C08
I straightened my clothes and said calmly, “For what you just did, I could report you for marital rape. You’re the one who should be in a police station.”
His face darkened, and he shot back angrily, “You sent those fake, photoshopped pictures to the banquet hall, ruining Paula’s reputation! If she weren’t kind–hearted and sympathetic to your recent miscarriage, she could’ve easily called the police on you!”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Are you absolutely sure I photoshopped those pictures?”
“What else could it be?” he snapped, his tone dripping with conviction. “She’s a kindergarten teacher in Los Angeles! How could she take photos like that? What you did is illegal–do you even realize that?”
I stayed silent, watching him intently as his tone softened.
HE
“Listen,” he began, “I’ll call Paula tomorrow. We’ll all have dinner together. You can apologize to her and send a statement to our classmates saying those photos were fake. Then, this whole mess will finally be over.”
There was a pause as I studied his face. A faint smile crept onto mine, tinged with pity.
“Alright,” I said quietly, “no problem. It’s about time we settled this.”
He beamed, his relief evident.
“Now, that’s my wife! Let’s just put this all behind us. Harmony and happiness for the New Year–it’s the way things should be.”
The next day, I arrived at the restaurant to find Paula already waiting inside. She glanced at me with a cold,
guarded expression.
lan, even the gentleman, pulled out a chair for me. I sat down, calm and composed, as he poured three glasses of
red wine.
“Paula,” he said with a sheepish smile, “Sherrie really was out of line the other day. This dinner is our way of
apologizing. Let’s move on, yeah?”
He handed Paula a glass and passed another to me.
I swirled my wine absentmindedly but didn’t stand to offer an apology. Paula’s brows furrowed, her irritation
clear.
“lan,” she said sharply, “an apology should be sincere. What exactly does Sherrie’s behavior mean?”
I raised an eyebrow, set my glass down, and stood. Slowly, I walked toward her.
She eyed me warily and, after a moment of hesitation, reluctantly picked up her glass.
In the next instant, I splashed the red wine across her face.
For a moment, she was too stunned to react. When the reality of what happened set in, her eyes reddened with
fury, and she turned to lan, seeking help.
“Sherrie, you’ve lost your mind! This is insane!” lan shouted, his voice booming. He quickly softened as he
turned to Paula, gently asking, “Paula, are you alright?”
I scoffed inwardly at the spectacle.
“Go ahead,” I said coldly, “tell her to call the police. Even if she had 100 chances, do you think she’d dare?”
Jan dabbed at Paula’s face with a pankin glaring at me furiously “Frouabl Apologize to Paula Right now!”
12:4
After My Miscarriage, My Husband Got Another Woman Pregnant
I ignored his demand and calmly pulled out my phone. Opening a Facebook account, I navigated to an album. “Take a good look,” I said, shoving the screen in his direction. “And tell me again–do you still think those photos are fake?”
lan froze, staring in disbelief at the images. His eyes darted from the screen to Paula’s face, which had turned deathly pale.
- me.
With a loud crash, the wine glass in his hand shattered against the floor.
Paula hadn’t anticipated that after she added me on Instagram, Facebook’s algorithm would push her account to
On her profile were dozens of late–night selfies, some borderline indecent, others blatantly provocative. It didn’t take much to piece together her true profession.
The irony was almost poetic.
The woman lan had idolized as a “pure white jasmine” had long since been handled by countless others.
“lan,” I heard his trembling voice as he confronted her,
what exactly do you do in Los Angeles?”
Paula panicked, her tears streaming as she shook her head frantically. “lan, it’s not what it looks like! Let me explain–please!”
But his temper snapped. With a resounding slap, he struck her across the face.
“You liar! You’ve destroyed me!” He yelled before storming out of the restaurant. Dialing on his phone as he left, I heard him say, “Hello? Liu Tao? Are you working today? Great–I’ll come to the hospital for a checkup right away.”
As for me, I didn’t bother with further theatrics. I resolutely filed for divorce in court.
When lan received the court summons, he finally realized I wasn’t bluffing.
He seemed to regret it.
