A car crash left my mom a widow, and me an orphan. Later, my mom chose to remarry into a powerful family, and her stepson naturally became my husband. But on our wedding night, Julian just bolted, refusing to even touch me. Julian and his dad, Richard, were always so busy with their work, they barely paid attention to Mom or me. Not until I saw Julian meeting up with his mistress, and then found his STD diagnosis, did I finally break. I ran to my mom, tears streaming down my face. “Julian’s out partying non-stop, living a wild, debauched life! I just can’t do this anymore.” To my surprise, Mom started crying even harder than I was. “Richard… he’s never gotten over his ex-wife, and he’s cheating with the housekeeper! I can’t reach him, not really. This life is even worse.” We looked at each other, and a sudden, shared smile blossomed on our faces. Soon after, news quickly spread online that the wife of the Richardson Group’s CEO and the wife of its President had both tragically died in a cliff accident.
Just a few days ago, I caught Julian secretly meeting up with some other woman behind my back. I was furious, but I didn’t have the guts to confront him. After all this time married to him, I was still a virgin. I figured there was no point torturing myself. His heart wasn’t with me anyway, so let him do whatever he wanted. I could just coast through life. After all, both Mom and I had married into the Richardson family. It wouldn’t look good if I caused a fuss on my own. Then, this morning, I found an STD diagnosis report in Julian’s study. That was it. I couldn’t sit still anymore. I was going to find Mom and discuss getting a divorce. But then, I ran right into Julian at the villa’s entrance. He’d suddenly come home. “Where are you rushing off to?” I was surprised he was suddenly showing concern, but the thought of his infected body made my stomach churn. I deliberately kept my distance, my voice sharp and cold. “Can’t I go home to my mom’s place?” “You never treated me like family anyway. Why bother with the fake concern?” Julian, usually so stoic, actually smirked. Hands in his pockets, he took a few thoughtful steps towards me. “Perfect timing. I’m going back to my dad’s place too. It’s on the way. Let’s go together.” As if! Who’d want to go with him? Who knew what kind of nasty stuff he might have picked up? Besides, I was going back to talk about divorce. He absolutely couldn’t know. I held up both hands. “I’m going to my mom’s to have a heart-to-heart. What business is it of yours?” “Don’t you have work to do? Or did your mistress finally ditch you?” I spun around and walked quickly towards the car. To my surprise, Julian didn’t get angry. He just followed me right into the car. I’d never seen him so thick-skinned before. The car was eerily quiet. Julian kept glancing at me, making my skin crawl. When we got married, I genuinely hoped we’d grow old together. I never imagined he’d be so reckless. At first, I thought maybe I just wasn’t attractive enough for him. So Mom gave me tons of advice, telling me to dress a little more feminine. I secretly bought a bunch of lingerie and “romantic” items on Amazon and tried to parade them in front of Julian when he came home from work. Not only did he not react at all, but he almost kicked me out of the house! After that, all the staff in the villa seemed to think I was the unloved President’s wife. Even the cook started treating me like dirt, saying nasty things. I was so sick of it. Julian didn’t stop the servants from mocking me; he just let them do it. I figured he just didn’t like me and was trying to force me out. Fine, if that’s what he wanted, I’d give it to him. Finally, we arrived at Richard’s old mansion. I practically jumped out of the car, gasping for fresh air, even fanning my nose in disgust. Julian looked utterly speechless, scratching the back of his head. “Scarlett, you seem really upset with me today. Did I do something wrong?” Upset with him *today*? My hatred for him had been simmering since our wedding night. When I didn’t answer, Julian didn’t say anything else. He just quietly followed behind me. My reason for visiting Mom today wasn’t simple, and I absolutely couldn’t let Julian, that eavesdropper, hear a word. So the moment we walked in, I dodged his gaze and dashed straight to Mom’s bedroom.
When I entered, Mom was doing her makeup. I rushed in and locked the door behind me. She stared at me, looking completely bewildered. “Scarlett, what are you doing here? You didn’t even call ahead!” “Do you have some good news for me?” Then she gave me a mischievous grin, her eyes darting to my stomach. I shook my head repeatedly, pulling up my shirt for her to see. “Mom, what are you talking about? You know Julian and I have been married all this time, and we’ve never even shared a bed. I don’t even know what color his boxers are.” Mom gasped in disbelief. “How can that be? Didn’t I tell you to buy some lingerie and things to spice things up? Julian didn’t fall for it?” At this, I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. I burst out crying. “Julian’s cheating! He’s a total scumbag. I don’t want to be with him anymore.” I’m still so young, I can’t just throw my life away on him, right? If Julian won’t touch me, I refuse to believe no other man will want me. Before Mom could ask anything else, I pressed on. “Not only that, but he’s got an STD. If I stay with him, I might not see next year’s sun.” Seeing how heartbroken I was, Mom suddenly lowered her head too. “Scarlett, I’m actually in a similar boat.” I quickly asked, “You mean Richard… he has an STD too?” Mom waved her hand dismissively. “No, not that. It’s just… I often see him and the housekeeper whispering secretly in his room. Their relationship is definitely more than just professional.” “And he’s always staring at pictures of his ex-wife, lost in thought. He probably still can’t forget her.” “Even though I’m older, I still have needs, you know? But Richard… he’s like he’s impotent. No wonder he and Julian are father and son!” So Mom wasn’t doing much better than me. Typical. Turns out, not a single man in that Richardson family was any good. Mom then asked me, “Are you really sure you want out?” I nodded emphatically, wishing I could rip my heart out and show it to her. But we both knew: marrying into the Richardson family was easy; leaving it? Not so much. Our families had been close for generations, and after my dad’s accident, the Richardsons, fearing we’d be left helpless, came up with the idea of us marrying in. It was meant as a way to “take care” of us, honoring my dad’s memory. The wedding was a huge public affair, but a divorce? The media would tear us apart forever. “Then let’s run away.” I never thought Mom would have the same idea! But how exactly would we escape? We needed a solid plan. Then it hit me. There was probably only one way to truly fool both Julian and his dad. “What about faking our deaths to escape? The kind where they can’t even find a body.” Mom loved the idea. If we weren’t happy in the Richardson family, why shouldn’t we find another way out? Though, this escape route was a bit extreme.
Just thinking about leaving the Richardsons made me unconsciously burst out laughing when I saw Julian. After coming out of Mom’s bedroom, I kept giggling for no particular reason. Julian, who was sitting on the couch, finally couldn’t take it anymore. “What’s so funny? Care to share?” I scoffed, turning my head away, still daydreaming about my life after leaving. My blatant disregard actually seemed to annoy Julian, who was usually so composed. “Scarlett, it’s time to go home. You’ve visited your mom, you can’t possibly stay the night.” *I* wasn’t angry, but *he* was certainly acting like it. Who said I couldn’t stay the night at my mom’s? He was being ridiculous. “Julian, aren’t you being a bit too controlling? What’s the big deal if I sleep here at my mom’s? It’s not like I’m going back to anything but an empty bed anyway.” “Tell me, in all the time I’ve been married to you, have you ever once slept in the same bed as me?” “This marriage is nothing but a sham. What’s so special about it?” The more I spoke, the more emotional I became, completely forgetting that Richard was also sitting in the living room. Richard’s face turned an uncomfortable shade of red. He cleared his throat loudly, then awkwardly grabbed his newspaper and headed outside. Julian clenched his fists, leaning on the sofa armrest. He knew I was impulsive, but he clearly never expected me to air our private matters in front of an elder. Suddenly, he let out a cold chuckle, as if testing me. “Are you mad because I haven’t slept with you? Is that all?” My lips twisted. “What, did you think I married you just to be a glorified widow?” Julian almost choked on his own spit. Seeing his guilt, I pressed on. “I know why you never accepted me. You have someone else, but honestly, I don’t care. Who would want someone with an STD anyway?” I’d made it crystal clear. I expected Julian to explode in anger or rush to explain himself, but he just quietly lowered his gaze. “Guilty, as expected. That’s a silent confession.” Just then, Mom stormed out of her bedroom, absolutely furious, holding a tiny, thong-like piece of lingerie. She marched straight down to the living room. “Richard! Tell me, whose underwear is this?!” Julian couldn’t watch. He pretended to be engrossed in his phone. Richard rushed back inside at Mom’s shriek. When he saw what she was holding, his ears turned beet red. “Victoria, it’s not what you think!” Mom was surprisingly agile. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the thong right onto Richard’s head. “Then what is it? Don’t think I haven’t noticed you and the housekeeper exchanging glances all the time!” “And the smell on this? It’s clearly the housekeeper’s!” Richard was speechless. He awkwardly pulled the underwear off his head and tossed it into the trash can. “Fine, if you want to believe that, I can’t stop you. Assume it’s the housekeeper’s, then.” Mom was even more enraged. He wasn’t just refusing to explain; he was practically admitting it! Good thing we’d already planned our escape, otherwise these heartless father and son duo would literally drive us to our graves. Mom just collapsed onto the floor, sobbing. “Richard! You’re heartless! Who nursed you all night when you had a cold? Who waited up for you all night when you were out entertaining clients?” “Even though we’re a second marriage, you can’t treat me like this!” As Mom got more worked up, Richard had no choice but to humble himself and try to help her up. But Mom suddenly went wild, grabbing him and laying into him with a barrage of blows. I wanted to tell her, “We’re about to ‘die,’ Mom, there’s no need to waste our breath on them.” But Mom seemed to have lost it, so I had to rush over and pull them apart. In the chaos, Mom suddenly grabbed a nearby vase and hurled it at Richard. And of course, I happened to be right there. The vase missed Richard and landed squarely on my head. I felt something warm trickling down my forehead, and around me, I heard shouts and screams. Before I blacked out, I saw Julian rushing towards me, his eyes wide with what looked like worry, like genuine heartache. I must have been concussed. Julian didn’t even like me. Why would he be worried?
It was late night when we got back from the hospital. On the way back, Julian unconsciously took my hand in his. “If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, tell me right away. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with an idiot.” See? That’s the real Julian. I knew that moment this afternoon had to be my imagination. “Don’t worry,” I retorted, pulling my hand away mercilessly. “I don’t want to live with someone who has an STD either.” Julian seemed to zone out for a second, as if desperate to explain something, but in the end, he said nothing. After a whole night of commotion, I was exhausted. But the thought of escaping this dreadful place tomorrow brought a sliver of comfort. Back at the villa, I naturally headed to my bedroom, ready to close the door. But Julian suddenly appeared, blocking my bedroom door with his hand. “Wait!” I slapped his hand off the door. “Wait for what? Can’t you see my eyelids are practically glued shut?” Julian was persistent, telling me not to close the door. I wanted to see what he was up to now. A moment later, he reappeared in front of me, carrying a duvet from the neighboring bedroom. *My* head was the one that got hit. Why was *he* acting crazy? “It’s so hot, I don’t need such a thick blanket. Besides, who knows if there are any germs on that?” Julian stood there, looking utterly forlorn, like a lost child. He dropped his usual cutting remarks, speaking to me with a rare, gentle tone. “Your head injury isn’t healed yet. If we sleep together, I can look after you.” “Didn’t you complain I never slept with you? Well, I’m making it up to you now.” Oh no. His mistress must have dumped him, and now he was trying to come back to me. But I was leaving soon. I didn’t need his charity. “I just have a minor cut. I’m not paralyzed, and I don’t need someone to babysit me.” Ignoring his pitiful expression, I slammed the bedroom door shut. After a long while, hearing no movement outside, I quietly got up and opened the door again. I thought Julian would be asleep, but there he was, sitting alone in the living room, drowning his sorrows. I stood on the second floor, looking down at him, watching him pour drink after drink down his throat. He seemed completely out of it. In all our time married, I’d never seen him so wasted. His mistress must have really hurt him, that’s why he was drinking his sorrows away. Just as I was about to leave, a voice suddenly came from downstairs. “Don’t go, Scarlett.” My heart lurched. I turned back and met Julian’s bloodshot eyes, brimming with tears, as if they’d overflow any second. But I couldn’t stay. There was no point in us continuing this anymore.
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