Chapter 1
At the scene of the car accident, I saw that the person involved was my husband.
And the one tangled up with him was my best friend.
The police officers all sighed. "Young couples these days really have unlimited energy. They don't even watch the road," one of them said.
I, his real wife, felt extremely disappointed.
I double-checked and confirmed it was definitely my husband of ten years.
At the hospital, the doctor handed me a surgical consent form.
Looking at the form, I remembered how two days ago this man promised to make it up to me by finally giving me a real wedding and how affectionate he was back then.
But now, he was with my best friend.
My finger hovered over the signature line, and suddenly, I didn't know whether I should save him or not.
*****
"Make way!" someone yelled.
"There's been a car accident," another said.
The crowd erupted into chaos. I was just on my way to drop off lunch for my husband Charles Turner at his office.
But out of nowhere, a car accident stopped me in my tracks.
With just a quick glance, I found that the two people tangled up on the ground looked like Charles and my best friend, Vivian Stark.
My heart froze, and I clenched the lunchbox even tighter, stepping closer and staring at their hands. Their fingers were tightly intertwined.
It all felt unreal, like I'd just been punched in the gut.
"Charles?" I stammered.
I desperately hoped this was just a bad dream.
But a cop opened up Charles's phone.
He found his emergency contact and called it. Instantly, my own phone started ringing.
I could hear the officer's voice both through the phone and right next to me.
He said, "Excuse me. Are you Charles's wife? Your husband's been in a car accident. It's pretty urgent, so, um..."
Eyes rimmed red, I stepped forward, choking back the humiliation and fury of seeing my best friend and my husband together.
I answer simply, "Yeah, that's me."
I ended up trailing after them all the way to the hospital.
Once we got there, the doctor pressed the surgery consent form into my hands, asking me to sign for Charles.
But instead of signing, I sat on a bench outside the hospital and stared at Charles's phone.
He'd been deceiving me for so long.
I'd always trusted him, never once looking through any of his private things.
But now, I couldn't help but wonder—was it my trust that made him so reckless, so shameless? My fingers trembled as they hovered over the screen.
Everywhere I looked, all I saw were his conversations with Vivian.
[Vivian, my little wildcat, I can't wait to see you in that sexy dress tonight.]
[I still haven't had enough of your sweetness. Come on, let me have another taste, will you?]
[Tommy kept asking where Daddy was today. But honestly, it's not just him. I miss you too.]
Suddenly, I couldn't breathe.
Because these disgusting messages laid bare the truth.
Turns out, everything Vivian told me about getting drunk and accidentally having Tommy was a total lie.
Tommy wasn't some kid growing up without a dad. His father was actually my own husband.
It was Charles, the guy I thought was faithful, the one I believed loved me more than anything.
It felt like I'd just been struck by lightning. I could barely hold onto the phone.
After ten years of loving and being married to Charles, all of it just vanished, like it was a sick joke.
I kept taking deep breaths, but all I could think about was how, just two days ago, Charles had pulled me close and started saying all those sweet things.
He said, "Back then, we were broke. We just got the marriage license but didn't even have a real wedding.
"You know, love always makes me feel like I owe you, Stella. I keep thinking I've let you down. How about I finally give you that wedding this weekend?"
Back then, I was so touched that I actually cried, thinking I'd really picked the right guy.
But now, all I felt was sick to my stomach.
Sadness overwhelmed me, and tears slipped down my cheeks, until the doctor's voice jolted me back to the harsh reality.
"Ms. Larson, will you sign the consent form for the surgery or not?" the doctor asked.