I came back from a week-long business trip to find a jade "Fertility Buddha" sitting in my husband's home office. He lied and said a client gifted it for "good fortune." I immediately pulled up his new intern’s Instagram. There it was—a post from three days ago, geo-tagged at a famous spiritual temple known for fertility blessings. The caption read: "Prayed for a son. Hoping Mr. J gets his heart's desire." I realized instantly: My husband, Julian, wasn't just cheating; he was trying to secure an heir via a surrogate. Before I could screenshot it, the post was deleted. Julian immediately texted me, claiming the intern was his "distant, slow-witted cousin" and told me not to overthink it. I stared at his lies, full of holes like Swiss cheese. I replied with a simple "Okay." Then, I forwarded the screenshots directly to our angel investor. "Mr. Sterling, would you be interested in hearing about how Julian is embezzling company funds to pay for his 'cousin's' surrogacy plan?" 1 "Oh?" Mr. Sterling’s reply came instantly. I put away my phone and walked into the study, staring at that jade statue. I’d been married to Julian for five years. We went from having nothing to listing our company on the stock exchange. He used to value his reputation above everything. Now, this statue was a monument to his greed, a god invited into our home to bless his betrayal. At 10 PM, Julian came home. He tossed his suit jacket onto the sofa. His collar was loose, and he reeked of alcohol and a perfume that definitely wasn't mine. "I'm back," he said flatly, heading straight for the wet bar. "Mmhmm," I responded, my eyes landing on his wrist. It was bare. The Patek Philippe I bought him was gone. I had bought that watch for his 30th birthday with the first big check we ever earned. He swore it was a witness to our struggle and that he’d wear it forever. "Where's your watch?" I asked. He paused mid-pour, keeping his back to me. "Sent it in for maintenance." "Which shop? I’ll pick it up tomorrow." Julian turned around, brows furrowed, impatience written all over his face. "Chloe, can you stop being so aggressive? I’ve been working all day. I’m exhausted." He always did this. Whenever his lies were on the verge of collapsing, he used fatigue and gaslighting to shut me up. I didn't argue. I just went to the bedroom. Once the door was closed, I sent Mr. Sterling a second message. "That watch on his wrist is worth seven figures. It’s currently on Mia’s wrist." "Also, I audited the company’s accounts for the last six months. There are several 'procurement' payments that lead to nowhere." This time, Sterling replied even faster. "Send me the address." The next day, I didn't go to my office. I went straight to Julian’s department. Mia’s cubicle was easy to find. It was in the prime spot, with a bouquet of fresh white roses on the desk. She looked exactly like her name—innocent and harmless. She was wearing a white dress, organizing files. And there, dangling loosely on her slender wrist, was a massive men’s luxury watch. Julian’s Patek Philippe. I walked over and tapped on her desk. She looked up, saw me, and immediately stood up. "Mrs. Zhou? I mean... Chloe? Why are you here?" Colleagues started to look over, curious. "Looking for Julian," I smiled, staring pointedly at her wrist. "That’s a unique watch." Mia instinctively tried to hide her hand behind her back, but it was too late. Her face flushed crimson. "Oh... this... it belongs to my cousin. He... he was afraid he’d lose it at home, so he asked me to safeguard it." "Cousin?" I feigned shock. "Since when does Julian have a sister? Why didn't I know?" She bit her lip, tears instantly welling up in her eyes. "Chloe, I... I’m Julian’s distant cousin. He probably didn't think it was worth mentioning such a small thing to you." "A small thing?" I stopped smiling. "When it comes to Julian, nothing is a small thing to me." Mia’s face went from red to pale. She looked like she was about to faint. Just then, Julian stormed out of his office. He rushed over, shielding Mia behind him, and glared at me. "Chloe! What kind of scene are you causing here?" He didn't ask what happened. He just convicted me on the spot. Watching him protect another woman like that felt like swallowing broken glass. "I'm causing a scene?" I laughed coldly, pointing at Mia. "Why don't you ask her to explain why your watch is on her wrist?" Julian’s expression turned ugly. He clearly didn't expect me to storm the office over a watch. He glanced at the gathering crowd and lowered his voice. "This is a place of business. Let's talk at home." "Home?" I repeated the word. "Which home? The one with me, or the one you bought for her?" 2 Julian was speechless. He grabbed my arm and practically dragged me into his office. The moment the door clicked shut, he exploded. "What is wrong with you?! Do you have to air our dirty laundry in public?" "I just want the truth," I said calmly. "The truth is she is my cousin! I let her wear the watch for a few days to show off to her friends! Is that a crime?" I looked at him and suddenly felt nothing but pity. When did our marriage become nothing but cheap lies? Just then, my phone rang. It was my mother-in-law. I put it on speaker. Her shrill voice filled the room. "Chloe! Are you harassing Julian at work again? Do you have no shame? A woman running around in public like that... people will think the Zhou family relies on you to eat!" She paused to take a breath. "And let me tell you, don't think you can hide it forever. If you can't get pregnant, stop hogging the position! The Zhou bloodline cannot end with you!" Julian’s face went white. He tried to snatch the phone, but I dodged him. "Mom, what do you mean by that?" I asked. "What do I mean? Julian told me everything! Five years and your stomach has been flat as a board. The doctor said you’re the problem! You can't carry a child!" Her voice got louder. "Now that his cousin is finally willing to help out as a surrogate, you have the nerve to cause trouble? Do you want the whole world to know you’re a hen that can’t lay eggs?" So that was it. He had scripted the whole thing. He pushed all the blame onto me. I hung up and looked at Julian. He looked away, terrified to meet my gaze. "Julian." I enunciated every word. "Is that what you told her?" He was silent for a long time before squeezing a sentence through his teeth. "I just... didn't want her to worry." "Didn't want her to worry? Or were you paving the way to bring your illegitimate child home?" He snapped his head up. "Chloe, since you know, I won't hide it." "I need a son. I need an heir for everything we've built." "And you can't give me one." Finally. The mask was off. "So, the baby in Mia's belly is yours?" I stared into his eyes, looking for a shred of guilt. I found none. Only entitlement. "We haven't... yet. But soon," he looked away. "Mia is a good girl. She’s willing to bear my child without asking for a title." "Without asking for a title?" I laughed out loud. "So the Patek Philippe, the luxury apartment she just leased, and the cash transfers you’ve been making... those just fell from the sky?" Julian’s expression shifted rapidly. "That’s just compensation!" "Compensation?" I stepped closer. "Are you compensating your mistress with company funds?" He was cornered. Shame turned into rage. "Enough! Chloe! This doesn't concern you! Just stay in your lane as Mrs. Zhou and I won't mistreat you!" "Mrs. Zhou?" I looked at him. "You know what? I really don't want that title anymore." I turned to leave. He grabbed me from behind. "Where are you going?" 3 "Somewhere without you." I shook off his hand and walked out of the office without looking back. Julian didn't come home that night. I sat alone in the empty living room, reviewing the files Mr. Sterling had sent me. One was a medical report. Mia’s. It clearly stated she was already six weeks pregnant. So even his "soon" was a lie. He had already done the deed. I flipped through the pages. The man who claimed he loved me, who said I was the only one, had created a new life with another woman weeks ago. The most disgusting part? The payment record for the prenatal checkup came from the corporate account. He was expensing his mistress's ultrasound to the company. Julian, you truly have no bottom line. My phone buzzed. A text from Julian. "My mom's heart is acting up. I'm staying at the hospital with her. Go to sleep." Another lie. I clicked on the live location tracker Mr. Sterling had provided. He and Mia were currently at the city's most expensive French restaurant, enjoying a candlelight dinner. In the attached photo, Mia was cradling her belly, and Julian was looking at her with pure adoration. Champagne, red wine, and 99 red roses on the table. How ironic. In five years of marriage, he never looked at me like that. Even on my birthdays, he used "busy work" as an excuse to buy a generic cake. But for a pregnant mistress, money was no object. I closed the app and called my mother-in-law. "Mom, Julian said your heart is acting up. Are you okay?" On the other end, the old woman scoffed. "I'm fine! At least he has a conscience and cares about me. Unlike some people who only know how to make me angry." I smiled. "That's good. Mom, since you're so healthy, you'll definitely live to see your grandson." "What grandson?" "Oh, right. I wanted to tell you." "Julian told me Mia is pregnant. Six weeks along. It's your biological grandson." "What did you say?" "I said, Mia is pregnant. Six weeks," I repeated calmly. "You'll be holding a baby soon." Heavy breathing came from the other end. After a long pause. "Really? You aren't lying?" "I have no reason to lie," I paused for effect. "However, Julian doesn't seem to want to bring her into the family. He said Mia doesn't want a title, she just wants to have the baby quietly." "That won't do!" The old lady exploded. "The Zhou bloodline cannot be illegitimate! No, I have to make him give Mia a proper status!" "But I'm his legal wife," I reminded her softly. Silence. I knew that in her heart, my feelings were nothing compared to a hypothetical grandson. "Chloe," her tone softened, dripping with fake sincerity. "Look, how about this? You divorce Julian for now. Let Mia have the baby. Then you two can remarry. The child will be registered under your name, you'll still be the lady of the house, and no one can threaten your position." She really thought she was a genius. Make me move aside, let the mistress birth the heir, then bring me back to raise it and pay the bills? Dream on. "Mom," I chuckled. "Do you really think that's possible?" I hung up. The next day, Julian called, furious. "Chloe! What nonsense did you feed my mother? She's forcing me to divorce you and marry Mia!" "I just told her the facts." "What facts? I never said I was going to marry her!" Julian sounded panicked. I listened to his impotent rage with total calm. "Julian, did you ever consider that maybe... this is exactly what Mia wants?" He froze. I didn't give him time to recover. I hung up. Then, I texted Mr. Sterling. "Let's begin." 4 The next morning, the company was in chaos. Mr. Sterling, as the majority shareholder, demanded a complete audit of the last year's financials and froze the funds for several projects. Julian, as the project lead, was immediately suspended pending investigation. He called me, his voice shaking with rage. "Chloe, you did this, didn't you?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "Don't play dumb! Why would Sterling suddenly audit us? You told him something!" I walked into the study, picked up the jade fertility statue, and weighed it in my hand. "Julian, when you embezzled public funds, you should have seen this coming." "I didn't embezzle anything! Those were necessary expenses for business development!" Still lying. "Is that so? Renting a luxury apartment for Mia, buying Patek Philippes, taking trips to spiritual temples... that's business development?" Dead silence on the other end. Finally, he gritted his teeth. "What do you want?" "Divorce." Two words. "Impossible!" He refused instantly. "Chloe, I admit I messed up, but we don't need to go nuclear. Give me time. I'll handle Mia." "Handle?" I laughed. "You mean wait until she births your 'dragon heir,' then kick me to the curb?" "No!" He denied it frantically. "I just... I just wanted a child. The Zhou family line hangs on a single thread..." "So you hired a womb and pinned the infertility on me?" I cut him off. "Julian, you disgust me." I hung up and blocked him. Moments later, his mother called. "Chloe, dear, Mom was wrong. I was confused yesterday, that's why I said those awful things." "Don't hold it against Julian. He was just confused for a moment." "You've been together so long, there's no hurdle we can't cross. You can't divorce him!" "If you leave him, what happens to the company? How will our family live?" I listened quietly. They weren't afraid of hurting me. They were afraid of losing the money I brought in. "Mom." I spoke. "When you were forcing me to divorce him yesterday, did you think about how we'd live?" "I... I didn't..." "You said, 'If a hen can't lay eggs, she shouldn't hog the nest.'" I repeated her words back to her. "Well, the nest is empty now. Go find your golden phoenix." I hung up and blocked her too. 5 Julian was suspended. At the emergency board meeting, Mr. Sterling sat at the head of the table, looking grim. Julian stood in the center like a criminal, sweating under the shareholders' glares. He tried to argue, blaming the accounting department for "negligence." "I admit my management was lax, but I never pocketed a dime!" He spoke with such passion, acting like the victim. I pushed the door open right as he hit his crescendo. Every eye in the room turned to me. Julian saw me, his pupils shrinking. "Chloe? What are you doing here?" "I'm a shareholder. Why wouldn't I be here?" I walked to my seat, sat down, and slapped a stack of documents onto the table. "Mr. Zhou just said he never pocketed a dime, correct?" He stiffened his neck. "Correct!" "Then please explain these transfers to Ms. Mia Lin's personal account." I projected the bank statements onto the big screen. Every amount, every date, clear as day. "And this apartment under her name. Rent is $5,000 a month, paid via the company petty cash fund." "And this Patek Philippe watch. Seven figures. Marked as 'Client Entertainment Expenses'." Faced with hard evidence, Julian's face drained of blood. He stared at me, eyes filled with hatred. "Chloe, you investigated me... just to ruin me?" "I'm not ruining you," I said calmly. "I'm exterminating a pest in the company." The room erupted. An older shareholder pointed a shaking finger at him. "Julian! We trusted you! You used company money to keep a mistress?! Do you have no conscience?" Julian had no defense. Suddenly, he turned on me. "It's you! You forced me to do this!" He screamed like a maniac. "You're domineering! You're bossy! You control everything! I have no dignity in my own home! That's why I made a mistake!" "You think you're a saint? If it wasn't for your dad back then..." Bang! Mr. Sterling slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Enough! Julian, this is a boardroom, not a street corner! Security!" "Get him out of here!" Two guards dragged Julian away as he kicked and screamed. "Chloe! You'll die screaming! Just you wait!" The heavy doors slammed shut, cutting off his curse. I sat in my chair, feeling cold all over. His last words stabbed precisely into the oldest wound in my heart.
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