At 3 AM, the cold glow of my phone screen illuminated my face. I, Juliet Martin, stared at that transaction record, my fingertips going numb. Purchase details: Washington Hotel Executive Suite. Transaction time: 8 PM last night. My husband Bruce Gilbert is a detective, and he was on duty last night. I gripped my phone, my knuckles turning white. I sent him a message: [I just saw your credit card statement. You stayed at a hotel last night?] Almost instantly, he replied: [Police station had overtime work. They arranged accommodation for everyone. Forgot to tell you.] I stared at those words and suddenly smiled. Washington Hotel is on the west side of the city, the police station on the east side—spanning the entire city, not even close to being on the way. I didn’t press further. I quietly opened my banking app, copied the merchant address from the transaction record, and sent it to my best friend Lainey Spencer, who works as a private investigator. Two seconds later, she replied: [Hold on, I’ll definitely get to the bottom of this for you.] ***** Two hours later, my phone vibrated. I received a video and location information. The video was from the hotel lobby surveillance. In the footage, Bruce was wearing his police uniform, looking natural as he walked into the elevator hand-in-hand with a girl in a white dress. The girl had long hair cascading over her shoulders, a slender waist, and from her profile looked to be barely in her twenties, smiling so brightly her eyes crinkled. Around her wrist was a bracelet—one I had woven by hand three Christmases ago, wishing Bruce safety and good luck. He had once said that except during missions, he would never take off this bracelet. The location showed “Starlight Welfare House”—a children’s home. My heart clenched violently, my breathing nearly stopping. Among Bruce’s community service cases, there was indeed a girl named Lucy Weber. Her parents had died early, and she had a withdrawn personality. He had mentioned her several times, saying she was pitiful and needed extra care. I had gone with him once to Starlight Welfare House and had seen Lucy from a distance. In my memory, she was frail and silent, walking with her head down, unwilling to say a single word. She was completely different from the person laughing so brightly in the video. I changed clothes and drove straight to Starlight Welfare House. The security guard recognized me and nodded me through. “Lucy’s in the back garden.” From a distance, I saw her sitting on a bench, looking down at her phone with the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, as if she had received some happy news. Sunlight fell on her hair, making it golden. But the bracelet on her wrist glinted in the light, making my eyes ache. She looked up and saw me. Her smile froze for a moment, then she stood up and called out timidly, “Mrs. Gilbert.” Her voice was soft, just as reserved and shy as last time. I walked over and sat beside her, my gaze falling on her lit phone screen. The chat interface was paused on a conversation with someone labeled “Bruce.” The latest message was from him: [See you at the usual place tonight. I brought you a gift.] Her reply: [Okay! Bruce, you’re the best!] The timestamp showed 7:30 PM last night. I quietly pressed my lips together, turned to look at her, and said calmly, “Your bracelet is quite pretty. Did Bruce give it to you?” She trembled, instinctively hiding her hand in her sleeve, and said quietly, “He said it was my birthday, so he gave me this.” “Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “When’s your birthday? How come I’ve never heard him mention it?” Her eyes darted away, her lips moved, but she couldn’t speak. I smiled, pulled out my phone from my bag, opened the surveillance video, and held it directly in front of her: “Last night at 8 PM, at Washington Hotel—Bruce’s birthday gift to you was this, wasn’t it?” Lucy’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
Tears suddenly welled up in Lucy’s eyes, large droplets falling onto the back of her hand as her shoulders trembled like autumn leaves in the wind. “Mrs. Gilbert, it’s not what you think,” she choked out. “Bruce said there was a mission that required my cooperation, and he told me to wait for him at the hotel. I really didn’t know it would turn out like this.” “A mission?” I raised an eyebrow slightly, my tone calm yet laced with coldness. “What kind of mission requires you to wear a white dress, put on his personal bracelet, and wait alone in a hotel room he booked?” She opened her mouth but couldn’t speak, only crying harder. Her sobs drew the attention of a caregiver from Starlight Welfare House. It was a woman in her forties who knew me. She hurried over and said, “Mrs. Gilbert, Lucy is still young and naive. Could there be some misunderstanding?” I ignored her, keeping my eyes fixed on Lucy’s face. “When did you and Bruce actually start this?” She bit her lip, tears brimming in her eyes, shaking her head desperately. “We didn’t. Mrs. Gilbert, please believe me, we really didn’t.” “I don’t believe you.” I put away my phone and turned to leave. Some things weren’t worth discussing with her. I had just gotten into my car when Bruce’s call came through. “Juliet, did you go to Starlight Welfare House?” His voice carried suppressed displeasure. “Lucy just called me, crying hysterically, saying you misunderstood her.” “Misunderstood?” I let out a light laugh. “What did I misunderstand? That she was wearing your bracelet, lying in a hotel room you booked?” The other end went silent for a few seconds, then came his tired, dismissive voice. “Juliet, can’t you be more mature? Lucy is someone I’m helping. She has a tragic background, so what’s wrong with me taking extra care of her? Stop being so paranoid all the time.” “I’m being paranoid?” I gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Bruce, you weren’t even on duty last night, were you?” His tone suddenly turned cold. “Juliet, are you following me?” “I don’t have that kind of time.” I said coldly and hung up directly. Then I called Lainey. “Help me check Bruce’s duty records for the past six months, and all his hotel booking records. The more detailed, the better.” A light tsk came from the other end. “Looks like this isn’t simple. Alright, wait for my message.” Half an hour later, the email arrived. Opening the attachment, Bruce’s duty records were circled in red pen in over a dozen places—all dates when he had logged duty shifts in the system but wasn’t actually on duty. And that hotel booking record was even more nauseating. Starting three months ago, almost once a week, different locations, but without exception, all near Starlight Welfare House. The most recent entry was last night’s Washington Hotel. All paid for with his credit card. Staring at the hotel records on my screen, I felt sick to my stomach. Five years of marriage, I had managed everything at home for him, understanding his busy and dangerous work, never complaining. When he said he wanted to help Lucy, I supported him. I even personally bought her dresses and books, treating her like a child who needed warmth. But it turned out my sincerity was nothing but a joke to him. My phone rang again. The caller ID showed Richard Wood, Bruce’s colleague. “Juliet, did you and Mr. Gilbert have a fight?” His tone was awkward. “He just threw a tantrum at the station, threw files all over the floor, saying you were being unreasonable.” I held the phone, listening to him carefully trying to mediate: “Juliet, Mr. Gilbert is under a lot of pressure, you know that. Lucy really is pitiful, and Mr. Gilbert is just soft-hearted. He really doesn’t mean anything else…” “Soft-hearted enough to need to take care of her at a hotel?” I interrupted him, my voice ice-cold. “Richard, if you don’t have anything else, I’m hanging up.” After hanging up, I started the car and headed straight for the police station. Some things needed to be made crystal clear face to face.
The police station entrance was packed with cars. I had just parked when I saw Bruce walking out from inside. He wore his crisp police uniform, his posture still upright, but his face was unusually grim. When he spotted me, his brow furrowed instantly. He strode over quickly, yanked open the car door, and slid into the passenger seat. “Juliet, what the hell are you trying to do?” He kept his voice low, barely containing his fury. “Do you have to make such a scene?” I stared directly at him. “Bruce, I just want to hear the truth. What exactly is your relationship with Lucy?” He turned away, avoiding my gaze. “I already told you—she’s someone I’m helping out.” “Helping her out in a hotel room?” I laughed coldly. “Bruce, do you think I’m stupid?” He whipped his head around to glare at me, his eyes sharp as knives. “Juliet! Do you have to push me like this?” Just then, a slender figure approached us—Lucy. She clutched a thermal lunch container tightly in her hands, her white dress swaying gently in the breeze. Seeing us sitting in the car, her face went deathly pale, and her eyes quickly reddened. “Bruce,” she called out timidly, “I brought you lunch. I didn’t expect Mrs. Gilbert to be here too.” Bruce jerked as if burned, shoving the car door open and rushing over in a few quick steps, instinctively positioning himself protectively in front of her. The movement was too natural, as if it had been carved into his very bones, and it stabbed at my heart. “Who told you to come?” His tone was reproachful, yet couldn’t hide a trace of tenderness. “Didn’t I tell you to wait for me in the office?” “I was worried you wouldn’t have time to eat.” Lucy kept her head down, mumbling. The bracelet on her wrist slid down to her forearm with the movement, catching my eye perfectly. I pushed open the car door, my heels clicking crisply against the concrete. As I approached them, Bruce subtly pulled Lucy another half-step behind him. That small gesture completely ignited the rage burning in my chest. “Bruce, you’re protecting her?” I laughed, my voice cold as ice. “In your heart, who exactly is your wife?” “Juliet, stop being unreasonable!” His face darkened so much it looked ready to drip water. “Lucy’s still young—don’t scare her!” “I’m scaring her?” I pointed at Lucy’s wrist, my voice suddenly rising. “Then tell me what she’s wearing! I braided that bracelet myself! I gave it to you hoping it would keep you safe. And now? You’ve given it to another woman and taken her to a hotel?” The surrounding officers turned to look, some stopping to whisper among themselves. Bruce’s face flushed red, veins bulging at his temples. “Juliet! We’ll discuss this at home! This is my workplace!” “Are you scared?” I stepped closer, staring hard into his eyes. “Then why weren’t you scared when you took her to that hotel? Why weren’t you scared when you brought her home to sleep in our marriage bed? Bruce, when you did those things wearing this uniform, you should have known this day would come!” “Mrs. Gilbert, please stop,” Lucy suddenly burst into tears, gripping Bruce’s arm tightly as she trembled. “It’s all my fault. You shouldn’t blame Bruce. I was the one who initiated it—he rejected me many times.” “You initiated it?” I acted like I’d heard the joke of the century, pulling out my phone and opening the surveillance video, shoving it right in her face. “You initiated holding hands with him in that white dress as you walked into the elevator? Wearing my bracelet while waiting for him in the hotel? Lucy, didn’t your parents teach you what shame means?” She shuddered all over, tears streaming down like broken pearls. Suddenly she clutched her stomach and crouched down. “Ah! My stomach hurts so much!” Bruce’s expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he bent down to help her up. “Lucy! What’s wrong?” “Don’t touch her!” I shouted sternly. “Bruce, look carefully! She’s acting!” “Are you insane?” He roared, the disgust in his eyes stabbing at me like knives. “She’s pregnant! If something happens to her, I’ll never forgive you!” The word “pregnant” struck my heart like a sledgehammer. I staggered back a step, staring in disbelief at her slightly rounded belly. So they had already gone this far. Looking at the two of them, I suddenly laughed through my tears. “Bruce, you got your ‘help case’ pregnant. How dedicated of you.” Lucy cried even harder in his arms, sobbing as she said, “Let’s go. I don’t want to make Mrs. Gilbert sad. Mrs. Gilbert, we truly love each other. Please, I’m begging you to let us be together.” “True love?” I laughed until tears came, raising my hand to point at the police station sign. “Your true love is built on lies and betrayal? Your love tramples on someone else’s marriage? Lucy, let me tell you something—as long as I’m Bruce’s legal wife, you’ll always be nothing but a homewrecker who can’t show her face in public!” “Enough!” Bruce suddenly swept Lucy up in his arms, turning to look at me coldly, all warmth gone from his eyes. “Juliet, this is my final warning—don’t push me.” “I’m forcing you?” I stared at his retreating figure as he carried Lucy away, my voice trembling. “Bruce, you forced me first! What did I force you to do? Force you not to cheat? Force you not to lie? When you trampled my trust, my love, and our five-year marriage into the dirt, you should have realized I’m not someone who can be bullied! You’re a cop, Bruce! You broke the law knowing better!” I suddenly grabbed his wrist, my fingertips touching nothing but bare skin. The bracelet I had woven for him with my own hands was long gone. “Where’s my bracelet?” I asked. He froze, his voice stiff. “Lost it during a mission.” “Lost it?” I stared directly into his eyes, asking word by word, “Then what’s that on Lucy’s wrist?” Bruce’s face went pale instantly. He opened his mouth as if to explain, but ultimately said nothing, roughly shaking off my hand and walking away without looking back. The streetlight stretched his silhouette carrying Lucy into a long shadow, like a dull knife repeatedly cutting through my heart. I watched helplessly as they got into the police car, watched the red and blue lights flash as they pierced through the street corner and sped away. The next second, I crouched on the ground, unable to hold on any longer, and broke down sobbing. The surrounding chatter surged like a tide, but I could no longer hear anything. The man who once vowed to protect me for life had ultimately torn me apart in the cruelest way, leaving me shattered in memories. My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a message from Lainey: [I just found out Bruce has been paying Lucy’s rent all along. She also has a new car registered under her name, with Bruce as the payer. Do you want me to send this evidence directly to Internal Affairs?] So he gave her more than just affection—he gave her a home. And I, his legitimate wife, felt like an intruder, excluded from our own marriage. I wiped away my tears and forcefully typed a few words on the screen: [Send it.] I thought, Bruce, since you’re heartless, don’t blame me for being ruthless. What you owe me, I’ll collect bit by bit, with interest. I found an experienced divorce attorney, Athena Harvey. After reviewing the materials I provided, she frowned deeply. “Mrs. Martin, Mr. Gilbert’s behavior constitutes adultery. You have every right to demand a larger share of assets, even leave him with nothing.” She adjusted her glasses, her tone calm. “But there’s one issue—his paycheck and most assets are under your name, so there’s actually limited property he can transfer…” “I don’t care about the money.” I interrupted her, my voice calm yet sharp. “I want him ruined.” Athena paused, then nodded. “That’s possible. But we need more concrete evidence, like intimate photos or recordings.” I suddenly remembered the smart camera at home. Bruce had insisted on installing it last Christmas, saying he was worried about my safety living alone. The camera was connected to both our phones. I had never paid attention to it, but now it might become the most lethal weapon. I immediately went home and logged into the cloud to retrieve the footage. Sure enough, there was a payoff. Half a month ago, Bruce had brought Lucy home. In the video, Lucy was wearing my pajamas, wandering around the living room with a flippant expression. Bruce wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing her neck with disgusting intimacy. “Bruce, so this is your home? It’s so much better than my rental apartment.” Lucy’s voice carried a coquettish tone. “Do you like it? This will be your home too from now on.” He chuckled softly. “Once I divorce Juliet, I’ll transfer the house to you.” “Really?” Her eyes lit up. “Bruce, you’re so good to me!” “Of course.” He pinched her cheek, his tone tender enough to break my heart. “My little baby deserves the best.” I laughed bitterly to myself. My little baby? Those words were once my exclusive endearment. Now, he had casually given them to someone else. The video continued playing. They entangled on the sofa, their laughter intimate, then walked embraced into the bedroom Bruce and I shared. I bit my lip so hard that the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, barely preventing myself from vomiting on the spot. So they had long ago turned my home into their affair venue, right under my nose. I silently downloaded the video and sent it to Athena. “Is this enough?” I asked. After watching it, her expression grew grave. “It’s enough. Mrs. Martin, are you sure you want to do this? This will completely destroy him.” “I’m sure.” I answered without a moment’s hesitation. Since he dared to betray me, he should face the consequences.
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