My husband’s phone lit up while we were eating dinner. I glanced over. “Your property management fee of $1,500 for this month is due. Please pay at your earliest convenience.” His name was clearly listed under the homeowner section. My fingers turned ice cold as I clutched the phone. I suddenly remembered how he’d been complaining about a pay cut and working late constantly, often not getting home until late at night. When I’d asked him about it, he’d just said, “It’s tough to find a job right now. We can’t be spending recklessly. We need to be frugal and manage the household budget.” I had secretly been proud of how responsible he was being. But now I realized that his "working late" actually meant he had another family on the side. My husband jumped up, reaching to snatch the phone away. “It’s just a spam message.” But I’d already clicked the link and saw the details page. Cloudhaven Villas. Owner: Lily Vance. The young nanny currently cooking in our kitchen was named Lily Vance. My brain felt like it had exploded. Our family of three was squeezed into a rundown, older apartment, while my husband had bought a villa for the little nanny. 1 Mark snatched his phone back and quickly locked the screen. I stared at his movements intently, my voice cold. "Cloudhaven Villas, Lily Vance, yet the property management fee reminder was sent to you." "Which one do you want to explain first?" He placed the phone face down on the table, took a sip of water, and then said: "A relative of mine borrowed Lily's ID to get a rural residency housing discount. He went abroad a while ago and asked me to manage it for him." "Which relative?" "You don't know him. An uncle from back in my hometown." He was lying. In the ten years we'd been married, I had met every single one of his relatives. There was no such uncle. I wanted to keep questioning him, but he looked helpless. "You don't actually think I bought a villa for Lily, do you?" "You know what my salary is. If I really had that kind of money, we would have moved downtown ages ago." He looked natural as he spoke, even scooping a bowl of soup for our son. The range hood in the kitchen turned off, and Lily brought out a plate of ribs. "Eve, the food's ready. Take your time eating. I'm heading home to take care of my daughter now." "Just leave the dishes in the kitchen when you're done. I'll clean them up tomorrow morning." She had no idea what had just happened. She took off her apron, changed her shoes, and left. She didn't make any eye contact with Mark the entire time. Except for walking around me to place the braised ribs directly in front of Mark. This was Lily's specialty. When we interviewed a dozen nannies, she was the only one who could make Mark’s favorite braised ribs and the mapo tofu my son and I loved. She said she was from a rural area, didn't have much education, was four years younger than me, and was a single mom. I felt sorry for her. Plus, her rate was half the market price of eight thousand a month, so I hired her without hesitation. Over these years, I'd almost treated her like my own sister. I’d always think of her when I had anything extra, and I’d try to save a portion for her daughter whatever my son had. But now, her name was on the deed of a three-thousand-square-foot villa. While I, the employer's family of three, lived in a cramped, old apartment. "Honey, eat up. The food is getting cold," Mark urged me, biting into a rib. But I looked around and realized the table was full of his favorite dishes. The mapo tofu my son and I loved hadn't appeared in over a year. This meal tasted like nothing. That night, while I helped my son with his homework, Mark went to take a shower. I quietly found his tablet and synced his WeChat history and expense statements. The newest transaction was the $1,500 property management fee payment. The ones before it were scattered expenses, mostly cosmetics and children's toys. But I had never seen these cosmetics or toys. And he gave me his salary. How could there be tens of thousands in his balance? Scanning up, I saw a transfer of twenty thousand dollars a few days ago. It was a recurring monthly payment that had been going on for nine years. The payee was Lily Vance. I instantly held my breath, unable to believe my eyes. I gritted my teeth and clicked on his income. The year after we got married and our son was born, he said the company's business had shrunk and his salary had been cut to five thousand. He made me skimp on every penny. I couldn't buy new clothes, my son's picture books had to be digital versions, and he'd nag me if I bought an extra half pound of pork. Let alone a villa and $20,000 a month in support. A wave of dizziness washed over me. He earned fifty thousand a month, but gave me five thousand. A message popped up on the screen. A transfer of fifteen thousand dollars had just been made. To his mom. Also a recurring monthly payment for nine years. So he gave his mom fifteen thousand a month, Lily twenty thousand, kept ten thousand for himself as pocket money, and gave me five thousand for the expenses of a family of three? In this family, he ranked me and our son last? Biting my lip, I was about to exit to look for other records when I saw a few recent chats. "Mom, same as usual. Save the money and buy gold for Lily and her daughter for the New Year." My hand shook, and the tablet fell onto the bed. I looked towards the bathroom where the sound of running water could be heard. Through the glass door, Mark was looking down at his phone, sending messages. The last bit of hope in my heart was extinguished. I gripped the corner of my clothes tightly. It seemed I had to go see this villa. 2 The next day, Mark left for work at six o'clock as usual. After he left, I dropped my son off with a friend and went to Cloudhaven Villas myself. It was a palatial villa. The first floor had a yard, the second floor a terrace, the third floor a sunroom, and there was also a basement. It was the kind of dream house I wouldn't even dare to dream of. Soon, the door opened. Lily, dressed exquisitely, was holding the hand of a little girl wearing a private elementary school uniform. The girl's other hand was held by Mark, and she waved behind her: "Bye-bye, Grandma and Grandpa!" My in-laws hurried over, their faces full of love as they stuffed snacks into her arms. A sudden sourness rose in my throat. My son is nine years old this year, and he's only seen his grandparents twice. They claimed they were too busy with farming and refused to come to the city to help me watch the child, nor were they willing to let us return to the hometown. I was busy to the point of collapse every day and had protested to Mark, but he had persuaded me: "My parents and I don't get along. If they really come, we'll definitely fight." But the rural parents he claimed to have a bad relationship with were actually living in a villa, acting as grandparents to someone else's child. Everyone was lying to me. Not far away, Mark gently fastened the seatbelt for the girl, started the car, and drove forward. I stood motionless in place until he slammed on the brakes and met my gaze in horror. "Eve... Eve, why are you here..." Lily and my in-laws were also stunned, looking at him at a loss. Mark got out of the car and ran towards me nervously. "Is this the busy work you talked about, no time to send the child to school?" "No, listen to my explanation. Lily can't handle the child alone. She asked me to help..." "Aren't your parents here too? How can she not handle it?" Mark was choked up. In the passenger seat, the little girl yelled at him: "Daddy, I'm going to be late for school!" The air instantly fell into a dead silence. Lily hurriedly covered her mouth, and my in-laws stamped their feet in annoyance. Mark's face turned pale. I clenched my fists, my palms sweaty: "Mark, you said you work from 6 AM to 8 PM, so dropping off and picking up the child has always been my job, even though I also have a job." "Because I sympathize with you and feel you work hard." "Who knew your hard work was for an outsider." He shook his head hurriedly: "No, you misunderstood." "I misunderstood. Your heart is with your wife and daughter over here." My tone gradually became cold: "I was in the wrong place. My son and I are the outsiders." 3 Mark's back stiffened, and all color drained from his face: "You're my wife. That child isn't..." "You dare say that's not your daughter? Mark, you had the guts to lie to me, how come you didn't have the guts to hide the birth certificate better!" I held up the photo on my phone. His breathing became erratic. Newborn: Grace Davis. Mother: Lily Vance. Father: Mark Davis. While he was sleeping last night, I went through his phone and tablet completely. When I saw this birth certificate, I bit my lip so hard it bled to stop myself from grabbing a knife and killing him in a fit of impulse. Behind him, Lily heard the commotion. She told my in-laws to take the child inside and walked over herself. She lowered her head, her voice very small: "Eve, don't be mad at him..." Mark immediately stood in front of her, afraid I would hurt her: "You go back first. I'll explain." "No, I can't let you face this alone." I quietly watched them thinking of each other and suddenly felt very ridiculous. Before that property fee message last night, I thought we were a happy family of three. But today, with a shift in perspective, I was witnessing someone else's couple sharing weal and woe. The painful heart gradually became numb, and now only anger remained. "Go back where? Back to your villa with a $1,500 property fee?" "Lily, you live in such a good house, yet you come to our cramped apartment to clean. Calling me 'Eve', you must have cursed me a lot in your heart, right?" Lily buried her head even lower: "I didn't..." Mark frowned: "Eve, stop being sarcastic. If you have something to say, come at me." "Let's go home first. I'll explain to you alone." Anger rushed to the top of my head. I raised my hand and slapped him: "Go back to which home? You spent $45,000 of your salary here. This is your home!" Mark was stunned by the slap. Lily was startled and touched his face with heartache. He stared wide-eyed: "You know... No, I wronged Lily. That money was compensation..." "Then you've done right by me?" He swallowed and didn't know what to say. I was panting heavily: "When did you get together?" Lily twisted her fingers and looked at him. He seemed to have given up: "Before marrying you, relatives back home introduced us for a blind date..." "You cheated me into marriage?" "No, we broke up when we got married. It was later when she came to the city to work..." He couldn't say the rest of the words. Because it was too shameful to mention. Counting back ten months from the girl's birth date, it was exactly my first trimester. At that time, I had severe morning sickness and had to lie on the toilet and vomit every day. But he happened to be busy with work and the company arranged a business trip for six months. When he came back, I was about to give birth. It turned out not to be a business trip. It was because he found me disgusting and ran out to rekindle old feelings with his blind date. We've been married for ten years, and my husband has been cheating for nine years. He was silent. Lily mustered up courage: "Eve, don't blame him. I insisted on giving birth to the child. He saw me pitiful and helped me..." It was even more ridiculous. But I couldn't laugh: "Where are you pitiful?" "My husband earns fifty thousand a month. He gives me five thousand, you twenty thousand, keeps fifteen thousand to buy gold for you mother and daughter, and has to keep ten thousand for himself to buy you cosmetics and toys." "He even bought you a villa, let your daughter attend a private school costing a hundred thousand a year, and took his parents over to take care of your child." "While I take care of the child myself, skimp and save using five thousand to take care of a family of three, and most of the salary I earn is given to you, leaving only a little to support my son in public elementary school, and foolishly hired the mistress back as a nanny." "Now you say you're pitiful? Lily, the pitiful one is you, or me?" Her eyes were tearful. She came over and held my wrist: "Sorry Eve, it's all my fault..." I felt disgusted and wanted to pull my wrist out, but she staggered back a few steps and almost fell. Mark panicked. He quickly steadied her, his eyes filled with anger: "Be careful!" "Lily is pregnant!" 4 In an instant, my taut nerves snapped. Right under my nose, they actually had a second child. Mark realized he had misspoken. He immediately asked the sobbing Lily to go back first. He softened his voice towards me: "Wife, this time I got drunk and mistook her for you... It was my fault to you." I looked at him, wordless. My gaze made him feel guilty, and his voice grew even lower: "I know I was wrong. I'll give her money for the birth right now and break it off with her completely." "From now on, all my salary will be given to you. Don't you like houses with yards? I'll buy a villa and put it in your name. Our whole family will move there..." Every word was full of apology, but it didn't reach the bottom of his heart. I stared into his eyes: "Mark, it's only been an hour since I confronted you." "You've deceived me for ten years. How could you know you were wrong in one hour and even cruelly want to cut off relations with her." "In your eyes, am I so stupid? You think I will forgive you, go home and continue to be taken advantage of, let you use our joint property to raise a little nanny and an illegitimate daughter?" His face turned pale, and he shook his head: "I didn't take you for a fool. I felt sorry for her and wanted to compensate her." "Then have you done right by me and our son?" "I'm sorry..." "Now you say sorry. When you gave her the villa, money, and parents' help, when you arranged for her to be a nanny in our home and took away most of my salary, when you made my son and me skimp and save, why didn't you think about being sorry to us?" The more I said, the more guilty he felt. Finally, in anxiety, he blurted out: "But I also gave you money. These years, at least I haven't let you and our son starve!" He was actually self-righteous. A sneer came from my throat. He panicked: "I didn't mean that. Wife, I..." "Don't talk so much to her!" My mother-in-law suddenly ran over angrily: "What are you so arrogant about? Mark wanted to divorce you long ago. It's you pestering him!" "Mom! When did I say I wanted a divorce!" Mark quickly covered her mouth, but she turned her head to curse at him: "Let me say, city women are no good. When Lily was pregnant with my granddaughter, I told you to divorce her. You said she gave birth to a son, a seed of our Davis family, and wanted her to bring him up for a few years before divorcing." "Now Lily is pregnant with a second child. How long are you going to wait!" I was stunned. I thought the truth just now was all, but I didn't expect there was another layer. "Mark, you treat me as a breeding machine?" "No! Wait a minute to explain to you. Mom, stop talking nonsense. I have only loved Eve from beginning to end. I never thought about divorcing her!" But his mom seemed determined and shouted at the top of her voice: "You are talking nonsense. If you loved her, how could you drug her when she was pregnant with the second child and make her miscarry!" At this moment, even the wind became quiet. I remembered getting pregnant three years ago. Just one month after it was found out, I miscarried in my sleep. At that time, I thought I worked too hard to keep it. I cried for several days, and my mood collapsed to the point of almost committing suicide. It was him who gave Lily a holiday, stayed at home to accompany me, and held me not allowing me to take a knife. He persuaded me again and again that we had no fate with the child, and it was enough for us to have a son. It turned out to be himself who didn't allow me to have a second child. Now he let Lily have a second child, but carefully protected her for fear that I would hurt her. My first child was a son, so he couldn't bear to leave. While Lily's first child was a daughter, he still coaxed and pampered her, supporting her with money. Poor me for these ten years, I was just a complete big joke. "Mark." Mark, who was desperately pulling his mom away, was stunned, his face getting more and more panicked. "You got your wish. We divorce." "But the son must belong to me, and you don't want a single penny of all marital property!"
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