was the one being pushed to my breaking point. By him. And by Chloe. In the year Liam had been back, our interactions seemed outwardly harmonious. But I was slowly losing myself. At night, I’d constantly dream of those naked bodies, entwined on the hotel bed. I started to cry for no reason, trembling uncontrollably, screaming, throwing things, even cutting my own arm with a knife. If Liam came home even a little late, I’d pick passive-aggressive fights with him. Over and over, I suspected he was seeing another woman. He’d patiently explain at first, but eventually, he just started sleeping in the guest room. Our relationship slowly froze over. It wasn’t until one day, holding Lily, I considered jumping from the eighteenth floor, that I had a stark wake-up call. I almost died. I’d become the “overly dramatic” and “crazy” new mom Liam always complained about—I had depression. I stood on the rooftop, the cold wind clearing my head. I started fighting back, seeing doctors regularly, taking my medication. But today, Liam, the root of all this, had pushed me back to the brink. This disgusting marriage was finally over. I stayed up all night until dawn. Liam still wasn’t back, but his parents arrived first. Mr. Hayes sized me up and started to lecture. “Fighting with Liam again? Scarlett, if Liam really loved Chloe, you wouldn’t be our daughter-in-law, would you?” “You have no foresight. If you’d just kept quiet back then, Liam wouldn’t have been fired, and we’d all be living comfortably off his bonuses, instead of him working himself to death.” Mrs. Hayes picked up her phone, feigning sympathy. “Scarlett, Liam is so exceptional, it’s natural for a man like him to have… companions outside the home. You need to have a son to truly secure him, otherwise, you’ll be crying for the rest of your life!” With that, she held her phone in front of me. It displayed Liam’s Instagram post from last night, after he’d left. In the photo, he was tightly embracing Chloe, wiping her tears, his face full of tenderness. [Traveled a thousand miles, just to see you.] I opened my phone, but Liam’s post wasn’t there. That’s when I realized he’d blocked me. I called him several times, but he declined every single one. Hanging up the last call, I quietly asked, “Are you sure he went to see Chloe?” Mrs. Hayes, her face practically glowing with triumph, called Liam right in front of me on her own phone. He picked up instantly. “Mom, what is it?” Mrs. Hayes said sweetly, “Liam, where are you? Are you fighting with Scarlett again?” Liam’s flat tone carried a clear hint of disdain. “It’s not really a fight, she’s just having one of her episodes. Probably bored stuck at home.” “I’m in Manhattan, Mom. Don’t tell Scarlett. I just needed to see Chloe one last time. I’ll be back soon.” The call ended in just one minute. So, he really had rushed there overnight. My chest felt hollowed out, yet strangely relieved at the same time. Seeing my lack of reaction, Mrs. Hayes smiled. “Hear that? Liam always complains that you’re so dull and stupid, always fighting with him. If it weren’t for Lily, he would have left you ages ago!” “I actually think Chloe is quite good. I heard her parents are well-respected teachers; she’s more than good enough for our Liam. Unlike some people who have no family, no roots, like an orphan!” “If parents have bad character, their children will also turn out bad. Since someone likes this kind of trash, they can have him!” I retorted calmly, then walked away with Lily without a backward glance, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Hayes to curse me out. I knew they didn’t like me, so I’d always tolerated them after Liam and I got married. But not anymore. Since Liam wasn’t in town, I’d go find him myself. I went to a lawyer’s office, got a copy of divorce papers, and took a cab to Manhattan. Following the photo Liam’s mom had shown me, I went straight to the hotel where they were meeting. In the lobby, Chloe was in a wedding dress, about to exchange rings with Daniel, her groom. Liam watched, looking utterly heartbroken, as if his soul had been ripped right out of him. He said, his voice full of aching, suppressed emotion, “Chloe, you have to be happy.” Chloe’s eyes welled up. One on the stage, one below it, they looked like star-crossed lovers tragically torn apart. I walked into the lobby from outside, stopping in front of Liam, and called out loudly, “Since you and Chloe love each other so much, I’ll grant you your wish!” “Liam, we’re getting a divorce!”
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