Chapter 3

David quickly stepped in to smooth things over. He patted Emily's arm and said with a smile, "The wind's strong outside. Come in and sit for a bit before you go."

Seeing that little bit of contact between them made my whole body go numb.

Lily chimed in too, tugging lightly at Emily's sleeve. "Emily, come sit inside. I'll show you the new clothes I bought today."

Emily put on a fake show of refusing, but the smug delight in her eyes was impossible to hide.

I stood to the side and looked her over coldly.

Her face was flushed in a way that didn't look natural, and there was a soft, almost limp sweetness to her movements. Faint red marks dotted her neck. It didn't take much to guess what she'd just been up to.

The sight of her only made me feel sick.

I put on a polite smile. "Since you're already in, let me get you a glass of water."

When I came back with the glass, my steps paused for a second, and I "accidentally" stumbled in Emily's direction.

The warm water splashed out at once, and most of it landed on the hem of her dress, spreading into a large wet stain.

David immediately moved to shield her, then snapped at me without the slightest courtesy. "Can you be more careful? You're always so careless!"

"Oh no, I'm so sorry. My hand slipped," I said, pretending to panic, but my eyes stayed locked on her.

Emily yelped and instinctively pressed her legs together. Her face instantly filled with panic.

The water spread downward along her skirt and clung to her legs, outlining more than it should have.

I saw it clearly: under that silk dress, she wasn't wearing any underwear. The damp stain made it impossible to hide, and her face turned scarlet.

David handed her tissues, his eyes full of concern, though he didn't dare be too obvious about it.

Emily looked at me with naked malice in her eyes.

Lily stared at the scene in confusion, still not understanding what had happened, and just cried out, "Emily, are you okay?"

I stood where I was, looking at the ugly scene in front of me as the cold in my heart spread bit by bit.

And Emily could no longer keep up her polished act. She lowered her head, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

She didn't stay long before making an excuse and hurrying off.

David walked her to the door. The two of them exchanged a few quiet words, both clearly flustered.

I sat in the living room, clenching my hands until my knuckles turned white. But I knew this wasn't the time to blow everything up. Without enough evidence, I would only put myself at a disadvantage.

When David came back, I forced down every emotion and casually brought up plans for summer break as if nothing had happened.

"Summer vacation starts tomorrow. Take Lily back today and let her stay in the countryside for a while." I said.

David thought for a moment, then said, "Ms. Warren is heading home too. It's on the way, so I'll take her with us."

I shook my head at once and added, "No. I want you to take our daughter by yourself. Right now. Personally. Alone."

He noticed something was off with my expression, so he quickly agreed. He even touched my cheek and said, "Whatever you say. I won't go pick up Ms. Warren."

After they left, I immediately started searching the house for proof of David's affair.

I checked every corner of the room carefully.

There were damp marks on the bedsheets. The bed had clearly been hurriedly smoothed out, but a faint smell still lingered.

There were a few used condom wrappers in the trash by the nightstand, curled hairs scattered in the bathtub, and one of the couch cushions had fallen to the floor...

Everywhere I looked, there were ugly traces left behind.

The part I couldn't accept most was discovering that David had taken my photo out of his wallet. Which meant the photo in there now had to be... The thought made my chest ache.

In the end, my eyes landed on the corner of the bathroom, in the gap beside the toilet.

There was a pale pair of lace panties on the floor there, tiny and delicate. It was obviously not mine.