When I learned that my husband had been assigned to work in a remote location for another 7 years, I traveled a long way to find him. Arriving at his workplace, I was stopped by an older security guard. Upon hearing that I was looking for Arthur, his face drastically changed: "Why are you looking for my son-in-law?" I was struck by a bolt from the blue, thinking maybe it was just someone with the same name. But a worker chatting nearby laughed: "Uncle, what are you panicking for? Everyone for miles around knows Arthur is totally henpecked." "Even if someone tried any funny business, your son-in-law wouldn't dare." He gestured towards me with his chin: "She might be someone sent from above for work." Feigning calmness, I opened a photo of Arthur on my phone: "I have business to discuss with him. Is the Arthur you're talking about this man?" The security guard let his guard down: "Yes, that's my son-in-law." The blood in my veins froze. Before long, a well-dressed woman approached me with a bright smile: "Are you looking for my man to talk about work?" "Let's go wait at the house. Our son has a fever, so he took him to the hospital in town." ... I felt like I had been struck by lightning, staring at the woman in front of me, unable to breathe. Seeing me stunned, the woman warmly greeted me: "I'm Arthur's wife, Chloe. Just call me Chloe." She was very friendly, a smile constantly beaming on her face as she waved for me to follow her: "It's all rough men around here, every one of them a pervert. It's not safe for a woman to be here." "Come wait at my house. It'll be a while before he gets back." As she spoke, she familiarly linked her arm through mine. As if possessed, I followed her footsteps. I stealthily examined this woman from the corner of my eye. Her skin was poor, her makeup skills lacking, with foundation settling into the creases under her eyes. Yet, it was still evident that she was more than 10 years younger than the 37-year-old Arthur. "Oh my, you city folks are really different. Your skin is so good, just like a peeled egg." She stared at my face openly. Her eyes filled with envious light: "My man's skin is just like yours, so soft." She smiled amiably and enthusiastically: "It seems the city environment really nurtures people." I forced a strained smile. She was right; both Arthur and I had that kind of smooth, delicate skin. Even though I was quite a bit older than her, thanks to good maintenance, I still looked like a girl in her early twenties. Not at all like a middle-aged woman who had been married for 12 years. But what did that matter? Even if I was pretty, had a good job, took care of the elders above and the child below... My husband still committed the ultimate betrayal behind my back, having another family. She was very talkative, chattering on endlessly. A couple riding a motorcycle approached and stopped as they passed us. The woman on the back of the motorcycle handed Chloe a bag of chestnuts: "Look how much your man thinks of you. Took the kid to the doctor and said you like chestnuts, so he asked me to bring a bag back for you." Chloe smiled, accustomed to it: "He just worries too much." I deliberately said: "Your husband treats you so well." The woman on the motorcycle chimed in: "Her man treats her exceptionally well. If she tells Arthur to go east, he doesn't dare go west." "Arthur, who fears nothing in heaven or earth, is terrified when Chloe glares or sheds a tear!" Chloe's smile remained habitual: "Sister-in-law, stop teasing me." A sour, bitter feeling churned in my heart. It felt like God had played a massive joke on me. My highly educated husband, who sought equality in everything in our marriage, was actually acting as someone else's henpecked husband out here. We arrived at Chloe's house. Although located in a rural area, it didn't look like a rural house at all. Instead, it was a very chic little country villa. "My man built this. Nice, right? It's the only one of its kind in our village, and he's also the first live-in son-in-law here." My heart skipped a beat, shocked by the words "live-in son-in-law." Entering the living room, I saw a family portrait hanging on the wall. A family of 6, everyone smiling happily. In the picture were a 5-year-old boy and a girl around 3. We have a family portrait like this in our living room too. Except, we only have one 10-year-old son, no daughter. The year he was dispatched by his unit, he held my face and swore: "Wife, believe me. At most 2 years, and I'll find a way to get transferred back." "When I return, if your health permits, we'll have a second child, and our family will never be apart again." But he was gone for 7 years. Except for a few days at home after the New Year, he was barely seen all year round. When he went back last year, I even expressed my regret to him about not having a daughter. Uncharacteristically, he said: "The general environment is bad right now; clear-headed young people aren't having kids anymore." "We have one son, that's good enough. Why suffer through having a second child?" It turned out his thinking hadn't changed; he just already had both a son and a daughter out here. "We have Wi-Fi at home, you can connect your phone to save data." "The password is November 13th, my man specifically set it to my birthday." She said this while smilingly bringing me tea. My heart Jolted again. Arthur had told me there was no internet in this mountainous area. So it was always him finding ways to contact me; I could never reach him. I opened my phone and connected to Chloe's Wi-Fi; full signal. Lies were being dismantled before my eyes one after another, each one feeling like a knife stabbing my heart. Feigning composure, I said: "You two have such a good relationship. I heard he was dispatched here; aren't you worried he'll be transferred back?" Chloe kept a smile on her face: "Not worried. To be honest, my man almost got transferred back this time." My heart tightened, fixated on her next words. "My man pulled a lot of strings to stay." "He'll probably stay for another 7 years. Once all the projects here are finished, my man said he'd rather resign than go back." My heart felt like it had plummeted to the bottom of a cliff. So it wasn't the company forcing him to be dispatched again; he applied for it himself! Even though he knew his mother was hospitalized with a stroke and his father had broken his leg, needing their son by their side to fulfill his filial duties. Even though his son's eyes grew red time and time again, feeling wronged because he rarely saw his father all year. Even though he knew I, his wife, was exhausted managing everything inside and out, overwhelmed by work and family, nearly hospitalized from fatigue several times. He still comfortably lived a carefree life with another woman thousands of miles away. A cold chill made my shoulders tremble slightly. Thinking I was cold, Chloe immediately turned on the AC: "It won't be cold in a minute. This AC my man bought me is a top brand." Although she was smiling, she constantly brought up Arthur's love for her, showing off their affection. "In this village, no one has AC, only my house does. Actually, AC costs a lot of electricity, I didn't want to install it, but my man insisted, saying he was afraid I'd freeze in the winter." With a strained smile still hanging on my face, I asked indirectly: "I feel like he's quite a bit older than you. Is this his second marriage?" "He's 10 years older than me, not a second marriage. I just got incredibly lucky." The smile on Chloe's face grew even happier: "God is good to me, letting someone like me, who only finished elementary school, find a man with a master's degree." "He came here as the project manager for development, practically the boss's right-hand man. I could never have dreamed of being the wife of such a capable man." "My man also says meeting me is the luckiest thing that ever happened to him." She chattered on: "Actually, having an age gap is quite nice; he knows how to care for someone. My man is not only responsible at work but also responsible to the family." "He gives me every penny of his monthly salary, and I only give him 200 bucks for cigarette money." Bitterness churned within me. All these years, Arthur had been sending back $3,000 of his salary every month. He said room and board were covered here, and $100 was enough for pocket money. Their company's accountant is my college roommate; I knew his monthly after-tax salary was $3,100. I probed: "With his high salary, the whole family must live well." "Exactly, that's why I say I struck gold. Not only is he good to me, but he's even better to my parents." "My mom has a bad back." She pointed to the expensive massage chair next to the sofa: "This massage chair cost over $2,000; he bought it without blinking an eye." "My dad likes to drink, so he buys cases of top-shelf liquor that cost hundreds of dollars a bottle." "He also gives me $5,000 every month to spend however I want." Hearing this, I was certain Arthur was embezzling and taking bribes. The bitterness in my heart was like gall, and I also felt sorrow for his parents. Three months ago, my mother-in-law was critically ill from a stroke. Crying outside the emergency room, I called him: "Arthur, come back. Mom is in resuscitation; she keeps murmuring that she wants to see you." But he lied to me: "You've worked hard, wife. The construction project here has entered a critical phase; I really can't get away." "Mom is a good person and will be blessed; nothing will happen to her." Many times when I was panicked, helpless, my legs so weak I could barely stand. His phone was either unreachable, or he couldn't come back. He ignored his own family, his parents, and his child. Yet he played the role of a good husband, a good father, and a good son-in-law in another family. It was the ultimate irony, a fatal blow. Chloe's phone rang. She didn't avoid me. The speaker volume was just loud enough for me, sitting next to her, to hear clearly. He called her: "Wife." His voice was gentle, in the exact same tone he usually used when calling me. "Son's fever hasn't broken yet; the doctor says we need to stay overnight in the hospital for observation." "I don't have enough money on me. Wife, transfer some money to me, $30 will do." I sneered internally; what a family-oriented good man he was. Chloe smiled and said, "Got it, I'll transfer it to you in a bit." On the other end, Arthur worriedly instructed her: "Hubby can't hold you to sleep tonight. Be good and go to sleep, cover yourself well so you don't catch a cold." "Not being by your side for one day makes my whole body uncomfortable." These words were like sharp swords stabbing fiercely into my heart. Married for 12 years, we only had this kind of intimate sweetness in the first few years. Now, he hadn't even been this attentive to our own son. Time made us an old married couple. And now it has made us the most familiar strangers drifting apart. The call ended. Chloe looked at me with a smile, just about to say something, then spoke as if remembering something: "By the way, I forgot to ask your name?" "Madeline." "What a beautiful name, city folks really know how to name people." She was still her talkative, enthusiastic self. Up until now, I was still thinking. She was most likely an innocent woman kept in the dark, just like me. "By the way, my man won't be back today. Why don't you stay here for the night, and when he gets back tomorrow, you can talk about work." I agreed. During dinner, Chloe made a table full of good dishes with meat and vegetables. I met their daughter, whose eyes and brows looked very much like Arthur. Chloe's parents weren't as enthusiastic towards me, just superficially polite. They even looked at me with a bit of vigilance, a bit strangely. At the dinner table, the person they mentioned the most was Arthur. In their mouths, Arthur wasn't a son-in-law, but a biological son. Chloe was an only daughter; in this remote area that heavily favored boys over girls, the old couple had never been able to hold their heads high their whole lives. It was Arthur's appearance, becoming their live-in son-in-law and honoring them like biological parents, That allowed them to finally straighten their spines that had been bent for a lifetime. Chloe's mother said: "Arthur is the pillar of our family; our family cannot do without him." It felt as if an irremovable thorn was stuck in my throat. He didn't support the roof of his own house, but propped up someone else's year after year. When it was time to sleep, Chloe arranged for me to stay in the guest room next to her parents' room. After the lights went out, I couldn't fall asleep for a long time. I heard Chloe's parents whispering in the next room for a long while. After much deliberation, I sent a whistle-blowing letter and video to the headquarters of Arthur's company. And sent a message to my brother, who is a police officer: "I need you to work hard and come arrest Arthur; he broke the law." These two decisions didn't relieve my anger, but they were an accounting to my life. And the punishment he deserved. The next morning. Chloe brought her clothes for me to wear, afraid I'd dislike them, she specifically added: "My man just bought this for me; it's been washed once but never worn." "It's quite cold here, you're wearing a bit too little and might catch a cold." I looked at the down jacket she brought over, a pure white, slim-fit long coat, a big brand that cost $590. I had looked at it all winter but couldn't bear to buy it, adding it to my cart and removing it several times. Not that I couldn't afford it, but with elders above and a child below, money had to be spent with planning. I had also complained to Arthur in the past: "Other husbands buy clothes for their wives. I've been with you for so many years, and I've never seen you buy me any." He always smiled and said gently: "The money is all with you; buy whatever you want." "I'm afraid you won't like what I buy, and I don't know how to pick women's clothes either." It turned out it wasn't that he didn't know how to pick; he just didn't want to pick them for me. "Thank you." I took the coat and put it on. It looked good and was warm. She paused, a flash of surprise in her eyes, unexpected that I didn't politely decline. While eating breakfast, I listened to her chattering on, showing off their affection again. She also asked me what life was like in the city. She even asked me: "How are you doing?" I smiled faintly and said truthfully: "Not bad, just that my man doesn't know how to dote on his wife as well as your man." She grinned happily. Finally, noon arrived. The door was opened from the outside, and Arthur's familiar voice came: "Wife, I'm back." Chloe and I both stood up from the sofa and looked at him. "Which wife are you calling? Hubby." I asked him with a cold face.
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