My husband’s mistress sent me her year-end performance review. She asked for a bonus. The day before New Year’s, a file landed in my inbox: My Annual Performance Review with Your Husband. Item One. Total times I had sex with your husband this year: 150. Exceeded KPI. Item Two. Got your husband to buy me a villa and a luxury car. Goal achieved. Item Three. Got your son to call me “Mom” every day. Goal achieved. Item Four. Bravely stood before you to fight for my happiness. Mission accomplished! Mrs. Thorne, I’ve taken care of your husband and your son. So, are you going to give me a year-end bonus, or just file for divorce? Attached was a photo. There, Marcus Thorne had his arm around her waist, and my seven-year-old son, Leo, stood in front of them. This woman was my son’s piano teacher. Marcus came home just in time to see that special year-end review. He looked nervous and told me, “Don’t you dare go after her! I was the one who fell for her first. She’s innocent. I can give you anything you want as compensation.” I just said, coldly, “I only want you to go back to how you were.” Back to the penniless, unloved nobody you were. He misunderstood, though, and visibly relaxed. “Since you know about Tiffany and me, why don’t we have her celebrate New Year’s Eve with us this year?” He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I couldn’t believe this was the man I’d loved for fifteen years. How could he be so incredibly brazen? Marcus gently raised his hand, as if to lovingly ruffle my hair like he used to. I flinched, taking a step back, my eyes stinging. “Whatever you want. I have an important experiment to run anyway.” From now on, Marcus and Leo wouldn’t be in my life for any New Year’s Eve. I turned and went upstairs. Behind me, I heard Marcus grumbling, “You always put your experiments first. I’m always second to your lab work. Were you actually hoping I’d cheat?” I glanced back at him. “If I asked you to break up with her, would you?” The smile vanished from his face, replaced by a serious expression. “Do you want the truth or a lie?” “The truth.” He didn’t hesitate. “I won’t leave her, just like you’d never abandon your experiments.” He paused, a hint of regret in his eyes. “If you hadn’t poured all your energy and time into your research, neglecting my needs, Tiffany would never have come between us.” I scoffed. So, his cheating was my fault? I practically lived in that lab, developing new products for his pharmaceutical company, making him a titan in the industry. He wasn’t grateful? Instead, he blamed me? He’s forgotten the road he traveled to get here. Fine. I’ll personally send him right back down it! I immediately sent a message to my lawyer. “Prepare the divorce papers. Also, all my patents and research findings are off-limits to Thorne Pharmaceuticals.” Just then, his phone rang. He lowered his voice, but I could still tell it was Tiffany Hayes. He was soothing her. “It’s fine, she’s just mad. Her mind is always on her experiments anyway, she barely pays attention to me.” “Just don’t send anything like that again.” “Come over for New Year’s Eve. I’ll make sure you’re happy. Couch, bed…your pick.!”
My hands were shaking, but no matter how awful I felt, I didn’t cry. My lawyer messaged me back. “I’ll need seven business days.” Seven days. In the lab, seven days could change the course of a breakthrough. Now, every second dragged. I studied my bleached hands, my strained eyes, the tinnitus that never quite left. All that striving, all that giving-it all felt like a joke now. And I was the punchline. I suddenly remembered ten years ago, when his company was just starting. He couldn’t afford to buy patents, couldn’t produce medicines, and he was so anxious his hair was turning gray. I buried myself in the lab day and night, ensuring he had drugs to produce, which ultimately led to the pharmaceutical empire he had today. He told me I was the most precious gift heaven had given him! It made me laugh bitterly now. Later that night, I went to the lab and terminated all the ongoing projects for his company. Looking at the empty lab, I felt a mix of emotions. My phone buzzed with a provocative message from Tiffany. The photo showed her and Marcus, half-naked in bed, Marcus sound asleep. “Mrs. Thorne, I’m ‘taking care’ of your husband again.” “Marcus told me you’re okay with us being together. So, how about that year-end bonus?” “After all, taking care of him is really hard work. Marcus was so insatiable. We went at it three times tonight.” My blood boiled, but I used another phone to record the video and save it as evidence, sending it straight to my lawyer. My silence, in Tiffany’s eyes, was cowardice. Then, my son, Leo, suddenly came down with a fever and was hospitalized. When I rushed to the hospital, Tiffany was opening a steaming bowl of mushroom soup. She was telling Leo, “Good boy, Leo, eat a little, even if you don’t have an appetite. You’ll get better faster.” Marcus stood nearby, hands casually in his pockets, his gaze, full of doting affection, shifting from Tiffany to Leo. “See, your mommy loves you so much.” My heart felt like it was being twisted. We weren’t even divorced, and he was letting our son call another woman “Mommy.” “Yeah, Mommy loves me the most!” Leo’s joyful voice was a fatal blow, piercing my very soul. My blood ran cold. Hearing my son call Tiffany “Mommy” with my own ears stole the air from my lungs. Tiffany saw me. Her eyes flashed with defiance, then she put on a saccharine sweet smile. “Eleanor. You’re here. Why don’t you feed Leo?” Leo didn’t spare me a glance. He whined to Tiffany, “Tiffany, I want you to feed me! I like it when you feed me.” He then looked at me, a hint of disdain in his voice. “His mom just knows experiments; she doesn’t know how to take care of anyone. Dad and I both like you.” My face hardened. I stared at Leo. “What did you just call her?” Tiffany, feigning understanding, provoked me. “Eleanor, don’t be so hard on Leo. He’s just a six-year-old.”
Marcus stepped between Leo and me, trying to mediate. “Leo is sick, so don’t make him feel worse.” He reached for my back, guiding me out of the room. “Just go back to your lab. Tiffany’s got this. You don’t need to worry.” My stomach churned with disgust. I shoved Marcus’s arm away. “Don’t touch me!” Leo, startled by my outburst, burst into tears. Tiffany, feigning concern, said, “Eleanor, you scared Leo. If you’re angry, take it out on me, not him. The child is innocent, okay? Don’t hurt him.” I had only one thought, one obsession. I stared at the crying Leo and asked him, “Did you just call her Mommy?” I thought, if he said he wouldn’t call Tiffany “Mommy,” I would forgive him, and I would take him with me when I divorced. But what I heard was Leo crying and accusing me. “You’re my mom, but Tiffany is my mom too! I like her, she’s good to me, she takes care of me, she teaches me piano. You’re nothing like her, you only care about your experiments. She’s just better than you!” The words hit me like a lightning bolt, and tears streamed down my face, uncontrolled. Marcus dragged me outside, scolding, “Why are you taking your anger out on our son! You don’t need to worry about anything here. Go back to your lab!” With that, he turned and went back into the hospital room, locking the door to prevent me from going back in and making a scene. That night, Evelyn Thorne, my mother-in-law, came to talk to me. “Eleanor, you’re a good woman. I’ve always respected you.” She took my hand, patting it gently, her voice softening. “Men, they all stray a little, don’t they? Tiffany can help you with Marcus, and with Leo too.” “Honestly, if you just relax a little, you’ll see this is a blessing in disguise.” “You won’t have to ‘serve’ your husband, or bother with your son. You can just focus on your experiments. Isn’t that ideal?” My heart was colder than ice, devoid of any emotion. I quietly pulled my hand away. “Yes, I won’t interfere with them anymore.” Evelyn’s eyes lit up with delight, thinking she had convinced me. She smiled again. “Then I’ll have the staff prepare the bedroom right next to yours for Tiffany. That way, she can live at home, make it easier for Leo to learn piano, and help you take care of them both.” Seeing my silence, Evelyn assumed I agreed. She clapped my back, beaming. “I knew it! I said you were a sensible, good woman!” Delighted, she immediately told the housekeeper to clean the bedroom next to mine. She didn’t hesitate to call Tiffany. “Tiffany, you can move in tonight. The room’s all ready. Move in early so you can keep me company shopping and keep me entertained!”
When Marcus brought Tiffany back, I was about to leave. Seeing my glum face, Tiffany feigned embarrassment and a pitiful look. “Eleanor seems a little upset. Maybe I shouldn’t move in after all.” I said coldly, “This is the Thorne family home. You can stay as long as you want. I won’t interfere.” With that, I quickened my pace. Marcus caught up and grabbed my wrist. “Are you really okay with this? If you mind, Tiffany and I can stay somewhere else.” I pulled my hand away, my heart dead, my voice eerily calm. “I just have some work to take care of. I really don’t have an opinion about you and Tiffany.” He sighed in relief, his voice softening. “Okay, you go handle your work. Call me when you’re done, and I’ll come pick you up.” After leaving the Thorne house, I never went back. On December 31st, Marcus’s company held a gala. He informed everyone, except me. Coincidentally, I was passing by the hotel where they were hosting the event that day. I happened to see Marcus holding Tiffany’s hand, and Tiffany holding my son’s hand, as they went on stage to give a speech. In everyone’s eyes, they were a picture of a happy family of three. Marcus held the microphone, his voice cheerful and sincere. “This year, I’ve gained so much. I want to thank my wife, for all her support and warmth.” My eyes felt like they were being pricked by needles. The microphone was handed to Leo. He smiled innocently and happily at Tiffany. “The person I want to thank most is my mommy. Thank you, Mommy, for giving me so much love. I love you.” With that, Leo spontaneously hugged Tiffany. The audience erupted in applause. Tiffany, on stage, saw me. As I turned to leave the banquet hall, she rushed out alone, stopping in front of me to provoke me. “Eleanor, you’re incredibly patient, aren’t you? I know you’re scared to make a scene because you’re terrified of leaving the Thorne family and losing this opulent lifestyle. But do you really think you can keep your place as Mrs. Thorne just by enduring?” I sneered at her. “We’ll see about that.” She smiled scornfully, full of confidence. “We’ll see! Your son, your husband, they’ve both declared my place to the world! What do you have left to fight me with?” I ignored her, quickening my steps. She’d soon realize that what she’d so desperately fought for was nothing but a worthless pile of garbage! On New Year’s Eve, the Thorne house was decorated brightly, full of festive cheer. Every year, I personally prepared the New Year’s Eve dinner. Marcus finally remembered to call me, but he tried several times and no one picked up. He felt an inexplicable anxiety. Tiffany, ever so understanding, said, “Marcus, it’s my first New Year’s Eve at home. Let me make dinner. Eleanor is probably busy in the lab again. After I’m done, you can call her back for dinner.” Marcus’s expression remained normal, but he felt a strange panic in his heart. When Tiffany finished dinner, Marcus still hadn’t gotten through to me. Mr. Jenkins, the butler, brought him a package. “This is from Mrs. Thorne, sir.” Marcus opened the package. The words “DIVORCE AGREEMENT” blazed up at him, striking with the force of a physical blow. His phone rang. It was Jamie, his assistant, voice tight with panic. “Mr. Thorne, emergency! Mrs. Thorne has revoked all patent licenses. The company can’t operate!”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “349078”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn
Leave a Reply