Chapter 2

Clyde and I got together because we genuinely liked each other. We were both economics majors and met in class.

Back in my freshman year, I got burned by a total scumbag and pretty much gave up on love. That was when I realized what men were really like.

Therefore, when Clyde started chasing after me, I learned his family was loaded, and I agreed to date him.

I thought that between love and money, I had to choose one, so if he ever cheated, at least I wouldn't end up with nothing.

After we got married, Clyde treated me really well. He gave me 70 thousand dollars every month, and I didn't even have to work.

Just like any normal couple, he'd come home from work, and we'd have dinner together. He always said there's just something comforting about eating at home.

I was really lucky to have Clyde. He was smart, knew how to make money, and he wasn't like those other spoiled rich kids; he actually cared about family.

Joanna was my bridesmaid at our wedding.

Back then, she joked, "Your husband's got some serious stamina. Are you sure you can keep up with him in bed?"

I laughed and teased her, "You married your first boyfriend. How can you tell it from a man's face?"

It turned out that she'd been interested in Clyde even back then.

Her husband, Nick Clark, was a government official, not at the top, but wielding considerable power.

Ever since Joanna married Nick, her brother's business had been thriving, and he owed it all to Nick pulling strings for him.

I wiped away my tears, and just like always, I made dinner and waited for Clyde to get home.

With a smile on my lips but tears in my heart, I watched him and Megan playing together on the couch.

Seeing Megan with her dad was the best part of my day. Her eyes lit up with pure joy, sparkling like stars.

Now I was even more determined to make sure Megan's childhood stayed happy and carefree.

I hired a private detective to follow Clyde and Joanna, tracking everything they did. His name was Jonah.

Joanna was always restless. There was no way she'd settle for just Clyde.

After a few days of digging, Jonah told me that other than seeing Joanna, Clyde was clean.

However, Joanna was in frequent contact with Isaac, a married man.

The guy had handsome features and a strong build, while his wife was a boxing coach who looked really muscular.

Well, things were getting interesting.

I told Jonah to tail Joanna and try to get the whole cheating act on camera, conversation and all.

Jonah hesitated.

I slid a bank card loaded with 30 thousand dollars across the table. "If you get this done, your reward will be triple what it is now."

Jonah's eyes sparkled. "Don't worry. I'll get you everything you want."

Maybe it really was a tough nut to crack. It wasn't until a week later that Jonah finally reached out to me.

I had no clue what methods he used, but the outcome was just what I was hoping for.

I could hear their moans in the video. And Isaac was badmouthing his wife, making her sound worthless, all just to please Joanna.

I set up a new number and started calling Nick at exactly 1 a.m. every night. Whenever he picked up, I'd just let the silence hang.

He spent four nights screaming on the phone before finally blocking the number.

I grabbed another number and hit him up on WhatsApp.

The message was short but savage. [Your wife said you couldn't even last for a minute.]

Perhaps Nick figured I was some psycho, and he just ignored me.

Out of options, I sent him the surveillance footage from inside the car. I'd already blurred out Clyde's face and distorted his voice.

The camera was mounted on the window, so the footage looked like it was filmed from outside the car.

Nick was a government official, and he was obsessed with keeping his life scandal-free.

I had no idea if he'd confronted Joanna, but he started blowing up my phone like crazy.

I didn't pick up. I just blocked him right away.

Soon, I got a text from him. [Who are you? What do you want from me? If you keep this up, I'm calling the police.]

Call the cops? An official like him wouldn't risk that.

Besides, I was just telling the truth. Everything was clear in the video.

Sure enough, the vibration alert on Clyde's car hadn't gone off in days.

It seemed that my trick worked.

With things settling down, I decided to call off the rest of my schemes. There was no point in hurting more people than I had to.

One night, Clyde came home drunk and crashed straight into bed.

For some reason, I ended up sneaking a look at Clyde and Joanna's chat history. It was mostly Joanna complaining.

Joanna: [I don't know why, but my husband suddenly kept a close eye on me. He barely let me leave the house. Clyde, I miss you so much. What should I do?]

Clyde's replies were always the same soft words. [Relax, baby. We've got time. I miss you, too.]

What? They still couldn't sever ties, could they?