My husband, Alexander Vance, had recently taken in a not-so-obedient young woman. He spoiled her so much that she forgot her place and actually came to cause trouble right in front of me. The young woman's eyes were bright, and she stubbornly refused to call me Mrs. Vance. "Miss Sterling, in love, the one who isn't loved is the real third wheel." I smiled, reached out a slender finger, and forcefully yanked the pearl earring from her ear. Drops of blood instantly bloomed on her earlobe. Behind us, Alexander appeared, his jaw tight. Chloe just stood there with red eyes: "Mr. Vance, please don't be angry. Miss Sterling probably didn't mean it." Alexander just took my hand, blowing on it gently: "Abby, does your hand hurt?" Chloe stared at him in disbelief as a large tear rolled down her cheek. And I just offered a faint smile. 1 Chloe was taken away by Alexander's secretary. She seemed to have a thousand things to say, probably not understanding how the man who had been somewhat gentle with her yesterday could turn like this today. Alexander's affection for me wasn't entirely fake. He noticed a faint, barely visible mark on my finger and kissed it repeatedly. "Abby, a woman like that isn't worth dirtying your own hands," he said, a hint of disapproval in his dark eyes. I looked at Alexander, my expression normal. I wasn't surprised by his actions. We were childhood sweethearts, growing up together. By nature, he wasn't a particularly docile person, yet he was always tolerant and considerate of me. In prominent, old-money families like ours, rotting marriages are everywhere. But he was the one I had actively chosen. Even when we got married, my best friend, Serena, was endlessly envious. After all, when people reach a certain status, they view basic moral constraints with cold indifference. Alexander was genuine toward me. Serena said that in elite families, fidelity is often viewed as a weakness. When wealth expands to a certain level, expecting a man to remain forever faithful is truly rare. For many arranged marriages between powerful families, maintaining a facade of peace is already an achievement. But Serena had seen how Alexander served me food, seen how he unknowingly smiled just at the mention of me. He truly cared for me. But his care wasn't one hundred percent. In his position, not having beautiful women swarming around him would be abnormal. The few "understanding companions" Alexander occasionally kept were nothing in Serena's eyes. It was just too common. It seems that when corruption becomes the norm, innocence becomes the anomaly. 2 Dinner was cooked by Alexander. For a young, successful man like him to be willing to cook was truly rare. Even my usually picky mother was full of praise. They all seemed to envy me for having the vast majority of Alexander's love and his complete tolerance. I only had to frown, and Alexander could make whatever I disliked disappear forever. He carefully cut my steak for me, and I lowered my eyes, taking small, slow bites. His phone kept lighting up. I instinctively reached for it, and he, thinking I wanted the wine from his glass, thoughtfully handed it to me. When he saw I was reaching for his phone, he just smiled, picked up a napkin to wipe his hands, and then handed the phone to me. "Wife, it's rare for you to check up on me." The smile in his eyes was genuine. Alexander never really hid his "understanding companions" from me. It was probably because the men around him behaved far worse than he did. He gave his wife total respect, consideration, and always put me first. Moreover, even my own parents each had their own separate lives outside. I knew for a fact they had several illegitimate children. My mother didn't have a son, so she chose a relatively decent illegitimate son to inherit the family business. He respected my mother and was quite protective of me, his sister. In old-money families, fidelity is a joke. No matter how gentle the surface appears, the bones are rotten. I unlocked the phone. I couldn't find Chloe anymore. I understood; after offending me, Alexander wouldn't let her off easily. Scrolling further down, I saw Mia. She had been by Alexander's side for a while now. I had heard of her—a submissive, obedient type. When she saw me, she acted like a frightened quail. She kept her head as low as possible. Alexander was very satisfied with her tactfulness, so she was getting good resources now. A few days ago, I even saw her at a jewelry exhibition. I attended as Mrs. Vance. Alexander sat to my right, and Mia, wearing a diamond necklace, sat opposite us, essentially displaying that necklace to me. I glanced at it a couple of times, and Alexander bought it. Mia thanked me softly. She was very tactful, didn't stay long, and certainly didn't flaunt her status in my face. That night, Alexander even sensed my displeasure and whispered in my ear, "Don't like her? I'll swap her for someone else right away." The affection in his eyes was real. Whatever I disliked, he could discard. I smiled, my eyes curving. "Alexander, aren't you being a bit too sensitive?" Ever since we were little, I called him by his full name. When we were young, I would sit behind him on his bike, the wind blowing his shirt like a sail, and I would press my cheek against his back. It smelled like sunshine. It was the fluttering of a young heart. It was the budding of love. Alexander patted my hand. The lighting was dim, but his tone was sweet: "Abby, I often think about the path we've walked together." I didn't say a word, just stared silently into the distance. 3 That night, Alexander didn't sleep beside me. He said he had business at the company. I properly straightened his clothes and watched him leave. Not long after, Serena called: "Hey, I think I saw your Alexander. He's with my bastard husband. I heard they ordered quite a few escorts, but don't worry, your Alexander doesn't play that wild; it's usually just one-on-one." In the dark, I turned on the lamp: "And how many male models did you order?" Serena burst out laughing: "I used to invite you out, but you're an outlier. You hate this stuff and don't understand the fun of it. Abby, you need to broaden your horizons. It's better when husbands and wives play together. If one stays strictly faithful, it just leads to frustration." I remained silent. Her voice continued: "Abby, I know what you want. But you have to realize, when you reach a certain level, women swarm these men, and they're surrounded by flattery and sycophants. It's too hard to stay clean." "I haven't stayed clean," I said quietly. Serena let out a sound of surprise, sounding very interested: "You're keeping someone too? Who is it? Tell me." I was just about to speak when I heard the sound of the front door unlocking. I smiled and hung up the phone abruptly. 4 I stood at the landing of the stairs, looking toward the door. Elias, dressed in simple, clean clothes, familiarly turned on the light, took off his shoes, and walked inside. The young man had gentle features. Seeing me, he offered a shy smile and made a gesture with his hands. I met Elias on a rainy day, right after I found out Alexander was seeing someone else. I was sitting on the bench at a bus stop, the rain mixing with my tears, dripping down continuously. When you love someone, you use all your strength, leading to possessiveness. Suddenly hearing about his infidelity, no matter how good your temper usually is, jealousy spreads through your entire body. But I had seen too much of this. My friends, relatives, and parents had all set very bad examples for me. When they talked about these things, they didn't even take it to heart. For a long time, I felt like I was the freak. Even Serena, who understood me best, looked at my depressed state with sheer bewilderment: "Abby, the Vance family is valued at over thirty billion, and Alexander is the standout among them. With a status like that, it's unrealistic for him not to have a few women hovering around." Everyone told me to relax, that Alexander was just lacking in fidelity, and that it was a harmless flaw. But I suppressed my pain, not daring to show it, because I had seen how pathetic my mother looked. Vases shattered all over the floor; the torment made my usually gentle mother somewhat unhinged. Later, she frequently sought comfort outside too. At first, it was out of revenge, but later, it became an addiction. With a look of lust in her eyes, she told me that when you can't fight it, you just have to go with the flow. Elias, holding an umbrella, appeared in front of me. The young man was very tall, his knuckles smooth like jade. When he smiled, dimples appeared on his cheeks. I looked up and told him to get lost. But he seemed not to hear me. He just tried to hand the umbrella to me. I poured all my unvented anger into the most vicious words directed at this stranger, but Elias only looked at me with a calm face. His eyes were as vast and accepting as the ocean. After a long while, he looked down at his phone and typed a sentence: [I'm sorry, I sent my hearing aids in for repair today. I can't hear what you're saying.] He smiled, his eyes curving like crescent moons. The words got stuck in my throat, unable to go up or down. I felt ashamed. I had actually vented my anger on such a gentle boy. We met again in a university lecture hall. I was invited as a successful alumna to speak about the ups and downs of life. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, I saw him. As an outstanding student, he took a photo with me. Surprisingly, when I received that photo from my assistant, the boy's features were gentle, radiant like stars and the moon. I don't know what I was thinking, but I had my assistant send him a pair of high-end hearing aids. 5 While I was lost in thought, Elias, wearing a backpack, tapped on my car window. My assistant looked displeased, but I told her to shut up. The young man smiled and handed the expensive hearing aids back to me: "Hello, this belongs to you." He looked at me calmly, and in that moment, I suddenly realized he had already forgotten that I was the pathetic woman in the heavy rain that day. After that, I frequently appeared near Elias. At first, I didn't plan to do anything. It was probably just because people this pure rarely appeared around me. Maybe when money reaches a certain amount, life becomes truly boring, and you want to find some amusement. During that time, Alexander found his second "understanding companion"—a girl who dared to love and hate, bright and sunny. He was probably just enjoying the novelty of it and was so caught up in his pleasure that I rarely saw him. He even slipped up in front of me several times. I suppressed my anger, eating and watching TV in silence. Alexander would pat my hair: "But Abby, the path we've walked together is ultimately different." Of course, I understood the meaning of those words, and I knew he meant it sincerely. After all, my relationship with him was indeed different. I never doubted his sincerity toward me. We were from equally matched families, both proud. In a secluded grassy field, I had spontaneously kicked off my heels and danced under the moonlight. He good-naturedly held my shoes, his eyes filled with nothing but my image. At our grand wedding, he said he would love me forever, but he didn't say he would only love me forever. 6 Elias was reserved and strictly followed the rules. Before I even realized it, I suddenly noticed he had developed feelings for me. Because every time I spoke to him, the tips of his ears would turn bright red. Sometimes I couldn't help but laugh and asked if he wanted to listen to me play the piano. At that time, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. On the tree-lined campus path, students walked in twos and threes. I walked a long way with him. The hill behind the school was next to the train tracks, and cargo trains always passed by. That day, under the setting sun, the light flowed across his cheeks. Behind us was the deafening roar of the train. Elias touched my hand, seemingly afraid I would be startled by the noise. He reached out and covered my ears. His fingertips were warm. Right at that moment, the boy opened his lips and said a sentence. I asked him what he said, but he didn't make a sound. Later, sitting in the car as it drove toward the residential enclave, I rested my hand against my forehead and suddenly smiled. Actually, after knowing Elias for a while, I had learned sign language and lip-reading. If I wasn't mistaken, what Elias said then was, "I like you." The boy's love was earnest, but I felt despicable. He didn't even know I was already married. Someone like him, bright and clean as the moon, could never understand the unspoken games played within elite families. 7 For a long time, Elias knew I suffered from insomnia at night, so he would take a cab to my house to read me stories. I didn't cross any physical boundaries with him. Sometimes I even felt a bit self-destructive. I didn't erase Alexander's presence from the house, but interestingly enough, Alexander's footprint in this house wasn't that significant anyway. He was probably having too much fun outside, and later, while I maintained a calm facade, I had already distanced myself emotionally. Just like today, Elias read me a fairy tale as usual. I was raised by nannies when I was little. My parents' love was there, but it didn't feel deep. The classmates at my international school started competing with each other at age eight. My overly premature entry into adult life meant I wasn't really exposed to fairy tales. I blinked and asked Elias: "So, the huntsman wanted to kill Snow White, but in the end, he let her go. Would Snow White forgive the huntsman?" He was used to answering my questions every day, so he wasn't surprised. Without a moment's hesitation, he answered directly: "She would." "Why?" I asked him back. "If I were Snow White, I would never forgive. The person who wanted to kill me should burn in hell forever, never seeing the light of day." "But why shouldn't someone who realizes their mistake and turns back be forgiven?" he said from half a meter away. I don't know what I was thinking in that moment. Since birth, I had never really cared about anything involving money. People around me flattered me, sought my favor; I had my own circle. Some people behaved recklessly, wildly, and even played some very intense games. Although I didn't participate, I had seen so much of it that for a long time, I was used to it. I suddenly stood up, tilted my head, and kissed Elias on the cheek. His snow-white skin instantly turned beet red. His eyes shone with unshed tears as he blinked his large eyes: "Abby... Abby..." My chest filled with a warm sensation: "Elias, do you like me?" Even the boy's neck turned bright red. 8 I didn't expect Alexander to rush back. At that moment, I was wearing a loose sweater, reading a book under the lamp. He first scanned the room. Finding no one else, he relaxed and walked over to me. He casually took off his watch, his voice gentle: "Sorry, Abby. I didn't tell you the truth. I was actually with Henry today." Henry was Serena's husband. I didn't like him very much. Simply because Serena once had someone she was interested in, but it was an arranged marriage, and personal feelings were the least important factor. Henry had dealt with that man, and the man's outcome wasn't great; he fled abroad. When he left, he stubbornly asked Henry to treat Serena well, saying Serena was the best girl in the world and needed to be protected completely. That man never blamed Serena, nor did he blame Henry. When he left, he only took a book Serena had given him. Later, Serena didn't have a very good life. Henry was arrogant and rebellious. Marrying her, aside from business needs, was also about showing her who was boss. Henry's humiliation never made Serena cry. But I saw her in her vulnerable moments. On the day the man left, she hid in her room alone, looking up at the sky. The corners of her eyes were red. It seemed that character flaws weren't a big deal among the men in their circle. Even if Alexander knew I was cold toward Henry, he wouldn't say it to my face, but internally he felt Henry did nothing wrong. Many things, once they become commonplace, are taken for granted. I flipped through the fairy tale book and smiled faintly: "It's okay. It's just business." Alexander reached out to touch my forehead, but pulled back because he was cold and smelled of perfume. "I'll go take a shower first." The smile was still on my face as he turned around. But when I saw the half-peeled orange on the cabinet, a sudden chill hit me. A massive shadow loomed over me, and I looked up. Alexander's face looked normal; I couldn't tell if he was happy or angry. "Abby, I remember there were no oranges in the house when I left. Did you tell someone to go out and buy them?" Even though he knew I didn't like oranges, which was why they never appeared in the house, he still considerately gave me an excuse. I only needed to play along, and on the surface, we would probably go back to our old routine. "Alexander, when Serena called me, you heard it, didn't you?" I put down the book and looked straight at his face. "That's why you came back so suddenly." Serena probably thought my comment about "not staying clean" was just a joke, because she couldn't imagine someone as rigid as me keeping someone on the side. But Alexander knew I wasn't the type to make that kind of joke. So he left the party, braving the wind and rain to come back. Hearing my words, Alexander's eyes darkened, looking like spilled ink. 9 He casually tossed the orange onto the floor, his back exuding a chilling aura. I propped my head on my hand and pulled the blanket over me. Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed. It made both our faces look a bit pale. After a long time, Alexander turned back around. He had reined in all his emotions and silently opened his cigarette case, asking if I minded. He rarely touched these things because he had incredible self-control and despised such crutches. Outside, the rain poured down. I nodded. He lit a cigarette, put it in his mouth, took a deep drag that burned half the cigarette, and finally calmed the suffocating anger in his chest. He asked me when I started seeing someone else. I answered truthfully. Alexander frowned deeply. After a while, he took a deep breath: "Abby, I thought you wouldn't." Why was Alexander so certain I wouldn't play these high-society games? It was because I had once stumbled upon my mother cheating. The people in our families always seemed bound by interests; love was just icing on the cake, something dispensable. But my mother was different. She seemed to truly love my father. Many people teased her for being a hopeless romantic, and it was my mother who made me feel that love was sacred. But in the end, even my mother was blinded by this flashy world. She told me: "Fidelity is the least important thing, because we live in the center of a vortex." But my mother's courage back then remained etched in my heart. I thought someone always had to do what they believed was right. Alexander knew me too well. He knew I loved him. I was different from everyone else—nicely put, I was principled; bluntly put, I was stubborn. So, the fact that I had someone on the side caught him completely off guard. 10 But Alexander was still Alexander. He reached out and placed his hand over mine, feeling my pulse: "Abby, when are you going to let me meet this person? Let me vet him for you." I pretended not to hear the probe in his words—whether the person I was keeping was true love or just to stave off loneliness. If it was the latter, he might breathe a sigh of relief. He probably hoped I would say those words voluntarily. After all, I had said long ago that we were childhood sweethearts, comrades, the two people who understood each other best in this world. Alexander wasn't stupid. During those years when his family was unstable, I stayed completely devoted to him. My love for him was unquestionable, a pure sincerity unmatched by any of his later confidantes. I had long said that on the path Alexander and I walked in our youth, there would be no latecomers. What they saw was CEO Vance, the successful man. But once, he was just a young boy whose ears turned red over a declaration of love. "Alexander, you don't need to test me. Let's get a divorce." I finally managed to say these words smoothly. It took me a full five years to reach this day. Alexander will probably never know how pathetic and heartbroken I was when his first "understanding companion" appeared. The girl's smile was bright, Alexander was indulgent and doting, his brow relaxed in a way I had never seen. Novelty is always lethal. Probably out of despair, I fell severely ill, lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV. I listened to the nurses gossiping. They talked about how romantic Alexander was, buying 8,888 roses just to make a woman smile. They seemed to forget the existence of Mrs. Vance, as if in a tabloid scandal, the latecomer is always the pitiful one. Alexander was so caught up in his pleasure then, completely lacking his later calm indifference, that he failed to notice my abnormal state several times. I was proud by nature and absolutely refused to show weakness. But that night, my tears soaked the blanket. I felt a suffocating tightness in my chest that was agonizing and despairing. For a moment, I even thought I would die. So I called Alexander. It was a girl who answered, telling me Alexander was in the shower. She asked what Mrs. Vance needed. Probably because the illness was tormenting me, my attitude was very poor. I ordered her to give the phone to Alexander. The girl didn't listen; she just cried. Alexander coaxed her and asked who was on the phone. When she told him, Alexander took the phone in silence. At that moment, I actually still held a glimmer of hope. Love really tortures the heart. I could feel my heart being lifted high. But he only told me: "Abby, you can't be like Serena." Serena and Henry's situation was very ugly at the time, causing Henry a lot of grief. Serena couldn't touch Henry, so she went after the women around him. During that time, whoever messed with Henry was unlucky. Everyone in the circle knew about it, and Henry lost a lot of face. Instantly, I felt my heart being grabbed by someone, carelessly tossed from a high building, shattering into pieces. At night, the tears that flowed to my lips were bitter. Probably realizing his words were too harsh, he softened his voice and asked me: "Abby, are you afraid of the dark?" The girl beside him let out a soft laugh and whined coquettishly. I hid the phone under my pillow. I didn't say another word. For the first time, I truly realized that Alexander was a good childhood friend, a good strategist. But I made a fatal mistake. I thought our shallow affection could defy the family's face and unspoken rules. That night, I wasn't uncomfortable for long. The nurses soon noticed something was wrong with me, and after a frantic rescue, I barely kept my life. A few days later, Alexander messaged and called me, saying he drank too much that night and took out his frustration over Henry's complaints on me. At that time, I looked down at the IV in my hand, leaned against the soft pillow, and watched the leaves slowly falling outside the window. "Alexander, I am Abby Sterling, the eldest daughter of the Sterling family. I know deeply that the bond between us isn't just you and me. It's billion-dollar collaborations, it's a century of friendship." I replied submissively. Alexander didn't say a word. He took a deep breath: "Abby, you seem to have grown up." I didn't speak again.
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