My husband’s mistress set a trap for me, and we both tumbled into the water. Derek didn’t twist the story or blame me. Instead, his fury exploded, and he aggressively pulled off Chloe’s designer jacket, practically forcing her to grovel at my feet. “So, you wanted to cool off because it was too hot, huh? Fine. I’ll make sure you get *really* cool.” But I didn’t feel a shred of gratitude. My heart was aching so much I curled into myself. Derek had long forgotten how he’d sacrificed half of his own heart to save me, years ago. Because of that, his every joy and sorrow vibrated through me. And right now, he was suffering deeply over Chloe’s pitiful state. “It’s fine, I’m just going to take a shower.” I quietly slipped away, leaving them space. I hadn’t gone far when I heard Derek’s tender, soothing voice. “Don’t be mad, babe. I knew you could swim, that’s why I didn’t pull you out. How else could I get Stella off my back and have you all to myself?” “Come here, baby, let me kiss you. Seeing you all wet like that just now, my pants were practically bursting.” I waited for the dull ache in my chest to subside, slowly morphing into a cold excitement. Then, I went up the mountain to find Sage Elias. “Master, is my Ethereal Heart ready?” “Have you thought this through? Once you replace your heart with the Ethereal Heart, you’ll be severed from the mortal world, with no turning back.” “Yes. After all, mortals and immortals are destined to walk different paths.” “Then you must retrieve a strand of hair from his beloved, a tear from their eye, and a drop of blood from their heart. Only then can you return his heart and create space for your own.” I nodded, swearing under my breath: Derek, I don’t want your heart anymore.
“Stella, where were you? Do you know how frantic I was searching for you for ages?” Derek was working on his laptop in bed, his leg injured from pulling me out of the water earlier that morning. The moment he saw me, he immediately dropped everything. He muted his microphone and turned off his camera on the video conference, then spun to face me, stretching out his arms like a child begging for a hug. “Can I have a hug? Tell me, am I sick? A few hours without you and I can barely stand it.” “I should claim workers’ comp! Come here and compensate me!” He completely ignored the screen where “Mr. Thorne” was being urgently called. If I hadn’t felt Derek’s heart thrumming wildly in my chest, I might have actually fallen for his sweet words. This feeling was all too familiar, the kind Derek only had when we were lost in passion. My gaze instinctively flickered to the strange bulge beneath his blanket. Suddenly, I understood his reaction. It was the middle of a scorching June day, and sweat beaded on Derek’s forehead, yet he’d pulled the blanket up to his waist, tucking it in tightly. Noticing my gaze, he gave a pitiful, wounded smile. “It’s a little chilly in the room. Don’t think I’m being delicate.” But Derek’s slightly ragged breathing, his continuously rising and falling chest, and his slightly hoarse voice betrayed him. If I wasn’t mistaken, his mistress, Chloe, was having her “meal” right under that blanket. He’d always been insatiable in bed, a true glutton for pleasure. Doing this right in front of me was just for the thrill of it. I suppressed a wave of nausea rising in my stomach, forced a smile, and a wicked thought formed. “Of course not. Want me to help you work up a sweat?” My uncharacteristic attitude left him momentarily speechless. Before, he’d been glued to my side, wanting to carry me in his pocket even when I just stepped out. Now, my forwardness visibly flustered him. The closer I got, the tighter his heart clenched. Under such violent fluctuations, it felt like I’d been punched in the chest. I let out a muffled groan of pain, finally stopping. Derek gazed at me, full of concern, but made no move to get out of bed. “What’s wrong?” Suddenly, it felt like all the strength had been drained from me. I didn’t want to make things hard for him, or for myself. “Never mind. It’s… dirty. It smells.” Derek didn’t grasp the deeper meaning of my words, thinking I was talking about myself. He subtly let out a sigh of relief. “What? My darling always smells wonderful.” I turned and walked straight out of the room, not looking back. He only managed to call out a perfunctory concern to my retreating back. “Stella, are you really okay? I’ll come be with you as soon as I finish this meeting!”
I hid in the study, gasping for a few breaths to recover, then looked at our wedding photo hanging on the wall and felt a sudden pang of ridiculousness. Memories flooded back, and I seemed to see Derek back then, holding me, his gaze fixed on my face, beaming with pure happiness. As if nothing else in the world mattered to him but me. Even the photographer had been amused by his intense devotion, teasing him, “I’ve been a wedding photographer for years and never seen a groom like this. Relax, your wife isn’t going anywhere. Don’t be like this when you take her out, or you’ll lose your money and not even notice.” Derek, utterly unashamed, boasted, “What could possibly be more precious than my wife? Forget a little money; I wouldn’t trade her for my life. I have to watch her. If she ran off, where would I cry?” Everyone laughed, calling him a soft-hearted wife-slave. Watching Derek come home every day with handfuls of cupcakes, never forgetting to lift his shirt to warm my feet, I also felt it was a bit much. I gently advised him, “You’re acting like a big CEO, you know. You won’t have any credibility. Be careful, all your subordinates might leave.” But he didn’t care. He rubbed against my neck, complaining playfully, “I’m so wronged! I don’t treat anyone else like this, only you. This lifetime, only you.” Derek’s solemn promises back then gave me such a sense of security, filling me with an indescribable satisfaction, the joy of a gamble won. Years ago, I came down from the mountain for training and happened to save Derek when his house caught fire. He escaped the blaze, his parents gone, and followed me every day. Calling me “Immortal Sister,” he launched an intense pursuit. I only saw him as a child, lacking love. Until later, during an accident, I was severely injured, nearly on the verge of fading away completely. It was Derek who, without hesitation, offered half his heart to me. Initially, after becoming linked with Derek, to avoid my own discomfort, I stopped resisting his pursuit. But a young man’s love is sincere and fervent, each tremor unforgettable, slowly swaying my resolve. My Master, learning of my injury, had forged an Ethereal Heart for me, which could restore my divine body, free me from desires, and return my powers. Yet, the thought of forgetting him, of a separation like death, was unbearable. Derek had already quietly drifted into my heart amidst the gentle winds and rain. Master, seeing my thoughts, earnestly advised me, “All things in the world change in an instant. The deep blue sea can turn into mulberry fields; what then of the ethereal human heart?” “If you truly insist on not retrieving your Ethereal Heart, you will only become a mortal.” “The Ethereal Heart can only be preserved for ten years. I can keep it for you. If you change your mind, come find me anytime.” Although Derek gradually lost his memories of that time due to his heaven-defying act of sacrificing his heart, and my powers were stripped away, making my body increasingly frail from the impact, what did it matter? I couldn’t use inner energy to dry my hair; Derek dried it for me. My cold feet, unable to maintain warmth with magic; Derek warmed them for me. I worked alongside him, building from nothing to becoming a rising star in the business world. We survived the seven-year itch. But I never expected that a month before our tenth anniversary, I’d find women’s underwear in the back seat of his car.
I waited until the sun set before the “battle” ended there. Once I was sure Derek had gone to the bathroom to shower, I returned to the bedroom to find the first item Sage Elias had requested: Chloe’s hair. The bed was neatly made, not a single wrinkle. The air freshener scent wafting through the room was my favorite sandalwood. Even the trash cans around the room held no trace of a secret tryst. After all, he’d used the same meticulous care when picking fish bones out for me back then. Only now, that patience was being used to clean up the aftermath of his affair. I was still feeling a pang of regret when I was suddenly embraced from behind by a hot body. “Babe, what are you doing? Come on, dinner’s ready.” Under Derek’s gentle pushing and pulling, I had to put it aside for a moment and follow him to the dining room. He scooped a wonton, blowing on it thoughtfully to test the temperature before bringing it to my lips. “My Queen, please grace me with your acceptance. I just learned to make these today. They might not look perfect, but I promise I’ll do better next time.” All these years, no matter how busy Derek was, he always made me three meals a day. From scrubbing vegetables to mastering gourmet dishes, he always did it all himself. It was only because I’d become mortal and had to bear dual emotions that my body grew exceptionally weak. To keep him from worrying, I lied and said I had a sensitive stomach. So he became extra diligent about my diet, cooking for nearly ten years. Initially, the food lacked color, aroma, and taste, but I still ate contentedly. Now, his cooking skills had improved so much he’d even earned various chef and nutritionist certifications. But I gradually couldn’t taste anything anymore. It was his heart that had changed. I stared into Derek’s eyes, saying nothing. I took the wonton from his spoon and chewed it roughly. However, just as I was about to swallow, I suddenly felt something long and coiled wrap around my tongue. The moment I realized what it was, I sprang up, rushed into the bathroom, and locked the door. Looking in the mirror, I indeed pulled out a tangled strand of long hair from my mouth. It was exactly what I’d been looking for—Chloe’s hair. The belated surge of revulsion made me almost throw up my guts. Derek, locked outside, hammered on the door. “Stella, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Don’t scare me, let me in to see you!” I ignored him. With shaky hands, I finally managed to pull out my phone and open the kitchen surveillance feed. I’d installed it years ago, worried about my pets getting onto the counters and knocking things over. Now, it was serving a different purpose. I pressed play, and the shocking scene on the screen instantly made my head spin.
In the dining room, Derek lifted Chloe by her butt and placed her on the long prep table. Their breathing was ragged, and they entangled themselves passionately, in no time at all, squashing the perfectly round, snowy-white wontons on the table into a crooked mess. “Why did you go to all that trouble, pretending these wontons were homemade when you clearly ordered takeout? What’s the point?” “You don’t understand, babe. Women fall for the effort. I want to make her happy, so Stella doesn’t keep suspecting I don’t love her anymore.” Chloe frowned, then turned her head, refusing his kiss. “She gets to be pampered, and I don’t?” Derek tried to peck her lips several times but failed. Growing impatient, he pulled a black card from his pocket. “Here, baby, take this card. Caviar, foie gras, black truffles – swipe it for whatever you want. Why would you bother with cheap takeout when you have this?” “Besides, I’m doing this so we can spend more time together, you know? You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to try it in the kitchen.” Chloe took the black card with her teeth, finally satisfied. She stopped resisting and instead reached for a jar of peanut butter, smiling meaningfully. “Alright, tit for tat. My turn to treat you. I remember you love peanut butter. I bought this specially for you on the way here.” Then, she generously scooped out a large spoonful and suggestively dabbed it on her intimate areas. Derek instantly became like a hungry wolf, his eyes turning red. He lunged and bit deeply into Chloe’s neck. Under his intense assault, Chloe squirmed uncontrollably. The two of them left various marks all over the food on the table. They were completely oblivious to when hair got mixed into the food. Was this how all the meals I’d eaten all these years were made? With a loud crash, Derek burst through the door, his face going pale the moment he saw my phone screen. “Stella…” “Where does it hurt? Is it serious?!” A second before he burst in, I had already switched the monitor screen to my dialing interface. My nails dug deep into my palms as I forced a smile, despite the discomfort.
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