My husband Derek bought his secretary Bella a diamond-studded lingerie set. Bella immediately posted on Ins to show off: “My boss gave me a reward. I’ll work even harder!” I commented: “Work harder in bed?” Derek called me right away to accuse me. “I just bought Bella some lingerie. Did you really have to make her cry? Why don’t you reflect on why I’m giving gifts to Bella and not you?” Before I could say a word, he hung up. I untied my apron and threw it on the floor. I’m done with the housework. And I’m done with this marriage. The first thing Derek did when he got home was yell at me: “You left the mop by the door. Are you trying to make me trip and die? I’m so sick of you!” My stomach hurt so badly I couldn’t stand up. I was bent over, but he didn’t even notice. He just walked right past me and sat on the couch. Derek tossed something in a red plastic bag onto the table. “Here’s some lingerie for you. You’re just old and jealous of younger women.” I looked at the price tag. $9.99. I touched the fabric. It was rough and cheap. I said: “I don’t want the lingerie. Give it to your secretary.” Derek froze. “Claire, who are you giving attitude to? Don’t be so ungrateful, okay? Don’t you know your own body…” He saw the look on my face and stopped talking. Did he really not know why my body had changed? Six months ago, I had a miscarriage after fighting with him about staying out all night. The hormone imbalance from the medication made me gain weight. And he was willing to spend over a hundred thousand dollars on diamond-studded lingerie for Bella, but bought me cheap $9.99 garbage. I looked at him with mixed emotions. “Derek, take this junk and get out of my sight, okay?” He practically roared: “Claire! Don’t push your luck. This is from Bella and me!” I laughed softly. “I don’t want this so-called gift.” Derek angrily threw the lingerie in the trash. “Since you don’t want it, I’ll throw it away for you. Don’t come begging me later!” He stood up and pointed at me: “And you need to apologize to Bella!” “I won’t.” My flat refusal made him angry again. Derek said sternly: “Tomorrow I’m bringing her home for dinner. You need to make a nice meal for her!” My body still hadn’t recovered from the miscarriage. And he wanted me to cook for his mistress as an apology? “Derek, I won’t apologize!” He said coldly: “I don’t care. You made Bella cry, so you have to apologize!” Then he slammed the bedroom door behind him.
When Derek started his business, he had no capital. I sold the house my parents gave me to raise money for him. The moment he got the startup funds, he knelt down and proposed to me. He said he would never let me down for the rest of his life. Now, he was cheating with his secretary. The next day, when he brought Bella home and saw nothing on the table, he was furious. “Claire! Didn’t I tell you to make dinner?” Bella’s little hand stroked Derek’s chest soothingly: “Don’t be angry. Claire doesn’t like me. I should just leave…” “Bella, don’t go. She’s the one who should leave!” Derek quickly grabbed her hand. “Claire! You’ve really disappointed me!” It seemed Derek wanted to kick me out so his mistress could feel better. I sighed. “Don’t forget, this house is my prenuptial property.” Derek’s expression changed. Then he said: “Since you’re my wife, when we have guests, you should at least pour some water, right?” I said calmly: “You’re the man of this house. You can pour it too.” “Claire, can you stop being so petty?” Derek pulled Bella to sit down. “This is Bella’s first time at our house. Can’t you be a good host?” Bella said shyly: “Derek, if Claire doesn’t mind, I can come visit more often to chat with Claire.” Derek nodded with satisfaction, then looked up at me: “Well? What’s your attitude?” I sighed. “I’m not feeling well today. Help yourselves.” I went into my room and closed the door, shutting out Derek’s scolding. Soon I heard clanging sounds and the laughter of Derek and Bella playing around together. Two hours later, I heard the front door close. I came out of my room to find the kitchen and dining room a complete mess. Leftover food and unwashed pots and dishes were just sitting there, waiting for me to clean up. Past midnight, Derek still hadn’t come home. I didn’t call him. I used to call him before 10 PM to urge him home. After doing it too many times, he got annoyed. We fought about it constantly. This time was different. Derek didn’t stay out all night. He even brought me a late-night snack. I said: “Tomorrow I need to go to the hospital for a follow-up. Can you drive me?” Seeing my pale face, Derek agreed. “If it weren’t for the fact that you’re sick, after your attitude today, I definitely wouldn’t forgive you.” He paused. “Don’t treat Bella like that again.” In the end, he came home early for Bella, not for me. The next day, there was thunder and heavy rain. Derek was driving me and we stopped at a red light. He watched the windshield wipers irritably: “I don’t know why you chose a rainy day to go to the hospital! The traffic is terrible!” I explained: “I made an appointment with the doctor. You know Dr. Harrison is hard to book…” Derek’s phone rang: “Your caring little secretary is online! Derek, you have a call~” Derek glanced at me awkwardly. “Bella’s being playful. Don’t be mad.” I smiled indifferently. He seemed surprised by my attitude. “You’re not angry?” “Why would I be angry?” Derek answered the call, confused. After connecting to Bluetooth, Bella’s sweet voice came through the speakers: “Derek… my stomach hurts so much…” Her breathing sounded especially suggestive. Derek unlocked the car doors and said to me: “Take a cab to the hospital yourself. I need to pick up Bella from the office.” I grabbed the door handle tightly and refused to get out: “Derek, are you crazy? It’s impossible to get a cab in this rain!” He pushed me out of the car without discussion: “Bella’s period pain makes her faint. I have to pick her up!” Derek didn’t care that I was getting soaked in the rain. He locked the car and drove away. He accelerated so fast that I didn’t let go in time. I was dragged several meters before falling heavily into a puddle…
That day I developed a high fever and ended up in the hospital. The doctor called Derek a dozen times. He didn’t answer any of them. I called my lawyer Marcus to the hospital. Seeing my condition, he was shocked. “How did you end up like this? Is a man worth this?” I shook my head mockingly. “Not worth it. Is it too late to regret now?” Marcus sighed and took out his notebook from his bag. “I know no matter how much I tried to persuade you before, it was useless. You had to figure it out yourself before you’d turn back…” I showed Marcus the photos of Derek and Bella kissing. Marcus frowned. “Why does this homewrecker look so much like you?” Actually, he wasn’t the only one. The first time I met Bella, I thought she looked somewhat like me too. But none of that mattered anymore. I’d been married to Derek for five years. The first few years, we had a great relationship and were very much in love. But everything changed after Bella joined the company as Derek’s secretary. Derek and she were inseparable. They even shared hotel rooms on business trips. I told him countless times, but he kept crossing my boundaries. He would even go to Bella after fighting with me. My patience and communication became unreasonable trouble in his eyes. Gradually, I got tired. I became numb. “Claire, I’ll help you get back what belongs to you.” Marcus’s words pulled me back from my thoughts. I nodded. “I’m counting on you for the divorce papers.” On the day of the company’s fifth anniversary gala. I entered the venue in a black mermaid dress, immediately becoming the center of attention under the spotlight. “Didn’t they say Mr. Derek’s wife was fat? I don’t think she’s fat at all!” “Exactly! Who spread that rumor? That hourglass figure is what I dream of having!” “Those waves, that black lace… total bombshell!” “I heard it was Derek’s secretary Bella who said it. We don’t really know…” The company employees were buzzing with gossip. I walked forward without looking sideways, a faint smile on my lips. When Bella saw me, she dropped her glass. It shattered on the floor. “Bella, what’s wrong…” Derek was about to speak when his eyes fell on me. His pupils dilated in shock. Derek was so stunned he couldn’t speak. He stared at me blankly. In that moment, I saw in his eyes the same passionate devotion from five years ago. Bella snapped back to reality and quickly stood in front of Derek, blocking his view. “Derek, I’m not feeling well. Can you help me…” Before she could finish, Derek pushed her aside. Derek walked up to me: “Claire, uh no, honey, you look so beautiful tonight…” Bella grabbed Derek’s hand stubbornly. “Derek, my chest really hurts. Don’t believe me? Feel it.” She tried to put Derek’s hand on her chest. Derek pulled away awkwardly. “No.” I ignored them both and walked straight to the stage. Bella shouted from below: “Claire, today is the company’s fifth anniversary gala. That’s not your place to stand!” I laughed softly. “Should I come down so you can stand there?” Laughter erupted from below. I added: “Would that be appropriate?” The laughter grew louder. Bella’s face turned red with humiliation. She wanted to crawl into a hole. Derek came up on stage, took my hand, and proudly introduced me to everyone. “Claire, my beloved wife.” Amid the enthusiastic applause, I smiled slightly and spoke into the microphone: “Not for much longer.” Derek froze, thinking he’d heard wrong. “What?”
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