When I got into the car accident, my husband, Ethan, was on a business trip overseas. It took him a week to finally wrap things up and rush back. Seeing how badly I was injured, his eyes filled with tears, and he said he’d cancel all his work to take care of me, heart and soul. Everyone in the hospital room envied me for finding such a successful man who clearly adored me. Only I, picturing the two of them kissing passionately under the Northern Lights, felt a daze wash over me. Looking up again at his feigned deep affection, I just felt sick to my stomach. 1 The moment Ethan landed, he came straight to the hospital, not even stopping by home. He was lugging two large suitcases, looking completely exhausted from his travels. He grabbed the first doctor he saw, desperate to know about my injuries. The doctor was evasive, telling him to ask me directly. At that moment, my legs were in casts, and my head was wrapped up like a mummy. Luckily, my arms were still free, so I could scroll through my phone. When Ethan saw me, his eyes instantly reddened, and his hand trembled as he held mine. "Honey, you… you’ve suffered so much. It’s all my fault, I was too busy with work. For something this huge to happen to you, and I couldn’t even be here with you right away…" A tear landed on the back of my hand, shockingly hot. I felt a bit uneasy and tried to sit up. "Actually, I’m not that badly hurt, it just looks scary…" Ethan panicked, gently pushing me back down. "You’re seriously injured, don’t move around. You could hurt yourself again." I chuckled weakly and lay back down obediently. Once Ethan calmed down, he started opening his suitcases, pulling out gifts for me one by one. There was food, clothes, jewelry – they filled the empty hospital bed next to mine, but Ethan still felt it wasn’t enough. "Honey, is there anything else you want? Or anything you’re craving to eat? I’ll go buy it for you later, or I can even make it." Ethan mentioning it actually made me crave his cooking. "Then how about you make a few of your specialty dishes?" Ethan stroked my head, calling me his "little foodie" with a fond smile, and then left. When he returned, besides the dishes I’d asked for, he’d also bought a ton of fruit and snacks, handing them out to everyone in the hospital room. People couldn’t stop praising him, saying how handsome and thoughtful he was, and they all told me how lucky I was to have found such a great guy. I couldn't help but feel a little smug, a mix of shy and proud. Ethan, basking in the compliments, was all smiles and even wanted to feed me. You know, the last time he’d fed me was during the playful antics on our wedding night. Naturally, I refused. "It’s my legs and head that are hurt, not my arms and hands. I can eat by myself." But Ethan insisted. "Honey, I wasn’t by your side when you just had the accident. Now that I’m back, please give me a chance to make it up to you." Amidst our gentle pushing and pulling, the room filled with pink, fluffy romance and knowing smiles from the onlookers. That’s when Veronica burst in. 2 It was as if she didn’t even see Ethan and me. She launched straight into urgent, business-like talk. "Mr. Hamilton, there’s an issue with the Southside project. The partners are all at the company raising hell. You need to get back there quickly." Ethan’s face instantly frosted over. "What could possibly be so urgent that I have to go back? Is everyone else at the company just for show? Can’t you see I’m with my wife?" "Whatever it is, it can wait until I’m in the office tomorrow." Veronica bit her lip hard, tears welling in her eyes. "But Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Peterson said if you don’t come back with me, then I don’t need to come back either." Mr. Peterson was a company old-timer, who’d always had it out for Ethan and was known for using his seniority to bully Ethan’s assistants. Several of Ethan’s previous assistants had quit because they couldn’t stand Mr. Peterson constantly making their lives difficult. Veronica had lasted the longest. Seeing this, I gently squeezed Ethan’s arm and gave him a look. "The Southside project is a big deal, after all. Maybe you should go, huh?" Ethan looked at me quietly for a moment, then stroked my head. "Okay. Whatever you say." Ethan left with Veronica. But five minutes later, Veronica came back by herself, bold as brass, and sat right down on the edge of my bed, a smirk playing on her lips as she looked at me. I inexplicably felt a prickle on my back and frowned at her. "Do you… need something from me?" Veronica smiled, took out her phone, and pulled up a photo. "Just as expected from someone Mr. Hamilton once liked. You’re much smarter than I thought, sis." "So, smarty-pants, do you recognize this person?" The photo showed a couple kissing. The woman was clearly Veronica. But the man, even though I could only see the back of his head, looked disturbingly familiar. My frown deepened. Veronica’s smile widened, her lips curling upwards, her voice like a siren’s song. "If I said this was Mr. Hamilton, would you believe me, sis?" Before I could answer, the hospital room door was suddenly kicked open. Ethan rushed in, grabbed Veronica by the arm, and started dragging her out. "What did you say to her? Who told you to come back and see her?" Only when he reached the doorway did he seem to remember I was there. He turned back to explain. "Veronica forgot something, she just came back to get it. Honey, I’m just going to pop into the office for a second, I’ll be right back." I glanced at Ethan. His expression was normal, showing no cracks. I just waved dismissively and went back to pondering the photo and Veronica’s words. Because of that, I didn’t see the look of relief flash across Ethan’s face as I looked down, nor the challenging, resentful glint in Veronica’s eyes. 3 Honestly, the man in the photo really did look like Ethan from behind. But Ethan and I were childhood sweethearts. People came and went in our lives, but we had always been steadfastly by each other’s side. I really didn’t want to doubt him unless I absolutely had to. But subconsciously, I started replaying every little interaction between Ethan and Veronica, analyzing the possibility of them being together. Veronica had joined Ethan’s company five years ago. A girl from a small town, she didn’t know how to dress, wasn’t good at socializing, and consequently, her work was a mess. Several times, Ethan had called her while I was there and chewed her out so badly she was probably in tears. The worst time, he directly asked her if she’d even gone to school, if she was an idiot, and said if she couldn’t hack it, she should just go clean toilets or be a security guard instead of taking up space and collecting a paycheck. It was me who persuaded him back then, saying it wasn’t easy for a young girl to make it in the big city, that he should give her more patience and let her grow. That’s how I talked him out of firing her. Three years ago, when Ethan and I got married, Veronica came to the ceremony with the other company employees. By then, she had gradually become more competent. She wore a simple, elegant white dress, had light makeup on, and exuded an air of intelligence and capability. After she caught the bridal bouquet, people around her joked about who would be lucky enough to marry such a beautiful and capable girl. Ethan had sneered coldly. "So plain, and can’t even do her job right. Whoever marries you must have had some seriously bad karma." Veronica had covered her face and ran out crying. At the time, I even blamed Ethan for being so harsh to a young woman. A year ago, I found a very cute stuffed animal in Ethan’s study. Later, I saw the same one on Veronica’s bag and casually mentioned it to Ethan, saying they’d been around each other so long their tastes were becoming similar. Not long after, Ethan’s company HR department bought a whole batch of those stuffed animals and gave one to everyone in the company. Two months ago, I suddenly sprained my ankle at work and had to ask Ethan to pick me up. At the time, Veronica was sitting in Ethan’s passenger seat, claiming she got carsick in the back. … Incident after incident. A tangled mess, impossible to unravel. Suddenly, the man’s cufflinks in the photo flashed in my mind – a blue sapphire four-leaf clover with a chipped corner. Ethan had a pair just like it. So, if Ethan’s cufflinks were intact, did that mean the man in the photo wasn’t him? I picked up my phone, about to make up an excuse to get Ethan to bring those cufflinks over, when I happened to see a message from him. "Honey, I bought you those little wontons from that place you always liked. I’ll be there in twenty minutes." Looking at the time, twenty-five minutes had already passed. I quickly got out of bed, thought for a moment, grabbed my crutches, and slowly made my way to the door. Instead of guessing wildly, isn't being direct faster? 4 I just didn’t expect Ethan and Veronica’s “directness” to be much faster than mine. Around the corner of the hallway, before I could even move, I heard familiar voices. "Mr. Hamilton, when your wife had her car accident, you were still in Iceland with me, chasing the Northern Lights. How did you explain that to her?" Ethan chuckled smugly. "I told her I was busy with work, of course." "And she believed such a flimsy lie?" "That fool Olivia, she always believes whatever I tell her." Ethan paused for a few seconds, then suddenly pulled Veronica in by the waist, letting her soft curves press against his chest. "Speaking of which, I took such a huge risk for you. How are you planning to compensate me?" Veronica lowered her head shyly. "How do you want me to compensate you?" Ethan bent down and nibbled on Veronica’s earlobe, blowing gently on her pale neck. "That new cosplay outfit we bought last time…" Veronica suddenly looked up, playfully pounding his chest with her small fists. "Mr. Hamilton, you… you’re terrible." The next second, her gaze unexpectedly met mine in mid-air. Veronica froze for a moment, then a provocative smile spread across her lips. Then, she wrapped her arms around Ethan’s neck and kissed him forcefully on the lips. Ethan, caught off guard but with a beautiful woman offering herself, naturally saw no reason to refuse. He pressed the back of Veronica’s head, instantly taking control, kissing her with abandon. A nurse suddenly appeared and gasped. "Ms. Hayes, what are you doing out here?" I fought to control the trembling in my body and managed a weak smile. "My husband will be here soon, I just came out to meet him." Before I figured out my next move, I absolutely couldn't let them see what I knew. Ethan, hearing a familiar voice from around the corner, broke out in a cold sweat. He abruptly pushed Veronica away, quickly straightened his clothes, and turned to walk towards me. When I looked up, I saw Ethan with a face full of surprise and concern. "Honey, why are you out here? Your legs, can they support you?" I leaned against the wall, pretending to be weak, and lowered my head, conveniently hiding the fury in my eyes. "Actually, I… I am feeling a bit unsteady." Ethan paused for a second, then swept me up into his arms. "Don’t push yourself if you can’t manage. Come on, I’ll carry you back." Behind him, I saw Veronica’s face, contorted with a hatred so intense she looked like she wanted to kill me, yet she didn’t dare make a move. I smirked. Want to play games with me? Bring it on. 5 Back in the hospital room, Ethan had just placed me on the bed when Veronica eagerly tried to get him to leave. "Mr. Hamilton, those gifts you brought for your wife earlier, I think you forgot them in the trunk." Ethan smacked his forehead, looking at me a bit apologetically. "Look at my memory. Honey, wait for me a minute, I’ll be right back." The moment Ethan left, Veronica immediately dropped her careful, fawning expression and circled me several times. "Sis, to be so calm after catching your husband cheating red-handed, I’m actually a little impressed." "I know, you and Mr. Hamilton are childhood sweethearts with deep feelings. It’s normal that you can’t make up your mind right away. Don’t worry, I’ll help you." Veronica played a video on her phone and held it in front of me. In the video, Ethan and Veronica were trapped in a car, surrounded by a vast expanse of white – it looked like a snowstorm. Veronica looked ahead, her gaze melancholic. "Mr. Hamilton, are we really going to die here?" Ethan was fiddling with his phone, his voice as calm as if they were just stuck in traffic. "Don’t worry, I won’t let you die." Veronica suddenly turned, climbed over the center console, and wrapped her arms around Ethan’s neck, looking at him seriously. "Mr. Hamilton, actually, I think it would be nice to die like this. At least, right now, you’re completely mine." Ethan tried to push her hands away. "Don’t be ridiculous." But Veronica held on tighter. "I’m serious. It’s just a bit regrettable that I couldn’t have your baby." Ethan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly; his expression was clearly moved. Veronica noticed this too. Her hand slid down Ethan’s abs, further down, and then she squeezed. "Mr. Hamilton, give me a chance, I beg you." Ethan’s body jolted, and a storm quickly gathered in his eyes. Then, he lunged, pressing down on her. The seat reclined, the temperature inside the car rapidly climbed, and sounds that would make anyone blush filled the air. After it was over, Veronica lay on Ethan’s chest, tracing circles with her finger. "Mr. Hamilton, I heard Olivia had a car accident. With us like this… will she be very sad? Do you still love her?" Ethan smirked. "Love? It’s not about love between us anymore, it’s habit." "I’ve already asked about her accident. It’s not serious, she’ll be fine with some rest. Not a big deal." The video ended abruptly there. Veronica put her phone away. "Well? Sis, a man like this, do you still want him?" I looked at her silently, not saying a word. Veronica stood up on her own. "If I were you, and my husband cheated, I’d immediately collect evidence, fight for what I deserve, and avoid ending up with nothing – no man, no money. Sis, think about it carefully." Ethan walked in right on cue. "What are you two talking about?" 6 I asked Veronica to go buy me some dessert, keeping Ethan behind. "Come here, I have something interesting for you to listen to."
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