My husband went with me to the spa to get a body treatment. The outspoken spa owner didn't hold back. "Bro, looking at how wide your wife's hips are, she's definitely had a few kids." "She’s got stretch marks all over, too. What do you mean you guys don't have kids? Is she some retired escort or something?" "I’ve seen this a million times. They specifically look for honest guys like you to settle down with. You've been conned." I had explicitly told this owner that my husband and I didn't have kids due to health reasons. Yet, she was acting completely ignorant, playing dumb. It seemed she wasn't after my wallet; she was after my husband. Unfortunately for her, she picked the wrong target. My husband was nothing more than a kept man living off my dime... ... My husband, Arthur, and I both happened to have a rare day off. I decided to go with him to pick up the sports car he’d been dreaming of, and then he accompanied me to get a facial. I frequented this particular spa. The owner was blunt and spoke her mind, and I actually appreciated her straightforward personality. More importantly, her massage techniques were rumored to be the best in the industry. If I enjoyed the service this time, I was planning to discuss partnering with her to turn her spa into a franchise. Arthur dutifully held all the shopping bags from our earlier spree. As I walked into the treatment room, he called out, "Honey, since you've been so great today, I'm rewarding you with a hundred-thousand-dollar VIP card. Where do I sign up?" Seeing his smug little face, I jutted my chin toward the front desk. I completely missed the flash of calculation in the owner’s eyes. During the body treatment, the owner was clearly distracted. Her massage technique was sloppy and unprofessional. But her mouth wouldn't stop running. "Is that your husband? Wow, you are so lucky. He's gorgeous." "And he just drops a hundred grand like it's nothing! Where did you snag a rich guy like that?" For some reason, the word "snag" rubbed me the wrong way. I replied dismissively, "Yeah, that's my husband. He's just like that." The owner ignored my annoyed tone and said with a hint of disdain, "Did you hook up with him while you were working retail? I'm telling you, the most important thing for us women is marrying a good man. Look at me..." I cut her off sharply. "What do you mean 'hook up'? We had a normal relationship. It was love at first sight. Why does it sound so trashy coming from you?" Since when was this owner so incredibly chatty? Seeing I was actually angry, the owner pursed her lips. "You know how I am, I just speak my mind. It was a joke! Don't take it so seriously." "I'll stop talking. I won't say another word, okay?" Even though she stayed quiet after that, I felt incredibly irritated. The mood for relaxation was completely ruined. It wasn't until she applied my face mask and left the room that the suffocating feeling lifted slightly. A little later, I needed to use the restroom and stepped out of the room. Right as I reached the door, I heard the owner chatting with Arthur. "Bro, is the lady in there your wife? She’s so lucky. You really don't hold back when spending on her." "But bro, looking at how wide her hips are, she's definitely had a few kids." Arthur frowned, clearly unhappy. "What are you talking about? My wife has never had children." The owner gasped, covering her mouth as if she’d made a terrible slip of the tongue. "Her hips are so wide, I just assumed she'd given birth." "What do you mean you don't have kids? Is she a retired escort or something?" "While I was doing her body treatment, I saw stretch marks all over her. You only get those from having babies, right?" "Oh, I must have seen wrong. You know me, I have this terrible habit of just blurting things out." The owner feigned a look of horror, acting as if she had accidentally revealed a terrible truth. The anger in my chest exploded into a raging inferno. Children were the absolute most sensitive topic for Arthur and me. We had been trying for years without success. The doctors said the issue was with me. Desperate to conceive, I took a bunch of "miracle" supplements my mother-in-law gave me. I later found out they were packed with hormones. They caused me to gain a massive amount of weight, and I had to work incredibly hard to lose it over the last few years. My skin had stretched and shrunk, inevitably leaving behind stretch marks. It was my deepest, most hidden insecurity. And now, this woman was broadcasting it loudly to my husband. It felt like my entire body was on fire. The owner kept going. "Bro, you look like an honest guy. I'm a straight shooter, so I'll just tell it to you straight." "The woman lying in there? She was probably turning tricks a few years ago. Having abortions ruined her body. That's why she's never had a kid but still has all the aftereffects." "You've been played for a fool, you rich, clueless sugar daddy." The owner patted Arthur’s shoulder, wearing an expression that screamed, 'I’m just looking out for you.' I let out a cold, sharp laugh and stepped out. "Oh really? So I found myself a clueless sugar daddy, and now you want to take over?" "Why don't I just wrap him up in a bow for you!" Chapter 2 Arthur jumped like he’d been electrocuted and quickly scrambled over to my side. When the owner slandered me earlier, implying I had given birth because of my hips, Arthur should have immediately defended me. Instead, he hadn't said a single word. He just stood there, dumbly listening to her talk trash about me. Half of my fury was directed at him. But I would deal with him later. As for the spa owner, I wasn't going to let this slide. "Everything you just said? I recorded every single word on my phone." "Get ready to be sued for defamation." I waved my phone at her, a tight, cold smile on my face. Hearing this, the owner immediately plastered on a fawning, sycophantic smile. "Girl, you know how I am! I don't have a filter." "I was just joking around with your husband! Don't be mad. Look, I'll even slap my own mouth, okay?" She mock-slapped her own cheeks a few times, putting on a pathetic show of apologizing. "A joke? Why don't you joke about yourself sleeping around until your brain rotted?" "If I stab you and then say 'sorry', does that mean I don't face any legal consequences?" "Let me make this clear: this isn't over. Furthermore, that hundred-thousand-dollar VIP membership my husband just bought? Refund it immediately. Otherwise, I'm calling the Consumer Protection Bureau to personally oversee your refund process." Ignoring the owner's frantic apologies trailing behind me, I turned on my heel and marched straight to my car. Right before I got in, I saw the owner weakly grabbing Arthur's arm, looking like she was about to drop to her knees in front of him. But as she supposedly lost her balance, she very deliberately pressed her body against his. If I still didn't understand what was happening, I would be a complete idiot. This bitch was trying to steal my husband! It took Arthur a full ten minutes before he finally strolled over and got into the car. He spent the entire drive nervously studying my face. Only after I finally shot him a glare did he cautiously speak. "Baby, how about we just let this go?" "Let it go? Your wife gets accused of being an escort, and you stand there like a spineless coward, and you're telling me to let it go?" "I haven't even settled the score with you yet. Someone slanders me like that, and you don't even have the guts to defend me. Are you even a man?" Seeing I was genuinely furious, Arthur didn't dare push it. He replied meekly, "I'm a business owner now, too. If I had started screaming at her right then and there, it would have been so embarrassing. Don't I deserve some dignity?" "Dignity?" I scoffed loudly. "Then go spend the rest of your life with your 'dignity.' I'm staying at the office for a while. Don't come looking for me until you figure out what you did wrong." I slammed the door of my self-driving Xiaomi SU7 as it parked itself in front of me. It seemed Arthur had truly forgotten who held the power in this relationship. Ever since we got married and he got fired from his job, he had become a stay-at-home husband. Later, when I started having health issues, he claimed he needed to dedicate all his time to taking care of me and refused to go back to work. I gave him a six-figure allowance every single month, and I rarely ever asked what he spent it on. I always figured, he was a college grad from a good school, and an only child. If I couldn't give him kids, the least I could do was make his life comfortable. Just last month, I even funded a private, upscale restaurant for him and spent a fortune hiring a top-tier PR firm to market it. It was actually turning a decent profit. He makes a few bucks, and suddenly it goes straight to his head. Now he's talking to me about 'dignity'. Chapter 3 That same afternoon, I received the hundred-thousand-dollar refund from the spa. I was so angry I didn't go home for days, throwing myself entirely into my work projects. By the time I finally finished, half a month had passed. Right on cue, Arthur called. "Honey, I've thought about it a lot, and I was completely wrong." "I just felt so insecure about relying on you financially. I was terrified you looked down on me, which is why I was so obsessed with saving face." "I'm a man, too. Sometimes I just want my wife to look up to me. You understand, right?" "We've been through so much together. You know how much I love you." Arthur was lowering his head and admitting fault. Even though I was still annoyed, I decided to let it go. Back when the doctors told me I likely couldn't conceive, Arthur had fought his mother single-handedly and absolutely refused to divorce me. He even put her in the hospital from the stress of their arguments, but he never compromised. I believed he loved me. He just... needed his ego stroked a little. When I didn't say anything, Arthur continued over the phone: "Today is your dad's birthday, and it's the Mid-Autumn Festival. To make it up to you, I booked a private room at that high-end medicinal cuisine restaurant, and I invited my parents too." "We can all have a nice, happy family dinner together." I thought about it and agreed. That evening, I went to the restaurant as planned. For years, Arthur and I had told everyone we were voluntarily child-free. His mother hated it at first, but eventually, she was forced to accept it. So, the family dinner was actually quite pleasant. Until someone completely ignored the waiters trying to stop them and barged into our private room. It was the spa owner. I had to admit, half a month later, she looked even more glamorous. I frowned, completely confused. I had only demanded a refund last time. I hadn't actually called the police or sued her. What was she doing here? The owner suddenly dropped to her knees and grabbed my legs. "Please! I know I'm blunt and I offended you, but I'll kowtow to you, okay?!" "My spa is just a tiny little business. Please, just let me go!" "I have a sick, elderly mother to take care of! I really can't afford to lose this business!" She slammed her forehead against the floor three times. I was completely baffled. "I didn't call the police. If your business is failing, what does that have to do with me?" I pulled my legs away from her in disgust and instinctively leaned back in my chair. "But you made such a huge scene at the spa that day! So many customers heard everything!" "They secretly recorded videos and posted them online! So many of my VIP members demanded refunds!" "I literally can't survive anymore!" I honestly had no idea. I had been buried in work for the past two weeks and hadn't spent a second online. But even so, what did that have to do with me? She brought this entirely upon herself. "So what do you want me to do? I can't control what other people do." The owner sobbed pitifully, looking like she was about to faint. "Just post a statement online! Say that everything I said that day was completely true, and that you only attacked me because you were embarrassed and exposed!" "I'm begging you! My mom needs money for her medication! I cannot lose this spa!" Hearing her insane demand, I almost laughed out loud. "You want me to publicly admit to your vile, defamatory lies?! Are you out of your mind?!" "Get out. You don't belong here. If I ever see your face again, I'm calling the cops." Chapter 4 It was honestly hilarious. To think I actually considered doing business with such a despicable person. Thank god I saw her true colors early on. Otherwise, my investment would have gone straight down the drain. I stood up abruptly. The owner, either from momentum or because I pulled away, dramatically collapsed backward. And landed perfectly across Arthur's lap. Arthur jumped up as if he had been electrocuted. "Don't touch me! Get away!" The owner, acting like a fragile, helpless leaf, was shoved aside by Arthur. I don't know if she just decided she had nothing left to lose, or if her true malice simply took over. She suddenly stood up, pointed directly at my face, and started screaming: "You little bitch! I gave you an inch and you tried to take a mile!" "You ruined your own body sleeping around before you got married, and now you shamelessly claim you're 'child-free'? Spit! I despise cheap whores like you who live off men!" "I might have a sharp tongue, but every penny I earn is clean! Unlike you! You're covered in stretch marks, your hips are wider than a woman who's popped out eight kids, and you still have the nerve to pretend you chose not to have kids!" "If I were your husband or your mother-in-law, I'd throw you out on the street and tell you to go hang yourself!" Her sudden, vicious switch gave me whiplash. I was stunned for a second. SLAP! I instinctively grabbed my right cheek. The pain made my entire face go numb. My mother-in-law, her eyes bloodshot with rage, was trembling violently. She pointed at me and screamed: "I knew it! I knew there was no way my son would just randomly decide not to have kids! You're just a barren old hen who can't lay an egg!" "A cheap slut like you saw how honest my son is and decided to trap him!" "My son is a genius! He scored a 680 on his college entrance exams! Marrying a trashy girl from a trashy college like you is the worst luck he's ever had! If I don't beat you to death today, my name isn't Martha!" My mother-in-law grew up working on a farm. Even though I had moved her to the city years ago and pampered her, she was still as strong as an ox. She lunged forward, shoved me violently to the floor, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and slapped me across the face again and again. My dad finally snapped out of his shock and kicked my mother-in-law hard, knocking her off me. Seeing his mother get kicked, Arthur flew into a blind rage. He punched my dad square in the face, knocking him to the floor. My dad's head smashed directly into the sharp corner of a heavy wooden table. Blood gushed everywhere. My dad instantly lost consciousness. I was paralyzed with terror. My mom carefully laid my dad flat on the ground. I finally freed my hands to call 911. But the spa owner violently kicked my phone out of my hand. "Don't let her call the cops! If she calls the cops, Arthur will get arrested!" Hearing that, my mother-in-law immediately grabbed my phone and threw it into a boiling pot of chicken soup. She blocked the door with her body, looking ready to murder anyone who tried to pass. "Let's see who dares to arrest my son! You'll have to step over my dead body!" I ignored the scalding heat of the soup and reached in to grab my phone, but it was already completely dead. By some horrible coincidence, my mom's phone had died earlier that evening. "Arthur! This is your father-in-law! He's always treated you so well! Call 911 right now!" I screamed frantically. But Arthur just stood there, watching coldly. "Honey, I have to say, you really pushed it too far this time." "Your dad brought this on himself. Who kicks their own mother-in-law?" "If you promise, right here and now, that the second we walk out that door, you will not press charges against me... then I'll call 911." I looked down. My dad's face was turning an alarming shade of pale. The blood was pooling, staining the floor a horrifying red. My mom was sobbing uncontrollably, holding my dad's hand, shaking violently. Chapter 5 Waiters were pounding on the door from outside, asking what was wrong. My mother-in-law locked the deadbolt and kept her body pressed against the door. "Arthur, I promise you. The second we leave this room, I will absolutely not hold you legally responsible." I swore, hitting my chest for emphasis. But then, the spa owner pulled out her phone, started recording, and shoved the camera right in my face. "Say that your dad hit his own head! Say that the reason you can't have kids is because you ruined your own body sleeping around! Say it!" The phone was practically touching my nose. I looked at the man sitting comfortably in the captain's chair. My heart shattered into a million pieces. "Arthur, is this really what you want? Fine. I'll give you exactly what you want." I stood up and stared dead into the owner's camera. "I, Chloe Vance, declare that my father's head injury... was caused directly by Arthur." Thud. A heavy arc flew through the air. I kicked the spa owner squarely in the chest, sending her crashing into the wall. I spun around, grabbed a heavy meat fork from the dining table, and leaped in front of my mother-in-law. I jammed the fork directly into the side of her neck, right over her carotid artery. I only pushed it deep enough to draw blood. "Open the door. Or I will sever her artery and let her die right here alongside my dad." Seeing the blood dripping down her neck, my mother-in-law started wailing like a banshee. She opened the door immediately. Waiters rushed in and carefully carried my dad out. My mother-in-law, clutching her bleeding neck, kept alternating between demanding someone call the police for her, and demanding they call an ambulance for her. Nobody paid any attention to her. After all, I was the one who owned this restaurant. Thank god my dad was okay. The doctor said if we had been even a few minutes later, he wouldn't have made it. The moment I saw my dad was out of danger, something inside my brain simply snapped... The entire situation had been too chaotic for me to think clearly. But looking back now, the whole night was full of red flags. For example, how did the spa owner know exactly where our private family dinner was taking place? For example, why did the owner call Arthur by his first name when telling his mother to block the door? For example, when the owner fell onto Arthur's lap, his reaction of jumping up seemed incredibly exaggerated and theatrical. My woman's intuition screamed that this wasn't just a simple coincidence. I accessed the security cameras in our house. I scrubbed back two weeks. Nothing unusual. I checked Arthur's credit card statements for the last month. Just normal expenses—food, drinks, shopping. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. However, a single transfer to a real estate agency caught my eye. Following the paper trail, I quickly discovered the truth: Arthur and the spa owner were actually living together. Arthur had used my money to rent an apartment for the owner, located just a few blocks from her spa. I secretly trailed them for a few days. Sure enough, the husband who hadn't shown his face once while my dad was in the hospital... Was playing the role of a loving, devoted husband to the spa owner. They went grocery shopping together, cooked together, walked the dog together, and even showered together. Since they were so happy, I decided to give them a very special gift. Chapter 6 I pressed charges against Arthur for Aggravated Assault and simultaneously filed for divorce, demanding he leave with absolutely nothing. The restaurant's security cameras had captured him violently punching my dad and knocking him into the table in crystal-clear high definition. I was not letting this go. When Arthur was arrested and thrown into a holding cell, he looked at me with pure disgust. "You really don't know how good you have it. You're barren, and I didn't even care, and you still called the cops on me." "Lily was right. You're just a cheap slut who found an honest guy to settle down with. Otherwise, how could a woman possibly have this much money?" "All that weight you gained 'trying to get pregnant'? Lily told me everything. You gained that weight carrying a baby for your rich sugar daddy!" "If you want a divorce, fine! You think I'm scared of you? I'm not a loser. I have my own business now!" Arthur had completely lost his mind, rambling incoherently. The suffocating knot that had been tight in my chest for days instantly vanished. If he wanted to tear off the mask, fine. From now on, we walk our separate paths. I will thrive, and I will make sure you suffer. Arthur had signed an ironclad prenup before we got married. He couldn't touch a single penny of my assets. Except, of course, for the private restaurant I had invested in for him. Furthermore, he was sentenced to six months in jail for assault and ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution. It wasn't a lot of money, but it was enough to make him miserable. As for the spa owner, Lily, I wasn't letting her off the hook either. I hired a private investigator. Turns out, she was actually married. Her husband worked out of state year-round, so they rarely saw each other, giving Lily the perfect opportunity to play the field. I mailed photos of Lily and Arthur cohabitating directly to her husband. Sure enough, that very night, I received a video. Lily's husband had beaten her to a pulp. They had smashed everything in their house to pieces. Lily, pointing a bloody finger at her husband, screamed that he was a useless loser. She told him not to get in the way of her getting rich. She bragged that once Arthur got out of jail, she was going to be a wealthy socialite. She said that even if he didn't want a divorce, she was filing for one anyway. The couple fought for an entire night. Since I have such a kind heart... I also arranged for Lily's mother-in-law to be brought into the city from her rural village. This old lady was a force of nature. She sat outside Lily's apartment complex and screamed curses at her for seven days and seven nights straight. She even slept on a piece of cardboard by the front gate. She hurled every profane insult in the book, loudly proclaiming to the entire neighborhood that Lily was a cheap prostitute selling herself in the city. She claimed Lily's "spa" was actually a brothel. And now that Lily had snagged a rich sugar daddy, she wanted to dump her son? Not a chance in hell. She swore that as long as she had breath in her lungs, she would never let Lily live in peace. The apartment complex Lily lived in was the one Arthur had rented. Now, her reputation in the neighborhood was completely destroyed. Desperate to marry Arthur, Lily sold her spa for pennies on the dollar. She paid her mother-in-law a $200,000 settlement just to get the divorce finalized. Then, she quietly moved into a rundown, anonymous apartment complex to wait for Arthur to get out of jail. I knew exactly what she was thinking. She was still dreaming her sweet little dream of becoming a wealthy socialite! Well, I was here to tell her: Keep dreaming! Because Arthur's precious, one-and-only private restaurant was on the verge of bankruptcy.
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