I found the apartment where my husband kept his mistress. I had to see the woman who’d stolen his heart. Julian and I had built everything from nothing-from a shoebox apartment to this sprawling estate. We worked until our bones ached. I went gray before my time. Even after Leo was born, I didn’t settle into the easy life of a society wife. I kept pushing, kept working. I always believed I held my life in my own hands. I rang the doorbell. The door opened. The girl standing there beamed a perfect smile. “You must be Julian’s mother. How lovely to meet you.” Even during million-dollar contract talks, I never let a slip of emotion show. But hearing her call me “Mrs. Thorne” made me flinch. We weren’t even divorced, and she was already greeting her future mother-in-law? I spoke on impulse. “Hello.” “Please come in, Mrs. Thorne. My name is Ivy Dawson.” The moment I stepped inside, a large map drew my eye. Delicate red threads crisscrossed it, linking photos of them kissing, marking every place they’d been together. It was nearly covered. She noticed me looking and smiled. “This is our adventure map. He takes me somewhere new every month.” So Julian had been cheating far longer than I’d known. She reached over, gently taking my coat to hang in the closet nearby. The tea she offered was perfectly warm. My eyes moved through the apartment-a penthouse downtown, two hundred square meters, finished to the highest standard. This place had to be worth over five million. “Did he buy this for you?” Ivy’s cheeks colored faintly. “Yes.” “Julian said it was a gift. To thank me.” In ten years of marriage, he had never celebrated a single holiday with me. Even after we became wealthy, he never bought me anything of real value. My birthday was just a cake and a simple “Happy Birthday.” I always thought love just matured into a comfortable companionship, that quiet stability was the real deal. Turns out, love doesn’t transform; it just transfers to someone else. Seeing my silence, she looked a little flustered. After a few hesitations, she finally spoke. “Mrs. Thorne, Julian and I are truly in love. Could you… could you agree to let me marry him?” I thought I wouldn’t feel anything. But my heart gave a sharp pang, and I instinctively asked. “How did you two get together?” Ivy gushed, her eyes sparkling. Finally, I understood. That year, when I had a persistent high fever, and we were already millionaires, he still rushed off to meet a client for a mere $10,000 order. Turns out, it was just because she’d texted, “I miss you.” “Oh, Mrs. Thorne, you wouldn’t believe it. The moment Julian saw me, he said his world lit up.” “Julian is so amazing! Last time, he even helped my dad’s company solve a tricky tech problem. He said it had stumped their whole industry for ages, but he just looked at it and fixed it!” “So, Mrs. Thorne, do you agree?” She gazed at me expectantly. I asked, with a knowing smirk. “And do you know he has a wife?” Ivy’s face fell, and she bit her lip. “Julian said he doesn’t love her at all. He said she’s just a business partner, with no real feelings between them.” “He said that woman is older than his aunt, completely boring, acts like a man, and her skin is disgustingly rough.” I unconsciously rubbed the calluses on my palms, scars from lifting heavy sacks of soybeans during our startup days. Every night, he used to apply thick hand cream, massaging my hands again and again. He even called me the greatest contributor to our family’s success. “But I guess a woman like that wouldn’t really appeal to any man.” “They’re going to divorce anyway, so I don’t mind. As long as he truly loves me, that’s all that matters.” The hand holding my teacup paused mid-air, trembling slightly. We met through friends and fell in love at first sight. Julian told his friends I was the woman of his dreams. He had vowed not to marry me until he made his fortune. We started a small artisanal café and bakery together, barely sleeping through those years. I worked until my hair went gray ahead of time, my face etched with tired lines that aged me beyond my years. Once, drunk, he wept, knelt down, and held me, apologizing over and over. So that he wouldn’t feel guilty, even when I had no time for myself, I made sure to dye my roots. My heart rose and fell, then settled into a strange calm. I had seen enough. Compared enough. It wasn’t that she was so remarkable-it was that he was different now. If he insisted there was no feeling left between us, then I would make sure that feeling was gone for good.
I was about to reply. Ivy’s phone rang-on speaker. Julian’s voice came through, deep and tender in a tone I’d never heard from him before. “Hungry, baby? I picked up your favorite pho. Be there in fifteen.” I knew that place. It took three hours in line, clear across the city. Once, when I was laid up at home with a broken leg, I’d mentioned craving something light like pho. He’d just sat by my hospital bed, peeling an apple, and hadn’t even looked up. Ivy blew a kiss into the speaker. “Love you most, hubby!” They were still cooing when I stood and walked to the bathroom. I noticed there were more men’s toiletries on the counter than we kept at home. I sent a message to my assistant, instructing her to thoroughly investigate Julian’s financial records. If he thought he could spend the fortune I’d earned on another woman, he would learn what it cost. Just as I reached for the doorknob, Julian’s eager voice carried in from the living room. “Look what I got for you!” Ivy cheered. “Is it the sapphire I saw yesterday when we were shopping?!” “I only looked at it for a second, and you already bought it!” “Then I have a surprise for you too!” Ivy, feigning mystery, ran to tap on the bathroom door. “Mrs. Thorne, are you done?” I turned off the faucet and pulled open the bathroom door. Ivy bounded excitedly between Julian and me, joyfully flapping her arms. “It’s perfect that Mrs. Thorne is here too, because I have monumental news to share with both of you!” “Hubby gave me a sapphire! So I’m giving hubby a baby!” My body jolted, and I looked up at her sharply. After giving birth to Leo, I had always longed for a sweet daughter. Julian always found excuses, always put it off. Turns out, he just didn’t want to have another child with me. Julian’s smile was still wide. His gaze swept past Ivy, locking with mine. His pupils instantly constricted. The smile vanished, as if I were the villain who had intruded upon their perfect world. “What are you doing here?” I walked back to my seat, my eyes drifting between the two of them. My silence seemed to him like a challenge. He pulled Ivy behind him. “Whatever you have to say, say it to me. Don’t touch Ivy.” Ivy looked confused, tugging on his sleeve. “Isn’t she your mother?” Julian froze, then scoffed. “Silly girl, you have good eyes. She does look old.” “Unfortunately, she’s my legal wife.” Ivy’s eyes widened. She suddenly realized who I was, her face draining of color then flushing crimson. She clapped her hands over her mouth. “Mrs. Thorne… no, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it like that just now.” “It’s… it’s me…” She couldn’t find the words, her face flushing with frustration. Julian pulled her close and turned a cold stare on me. “She doesn’t owe you an apology.” “Eleanor, get out.” From the shelter of his arm, Ivy peeked out at me-a quick, triumphant glance. I drained the last sip of tea, picked up my coat, and walked over to her. “Your request from earlier? I agree.” As the elevator doors began to close, Julian rushed out, jamming his hand in the way. He looked at me, perplexed that I wasn’t demanding answers as usual. His expression was complex, with a hint of panic I couldn’t quite decipher. “Eleanor, this was an accident.” “You know pregnant women can’t handle emotional stress.” “Divorce would cost us a fortune. She won’t threaten your position.” Julian knew I treated our company like my own child, and divorce would mean splitting half of our assets. He was threatening me. I knew he wouldn’t let go if I didn’t respond. I gave a quiet hum, waving my hand to dismiss him. Julian visibly relaxed. Suddenly, a bag of trash appeared at my feet. “Take this down for me.” As the elevator doors closed, I kicked the bag right back out. Did he really think I came here unprepared today?
I returned to the office and pulled out the divorce papers I’d had prepared long ago. Actually, the first time I suspected him of being intimate with another woman, I had already consulted a lawyer and drafted them. Back then, Julian had threatened self-harm, swearing it would never happen again. Looking at the blood on the floor, my barely growing baby bump, and our fledgling business, I rationally chose to forgive him. “Eleanor, they’re here.” Sarah, my assistant, knocked on the door. After a series of negotiations, I sold all the shares I held in the company. The company was indeed my brainchild, but something tainted and broken wasn’t worth holding onto. Besides my son, I wanted nothing from him. My phone alarm went off. It was time to pick Leo up from preschool. But at the preschool gate, I saw Julian. Ivy was squatting beside my son, holding up a cool superhero-themed marshmallow. Leo’s joyful expression was one I’d never seen before. “Leo, do you like me or your mommy more?” Ivy’s voice was incredibly gentle. Leo giggled, poking Ivy’s dimple. “What if I become your mommy and have a little brother for you to play with?” My son nodded emphatically, standing on tiptoes to kiss Ivy’s cheek. Julian picked up Leo with one arm and held Ivy’s hand as they crossed the street. He spotted my car, his gaze shifting to the driver’s seat. He lingered on my face for only a moment before ushering them into his car. I sat in my car, my mind blank, my face flushed from the AC. It took a long time to shake off the daze. Julian had deliberately made sure I saw that. Ever since Leo started preschool, he had become increasingly resistant to my affection. I used to think it was my strictness that pushed him away, but now, everything made sense. It seemed my illusion of control, of a happy family, was nothing but a fragile bubble of my own making. Too bad Julian had miscalculated. He still thought I would swallow my pride and stay for our son’s sake. No one, absolutely no one, would stop me from leaving now. Back home, Leo was playing with the remote-control car Ivy had given him. Julian, as if nothing had happened, wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. “Didn’t you want another daughter?” “I’ll give you one tonight.” His hollow attempt at reconciliation, born of guilt, only disgusted me more. I struggled free of his grasp. “You should save that for Ivy.” Julian, assuming I was still angry, only pressed closer, his hands starting to roam, trying to elicit a reaction from me. Our usual pattern was that after an argument, a session in bed meant we’d made up. This time, there would be no making up. Julian gripped the back of my neck and shoved me forward. Perhaps because we were so close, the lingering scent of my work-the coffee beans and flour from our early bakery days-made him instinctively turn his head away. The more I struggled, the tighter his grip. With a thud, my head hit the wall. I instantly felt dizzy. He instinctively cupped the back of my head. My phone rang. A few seconds later, Julian released me, his face hardening, letting out a cold scoff. “Fine, I respect your wishes. Saves me the trouble of needing medication to even be interested in you.” I didn’t need to guess who was calling. Julian changed his clothes, sprayed on cologne, and stormed out, tossing a final comment over his shoulder. “That’s enough drama. Make sure everything’s ready for the annual gala next week.” Every year, he loved to make a big show of handing out employees’ annual bonuses in cash. More than once, he either gave too little or too much, causing numerous employee disputes. Once, while handling company funds, I even got robbed and ended up in the hospital. Now, with the company accounts drained by his lavish spending on Ivy, how could he save face?
Leo stood by the door, watching me pack my suitcase. I could be ruthless with Julian. But facing my son, whom I had carried for nine months, I wavered. There weren’t many things to pack, anyway. I put items in, then took them out, agonizing for over an hour. I knelt before him, gently stroking his soft, little cheek. For the first time, he didn’t swat my hand away. I asked softly, “Do you want to come with Mommy?” Leo’s eyes sparkled, but he asked me in return, “Are you leaving? If you leave, are you never coming back?” My throat tightened. “Yes, Mommy won’t be coming back.” “Come with Mommy, okay?” I pulled him into my arms. Leo’s small voice whispered beside my ear. “Yay! If you leave, I’ll have a pretty mommy!” My body went rigid. I slowly let him go and stood up. I had planned, even in leaving, to protect the boy. He was innocent. I was going to help him settle things with Ivy’s child-to make sure no one would ever try to take what was his. But with that kind of attitude from him, why should I bother planning his future? I stepped over him and walked out without looking back. The moment I landed in the Maldives, my phone lit up with Snap notifications. “Mrs. Thorne, even if I handed Julian back to you now, he wouldn’t take you.” “I’ll take good care of him and Leo.” “Oh, and it’s a boy. Julian says he’ll inherit everything.” The next message was a video. It showed Julian at her prenatal appointment. “Hubby, listen here. He can hear your voice now, you know.” I turned off my phone. This wouldn’t end with a simple divorce, Julian. I had a surprise planned for him at the annual gala. We didn’t speak for a whole week. But his social media was flooded-no less than twenty posts of him and Ivy. At the annual gala, Julian introduced Ivy to the room. His hand rested possessively on her waist, his meaning clear. A few executives rushed to flatter him. “Mr. Thorne, it’s about time you saw the light!” “Who knows what he was doing, tied to that battleaxe all these years.” “Exactly! When’s the big day, sir?” These were people I had promoted. Every one of them. Julian smiled, his gaze dropping to Ivy’s stomach. “You’ll all have cake soon enough.” They stood there like a bride and groom, accepting the room’s toasts. Someone finally mentioned me. Julian’s lips curved into a smirk. “She’ll be here soon.” When it came time to distribute the annual bonuses, Julian finally noticed my absence. He began calling my phone repeatedly. “Where is Eleanor Vance?!” My chief assistant stammered. “Eleanor… she’s been unreachable all week. And this afternoon…the company accounts were cleared out.” “We tried calling you, sir. Many times. You never answered.” Her voice faded to a whisper. Julian’s expression darkened by the second. Suddenly, the large screen behind him flickered to life, cycling through a series of images. A collective gasp swept the hall, followed by dead silence. Julian turned. His face went rigid with fury. The phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor.
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