After my wife was assaulted, she became emotionally unstable and lost her appetite. Even when I put aside work to focus entirely on her, she would only tell me to get lost. Until one drunken night, my wife sent another woman to my bed. “This way, neither of us can blame the other,” she said. I could only swallow my hurt feelings. Little did I know, beneath this incident lay another layer of truth I was unaware of… The hangover headache made me reach for my phone on the nightstand to check the time. Then a hand helped me grab the phone. Someone was standing by the bed, staring at me ominously with bloodshot eyes, like a predator spotting prey and waiting to strike. “Honey, you’re awake?” It was my wife. I rubbed my head. “Lily, what’s wrong with your eyes? Didn’t you sleep?” Lily didn’t answer. Instead, she picked up the phone and made a call. “Hello, I’d like to report a rape.” Lily’s words shocked me. Just a month ago, Lily herself had been assaulted. Although the perpetrator had been arrested, that night’s events had become a thorn in Lily’s heart. In the weeks since coming home, Lily had seen countless therapists. But any mention of keywords related to that night would instantly send her into a frenzy, smashing things and cursing. She’d accuse us of rubbing salt in her wounds, of not letting her move on. Eventually, Lily’s mental state became erratic and jumpy. If she saw me standing close to any other woman, she would immediately rush over and slap me hard. “I knew you were disgusted by me. I knew it. I’ve been watching you for a long time. You want to divorce me and be with her, don’t you?” “I’m telling you, if I hadn’t gone to bring you an umbrella, I never would have met him. None of this would have happened.” She was right. I bore some responsibility for what happened. That day, I had worked overtime at the office until 10 PM. When I went downstairs, I realized it was raining. I tried to get a ride, but the Uber queue was over 50 people long. I tried to buy an umbrella, but several stores said they were sold out and only had plastic bags left. I declined the bags. So I asked Lily to come pick me up. But before she arrived, I got a call from the police saying my wife had been dragged into an alley and assaulted. She was extremely distraught. In my rush, I ended up going to the police station with a black garbage bag over my head. So in this state, when Lily suddenly and uncharacteristically uttered the word “rape,” I naturally couldn’t understand. “Lily, what are you talking about?” Lily ignored me and continued, “Shisen Road, Linxue Garden, Building 2, Unit 304. The rapist…” Lily glanced at me. “Marcus Wilson.”
She said my name. My heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t understand why she was falsely accusing me. Until I heard faint breathing behind me. I turned around and realized there was another woman sleeping in the same bed. She was curled up by the edge, which is why I hadn’t noticed her before. At that moment, I finally understood what Lily meant by “rape.” “I didn’t do anything. I don’t even know her,” I said frantically, grabbing Lily’s arm to prove my innocence. Lily just gave me a look, then turned and locked the door, leaving me alone with the woman. I wanted to wake her up and ask what was going on, but she was completely naked. I didn’t dare look. I deliberately made some noise to wake her up. Thankfully it worked, and the woman finally stirred. But the confusion in her eyes matched my own. The unfamiliar environment and my presence made her shriek. “Who are you? Why am I here?” She grabbed a pillow and started hitting me with it, angrily demanding to know what I had done to her. I could only tell her to calm down and try to remember what happened last night. But this was the woman’s first time in this kind of situation. How could she possibly stay calm? After cursing me and my ancestors, she asked where I had hidden her clothes. I looked around and saw her clothes scattered everywhere. Just as I picked them up to toss to her, the door opened again. “We received a report of a crime in progress. Please come with us,” said the police officers who entered.
Sitting at the police station again, I felt like I was on pins and needles. Fortunately, all the evidence showed that nothing had actually happened between me and the strange woman. We were both innocent. As for why she ended up in my bed, it seems she really had just drunkenly wandered into the wrong place. After getting lectured by the police, on the way home I asked Lily why she had said those misleading things. Rape accusations could ruin my reputation for life. Plus, my company was in the middle of a restructuring. I had a good chance at a director position. If anyone at work found out about this, even if it was all made up, it would still become the subject of gossip. Lily glanced at me. There was a hint of some indescribable emotion in her eyes. Her next words shocked me even more. “Because I did it.” “That woman – I carried her to the bed.” My eyes widened in disbelief. I turned to look at Lily, about to ask why. Just then, our taxi rear-ended the car in front of us. The driver got out, cursing loudly as he went to argue with the other driver. I glanced outside. The car we hit was an Audi. Apparently the other driver had changed lanes abruptly, causing the collision. But that wasn’t important. What mattered was my wife, and why she would try to frame me as a rapist. “Why?” I asked. Deep down, I had an inkling. But I needed to hear it from her own mouth, to extinguish that last flicker of hope in my heart. “This way we’re even,” she said. “Neither of us owes the other anything.” What a thing to say – that we’re even now. “Did you think about the consequences of doing this?” I asked. Lily seemed completely unconcerned as she turned to watch the argument outside. “Of course I know the consequences.” “But if you love me, you shouldn’t blame me.” I stared at her. The dim light cast shadows across her face. The red taillights reflected in her eyes, making her words seem even more vicious. On the way home, I didn’t say another word to her. I knew she blamed me for causing her to lose her dignity, for the public humiliation that left her unable to show her face. But if I’m being honest, I had never once looked down on her since the incident. I never showed even a hint of impatience. In fact, worried she might overthink things, I kept my distance from all other women. I turned down any work events I could avoid, just to stay home with her. We even moved far away from where it happened. I promised her parents I would never divorce her. What happened was an accident. More than anger, I felt heartbroken for her. Lily was the woman I had pursued for years, the apple of my eye. Even if her temper had become erratic, I felt it was understandable. But last night, that one work event I couldn’t skip was crucial for my promotion. I had to go. Yet it was this one time that Lily decided to set such a trap.
When we got home, Lily started changing the bedsheets unprompted. Her phone kept buzzing, probably someone calling. I wasn’t in the mood to listen. I went to the bathroom to have a smoke and clear my head. I chain-smoked half a pack, but still couldn’t calm down. I kept thinking about how over the line Lily’s actions were. I considered her in everything I did, but she clearly didn’t think of me at all. This was a critical time for my promotion. I was the sole breadwinner. We’d been married two years, and both sets of parents were eager for grandkids. If I could land the director position, we could significantly improve our lifestyle and reduce a lot of stress. Then we could start thinking about having a baby. But now, it had all gone up in smoke. I regretted asking Lily to bring me an umbrella that night. But I was also angry that she would use such dirty tactics to drag me down with her. I loved Lily, but after this, I wasn’t sure I loved her quite so much anymore. I shook out the cigarette pack and found it empty. I had to leave the bathroom, only to find Lily standing ominously by the door, staring at me. “My parents are coming over tomorrow,” she said. I felt annoyed. This kind of thing didn’t need to involve the parents. Besides, it wasn’t my fault to begin with. But Lily just repeated: “If it weren’t for you, how would I have gotten assaulted? You owe me for all of this.” Her words left me feeling ice cold. Of course, if doing this made her feel better, I wouldn’t hold it against her. But I never imagined she was actually trying to destroy me! Both sets of parents berated me harshly. I couldn’t explain myself. When neighbors asked about the police visit, Lily casually said, “Oh that? It’s because he committed rape.” Let me put it this way – when the incident first happened, Lily appeared as the victim and naturally garnered sympathy. But in her retelling, I was the perpetrator, so of course people condemned me. Everyone advised Lily to divorce me, calling me scum who didn’t deserve to live or even be in the same neighborhood as them. Even my company put me on leave, with no return date in sight. I became a target for everyone’s anger. Meanwhile, Lily transformed into the good woman, saying I had just made a mistake, that she loved me and chose to forgive me. Our reputations were completely reversed. Even when I said it was all a misunderstanding and the police could prove it, people said there’s no smoke without fire. I had no way to defend myself. I asked Lily to explain, but she said this was nothing compared to what she went through. If I couldn’t handle even this much, was I even a man? I laughed bitterly. How were these situations the same at all? Our circumstances were completely different. I had never aired her trauma in public. I protected her, shielding her from harmful rumors. But her? She seemed afraid people wouldn’t hurt me enough. She kept stabbing me in the heart with sharp swords. I thought, surely this is enough? Surely we’ve reached the limit? I went to talk to Lily, telling her she had to publicly apologize to me. Otherwise, I would sue her for defamation. “You wouldn’t dare!” Lily glared at me coldly. Her expression was so detached, as if I were a stranger to her. “You planned this whole thing yourself. I’ve put up with you for a long time. If you’re not willing to apologize…” I paused. “Then let’s get divorced.”
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