On our tenth wedding anniversary, my husband, who has hearing difficulties, disappeared for the entire morning. I thought he was planning a surprise, so I cheerfully headed to the hotel where we were supposed to meet. But instead of a surprise, I was met with his guilty admission: “I’m sorry, I cheated.” My mind went blank, and the crimson stain on the sheets seemed to burn into my eyes. Gideon, looking devastated, held his head in his hands, “Adeline, it was an accident. We were both drunk.” His friend, Nora, was clutching the blanket, sobbing, “I’m not a virgin anymore. How will I ever get married now…” Gideon was silent for a moment, then said, “I’m sorry, I’ll take responsibility.” I held back my tears, “And what about me?” Gideon couldn’t find the words. I let out a bitter laugh, tears flowing, “Let’s get a divorce.” “No, I won’t divorce you, not even if I die.” Gideon’s eyes turned red as he removed his hearing aid, refusing to talk to me. I watched him in despair. My phone buzzed with a message from my ex-boyfriend: [Adeline, please don’t be mad at me anymore, okay?] …… “Ms. Harper, I won’t destroy someone else’s marriage.” Nora said stubbornly, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t ask Gideon to take responsibility.” She sniffled, “I won’t be a homewrecker either!” Nora stumbled as she got up. Gideon tried to help her, but she dodged him. She got dressed, wiped her tears, and with red-rimmed eyes, glanced at Gideon before grabbing her bag and rushing out. My nails dug into my palms. Gideon hurriedly dressed, put on his hearing aid, and brushed past me as he chased after her. I collapsed onto the bed. A moment later, Gideon returned, looking devastated. Seeing me, he frowned disapprovingly, “How could you do this to Nora? She’s innocent.” I widened my eyes in disbelief. Gideon frowned, “Isn’t she?” I clutched my phone, turning my tearful face away, my voice choked, “And I’m not innocent?” Gideon was silent. He scratched his head in frustration, “We were just having drinks with a client, I didn’t expect things to turn out this way…” “Nora is a virgin… I have to take responsibility for her.” Gideon’s head hung lower and lower. I wore a sarcastic smile. “Then should I find my ex to take responsibility for me?” Gideon was at a loss for words, “That’s not what I meant.” I laughed, tears blurring my vision, “You still care that I’m not a virgin.” Gideon panicked, “No, I don’t! You know how much I love you.” “But you slept with someone else and want to take responsibility for her.” Gideon’s voice trembled, “But I don’t love her!” “It was a mistake after drinking. Can’t you forgive me just this once for the sake of our thirteen years together?” Gideon knelt in front of me, trembling as he held my hand. I lowered my head, hiding the tears about to fall. “I promise I won’t sleep with other women again, and I won’t drink, but…” He lowered his head, “This is my fault, I have to take responsibility for Nora.” I pulled my hand away from Gideon and looked into his eyes. “How do you plan to take responsibility? Be with her?” Gideon didn’t respond. I took it as his consent. “Let’s get a divorce.” Gideon bit his lip, avoiding my gaze. “Nora’s not in a good state, I need to find her.” “Wait for me… I’ll handle this, but I won’t divorce you.” “I only love you.” Gideon stood up and hurried out. I held my head in despair, tears streaming down uncontrollably. A new message popped up on my phone. [I won’t talk bad about Gideon anymore. I can apologize to him in person for what happened before.] [Don’t ignore me, I’ve been sidelined for thirteen years. I’m begging you…] I replied with trembling hands. [I want to go home.] He replied instantly: [I’m coming to get you now, wait for me.]
Back at the home I shared with Gideon, I looked around the small, damp room. For the first time, I realized how much hardship I endured for a man, having grown up with wealth and privilege. To be with him, I left home and moved thousands of miles away to Seattle. Here, I had no friends or family, only Gideon. But he… Wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes, I went to the bedroom to pack my bags. My elbow accidentally bumped Gideon’s mouse. The computer screen lit up, revealing his SnapChat chat box. It was his chat with Nora. I squinted, mechanically scrolling through the messages. The more I read, the colder my heart grew. [Brother Gideon, want to go out for drinks tonight?] [Is Adeline upset again? Women are like that, they like to throw little tantrums. Just coax her.] [My stockings tore, can you buy me a pair downstairs? Don’t overthink it, I see you as a brother.] [The coffee you had was nice, save the rest for me. I got you a milk tea and left it on your desk.] … After reading the chat, I was filled with anger, my body swaying. I barely steadied myself by holding onto the desk, my nails digging into the wood. Tears splashed onto the desk, creating little water droplets. Memories of Gideon’s proposal replayed in my mind. He’d knelt before me with a huge bouquet of red roses, solemnly swearing, “From now on, I only love Adeline Harper.” “I won’t let Adeline Harper suffer any grievance or shed a single tear.” “Heaven and earth as witness, I have no divided loyalties.” He broke his promise. I bit my lower lip hard, the taste of blood spreading in my mouth. The wedding photo on the wall suddenly fell with a loud crash. I walked over and picked it up, my fingers tracing the photo. When we first got married, we were tight on money, only getting the marriage certificate without a wedding. Later, when things got a bit better, Gideon spent a month’s salary to take wedding photos with me. In the photo, Gideon was holding me with eyes full of love, his lips pressed against my forehead. It was all so ironic. Numbly, I picked up scissors and cut the photo into pieces, tossing them into the trash. I heard a sound from the entrance; Gideon had returned. Seeing me at home, Gideon pressed his lips into a thin line. “Nora is missing.” “Mm,” I responded. He frowned, “Why are you acting like this?” My eyelashes trembled, “How should I act, then?” Gideon closed his eyes, took a deep breath. When he opened them, they were filled with disappointment. “Adeline Harper, you feel like a stranger to me.” “The old you was kind and forgiving, always helping those in need. But now, what have you become…” I interrupted, clenching my fingers, “As you said, that was before.” “I’ve changed, okay?” The living room fell into silence. I threw our marriage certificate in front of him, calmly meeting his eyes, “Let’s go get a divorce now.” Gideon seemed exasperated, “How many times do I have to say it? I’m not divorcing you.” “How can you give up on our thirteen years together so easily!” I slapped him, my eyes red and voice choked, “You were the one who gave up first.” His hearing aid fell to the floor. Gideon stood there, dumbfounded, covering his face, speechless for a long time. He silently bent down, picked up the hearing aid, and put it back on. Ignoring my resistance, he pulled me into his arms, “I’m really in a tough spot. Please, understand me, honey.” Pain spread in my chest, and I wanted to push him away, but my body felt too heavy to lift my hand. “Nora is young and fragile. It’s easy for her to spiral in this situation…” “I’ll stay with her for now, until she’s in a better place.” “Could you keep your distance from her in the future?” I was so shocked that I couldn’t speak. An abrupt phone ringing interrupted us. Gideon looked puzzled as he took out his phone and answered it. The next second, his pupils shrank, “What did you say?!”
Nora was in a car accident. Gideon hurried me to the hospital. Just before entering the room, he gave me a serious look and said, “You should apologize to Nora later. ” I furrowed my brows, “I haven’t done anything wrong, why should I apologize?” Gideon, looking worn out, replied, “If you hadn’t upset Nora, she wouldn’t have gotten into an accident.” I let out a bitter laugh. Inside the room, Nora whimpered in pain and weakly called out to us, “Gideon, Adeline, please don’t argue because of me.” “It doesn’t matter what happens to me, as long as it doesn’t affect your relationship.” Gideon forcefully pulled me in, “Apologize to Nora now.” A sharp pain hit my arm as I shook off Gideon’s grip. “It was you two who slept together. What did I do wrong? Why should I apologize?” Nora’s face turned ghostly pale, and she began to shake as she cried. “I’ve lost my honor…” “My parents will be furious, and I’ll never find someone to marry…” Gideon glared at me, “Adeline!” “Without my honor, I might as well be dead.” Nora’s eyes were vacant as she tried to get out of bed. Gideon quickly held her close, stopping her from moving. Nora buried her face in Gideon’s chest, clutching his shirt, sobbing uncontrollably. “Leave me alone. I don’t need your help.” “Just let me die. What’s the point of living?” Gideon gently patted her head, “I’ll take responsibility, trust me.” My vision blurred, and a deep pain filled my abdomen. “Gideon!” His back stiffened, and he removed his hearing aid. Nora, breathless from crying, wrapped her arms around his waist. I couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Clutching my aching heart, I left with heavy steps. By the time I arrived home, it was dark. I sat on the couch, my head throbbing. My tears had dried, and my throat was too hoarse to speak. Gideon called me. After picking up, there was a long silence on the line. Finally, he spoke with a raspy voice, “I’m sorry for losing my temper earlier.” “I’ll be home soon. I got you a gift; let’s discuss things then.” “Please don’t treat Nora like that again. She’s the victim here.” “Apologize to her properly tomorrow and try not to see her anymore.” I clutched the phone tightly and struggled to ask, “Do you remember what today is?” Silence fell on the other end again. “We’ll talk when I get home.” The call ended. I slid to the floor, feeling utterly defeated. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something under the couch. Instinctively, I reached for it. It was a file folder with the Gideon Corporation logo on it. Gideon Corporation had made waves in recent years, and rumor had it their boss, like Gideon, was hearing impaired. I turned the folder over, and Gideon’s name was written on the back. I frowned and opened it, revealing a thick stack of bidding documents. Flipping through them, my face turned ashen. Desperate for confirmation, I took out my phone and searched for the CEO of Gideon Corporation. The webpage revealed nothing. Suddenly, an idea struck me, and I opened Nora’s SnapChat moments. [March 25] [A cure-all, thanks to a certain anonymous good brother.] The picture showed her with the latest luxury bag. I zoomed in, recognizing a familiar hand in the bottom right corner, missing its wedding ring. My fingers trembled as I continued scrolling. [March 1] [The necklace matches my outfit today, thanks to Mr. Gideon’s care for his little assistant.] The picture showed her in a white dress, wearing a pink diamond necklace. Mr. Gideon, little assistant. The realization hit me hard. I had once told Gideon how much I liked that necklace’s design, but its 5.2 million price tag was astronomical to me. Gideon had joked about buying it for me when he could afford it. But now, it was around Nora’s neck.
In my memory, Gideon was an orphan, so poor that he relied on student loans and part-time jobs to get through college. When he started college, he only had an old phone, and his meals were just plain buns. He couldn’t afford a hearing aid, struggled to communicate, and was often alone. As class president, I felt sorry for him and bought him his first hearing aid. After graduation, even with a job, Gideon was still broke. He was so poor that my parents didn’t want me to marry him. But I went ahead and got the marriage certificate without asking my family for a cent. The new hearing aid he wears now was also bought by me. Yet, according to the timeline of Gideon Corporation’s founding, Gideon had money a year after graduation. But he still pretended to be poor, unwilling to spend on our wedding. The house we lived in was rented. Thinking back, Gideon always had excuses to ask for money, and my salary went towards our household and him. I never saw his earnings. My heart twisted painfully as I clutched my shirt, cold sweat trickling down my forehead, feeling suffocated. I grabbed a plastic bag and breathed deeply into it to avoid passing out. Gideon called me just then. “Adeline, I can’t come back right now. Nora is threatening suicide, I have to stay with her.” Ignoring what he said, my survival instinct kicked in, “Gideon, I’m struggling. Please come back.” Gideon sounded exhausted, “Adeline, stop pretending.” “Nora’s situation is truly dangerous. If I don’t go, she might harm herself.” “Stop causing trouble, okay? I’ll come to you after I deal with this.” He hung up before I could respond. I looked at my phone screen in despair. A message from my ex-boyfriend popped up: [Adeline, I’m almost there.] Regaining some composure, I forced myself to stand. I found Gideon’s bank card from a cabinet and opened the balance inquiry on the computer. With trembling fingers, I entered the password. Due to my nerves, I made several mistakes. When I finally unlocked it, I was stunned. The long string of zeros in the bank account made my ten-year marriage seem like a joke. My legs gave way, and I collapsed on the floor. Tears blurred my vision. Thirteen years together… Gideon had been lying to me all along. I bit my lip hard and climbed up from the floor. I operated the computer and transferred half of Gideon’s money. A new message popped up on my phone: [Adeline, I’m here.] Stumbling, I staggered to the balcony. There stood Asher, my childhood friend, in a black suit under the streetlight, his car parked nearby. Thirteen years apart, he had matured a lot, with a touch of melancholy in his eyes, no longer the sunny boy he once was. Perhaps sensing my gaze, he suddenly looked up, and our eyes met. Driving all the way here, Asher’s eyes were bloodshot. In an instant, my nose tingled, and tears started falling again. Asher, a bit flustered, quickly came upstairs. I opened the door and fell into a warm embrace. Asher held me tightly. The accumulated grievances finally couldn’t be held back anymore. Asher gently patted my back, his voice hoarse as he comforted me, “I’m here, don’t cry.” “No matter what happens, I’m here for you.” 5 Watching Asher running around, helping me with my luggage, I nervously gripped my clothes. “Thank you, Asher.” Asher paused for a moment. “It’s nothing.” Once inside the car, Asher buckled my seatbelt and handed me a small cake. “Here, have this to tide you over.”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296576”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply