I couldn’t believe my eyes as I stared at the divorce papers in my hands, my stomach churning with pain. “You know damn well I took the fall for Aaron’s crime! Why are you doing this to me?” I shouted, my voice cracking with emotion. Rachel, my wife, sneered. She raised her high-heeled foot and pressed it against my chest. “You’re nothing but a rapist!” she spat, pushing me backward with force. The man beside her laughed heartily. “Still dreaming about Aaron taking care of you in your old age? He doesn’t even…” Rachel’s face changed slightly, and she quickly covered his mouth. Aaron rushed out of the room just in time, dragging the adulterous couple back inside. He then turned to me and kicked me in the forehead. “Get lost, old man!” BANG! The security door slammed shut with such force that it caused the peeling paint on the surrounding walls to crumble and fall to the ground. As the air filled with the smell of dust, I struggled to my feet and began pounding on the door. “This is my house! It’s the property my father left me. You’re the ones who should get out!” I roared, feeling like my heart was about to explode with rage. … My name is Jack Wilson, and I’m 47 years old. I’m an only child. My father’s generation caught the wave of urban renewal, and we were given two houses and over $100,000 in compensation. Even though I didn’t have much talent or education, I could have lived a comfortable life with any job. Later, I met my wife Rachel at a massage parlor. She was masseuse number 78, and she was the first truly beautiful woman I had ever been close to since entering society. Later, she even transferred back to me all the money I had spent on her massages over two and a half years, saying, “I’ve saved up all the money you’ve spent on me these past two and a half years. I’m giving it all back to you now. Don’t come back anymore!” She even cried and said that if there was a next life, she would never do this job again and would definitely want to be my wife. That night, Rachel took the initiative to keep me there. She said she wanted to turn in an answer sheet for her youth, even if she didn’t pass, she wouldn’t regret it. It was my first time experiencing a woman’s touch. The bone-melting tenderness broke down all my psychological defenses. Afterward, I saw a pool of bright red on the bed and realized it was her first time too. I have to admit, I had a thing for virgins. To be honest, I was a virgin myself. So when I saw the red on the bed, I made up my mind to take her home! I hid Rachel’s job as a masseuse from my father, saying she was an accountant at a company. Later, Rachel became pregnant, and we had a shotgun wedding. All my friends envied me for finding such a beautiful wife. I was very content myself. … After raising our son from birth until he graduated and landed a high-paying job, before I could even enjoy the moment, the terrible news of Aaron sexually assaulting a female classmate came. I thought to myself, I’ve raised this son all my life, I can’t let him be ruined like this, can I? So, at my son’s pleading, I stepped forward and took all the blame upon myself. But I never imagined that karma would come back to hit me three years later. For my son’s sake, I was willing to be a criminal, because I am his father. But now, I don’t think that way anymore. Anyone can call me a criminal, except my son and wife! I clenched my fists tightly and went downstairs. My stomach growled embarrassingly. I dug out the innermost pocket of my clothes and handed the little money I had earned from prison labor to the noodle shop owner in the community: “One beef… no, one vegetable noodle, please.” I could eat more meals if I stuck to vegetable noodles. “Old Jack?” The shop owner quickly recognized me, though he seemed unsure of my identity. Looking at the shop owner, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity. Someone still remembered me. “It’s me, you…” My pupils constricted slightly. The shop owner ducked into the kitchen without a word, and the next second he rushed out with a kitchen knife, looking fierce: “You shameless old bastard! I’ll kill you!” I was terrified and ran away. But I bumped into a young girl face-to-face. CRASH— The bowls and plates Lily was carrying shattered on the ground. “Lily, are you okay?” I had just helped Lily up when I felt the gaze behind me become even more murderous. “Your father’s gone mad!” I let go of Lily and ran. Until I had left Lily’s father, who was chasing me with murderous intent, far behind. It was the height of summer. My worn-out shoes burned on the hot ground. I tried several small restaurants, but was thrown out of every one without exception. Because I lived in the old town by the river, everyone in the neighborhood knew me. They didn’t want to serve a rapist. Finally, in a newly opened convenience store, I used the shop owner’s hot water to make a cup of instant noodles to fill my stomach. “Sigh…” I ate while tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. The shop owner gave me a boiled egg, thinking I was a beggar. He didn’t take my money. But when I left, I still quietly put the money I owed under the noodle cup. As soon as I stepped out, a wave of scorching air hit me in the face. Accompanied by a sweet fragrance. It was Lily. She fanned her fair cheeks with her snow-white hand. “Uncle, I’ve finally found you!” I felt a bit awkward. “Tell your dad to be more careful next time. His temper is so bad, always threatening to chop people up. I haven’t even offended him!” Lily pursed her lips and smiled. “That’s just how my dad is. You know his temper. So I came to apologize to you!” Lily’s skin looked even whiter in the sunlight. I don’t know if it was because I had been in prison for too long, or if my vision was playing tricks on me. The way she looked at me was clear and bold, with a hint of shyness. What Lily said next surprised me even more. “Uncle, if you have nowhere to stay, you can stay at my place for now. I’ve heard a bit about what happened with your family.” I refused outright. Why would I stay at Lily’s place when we weren’t related? Besides, Lily was being too “friendly.” Faced with my refusal, Lily just laughed and convinced me with one sentence: “Aaron is my boyfriend, so isn’t it right for me to take care of you?” “…” Well, I guess I couldn’t refuse her kindness then. Lily didn’t prepare many living supplies for me, just saying I could use whatever was in the house. After giving me an old phone, she left. Although I was a bit nervous, I had nowhere else to stay, and Lily had extended an olive branch, so I couldn’t refuse. “Well, my future daughter-in-law is really not bad,” I sincerely praised her before settling in. The sky outside gradually darkened. Only one single room in the house was habitable, while the other two rooms were empty and very dusty. I couldn’t possibly stay in Lily’s room, so I planned to make do on the couch for the night. But the air conditioner in the living room was broken. I tried opening Lily’s bedroom door and turning on the air conditioner inside, but the cooling effect was still poor. “Nobody will see anyway, I’ll just make a bed on the floor in Lily’s room!” I got to work immediately. I pulled down the duvet cover Lily had hung on the balcony, spread it out on the bedroom floor, and was about to lie down when I noticed women’s intimate items on Lily’s bedside table, even some risqué styles. I couldn’t help but swallow. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t have any dirty thoughts about Lily. I had just been in prison for three years and was missing my wife a bit. “Damn it!” The thought of my wife Rachel instantly made me furious. How could she find another man while I was in prison? How did she convince my son Aaron to accept that man! Just as I was about to go to sleep, Lily came back. I got up again, preparing to rest outside. Lily grabbed my wrist. “It’s hot outside. Uncle, you can sleep on the floor. I’ll sleep on the bed, it’s fine.” I couldn’t help but blush. “Is… is that okay?” She nodded with a smile. “Of course it’s okay, but you need to turn off the surveillance camera first.” I was confused. She nodded towards the ceiling. Only then did I notice a surveillance camera with a small light on in the corner of the ceiling. “The remote control is on the bedside table. Go get it,” she added. “It wouldn’t look good if someone saw us.” I obediently did as she said. … I don’t know if Lily slept well, but I hardly slept at all that night. The next day, when I got up with dark circles under my eyes, I found breakfast on the table, along with $5,000 in cash and a note. [Uncle, I thought about it last night, and it’s not really appropriate for us to live together. I have some business to attend to and will be back late. Here’s $5,000 for you to use first. Let me know if you need more.] This girl is really considerate. However, the next second, the door suddenly opened. “Lily, I have some good news to tell you… Jack Wilson?” It was my son Aaron. He was shocked. “What are you doing here?!” I was calm. “I’m staying at Lily’s place. You seem very surprised?” “You old bastard! Who told you to stay here?” After the initial shock, his face was filled with anger. I was confused, not understanding where my son’s anger came from. But I didn’t care too much about that. What I cared about was what was going on with my wife Rachel now. “Where’s your mother? Who was that man with her yesterday?” Speak of the devil. Rachel came in arm in arm with the man from yesterday. “Son, is Lily ready? We’re supposed to go wedding dress shopping together today. How…” She was very surprised to see me. “Jack? What are you doing here?” “Who’s this man next to you?” I asked Rachel, pointing at the man. Rachel didn’t say anything, but the man spoke up first. He adjusted his collar and explained, “As you can see, I’m Rachel’s boyfriend. Let me introduce myself. My name is Brian Smith. You can call me Brian.” After speaking, as if to assert his dominance, Brian deliberately took my wife’s hand. Their fingers intertwined as they gazed at each other. The way they looked at each other was so affectionate that if I wasn’t the rightful husband, I might have been moved. After Rachel and Brian finished their display of affection, she took out the divorce papers she always carried in her pocket and threw them at me. “Please sign the agreement.” I picked up the agreement and laughed bitterly. Without even looking at it, I tore it to pieces. “Rachel, please get this straight. The house you’re living in is mine, and the money you’re spending is mine too!” “We must get divorced, but it’s not me who’s leaving with nothing. It’s you, Rachel!” I hadn’t slept all night, partly because of Lily, and partly because I had been thinking a lot. If my wife wasn’t good enough, I could replace her. If my son wasn’t good either, then I would take back what was rightfully mine. As tensions rose, Lily returned. She seemed to have been wronged outside, her eyes red as if she had just been crying. When Aaron saw Lily return, he took her hand and asked what was wrong. The next second, Lily raised her hand and pointed at me. “It was Jack Wilson. Yesterday I kindly let him stay at my house, but he actually tried to take advantage of me!” Aaron instantly became furious and rushed over to punch me in the face. “You old bastard, how dare you bully my woman?” I took the punch squarely. It wasn’t that I couldn’t dodge, but Lily’s inconsistent attitude had shocked me so much that I forgot to avoid it. “Lily, what are you saying? That’s not how things happened at all!” I was even angrier now. Meeting Lily’s cold gaze, I suddenly realized something. Lily and Aaron were boyfriend and girlfriend, and yesterday she had deliberately shown me kindness… There was a conspiracy! Rachel shouted, “What are you waiting for? Call the police!” Brian also gave me a look of contempt. “Once a rapist, always a rapist. It’s like a dog that can’t stop eating shit.” Soon, the police arrived. They handcuffed me and took me to the station without a word. After all, I had a criminal history. I told the police that the surveillance footage could prove my innocence. The police went to ask Lily to bring the footage. In fact, they had also noticed some suspicious points. But the pieced-together surveillance footage couldn’t prove that I had assaulted Lily, nor could it prove that I was innocent. So, my case was temporarily put on hold. After I was put in detention, Lily came to visit me on her own initiative. She said something shocking: “Do you remember that girl you raped years ago, the one called Bella?” My pupils contracted, instantly becoming as small as a needle point. “You know her?” I had never even seen that girl myself. Lily chuckled. “Bella was Aaron’s high school classmate. The summer of their graduation year, Aaron lured her to a bamboo grove under the pretext of having a barbecue to escape the heat, and then assaulted her.” “Afterward, he even used the video to threaten Bella. If she dared to tell anyone about what happened, he would send her video to the class and teacher group chats, ruining her reputation.” The more I listened, the more confused I became. “How do you know so much? Is Bella your sister?” That couldn’t be right. I had been neighbors with Lily’s father for many years, and we knew each other’s families inside out… Lily pursed her lips, revealing an eerie cold smile. “Don’t you know, Uncle, that the police like to use aliases to protect victims’ privacy?” “Bella… is me!”
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