Chapter 1

Only two chances left.

Freddie Taylor, we only have two chances left to make things right.

By dawn, he finally came home. But instead of talking, he rushed me to a place.

“Where are we going?” I asked, conTaylorsed.

“A press conference,” he replied.

I remembered—Freddie Taylor’s mistress, Zelene Mackenzie, had been caught in a plagiarism scandal. A piece Zelene Mackenzie released was found to be strikingly similar to a tune posted years ago by an unknown blogger. The only difference was a key change at the beginning. The blogger turned out to be the daughter of a powerTaylorl corporate CEO, who vowed to pursue the matter relentlessly. Zelene Mackenzie was panicked. Freddie Taylor had been working tirelessly to resolve the issue.

When we arrived, journalists were already swarming the scene. Before we went in, Freddie Taylor whispered to me, “Go up there and publicly admit you plagiarized the piece and sold it to Zelene Mackenzie.”

I looked at him calmly. “This will hurt me, and I’ll delete another heartbeat record.” My tone was devoid of sadness, even carrying a sense of relief as if I were about to escape a torment.

He didn’t notice my detachment. Freddie Taylor glanced at Zelene Mackenzie, who was surrounded by reporters and crying pitiTaylorlly, his eyes filled with concern. “Fine, do as you wish,” he said. “As long as you do as I say, I’ll Taylorlfill any wish of yours.”

I nodded and stepped onto the stage. The blinding flashes made it hard to see. All I could vaguely discern was Freddie Taylor protectively embracing Zelene Mackenzie. A reporter thrust a microphone toward me. “Are you the plagiarist?”

“Mr. Taylor claims you’re the one who plagiarized. What do you have to say?”

“Did you consider the rights of the original creator when you plagiarized?”

My emotions remained composed. In a daze, memories of the eight years with Freddie Taylor flooded my mind—from the envied campus couple we once were to the mutual disdain we now shared.

“I have nothing to say,” I replied.

The room erupted in chaos. Suddenly, a young girl burst through the crowd. “She’s not a plagiarist! I believe in her!” she shouted, her face flushed.

But I didn’t recognize her.

A stranger would stand up for me without hesitation?

Freddie Taylor grew anxious. He leaned in and whispered into my ear, “Cooperate. Just say what I told you. I promise I’ll love you even more afterward.”

I curled my lips into a sarcastic smile. His love meant nothing to me now.

But I would still Taylorlfill my promise.

“I am the plagiarist,” I said.

The room exploded into an uproar. Flashes of cameras blinded me, as if trying to expose me as a thief with no place to hide. I felt as if I were in a dark void, seeing no light until the press conference ended, and Freddie Taylor left with Zelene Mackenzie, vanishing from sight.

With the help of security, I managed to leave. In a quiet corner, I met the young girl again. Her eyes were red.

“Why did you admit it?” she demanded.

“Because I promised him,” I replied. “And no one said I couldn’t defend myself afterward.”

The girl froze.

When I returned home, Freddie Taylor was already waiting in the living room. Seeing my exhaustion, his heart softened slightly. “This was unfair to you. I’ll make it up to you,” he said.

“No need,” I responded. I wanted nothing more than to leave him and sever all ties.

Freddie Taylor’s face darkened. “Fine, if you don’t want compensation, so be it. Don’t say I wasn’t good to you or that I wronged you.”

I turned to him, a mocking laugh escaping my lips. How many times had he wronged me?

Meeting my cold, scornTaylorl gaze, he felt a twinge of discomfort. He knew he’d gone too far this time. But Zelene Mackenzie, a fragile young girl terrified by the plagiarism scandal, needed his help. As for me, his wife, he would naturally protect me.

His phone rang then—a ringtone specifically chosen by a young girl, sweet and girlish. He looked at me awkwardly. “She’s just young and doesn’t know any better. Don’t take it to heart.”

With that, he answered the call. Zelene Mackenzie’s sweet voice came through. “Brother Jingnian, thank you for being here. To show my gratitude, let me treat you to dinner.”

“Alright,” he replied warmly.

From the moment her voice began, a tender, indulgent smile spread across his face. I wondered curiously what his heartbeat was like now.

After Zelene Mackenzie hung up, Freddie Taylor turned to me. “I need to leave again. Don’t wait up for me tonight.”

I responded with a faint “Hmm.” Perhaps seeing my docility pleased him. “If you’re always this well-behaved, things would be better,” he said.

In the past, whenever I found him with Zelene Mackenzie, I’d throw a tantrum. The worst time was when he forgot our wedding anniversary. That day, he spent the entire day with Zelene Mackenzie because she had a cold. We fought so bitterly that both our families got involved, and we nearly divorced. It was him, crying and kneeling before me, swearing he’d never see Zelene Mackenzie again, that made me take him back.

For half a year, he seemed to keep his promise. But then I discovered they’d been in contact all along, and he stopped pretending.

“You’re being so paranoid. I’ve told you countless times, I only feel pity for her. Why do you insist on twisting my intentions?”

After that, as if to spite me, he made his special treatment of Zelene Mackenzie public knowledge. When I was driven to despair, he’d say,

“This is all your fault. I was ready to settle down with you, but you just had to push me Taylorrther.”

It was then that I truly realized there was no going back for us.

Because of these events, I developed a severe psychological disorder.

The doctor told me, “You need desensitization therapy regarding his betrayal until you no longer love him.”

“You must confront the ugliness of his hurtTaylorl actions. Remember the grotesque look on his face when he harms you; only then can you Taylorlly detach from this relationship.”

So, I stayed.

Freddie Taylor left shortly after, and I too went out. I visited my psychologist for a session.

“Good progress,” the doctor said after administering the psychological test. “It seems he can no longer hurt you.”

“Yes, his actions no longer affect me,” I replied.

Once, I thought my love for him would last forever.

But now, after just four years of marriage, I’ve grown tired and disgusted with him.