I woke up to find a naked stranger lying next to me, not my husband. My husband stood by the bed, his voice cold. “Divorce. You’re leaving with nothing.” My head throbbed. I tried to recall what happened. Dylan’s startup had failed, and he was on the brink of bankruptcy. To help him raise funds, I’d had my mother’s heirloom appraised. The appraiser said the jade bracelet was worth over a hundred million dollars and even gave me a buyer’s contact info. That night, Dylan cooked for the first time, celebrating this sudden fortune. I had a few too many drinks and fell into a deep sleep, vaguely sensing Dylan’s fervent passion in bed. The next thing I knew, it was midday… I looked at Dylan. “Wait, let me explain!” I scrambled up, finding my clothes scattered on the floor. The man beside me was still asleep. I dressed as quickly as possible and rushed to the living room. Dylan was there, face grim, smoking. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins, were also present, their expressions like thunderclouds. Mrs. Jenkins glared at me, a venomous look in her eyes. “Dylan works his fingers to the bone, and you pull this kind of disgusting stunt? You’re a disgrace! Why don’t you just drop dead?” “Mrs. Jenkins, listen to me—” “Don’t you dare call me that. It’s sickening.” The disgust in her eyes seemed to overflow. “Just looking at you makes my eyes burn. How can you be so shameless? I remember you used to say you’d tear anyone who cheated limb from limb.” “I actually thought you were pure. How could I have been so blind? I never imagined you’d be such trash. If I’d known, I would have never agreed to your marriage with Dylan.” “Alright, that’s enough from you.” Mr. Jenkins cut her off. He looked at me. “We caught you in the act, plain and simple. Don’t bother explaining, we’re not interested.” “Dylan’s mom and I will stand by whatever Dylan decides.” My husband, Dylan, pointed to the divorce papers on the table. “Sign them. We’ll go our separate ways.” I picked up the divorce papers silently. Everything was spelled out in black and white. All real estate and cars would go to Dylan. I would also have to pay Dylan a million dollars for emotional damages. One clause, in particular, stood out. I was to return the jade bracelet that Mrs. Jenkins supposedly gave me. Seeing that line, I instantly understood everything. I said nothing, walking back into the bedroom. Sure enough… the jade bracelet in the jewelry box was gone. Sudden disaster and untold riches often turn family into foes. They were trying to seize my jade bracelet to claim that hundred million. And here I was, yesterday, thinking of sharing that joy with Dylan first, only for him to stab me in the back. And… I looked at the man still in bed. Dylan would stop at nothing to get his hands on that hundred million. Face grim, I returned to the living room. “Give me back the jade bracelet, and tell the man in there to turn himself in, or I’m calling the police.” “Calling the police?” Mrs. Jenkins glared at me. “You have the nerve to call the police?” I ignored her, looking directly at Dylan. “Are you returning it or not?” Dylan crushed his cigarette underfoot. He looked at me. “Out of respect for our marriage, I’ll give you one chance. Sign the divorce papers right now, or I’ll call the police.” He wanted to call the police too? I wanted to see what grounds he’d use. I wanted to see how he’d twist the truth once the cops arrived.
“Dylan, I won’t sign. Let’s see you call the police.” Dylan actually pulled out his phone and started dialing. He looked at me. “You confirm you won’t sign? I’m hitting dial right now.” “Hitting what dial?” Mr. Jenkins shot him a glare. “Aren’t we embarrassed enough? This kind of thing is best handled privately.” Mrs. Jenkins, however, looked at me. “You pulled such a disgusting stunt, and now you want to cling to Dylan? Do you think our family is that easy to bully?” “If you have any decency left, sign the papers already.” I stared at Dylan. “Dylan, you know the truth better than anyone. Call the police right now. Let’s see if you can be so calm and composed in front of them.” “The truth?” Mrs. Jenkins stood up, pointing at me. “Do you think we’re blind? That man is still lying in your bed! You want to cause more trouble? This is what happens when Dylan spoils you.” “Dylan works so hard on his startup, and he still has to take care of you, feed you, provide for you. And you? You decided to cheat on him instead, making a fool of him.” “Dylan!” I cut Mrs. Jenkins off with a sharp cry. “Your parents don’t know what I’ve done for you, but you do, don’t you?” “Where did your startup funds come from?” “Who’s been supporting our household expenses?” Facing my angry questions, Dylan looked at me calmly. “Valerie, I’ve tolerated everything you do, but you’ve crossed my line today. We have to divorce.” “I’ll say it again. If you’re not signing, I’m calling the police right now.” “Your unreasonable antics won’t work anymore.” Those two sentences from Dylan completely broke my heart. My annual income, with year-end bonuses, easily topped two million dollars. He came from a humble background. To spare his ego, I never talked about my job or my salary in front of his friends and family. Even his parents didn’t know. Before marrying Dylan, I already had assets worth tens of millions. I was the one who gave him ten million dollars for his startup. And now he was doing this. “I confirm I won’t sign. Go ahead and call the police.” Dylan pressed the dial button. “Hello, I’d like to report a crime. Someone has illegally entered my home. Yes… my wife brought a third party in.” The police arrived quickly. The man in the bed was also woken up. He looked at the police, bewildered and terrified. Dylan stood by, stating that he’d been busy with company matters recently and hadn’t been home. He’d decided to come back that morning and found me in bed with another man. Cheating is immoral but not illegal, so the police usually can’t intervene. Dylan’s reason for calling the police was illegal entry. That, they would investigate. “Ms. Valerie, do you know Mr. Oliver Hayes?” “Yes.” My face was pale, but I did indeed know the man in bed. “Are you close?” “Yes.” Oliver, a student four years my junior. I’d hired him at my company. He was my junior in school and my mentee at work. These facts would be easy to verify, so there was no point in lying. “Did you bring Mr. Hayes to your home?” “No.” “Mr. Hayes, how did you get here?” Oliver lowered his head. “Ms. Valerie invited me. She said she had good news to share. I never expected that after a few drinks, we’d… we’d… give in to passion.” “You’re lying!” I glared at Oliver. “Oliver, have some conscience! Tell me honestly, how much did Dylan pay you?” “Ms. Valerie, the truth always comes out. Since we’ve been caught, what’s there to be afraid of? Leaving with nothing? So what if it’s a hundred million? I’ll earn more in the future.” Dylan suddenly grabbed Oliver’s collar. “Wait, what did you say? A hundred million?”
Oliver shoved Dylan away and looked at the police. “Ms. Valerie said a bracelet Mrs. Jenkins gave her was appraised as an antique worth a hundred million. She was afraid that if she sold it, Dylan would divorce her and she wouldn’t get the money.” I quickly interjected, “You’re lying! Officers, they’re working together! That jade bracelet is my mother’s heirloom, it was never from Mrs. Jenkins!” “Valerie, are you saying I conspired with an outsider to cheat on myself?” Dylan glared at me, showing me his phone screen. “Look at this.” On his phone was a screenshot of a SnapChat conversation between me and Oliver. The messages were intimate, clearly showing that I had invited Oliver over. I looked at the chat’s timestamp. It was from after Dylan and I had gotten drunk. He had been plotting this all along. I suddenly remembered something. “Officers, there’s a security camera in my living room. Please check the footage!” Dylan’s face turned cold. “Valerie, you’re really something. You and Oliver were afraid to leave evidence during your rendezvous, so you destroyed the camera. Now you’re screaming to check the footage, hoping there’ll be no evidence? But your little scheme failed today. I caught you red-handed.” My last sliver of hope shattered. The police soon took Oliver away, and the atmosphere in the house grew even heavier. Dylan was the first to break the silence. “Sign the papers.” “Your whole family set me up.” When Oliver said the jade bracelet was from Mrs. Jenkins, she remained calm, even telling the police it was a family heirloom. From that moment, I knew everything was a setup orchestrated by his family, and Oliver had been bought off. “Sometimes being smart isn’t a good thing,” Dylan said, looking at me. “Sign it. With your earning power, your life won’t be that bad.” His coldness contrasted sharply with his usual tenderness. I couldn’t help but remember how we met. I used to work a lot of night shifts back then, and security wasn’t as good as it is now. One night, I was harassed by thugs, and he saved me. After that, he’d wait for me every night on that street and escort me home. I was always busy with work and didn’t have time for relationships. His appearance brought a new possibility into my life. His attentiveness made me fall in love. I didn’t care about his background; I just wanted a good person. But now, this man was a stranger to me. He’d already admitted it was a setup, and I actually calmed down. I looked at Dylan. “I think you should understand that if I sold the jade bracelet, I would have given you the hundred million without hesitation. And my future income would also support your career. Why did you have to plot against me?” “An old hag trying to play coy is still an old hag. You’re thirty-five, Dylan’s twenty-six. What twenty-something guy truly falls for an ‘older woman’ when there are younger options?” A strange voice came from the second bedroom. A woman in a nightgown emerged. She sat next to Dylan. “Does my appearance help clear up your confusion?” Dylan’s hand rested on her belly. “Her and my baby is on the way. We need to register the birth, and no matter how much money we needed, you’d have to make way for her. Besides, I think a hundred million is enough for us to live on. I’m not greedy.” “Of course, if you’re willing to stay by my side, I can let you be a mistress. Once her and my child is born, you can even help raise it.” I had never imagined anyone could say such shameless words. I tried my best to remain calm. I stared at the woman. “Youth doesn’t last forever. He can betray me, and he can betray you too.” “Trying to stir up trouble?” The woman smiled. “Valerie, let me tell you a secret.”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “301640”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn #励志Inspiring
Leave a Reply