My Admission Revoked, I Destroy His Reputation

Annie Green had her admission to Moon Academy, the school she had longed for, revoked on the grounds of "infidelity during marriage." And the so-called evidence was a photo of her kissing her husband, David Brown. She called David frantically ninety-nine times, but no one answered. She searched everywhere he might be. Finally, outside a bar, she heard him share the "truth" about their ten-year relationship with his entire friend circle. Amid the noisy background, someone laughed and asked loudly, "David, what's the secret to keeping the spark alive in marriage?" David lounged in the shadow of a booth, a cynical smile on his lips that Annie had never seen before. "The secret?" He scoffed. "When the person in bed with you is someone else's wife— isn't that thrill enough?" Boom. A wave of cold shot from Annie's feet straight to her skull. Her ears rang. Inside the booth, there was dead silence. Even his brothers, who had grown up with him, were stunned by his words. After a long moment, someone cautiously broke the silence. "David, that's going too far with the joke." "Yeah, we get you two like to role-play to spice things up, but you don't have to lie to us to protect some secret. Tell us the real thing." Outside the door, Annie's palms instantly broke out in a cold sweat. She and David had been together for ten years, married for seven. They had weathered countless storms together. When he was in a car accident and broke every bone in his body, she quit her job to care for him day and night until he recovered. He had taken a fatal knife for her, leaving a permanent scar over his heart. That was proof they would risk their lives for each other. Why would he say such a thing? David swirled his glass slowly, not a trace of his former tenderness in his eyes. Only undisguised smugness and cruelty remained. "Back when we got the marriage certificate, I deliberately kept it from her. I used my uncle's identity. "My uncle and I look ninety percent alike. If you don't look closely, you can't tell the difference." He took a sip of wine and continued, "I didn't want to be tied down by marriage. She had a body and face I liked, so I played along for a few years. Kept things fresh. "Besides, marriage is about matching social status. She's an illegitimate daughter. At best, she's only fit to be a mistress." "Illegitimate daughter." The words were light, but like poison-tipped needles, they pierced her most painful nerve. Her father had deceived her mother, which was why she was born a shameful child. Her mother, the greatest victim, had been hounded by gossip to an early death. On that snowy, windy night, David had protected her, helped her bury her mother, and given her a home—a seemingly warm harbor. "I trust you. I'm here for everything." His once-reassuring promise still echoed in her ears. It had all been fake. The crowd began to whoop. "David, you're playing too wild! So you're planning to be a golden bachelor forever?" David looked down at his phone, typing quickly, a smug smile curving his lips. "Not anymore. I want to settle down for Ada. After all this searching, I finally found out she's the designer 'Starlight' from Wedding Dress." "Her work is understated and restrained, but she herself is bright and passionate. That contrast is irresistible." Annie felt as if struck by lightning, frozen in place. "Starlight"... that was the pseudonym she used in the design world. Afraid that her status as an illegitimate daughter might affect how her work was judged, she had quietly run her studio all these years, making a name for herself in the industry as "Starlight." Almost simultaneously, her phone screen lit up. A message from David popped up. "Baby, my phone was on silent. I was at a work thing and didn't notice. Wait for me to come home and cook tonight. Love you." He reported everything he did, responded to every message. All those tender, thoughtful words at dawn and dusk had been nothing but his effortless manipulations. Ada Green—her half-sister, a liar through and through, inferior to her in every way—had received all of their father's affection. Now, even David's heart had turned toward her. "Don't let what I said today slip out," David's voice came again. "When the time comes, I'll use the fact that it was a secret marriage and that we're not legally married to deal with Annie if she won't let go." So from the very beginning, he had planned his escape route. One of his friends still had doubts. "But... if your uncle finds out you used his identity to get married, won't he..." David stared at his glass, calm and composed. "My uncle? They call him the Grim Reaper. Getting him to get rid of a woman who's just clinging to me would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?" Inside the door, the clinking of glasses and waves of mocking laughter intertwined like countless feet stamping out the last shreds of Annie's dignity. A bone-chilling cold shot up from her feet, instantly freezing a heart that had been suffering all day. She looked down at her broken high heels and swollen ankles, and tears burst from her eyes. Just then, her phone rang again. A voice from the civil affairs bureau came through the receiver. "Ms. Green, regarding the marriage certificate you requested this morning verifying your relationship with your husband, our system has confirmed that the person you registered marriage with was not Mr. David Brown, but Mr. Sam Brown." The last trace of hope crumbled completely.