Chapter 3
1373 Words
I slipped out of sight almost instantly. He didn't see me.
Before all the evidence was collected, I needed to pretend I knew nothing and keep him off guard.
Then, once he had completely relaxed, I would deliver the fatal blow.
Just then, the clinic intercom chimed.
"Ms. Chloe Davis, please proceed to Consultation Room One."
Ethan immediately looked away and carefully helped Chloe to her feet.
I watched them disappear through the doorway. Then I calmly looked away. The pain in my heart had already faded, leaving only hatred and resolve.
I didn't care how that cheating pair carried on with each other.
All I wanted was to cut off Ethan's last escape route.
*****
3 days later, at 5 p.m., Ethan came back from his supposed trip.
The moment he stepped inside and saw the house I had deliberately redecorated, his expression changed.
"What is going on?"
Before I could answer, he rushed upstairs.
I knew he was afraid I had discovered the hidden compartment inside the cabinet.
10 minutes later, Ethan came downstairs. He pinched the bridge of his nose and feigned exhaustion. The lie came out smoothly.
"Sorry, honey. Work has been intense lately, and I have been on edge. I was worried the files in the study had been moved. That would cause trouble."
For the past 7 years, I had personally organized Ethan's files. I was the one who pointed out possible loopholes in his contracts.
I had also drafted the company's internal rules through sleepless nights, then revised and improved them again and again as the company grew.
Back then, he hadn't been afraid of me touching his files.
Now he was afraid of trouble.
I smiled lightly. "You said before that after living in this house for 4 years, you were tired of the decor. So these past 3 days, I had the place redecorated in a hurry. Think of it as your anniversary surprise."
Back then, I had naively believed he was tired of the decor.
I hadn't known he was tired of me.
Ethan had clearly forgotten he had ever said that.
He froze for a second, then brushed it off. "It is certainly a surprise. Right. This is my anniversary surprise for you."
As he spoke, he took a silk scarf from his briefcase.
The moment I saw the logo on the scarf, his shamelessness disgusted me even more.
That brand was known mainly for handbags. The scarves were usually just add-ons.
In his eyes, all I deserved was the add-on.
I deliberately put on a delighted look.
"I know this brand. Their signature item is a handbag worth 1 million dollars. Honey, you bought me the bag too, right? Wow, I am so happy."
Ethan's expression shifted. "You must be remembering wrong."
I didn't give him a chance to deny the handbag.
I searched the brand on my phone and pushed the screen right in front of him.
"Look. I didn't remember wrong. Or did you buy the handbag for someone else, and the scarf..."
"I just forgot." Ethan cut me off at once, his eyes darting. "Wait here. I will call Daniel and have him bring the bag over."
Ethan turned and walked to the balcony, making the call with his back to me.
A mocking smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
Carter Group had already gone public, but in Bayridge, a city full of true business giants, Ethan was still only a new-money upstart. There was no way he could buy a limited-edition designer handbag on such short notice.
If he didn't want me to suspect him, he could only make Chloe hand over the bag.
I didn't need that brand's handbags. And this particular bag felt filthy to me.
But Ethan had to pay a price for his lies and contempt.
Things went exactly as I expected.
When the bag was delivered to me, it already showed traces of use.
I pretended not to notice and smiled happily. "Thank you, honey."
Ethan's smile was strained. "It is the least I should do. By the way, the company anniversary gala is the day after tomorrow. Work with Emma and make the event livelier."
His tone carried some displeasure. "Don't make it as shabby and embarrassing as last year. We can't let our partners laugh at us again."
Emma was Ethan's younger sister, Emma Carter.
Last year, Ethan had given the company anniversary event to Emma to pad her resume.
No one expected her to make a complete mess of it.
In the end, I personally stepped in and changed the plan at the last minute, preventing an even greater loss.
But afterward, Ethan told outsiders that I had planned the anniversary gala, making me take the blame.
According to Ethan, I was just a housewife. A bad reputation wouldn't affect me.
Emma was still young. That was different.
People really could lie so often that they fooled even themselves.
I didn't refuse. I answered gently, "Okay."
Ethan's expression finally eased. "I have to work overtime at the office tonight, so I won't be back. Go to bed early."
Clearly, this so-called overtime was only another excuse to go comfort his mistress.
I didn't want to waste any more time acting with Ethan either.
He didn't deserve it.
After Ethan left, I contacted a secondhand luxury buyer and sold the bag.
I donated the money in my own name to the Bayridge Foundation.
At seven that evening, Grace called and asked to meet me at a restaurant.
As soon as I entered the private room, Grace placed all the evidence files she had found in front of me, her face full of anger.
Grace said, "Ethan is an ungrateful snake. From the day you married him, he was deliberately moving marital assets out of reach. Any asset that required notarization or might be tied to marital property was never placed under his name. Some are under Chloe's name, and some are under his sister Emma's name. Now that Carter Group has gone public, it is valued at over 10 billion dollars, but he has been transferring assets into ten overseas shell companies. He was preparing to move everything out and then have the original company declare bankruptcy." She paused, her tone growing even angrier. "And you are listed as a registered officer of Carter Group."
My gaze settled on the signature in the officer field. I felt nothing.
"The signature is forged. I didn't sign it myself. We can verify that through handwriting analysis."
I placed the file back on the table, leaned back in my chair, and my expression turned even colder.
"For 7 years, I lived inside a lie. I gained neither love nor money. Fine. But he even forged my signature and named me as a company officer on paper, even though I never participated in management. Once something went wrong, I would take the fall. Ethan is truly ruthless."
"There is worse." Grace took a divorce agreement from her briefcase and handed it to me.
"He came to Sterling & Vale LLP today. Citing your failure to have a child in 7 years, he demanded that you walk away with nothing. His one-time compensation offer was... 1 million dollars."
One million dollars. Ha. The startup capital I had given him alone was five million dollars.
The bag he bought Chloe today cost over one million dollars.
But after draining every last bit of value from me, he planned to compensate me with only one million dollars.
"Of course, when he persuades you to divorce, he will use a different explanation. For example, he will say the company is in distress and may go bankrupt at any time. He will claim he doesn't want to drag you down with him. Once you agree to the divorce, he will declare bankruptcy."
Listening to Grace's analysis and looking at the divorce agreement in front of me, I suddenly laughed.
"So he wants me to divorce him, take on his debts, take the legal blame, and go to prison."
My gaze turned fierce.
"I had planned to leave him a way out. Now I see there is no need. At the company anniversary gala, I will destroy him."
- Writer
