The Desperate End:A Wife's Plan For Revenge

Is my husband cheating? This was the first thought that flashed through Ellie’s mind when she saw the half-naked back in the painting titled "Spring Fields" in the basement. But then she thought she might be overthinking it. Her husband could never betray her. She and her husband Sean had been together since high school, over ten years now, and their relationship was as strong as ever. Ellie worked as a sales manager at a publicly traded company, and Sean was a lecturer at a university, teaching students how to paint. Financially, they had no worries. At home, their daughter was adorable and sensible, and her in-laws treated her like their own daughter. Her marriage was harmonious, and Sean had always pampered her. Every time he came back from social engagements, he would take care of her, making honey water and massaging her head to relieve her hangover. How could such a man betray her? Ellie convinced herself that she was overthinking it and shouldn't make random guesses just because of a painting. However, Sean had promised that he wouldn't paint any other woman besides her, and the person in the painting was definitely not her. After coming out of the basement, Ellie casually brought up the painting, "That 'Spring Fields' is quite nice." As she spoke, she instinctively glanced at her husband’s eyes. "It's okay. I taught figure drawing this year, and the students clamored to see my work, so I casually painted one," Sean said, without a hint of hesitation or unease, his expression calm and composed. Ellie felt relieved, thinking she had indeed overthought it. "My husband's casual work is a masterpiece," she joked, then dropped the subject. Ellie rarely had a day off. After packing up the tent and barbecue grill, the family went out for a day of outdoor fun. Watching her husband play with their daughter while also taking care of her and grilling barbecue for her, Ellie felt that meeting Sean was the happiest thing in her life. That night, after their daughter went to bed early, Ellie came out of the shower and started applying skincare products while looking at herself in the mirror. She was thirty-five, and the years of late nights and drinking had begun to leave their marks on her face. She couldn’t help but complain, "The ad said this anti-wrinkle cream was effective, but it's useless." Sean was organizing things and responded casually, "Then try another one. I heard Oceania's products are good, effective and affordable." "How do you know?" Ellie turned to look at her husband, a hint of suspicion in her eyes. Her husband had never been knowledgeable about skincare products. Last time, when she asked him to buy an eye cream during his trip abroad, he mistakenly bought a serum instead. How could he know which brand of skincare products was good? The doubts she had suppressed came flooding back. "When did you start paying attention to these things?" Ellie’s eyes carried a hint of probing. "It's hard not to know. I have many female colleagues in the office, and they talk about these things every day. Over time, I just picked up some knowledge," Sean said, seemingly unaware of Ellie's suspicious look. "The one who talks the most about it is Samantha. She comes to our office every day, always talking about Botox and such." "I think she’s overdoing it," Sean said, with a hint of disapproval and disgust in his tone. The Samantha he mentioned was Ellie’s best friend. They had shared a dorm in college. After graduation, Ellie chose her current job, while Samantha stayed at the university and now worked at the same school as Sean. Ellie had never doubted her friend and her husband because Samantha looked down on Sean for his lack of ambition, and Sean thought Samantha was a snob. "Don't say that about her. She has it tough too. Ricardo runs a big company, and she’s always worried he’ll be seduced by some young girl," Ellie defended her friend while thinking about Sean's words. His response seemed flawless, but a woman's intuition told her something was off. They had talked about cosmetics in front of him before, but he never remembered any of it. Why did he remember this time? The next day, Ellie had meetings all morning. By noon, she decided to call Samantha and asked her out for lunch. She drove to their usual restaurant, and ten minutes later, Samantha arrived in a hurry. "Hey, busy bee, how come you have time to see me today?" Samantha teased. "I'm not that busy now that my project is done. I thought of you yesterday when Sean mentioned you," Ellie said casually. "What did he say about me? Did he badmouth me again?" Samantha frowned, showing her dislike at the mention of Sean. “How could it be? Yesterday I was just wondering about skincare products, and he mentioned one, saying he heard it from you.” Ellie mentioned the brand of the skincare product, and Samantha nodded. “Yeah, that one is pretty good. A lot of people at our school use it." “Honestly, Ellie, your husband is great in every way, except he’s too much of a dreamer. He’s almost forty and still indulges in unrealistic dreams.” As Samantha spoke, a trace of disdain appeared on her face. Ellie frowned slightly. “Samantha.” Seeing Ellie was a bit upset, Samantha stopped. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop.” “You’re my best friend, and he’s my husband. It’s tough for me when you two can’t get along.” “Alright, I won’t say anything more about him, okay?” “The food hasn’t arrived yet, I’m going to the restroom.” Samantha hurried off to the restroom. Thinking about what Samantha had said, Ellie felt she might be overthinking. It was just a painting and a skincare brand. Suspecting her husband over such trivial things was really making a mountain out of a molehill. Just then, Samantha's phone, left on the table, rang. Ellie glanced at it unintentionally and saw Sean’s name on the screen. Sean and Samantha couldn't stand each other, so why would they be calling? Ellie felt her blood freeze. She was about to pick up the phone when the call ended. Her heart didn’t calm down. Suddenly, a WeChat message popped up. She instinctively felt it was from Sean. She knew Samantha’s password. Hesitating for only a couple of seconds, she entered the password and unlocked the phone. The message appeared, “Did Ellie ask you? Remember to cover for me.” Seeing this, Ellie’s hand trembled as she scrolled up, checking their chat history. Their conversations were sparse. Apart from this suspicious message, there was nothing else. But Ellie couldn’t shake off her unease. What was Sean asking Samantha to cover for? What were they hiding from her? She felt a mix of emotions. At that moment, Samantha returned from the restroom. Seeing Ellie holding her phone, she paused, ready to say something, but Ellie looked up coldly and asked, “What is Sean asking you to cover for?” “Why are you snooping through my phone?” Samantha sounded upset but her anger faded seeing Ellie’s icy stare. “Alright, don’t look at me like that. It’s not like I have anything to hide.” “It’s nothing really. This morning, Sean mentioned that he told you about a skincare brand he heard at the office. He thought you didn’t believe him. He asked me to confirm it if you brought it up, to put your mind at ease.” “I thought he was being too sensitive, but here you are, asking me about it. Seriously, is it that big of a deal?” Samantha looked at Ellie, puzzled. “Everyone who knows you two knows Sean is a model husband. He goes to work and comes home on time. What’s there to doubt?” Hearing this, Ellie felt she might indeed be overthinking. But if there was nothing to hide, why did Sean specifically ask Samantha to reassure her? “If even Sean isn’t trustworthy, then no man in the world is,” Samantha continued. “If you were in my shoes, watching Ricardo schmooze with people all the time, you’d have gone crazy by now.” Ellie couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve got Ricardo tightly wrapped around your finger.” “That’s right.” Samantha said proudly. Because of Samantha’s words, Ellie felt she might be overly sensitive. With not much to do that afternoon, she finished her work early and decided to visit Sean’s school, something she hadn’t done in a while. “He’s already left?” Ellie asked, surprised. She didn’t expect to miss him. “Doesn’t he have class?” “No, he only has classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester, nothing on the other days.” Only Tuesdays and Thursdays? He never mentioned that. Where was he the other days? Ellie almost trembling, took out her phone, intending to call Sean and ask where he was. But in the end, she put her phone back in her bag, trying to appear nonchalant. “Thanks, I remember now, he did tell me, I just forgot.”