The moment I realized Caitlin existed, I couldn't ignore the betrayal. I demanded a divorce immediately. Joshua locked himself in his study, smoking for half a day. When he finally emerged, his voice was raspy as he tried to persuade me. "Caitlin doesn't believe in marriage," he said. "She will never interfere with our life." How utterly shameless. I slapped him across the face. He pressed his tongue against his burning cheek, a flicker of anger flashing in his eyes. "It’s just a casual thing, Gwen. A little fun. What's the big deal? Can you stop overreacting?" With that, he slammed the door and walked out. That very night, I accidentally connected with myself from ten years in the future. On the screen, she looked exhausted, her eyes sunken. "Gwen," she said, her voice hollow. "I already tried the path of divorcing him the second he cheated. It didn't end well." "Let me give you a piece of advice. If you're too rigid, you'll break. Love isn't everything. Don't love a man. Learn to use him." "You can get a divorce, but absolutely not right now." 1 The woman staring back at me from the screen possessed my exact features, yet she was so terribly withered she looked like a stranger. Staring at her, my throat tightened. I had always been stubborn and proud. The day I confronted Joshua, only one thought filled my mind: marriage is meant to improve your life, and so is divorce. There was nothing to hesitate about. Cut the losses and move on. I was never one to drag things out. Yet, the face on the screen had "I am miserable" etched into every single wrinkle. Taking a deep breath to push down my rising panic, I asked the question that mattered most to me right now. "What about Lily? Did she get into Berklee?" A flash of pain crossed her face, and she slowly shook her head. "She didn't keep playing the violin." I froze. My daughter Lily was only seven, but her talent was already undeniable. Her tutor had told me she was a rare prodigy. Every day after school, the first thing she did was practice. I had to call her for dinner three or four times before she would finally put the bow down. Her dream was to become a concert violinist, to perform at Carnegie Hall just for me. There was no way she would just quit. Looking at my stunned expression, my future self offered no comfort. She simply asked, "How much are her private lessons right now?" "A hundred and fifty dollars an hour." She let out a bitter, joyless laugh. "Look at that. That's over ten thousand a year just for basic lessons. Add in masterclasses and prep school auditions, and it's a fortune. Meanwhile, my salary as a research assistant, even ten years from now, barely clears forty-five thousand after taxes." 2 She shook her head with a wry smile, deepening the lines around her mouth. "When we divorced, Caitlin was terrified we'd stay in touch. She forced Joshua to pay a lump sum for child support and cut us off." "Whenever Joshua came to visit Lily, Caitlin would tag along, screaming insults outside our building. I didn't want Lily to hear that, so I stopped letting him come." She paused. "Later on, they had a son. By the fourth year of our divorce, Lily hadn't seen her father at all." I didn't say a word, my chest feeling as though a heavy stone had settled on it. "Because I insisted on the divorce, Joshua was furious. He dragged out the asset division to punish me. Desperate to escape, I walked away with nothing but this house. I refused to let Lily give up the violin, so I carried that financial burden alone until she turned fourteen." "And then?" My throat was incredibly dry. "Then I had to sell the house. The housing market had crashed, and I lost over two hundred thousand dollars on it." My heart gripped. "Was the money... for Lily's tuition?" Her eyes welled with tears. "Dad was diagnosed with cancer." I went numb, my mind going completely blank. My father was healthy right now. He still went for long walks in the park every morning. "It happened three years ago," she said, wiping her eyes. "He saw me struggling as a single mother, working myself to the bone. He hid his symptoms because he didn't want to burden me. By the time we found out, it had already metastasized." It felt as if a hand was squeezing my windpipe. It took everything I had to whisper, "And Dad... is he...?" "He passed away over a year ago." My breath hitched. "The night Lily found out her grandfather was sick," she continued, "she packed her violin away. She told me she was done playing, that we needed to save the money for his treatment. No matter how much I begged, she refused. She never touched the violin again." So, in the eight years following my hasty divorce, my daughter's dream was shattered, and my father was gone. The pain in my chest was so sharp I could barely breathe. 3 Before I could speak, the screen flickered violently and the connection cut out. A few seconds later, an unknown number video-called me. The moment the screen lit up, Caitlin's face filled the frame. She was leaning back in Joshua's arms, her makeup flawless, her eyes curved in a lazy, arrogant smile. Joshua had his arm wrapped around her waist, his chin resting against her shoulder. He looked more relaxed than I had seen him in years. "Your little wife is the textbook definition of a boring academic," Caitlin teased, her tone dripping with mock pity. "Prude, stiff, and utterly brainless. Is she really trying to divorce you?" Joshua gave a low grunt of agreement. Caitlin laughed. "What are we going to do? You know I have absolutely no intention of ever marrying you. I'm strictly child-free. I can't stand the shackles of a domestic life. I'm only here for the romance, not the dirty dishes and laundry." She tapped her fingers playfully against the back of Joshua's hand. "Poor baby. You're going to lose your wife and kid all because of me." Before she could finish, Joshua leaned down and kissed her. The video froze right there. I stared at the screen as nausea washed over me, a bitter taste rising in my throat. After the screen went dark, I sat in the shadows for a long time. Once I gathered my thoughts, the very first thing I did was make a few phone calls to dig into Caitlin's background. The details arrived quickly. She was three years older than me and worked as a senior sales manager for one of Joshua's company's main pharmaceutical suppliers. She had been in the industry for a decade, consistently landing the top sales spot. She was known for being fierce and relentless. Her favorite catchphrase was, "I've got the money and the looks. Why would I ruin my life with a marriage?" People in her field called her the thorned wild rose. Many of the younger girls at her company idolized her, praising her for living life on her own terms and refusing to be tied down by societal expectations. I was certain she had sent me that video on purpose. Even if she had no intention of marrying Joshua, she still wanted the satisfaction of asserting her dominance over his legal wife. 4 When I connected with my future self again, I bypassed the pleasantries. "You said they had a son? I thought Caitlin didn't believe in marriage." The woman on the screen let out a mocking laugh. "The year I divorced Joshua, Caitlin was thirty-three. That anti-marriage stance of hers lasted exactly two more years." "Once she turned thirty-five, age anxiety kicked in. She had her fun when she was young, but eventually, she craved stability. She dragged Joshua to the courthouse, and she gave birth to their son the following year." I opened my mouth, but no words came. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from her side of the screen. A tall, slender teenager peeked into the room. Her hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and her face held traces of Lily as a child, but her eyes were far too quiet for a seventeen-year-old. "Mom," she said softly. "I warmed up some milk for you." "Just leave it on the desk, sweetie," my future self replied, her voice softening instantly. "By the way, why didn't you tell me about the school summer camp?" Lily looked down. "I don't want to go, Mom. I'd rather stay home and keep you company." With that, she quietly backed out of the room and shut the door behind her. Staring at the closed door, a sudden wave of grief hit me, and tears began to pour down my face. On the screen, my future self tapped her phone, and several screenshots appeared on my screen. "See for yourself," she said. In the photos, Joshua and Caitlin were holding a little boy's hands, standing beneath the northern lights in Norway. The boy was bundled up in a thick winter coat, sitting on Joshua's shoulders and laughing happily. The caption read: Successfully chased whales with my little prince. The Arctic Circle is even more romantic than I imagined. In the next few photos, they were overlooking glaciers from a helicopter, clinking champagne glasses on the deck of a luxury cruise, and Caitlin was posing with designer sunglasses. "Joshua eventually started his own medical supply company. He caught the market boom and made millions," she said, her words slicing through me like ice. "And what about you? You couldn't even save your own father, and your daughter couldn't even bring herself to go to a summer camp because of the cost." She stared at me, her eyes burning. "You sowed the seeds in tears, Gwen. Why should another woman reap the harvest in joy?" She wasn't exaggerating. My mother-in-law had passed away from cancer years ago. From her diagnosis to her death, it took over three years. That was during the peak of Joshua's early career, which meant the caregiving fell entirely on me. I was burning the candle at both ends, working in the lab by day and staying at the hospital by night. The night his mother passed away, I was five months pregnant, managing the funeral arrangements completely alone. By the time Joshua arrived, he had missed her final moments entirely. "Gwen, please listen to me," her voice cracked with a decade of unshed tears. "Love doesn't matter. Don't love a man. Learn to use him." "This is the lesson I paid for with my life." Tears streamed down my cheeks as I nodded in agreement. Looking at me, a flicker of relief appeared in her eyes, seeing that I had finally taken her words to heart. Then, her image began to blur, dissolving like ink in water, fading until the screen went completely black. The contact number disappeared, as if it had never existed at all. [The path of soft-hearted submission has led to ruin. To see Gwen turn her future self's painful lessons into a cold, calculated strategy for survival and reclaim everything she is owed, please purchase the next section to continue reading.] 5 But I knew, from this moment on, my heart had completely changed. I would divorce him, but absolutely not now. Seven-year-old Lily ran up to me, tilting her head. "Mom, why are you crying?" I knelt down and pulled her into a tight hug, inhaling her sweet, familiar scent. I forced a smile. "It's nothing, sweetie. Why don't we go visit Grandpa?" The very first thing I did was take my father to the hospital for a chest CT scan. When the results came back, sure enough, there was an eight-millimeter nodule in his upper left lung. The doctor pointed at the screen. "The margins are slightly spidery, which isn't a great sign. However, it's still small enough to monitor. We could do a follow-up in six months." Without a second of hesitation, I decided to have it surgically removed immediately. I called Joshua. Joshua had started out as a medical sales representative and had risen to regional director. He had an extensive network of medical contacts. Even though we were in the middle of a cold war, he was still trying to keep his perfect family at home while having a little fun on the side. If that was his game, why shouldn't I use him? When he answered, I kept my explanation of my father's condition brief and direct. Joshua didn't hesitate. He immediately contacted the city's top thoracic surgeon, securing a private room and a surgery date within the day. The surgery was a complete success. That night, Joshua even volunteered to stay by my father's bedside to watch over him. When my father woke from the anesthesia and saw Joshua sitting there, his eyes grew misty. He took Joshua's hand, then took mine, placing them together. His voice was weak but solemn. "Joshua is a good man, Gwen. You two need to live a good life together. Don't let your stubborn pride get in the way." I forced a smile and nodded. "I will, Dad." But the moment I turned around to pour some warm water, the smile vanished from my face. Predictably, Joshua's sudden devotion rubbed Caitlin the wrong way. After his night at the hospital, he claimed he had to travel for business and disappeared for several days. A week later, I picked Lily up from her violin lesson and stopped by a bakery. Just as I pushed the door open, I saw Joshua and Caitlin standing side by side at the counter. He was whispering something to her, a smile playing on his lips. Lily spotted him immediately. Like a little bird returning to its nest, she let go of my hand and ran toward him. "Daddy! You're back from your business trip!" Joshua quickly bent down to scoop her up, taking a subtle half-step away from Caitlin. Caitlin's lips tightened into a hard, irritated line. Lily wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes full of hope. "Can you read me a bedtime story tonight, Daddy? Please?" Just as Joshua was about to say yes, Caitlin cut in. Her voice was sweet, but there was an icy edge to it. "Director, don't we have urgent matters to handle tonight? Have you forgotten?" She turned her head, her gaze locking onto mine. Her lips curved into a smug, sharp smile. Joshua stood frozen, holding our daughter, caught in the middle. I spoke first, my voice entirely flat. "Your work is more important. Lily, come here." Lily pouted but obediently slid down from his arms and walked back to my side. Both Joshua and Caitlin looked surprised. Joshua looked guilty and bewildered, while Caitlin's brief shock was quickly replaced by smug satisfaction. As they brushed past us, Caitlin deliberately bumped her shoulder against mine, her eyes filled with undisguised contempt. I gripped Lily's hand tightly and didn't look back. 6 Joshua came home early the next morning. His shirt collar was slightly open, revealing a fresh, dark red mark on his collarbone. Noticing my gaze, he uncomfortably adjusted his shirt to hide it, clearing his throat. "We need to talk," he said. He sat on the sofa, keeping his voice as gentle as possible. "What are you thinking right now?" I leaned against the dining table, refusing to sit, looking down at him. "I should be asking you that. Saying those things in front of our daughter, do you even deserve to be called a father?" His face flushed red. "I already put her in her place last night," he stammered in defense. "I promise it won't happen again." He stood up and tried to take my hand, but I stepped aside. His hand froze in midair before he awkwardly pulled it back. Sensing my coldness, he tried a different approach. "Gwen, Caitlin isn't like you. She doesn't want marriage or kids. She just wants a fun, carefree life. It won't last between us. You know that in the end, it's you and me. We're the ones who will grow old together." Seeing that I didn't argue, he took it as a sign of progress and pressed on. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you get five thousand dollars every month for household expenses. I'll never let you or Lily go without." Five thousand dollars. He said it so casually. Like a generous lord throwing scraps, using this money to buy my silence, to maintain the illusion of a perfect home while he did whatever he wanted outside. In the past, I would have found this utterly unacceptable. When did I, Gwen, ever trade my dignity for cash? But now, I simply kept my eyes lowered and remained silent. Taking my silence as consent, Joshua let out a long sigh of relief and patted my shoulder. "That's my girl. I knew you'd understand." I quietly clenched my fists, then slowly let them go. He sat back down and shifted the conversation to business. He and Caitlin had decided to resign from their jobs and start a medical device company together. He had the product channels and industry connections; Caitlin was a stellar sales manager with a decade of client relationships. With their powers combined, he boasted, the company was guaranteed to be a goldmine. Instead of reacting, I feigned hesitation. "I only know how to deal with lab data. I don't understand your industry. But I do know that starting a business is risky, and I need to make sure my daughter is secure no matter what." His expression tightened slightly. I continued, "So, I want all of our current family assets transferred under Lily's name. She's young, and knowing she has that security is the only way I can sleep at night." Joshua barely hesitated before agreeing. He was calculating his own math. We had just bought our second property, so we didn't have much liquid cash. Since I wasn't demanding a divorce, and Lily was his biological daughter, putting the assets in her name meant they still belonged to a member of the family. He had absolutely no reason to refuse.
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