On the third day of my business trip, I stumbled across a video online of my husband Jensen and my best friend Violet kissing at a concert. Violet and I had known each other for twenty years. On the day I married Jensen, she blessed me through her tears. But today, she and Jensen had both betrayed me. After a few minutes of silence, I called Violet: "Did you go to Taylor's concert this time? I heard the live performance was amazing." On the other end, Violet's voice paused, then she laughed casually: "It was great, but without you there, going alone wasn't fun. When are you coming back? We should go together." I smiled and said okay. After hanging up, I booked an overnight flight straight to her place. I had to ask her. Why lie to me? The plane landed right at 9 PM. I went directly to Violet's apartment and knocked on the door. "What took you so long?" Violet's coquettish voice came from inside. The moment she opened the door and saw me, her entire face went pale. "Chr...Christina?" "Why are you back?! Aren't you supposed to be on a business trip?" She looked at me in shock. I didn't speak, my eyes fixating on her nightgown. It was a black lace negligee with a deep V-neck that plunged almost to her navel, exposing most of her rounded breasts—an incredibly sexy nightgown. A week ago when I went shopping with her, when she bought this nightgown, she told me: "A woman still needs to be feminine. This nightgown is my secret weapon I'm preparing for myself." Now this secret weapon I helped her buy—was she planning to use it on my husband? I tugged at the corner of my mouth, wanting to laugh, but my eyes welled up with tears first. Violet and I had been each other's best friends since childhood. At seven, she got her pigtails pulled by a boy in class and cried loudly. I was the one who chased the boy away with a little ruler, patting my chest and saying: I'll protect you from now on. At fifteen, she became extremely self-conscious about her acne and was cornered in the bathroom by girls from class who bullied her. I was the one who ran from the seventh floor to the third floor with a mop, saving her at the risk of expulsion. At seventeen, sophomore year of high school. Her parents were getting divorced. Neither wanted her, and they only gave her two hundred dollars a month for living expenses. Because she had no money, she ate only one meal a day—two slices of toast. She went from 120 pounds down to 75. We weren't at the same school anymore by then. One evening during self-study, she suddenly called me and said: "Christina, I don't want to go to school anymore." When I heard those words, I climbed over the wall that very night and ran home from my boarding school. I knelt before my parents for two whole hours, begging them to sponsor my best friend's education. From seven to twenty-seven years old, we had known each other for a full twenty years. She said many times that I was the heroism of her girlhood. But now, wearing the sexy nightgown we bought together, she had climbed into my husband's bed. Thinking about this, I wanted to laugh but couldn't. I could only try my best to appear calm as I asked her: "Do you have a date tonight?" "Who is it? Do I know them? What's their name?" My tone was light, without interrogation or anger. Just like a natural greeting between friends. Her face went completely white. Even her lips lost all color. She was incredibly tense. "Just... a coworker from the company. You don't know them." She was still lying to me. My hand gripping my purse was white-knuckled. My gaze slowly swept across her guilty, flustered face. It landed on her wrist, and I smiled without really smiling: "That bracelet is beautiful. Did your coworker give it to you too?" Last month on Valentine's Day, I personally found Jensen's shopping records. A pair of gold earrings and a Van Cleef & Arpels ruby bracelet. The gold earrings cost five thousand dollars—they were on my ears. The bracelet cost thirty-eight thousand—he gave it to Violet. When Violet heard my words, her face went deathly pale. She immediately hid her left hand behind her back, stammering: "Yes, my coworker gave it to me." Normally, at this moment, as her best friend, I should have naturally teased her a bit more. Asked if good news was coming soon? When would she let me meet him? But at that moment, watching her like this, I only felt absurd. She couldn't even lie properly, yet I had been deceived by her for so long. "Alright, I won't disturb your date." "See you tomorrow." I said with a smile, pretending not to see her instantly relieved expression, and turned to leave. On my way home, I called my father. He was Jensen's direct supervisor and also the mastermind behind sponsoring Violet all these years and arranging her job. "Dad, I need a favor." While throwing the treats I'd specially brought for Violet—her favorites—into the trash, I spoke with an eerily calm voice. "Jensen's job, the apartment Violet's living in, and all the money they've spent of mine these years—can you help me find a lawyer and get it all back?" "Yes, they're having an affair. I don't want to lose out."
My dad moved quickly. I had just gotten home when a divorce lawyer added me and sent me 3GB of evidence and materials. I clicked on it. Besides photos and hotel records, there was a video account I'd never seen before. Eighty-three videos, each with Jensen's shadow in them. I learned that their first kiss was on my twenty-third birthday. I went upstairs to get the cake. They were in the living room, kissing passionately. In that video uploaded on my birthday, Violet's caption was just two words—"Thrilling." I learned that their first time sleeping together was during that citywide rainstorm. Violet's neighborhood had a power outage. I knew she was afraid of the dark, so I drove through the storm to her place to keep her company. Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared. Rainwater reached my knees. I was completely soaked. Violet's door was locked. She had gone on a business trip with Jensen. Kansas, three days and two nights. She didn't tell me. Afraid something had happened to her, I knocked on her door for half an hour in the darkness. She and Jensen were in a hotel suite, eating a carefully prepared candlelit dinner, completing their first intimate encounter. And the most recent video was uploaded ten minutes ago. The background was Violet's home. She was still wearing that nightgown, smiling innocently at the camera. "Almost got caught sneaking around for our date, but luckily Mr. Jensen said he'd make it up to me." "He's not allowed to go home tonight." Her tone was so natural, without a trace of guilt. I replayed that video twenty times, finally confirming. That little sister who had followed me around since age seven, who needed my protection, had grown up. The cost was destroying my family. My hand gripping the mouse was white-knuckled. Suddenly I remembered the day Jensen and I got married. Violet wore the bridesmaid dress we'd chosen back in high school, crying with snot and tears everywhere. She grabbed my hand and threatened Jensen: "Christina is my best friend for life. If you ever dare bully her, I definitely won't let you get away with it!" I crossed through the crowd and handed the bouquet directly to Violet. "Violet, I hope you'll be happy too." She froze for a moment, then burst into tears, shouting loudly in my ear: "Christina, you must be happy forever!" Scene after scene flashed back before my eyes. I sat on the sofa, tears flowing silently. My phone rang. It was Jensen calling. I answered. The man's voice came through, half probing, half complaining. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back? If Violet hadn't told me, I wouldn't even know." "Where are you now?" "Should I come pick you up?" I stayed silent, my gaze moving to Violet's latest video. She said she didn't want Jensen to go home. "I'm at the airport. The work issue isn't resolved yet. I came back to get a file, leaving right away." "Day after tomorrow at 8 AM, come pick me up at the airport." Hearing my words, Jensen on the other end was obviously relieved, with a few women's laughs mixed in. "Okay, I'm still at the office, so I won't see you off." "Let me know when you land." The call ended. The lawyer looked at me hesitantly. "Ms. Christina, you..." I smiled and pulled out a tissue to wipe away my tears. "Attorney Foster, if we catch them in the act, wouldn't the divorce case be more favorable for me?"
The lawyer nodded. I had my answer. I took out my phone and contacted several important people. The first was my dad—Jensen's direct supervisor. For my sake, he was about to promote Jensen in the next few days. Marketing Director—a position Jensen had been eyeing for three years. The second was Violet's parents. They had remarried and were also in California. Violet had said countless times that she wanted them to know how excellent she was, to make them regret abandoning her. Today, I also wanted to know—when her parents saw her with my husband, what would their expressions be? And Jensen's parents, relatives... I called everyone I could think of. Then, following the lawyer, I drove to Violet's apartment complex. During the twenty minutes waiting for everyone to arrive, I thought about many things. I thought about Violet and Jensen's first meeting. One wore a gray suit, aloof and proud. One wore a red dress, looking completely annoyed. They each told me: I hate that person. They said they didn't get along, asked me not to bring them together. I believed them. So I was always careful, telling Violet in front of Jensen how she praised him as young and promising. In front of Violet, I gave her gifts I bought for her in Jensen's name. I thought I was maintaining both my love and my friendship. Looking back now, the most ridiculous person was actually me. "Ms. Christina, everyone's here." The lawyer's voice pulled me back from my thoughts. I got out of the car and looked at those familiar faces. Everyone had come. Not a single person was missing. "Christina, why did you call us all here?" "Is it about last time when Violet mentioned you buying her an apartment? Oh my, all these years you've helped us take care of Violet, we're so grateful." Violet's parents eagerly grabbed my hand. I pulled my hand away without speaking. Jensen's parents blocked them. "What are you talking about? It must be about Jensen's promotion to Marketing Manager coming through." "Christina, Jensen really didn't marry the wrong person." "Christina, are you preparing a surprise for Jensen? Don't worry, I get it! I even brought a video camera—professional grade!" They chattered away, not knowing what had happened, but all without exception holding expectations. Attorney Foster pulled me aside and said quietly: "Ms. Christina, are you sure you want to make this big of a scene?" "Once this blows up today, things will truly be irreversible." I looked up at the light coming from Violet's apartment upstairs. I remembered that summer when we walked down the street hand in hand, sharing the same ice cream cone. Her face was flushed red from the sun, her eyes incredibly bright. "Christina, will we be best friends forever?" I nodded emphatically. Ice cream smeared on my face. "Forever!" And Jensen—he knew I loved the ocean, so when he proposed, he rented an entire beach. Under the fireworks, he knelt on one knee with a ring. "Christina, I like you. I'll like you forever. Will you marry me?" They had each promised me forever, yet in this year when I turned twenty-eight, they had tacitly chosen betrayal. I looked away. Violet's parents were already impatient. Jensen's parents had even notified their family members, preparing to throw Jensen a promotion party. The lights upstairs had also gone out. They must be asleep. I composed myself and gave everyone behind me a carefree smile. Pointing to the elevator, "Let's go upstairs. There's a surprise waiting upstairs."
I led the group into the elevator, heading upstairs in a grand procession. In the elevator's cramped space, the atmosphere was strangely enthusiastic. Violet's parents were still shamelessly cozying up to me, their faces full of obsequious smiles. "Christina, Violet always tells us that meeting you was the luckiest thing in her life." "That's right, that's right. We're truly grateful to you from the bottom of our hearts." They sang in harmony, hinting that our two families should interact more in the future, growing even closer. Naturally, Jensen's parents weren't willing to be outdone. They immediately pushed them aside and grabbed my other hand. "Christina, don't listen to their nonsense. Jensen truly loves you." "That Marketing Director position—he's wanted it for so long. This time, thanks to you and your father, Jensen must have accumulated good karma from his past life to have married you." My dad stood behind me, one hand silently resting on my shoulder, gently holding me. I could feel the warmth and strength from his palm, and also the suppressed fury about to erupt. I knew he was holding back. I was holding back too. It felt like a fire burning in my stomach, spreading from my chest all the way to my throat, burning painfully. "Ding"—the elevator doors opened. I took a deep breath and walked to Violet's familiar door. First, I called her phone. Her sleepy yet slightly wary voice came through the receiver. "Hello? Christina? It's so late. What's up?" I smiled, my tone light as I asked, "Nothing major. I just wanted to ask if you're home alone? I have something I want to talk to you about right now." On the other end, Violet was clearly jolted awake, her voice instantly becoming panicked. "I... I'm home alone! But I... I've already gone to bed, Christina. Can we talk about it tomorrow? I'm really tired." She was still lying. The trembling and guilt in her voice couldn't be hidden at all. "Okay, get some rest then." I hung up without hesitation and immediately called Jensen. I used the exact same script to ask him: "Are you home alone right now? I have something urgent I need to talk to you about." Jensen's voice was even more nervous than Violet's. He answered almost immediately: "Yeah, I'm home alone. Lots of work at the office, just finished." He paused, seeming to think his reaction was too intense, then added in a joking tone: "What's wrong? Do you miss me? If it weren't so late, I'd fly to your side right now." How ridiculous. He was clearly in another woman's bed, yet he could tell me he loved me without his face turning red or his heart racing. I laughed softly and hung up. At that moment, the previously noisy crowd behind me finally quieted down. Whether it was Violet's parents or Jensen's parents, they had all picked up on something unusual from my two brief phone calls. Their expressions changed from earlier anticipation and excitement to nervousness and confusion. Violet's mother couldn't help but grab my arm, asking carefully: "Christina, what... what's going on? You called us all here, exactly what..." I turned back, looking at their faces full of unease, and repeated what I'd said before. "To give you all a surprise." With that, under their suspicious gazes, I pulled out the spare key Violet had once forced into my hands from my bag. "Click"—the door lock opened with a sound.
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