Chapter 5
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
He asked me what I was going to do about Lucas.
He said my mom was not well.
He said I didn't talk to him about it.
He never thought about why I wanted to get a job.
He never considered how insignificant I felt in this family.
He gave me 2 thousand a month for living expenses.
I used it to buy groceries, pay for utilities, get things for Lucas, and sometimes pick up a few necessities for myself.
That 2 thousand was barely enough, sometimes not at all."
I didn't have any money of my own.
I don't have any source of income.
If he ever stopped giving me money, I might not even have anything to eat.
I was thirty-five years old, no job, no savings, nothing to fall back on.
If I hadn't come across that phone, I probably would've just kept living like this, kept being his unpaid housekeeper, kept having to beg him for cash every time; kept shrinking myself in this marriage, never daring to ask for more.
Things weren't the same anymore.
I was going to earn my own money.
I was going to support myself.
When the divorce finally happened, I wanted to stand tall and say, "I don't need you."
The first week on the job was really tiring.
After ten years away from work, I had to learn everything all over again: making reports, drafting proposals, meeting with clients, attending meetings, and giving presentations.
Every single thing felt brand new to me, like I was starting over from zero.
My coworkers were all so young, just twenty-five or twenty-six, super energetic and full of life.
They treated me with respect, like I was one of the senior staff.
One of the girls quietly asked me, "Vivian, why are you only starting to work now at thirty-five?"
I smiled and said, "I spent a few years at home raising my kid."
She looked at me with a bit of pity. She said, "That sounds pretty exhausting."
Yeah, it was.
But honestly, compared to the moment I found out Neo was cheating, all this exhaustion was nothing.
After work, I went to pick up Lucas.
My mom grabbed him from kindergarten and brought him home, then waited for me to swing by after work.
"Thanks for picking up Lucas for me, Mom," I said.
My mom glanced at me and asked, "What's going on with you lately? Why did you suddenly decide to start working?"
"It's nothing, just wanted to do something for myself," I replied.
My mom wasn't convinced. She asked, "Did you and Neo get into a fight?"
"No," I said.
"You're doing fine, so why bother looking for a job? Lucas is still so young," she said.
I didn't say anything.
My mom kept talking, "You worry too much. Neo may not be the most talkative guy, but you can count on him. Honestly, just stay at home and take it easy. It's way better than tiring yourself out at work."
Counting on Neo?
I smiled and didn't say anything.
When I got home, Neo still wasn't back.
I made dinner for Lucas, helped him with his homework, bathed him, and tucked him into bed.
By 9:30 PM, Lucas was sound asleep.
I sat in the living room, staring at my phone.
Neo was online on WhatsApp.
But he still hadn't come home.
It wasn't until 11:20 PM that the door opened.
Neo walked in, saw me still sitting in the living room, and paused for a second.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" he asked.
"I was waiting for you," I replied.
He changed into his slippers, walked over, and sat down.
"I had to work overtime today," he said.
I just murmured, "Mm."
He picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
"Did you eat?" I asked.
"Yeah, the office ordered takeout," he replied.
I didn't ask any more questions.
I knew takeout wasn't the real story.
He had dinner with Stella.
Maybe they went somewhere else after that.
I didn't want to know.
Did it even matter if I knew?
Right now, I needed to collect proof and protect myself.
"Neo," I called out.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"How many years have we been married?" I asked.
He turned to look at me and asked, "Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
"Just wondering," I said.
"It's been ten years, right?" he said.
"Yeah, ten years," I replied.
I met his gaze, looking right into his eyes.
"How do you think I've done these past ten years?" I asked.
He frowned and asked, "What's going on with you tonight?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to talk," I said.
He paused for a bit, then said, "You've really done well. You take care of everything at home."
"Do you think I've treated you well?" I asked.
"Yeah, you have. You've been great," he replied.
"And what about you? Have you been good to me?" I pressed.
He was starting to look impatient.
"What are you trying to say?" he asked.
I looked at him, and for a moment, I had this urge to tell him everything.
But I stopped myself.
Not now.
I smiled and said, "It's nothing, I'm just tired from work today, feeling a bit sentimental."
He let out a sigh of relief.
"Try to get some rest. Don't think too much," he said.
He got up and went to take a shower.
I sat on the couch, watching TV.
There was a family drama on, all about mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts.
Suddenly, I felt like laughing.
Honestly, my life was way more dramatic than any family drama.
My husband got two phones, two WhatsApp accounts, and two women he called his wife.
And I was the clueless idiot left in the dark.
No, I was not an idiot.
I just trusted him too much.
Trust. What a joke.
I wasn't spineless.
I was waiting for the right moment.
When the time came, I would make Neo understand what betrayal cost.