Five years into our marriage, I asked Caleb for a divorce. "Just because it rained and I drove her home instead of picking you up?" "Yes!" "Don't joke about divorce." His face darkened. "What if I took you seriously? What would you do then?" We dated for eight years, married for five. After the wedding, I became a housewife. He was convinced I couldn't live without him. Little did he know, I had already passed the entrance exams for grad school at my alma mater. I was ready to leave. 1 "I'm not joking," I said, looking straight at him. Caleb put down his sandwich and sighed. "Chloe, I really don't have time for your drama today. Can you just behave?" He grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the chair and headed for the door. "Work is exhausting. Sometimes I wish you'd consider my feelings." I froze. I didn't consider his feelings? Because of his words years ago—"Don't go into archaeology, I can't rest easy with you running off to remote places"—I turned down my professor's offer for grad school. I stayed where he could see me every day. Because of that, my professor was so angry he stopped replying to my holiday greetings. And now, I get accused of not considering his feelings! Before he reached the door, the sound of the smart lock unlocking echoed. Accompanied by a crisp female voice, Lily walked in. "Mr. Xing, today's meeting is crucial. We're going to be late!" Caleb instantly looked panicked. "It's not what you think! Once I was drunk and Secretary Lin drove me home, so she knows the passcode." Lily walked in, apologizing to me with an embarrassed look. "Chloe, I'm sorry, I was just in a hurry..." "In a hurry enough to barge in without knocking? Do you know that's trespassing?" I cut off the woman standing before me—a woman who looked about 30% like me. Lily bit her lip in fear, looking at Caleb pitifully like a frightened bunny. He looked at me disapprovingly. "Chloe, don't bully the girl." "Girl? Caleb, you used to call me that too! You hire a secretary who looks like me, and now you're calling her 'girl'? I'm not dead yet, and you're already playing the replacement game?" Caleb looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Chloe Tang, you've gone too far! I'm busy with work, I'm not dealing with your nonsense!" He turned and left. Lily trotted after him like a little wife. 2 I was unhappy when Caleb first hired Lily. Her resume didn't meet the requirements at all. Caleb said at the time: "Chloe, I don't know why, but seeing her reminds me of you back then. I don't know how much you suffered before we met, so I wanted to give her a chance, for your sake." "If she doesn't perform well during probation, I'll let her go." Later, Lily made a mistake on a quote that cost the company a huge sum. Caleb hid it. He used his personal savings to cover the loss. When I questioned him, he brushed it off lightly: "That was my fault too, I signed it without checking carefully." Later, Lily passed her probation and became General Manager Xing's Secretary Lin. That afternoon, while I was packing my things, my phone rang. "Chloe, check Little Blue Book (Xiaohongshu) right now," my best friend Sarah said. I logged in while listening to Sarah rant: "I just saw a post from someone called 'Nth Day of Crushing on My Boss.' The blogger posted a photo, and it looks exactly like your Caleb!" I searched the ID Sarah gave me. A photo of a man drinking in profile popped up. It was Caleb! And the half-face next to him was undeniably Lily! The caption read: The post was viral, comments filled with people asking for updates, liking, and shipping them. Scrolling through her profile, it was all about her and "Boss." To an outsider, it looked sweetly romantic. "Chloe, who is this bitch? I'm gonna roast her!" Sarah was typing furiously. I said, "Forget it, it's not worth it." Sarah was confused. "Sarah, I'm tired. Let's talk tomorrow." Night fell deep. At 11 PM, Caleb finally came home. He placed a thermos on the dining table. "Chloe, I brought you some chicken soup. You look thin lately, drink some." My heart soured. I saw the watch on his wrist. A cheap brand, the one I gave him in college. His closet was full of expensive watches now, but he always wore this one. 3 "Chloe, it's only been two weeks, how did you lose so much weight?" Sarah asked in shock as soon as she saw me. I brushed it off and asked her: "How's your auction house doing?" At this, Sarah smiled with satisfaction. "Your advice last time really worked. The last few auctions I planned were huge successes. Chloe, thanks to you, my auction house is actually running!" Sarah was exaggerating. She was a trust fund baby, loaded. Opening an auction house was pocket change for her. But she lacked expertise. I had been interested in history since childhood and got into the best archaeology program in the country. Outside of school, I appraised artifacts for free on social media. I saved her from being scammed a few times, so she gave me a position as a technical consultant. And 10% of the shares. Now the auction house was doing well. If I divorced Caleb, these shares were my safety net. "Sarah, I plan to divorce." Sarah laughed. "Chloe, do you believe that yourself? Since you started dating in sophomore year, you've broken up every ten days or so, always initiated by you." "And the result? As soon as Caleb apologizes and coaxes you, you two are sweet as honey again. After all these years, do you think you can leave him?" I was silent, telling myself, this time is different. Sarah grabbed her purse. "I know, it's about that post, right? Come on, I'll go with you to clear things up." I hadn't been to his company in a while, so I didn't refuse. We arrived downstairs at Caleb's office. In the elevator, two female employees were chatting. "Hey, when do you think that little vixen Lily will bag Mr. Xing?" "I think she already has. Mr. Xing eats the 'love lunch' she brings every day. Would he do that if she hadn't?" "I can't stand it. A graduate from a diploma mill bossing us around just because the boss likes her? I hope Mrs. Xing finds out and beats that bitch!" "Unlikely. I heard his wife is a housewife. Even if she knew, she'd probably swallow it. Pathetic!" Ding! The elevator doors opened, and they walked out. Sarah couldn't hold back anymore. "Chloe, why didn't you tell me Caleb cheated?" I said objectively, "Maybe he hasn't, maybe it's just flirting." Sarah looked at me like I was hopeless. "You don't even care?" How could I not care? "Then guess why I want a divorce?" 4 Sarah stopped talking. When we reached the GM's floor, she dragged me angrily toward the office. Just as she pulled open Caleb's door. A figure holding lunch boxes darted out and crashed right into me. Lunch boxes clattered to the floor, splashing grease all over my clothes. It was Lily! "Watch where you're going! Don't you look before opening a door?" Sarah angrily took out tissues to wipe me down, but how do you wipe off grease stains? I stared blankly at the lunch boxes on the floor. One pink, one blue. Identical styles, just different colors. Like a couple's set. "Chloe? Why are you here? Are you hurt? Your clothes are dirty, I'll take you to buy a new one later." Caleb finished and looked at Lily. "You're a grown girl, why so flustered?" It was a scolding, but I heard the affection in it. Sarah noticed Lily's looks, her eyes darting between us. I looked up at Caleb. "What were you doing?" Caleb was visibly panicked. Lily spoke up: "Chloe, don't blame me for talking too much. Mr. Xing is so busy every day, and no one cares if he eats. I couldn't stand it, and to thank him for taking care of me, I brought him lunch. Don't be mad. Oh, and I'll wash your clothes for you!" I turned to look at her. Before I could speak, Sarah sneered: "You sure care a lot about someone else's husband." "And the oil is soaked in. Even if you wash it, it'll smell. If you want it, take it. You're buying a new one." Lily bit her lip and looked at Caleb. Caleb tried to mediate. "Chloe, Lily is young and doesn't know how to talk. But she can't afford your dress with a month's salary. She just graduated, don't make it hard for her. I'll buy you a new one, okay?" Sarah was fuming. "Caleb Xing, if you can't speak, shut up! You'll pay for her? What's your relationship? Are you her dad or her grandpa?" I turned to Lily. "What do you say?" She actually glared at me. "Chloe, Mr. Xing works so hard to earn money, and you just sit at home enjoying the fruits of his labor. Why bully people? You bought the dress with his money anyway, and he said it's fine." I raised an eyebrow. Caleb spoke up: "Lily! You've said too much. Chloe and I are one. My money is her money. There's no 'enjoying the fruits'!" Lily looked shocked, tears streaming down her face, and ran out. Caleb started to chase her, then realized it was inappropriate. He handed me a card ingratiatingly: "Alright wifey, don't be mad anymore. I really have nothing going on with her. I have to work. Let Sarah take you to buy a clean outfit." I didn't take it. I turned and walked away.
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