Chapter 2 Retribution
899 Words
Vanessa couldn't stand the smell of smoke, especially in confined spaces. For her sake, I hadn't touched a cigarette in years, even nearly coming to blows with smokers at dinner parties. Despite accepting the reality of her lack of love for me, the sight of the cigarette butt felt like a fresh wound, a sharp pang of pain in my chest.
So this was what it felt like to be in love: to tolerate everything about someone, even compromise one's principles...
"Let's drive separately today," I said, closing the door and turning towards my car. Vanessa scrambled out of her car, a look of panic on her face, but she couldn't catch me.
I sped to the bridal shop. Vanessa hadn't arrived yet. While waiting, I checked my phone and saw several transactions on my supplementary credit card. One from a movie theater, followed hours later by another from a nearby hotel suite.
A cold laugh escaped my lips. She truly took me for a fool, using my card without a second thought for her rendezvous with another man. Was she so confident I wouldn't check the transactions? Or did she simply not care if I knew?
I switched off my phone, trying to compose myself. By the time Vanessa finally arrived, I had regained my composure.
Despite supposedly choosing her dream dress, Vanessa seemed distracted throughout the consultation, even sneaking messages on her phone in the fitting room. I feigned ignorance. Our wedding was off; I was the one walking away this time.
Midway through the process, Vanessa abruptly selected a random dress, claiming an emergency. She hailed a passing cab and left without even retrieving her car.
Ignoring the shop assistant's curious glances, I followed her out. In her haste, Vanessa had left her purse behind. I retrieved her car keys and the dashcam footage.
The video revealed their passionate embrace the moment they entered the car, their fervor nearly crossing the line. Ethan stopped just in time, lit a cigarette, and with a pained expression, reminded them of their impending weddings and the wrongness of their actions. Vanessa, heartbroken, clung to him, and they quickly succumbed to their desires.
I couldn't stomach it. I dropped the dashcam and retched it.
They were disgusting. These two, flaunting their affair, built on the ruins of other people's lives, utterly indifferent to the pain and despair they caused. Did they need the backdrop of others' misery to validate their precious love?
They were disgusting and hypocritical. Yesterday, I wouldn't have associated such words with Vanessa. But the truth was undeniable: she was a thoroughly deceitful and repulsive woman.
I was grateful for the video, for severing the last vestiges of my attachment to our ten-year relationship and providing concrete evidence of their infidelity. A daring idea began to form. Since they relished using others as a foil for their love story, I would ensure their affair became public knowledge.
I rushed home, retrieved my share certificates, and contacted Olivia, Vanessa's nemesis. "Nemesis" was perhaps too strong a word. They had once been close, but their differing entrepreneurial visions had led to a bitter falling out. They still worked for the same company, jointly managing their entrepreneurial venture, but Olivia, with 3% fewer shares than Vanessa, was constantly overshadowed.
But what if she added my 8% to the mix?
Initially, Olivia didn't respond. Only when I mentioned transferring my shares did she hesitantly agree to meet.
We met at a cafe near her home. From the moment I sat down, Olivia's eyes scrutinized me. "Aren't you getting married to Vanessa soon? Don't tell me she's cheating, and that's why you're selling your shares?"
My face darkened. "If you're not interested in my share, don't waste my time with gossip. I can find other buyers."
"I didn't say I wasn't buying," she replied, a smile playing on her lips as she took the contract. A glint of something flashed in her eyes as she quickly scanned the document and signed it. "But, is she cheating?" she asked casually, her pen still moving.
I was surprised by her swift acceptance, especially considering my asking price. Seeing her persistence, I relented. "Yes, she's cheating."
My voice was flat, but Olivia's next words shattered the calm. "With that university classmate of hers? Young...?"
My fists clenched. "You know him?"
"When she first graduated, she'd be chatting with him late at night. They seemed close like they'd known each other since childhood. But then they stopped contacting each other for a while, and he disappeared from the picture. I thought he was in the past."
"I see..." I hadn't known Olivia back then, so it made sense she hadn't told me. I nodded and stood to leave.
"Are you still going through with the wedding?" Olivia called after me.
I paused. "Of course not. How else would you have gotten these shares?"
A cryptic smile touched her lips. "But as far as I know, the wedding hasn't been canceled."
"It won't be," I said, walking away, leaving Olivia to ponder my words.
Back at my apartment, I found an unexpected guest on my sofa.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were happily settled abroad?" I frowned, not welcoming my mother's sudden appearance.
She looked at me with unusual tenderness, her voice almost pleading. "I missed you, so I came back to see you."
- Writer
