Chapter 14
“You know what Samuel’s like, Emily. He’s a sentimental man, so he can’t bring himself to be straight with you about it. As long as you accept it, he’s willing to take care of you for the rest of your life. Nevertheless, I think some things should still be clarified.”
“In a relationship, it doesn’t matter who comes first. However, I’m sure that if he’d met me first, you two would be nothing more than old classmates. A woman should know how to doll herself up. Why would a man want to go home to a woman who walks around bare–faced all day long?”
“Being young isn’t a huge advantage, but it’s still better than being an old hag who still tries to compete with a young woman. At least I know my value. Samuel called me pretty again today.”
“Look! This is the necklace Samuel gave me. He designed it himself.”
“I’m sure you get what I’m saying, right, Emily? Samuel and I are in love. As long as you choose wisely, you can have that villa as part of your divorce settlement. Samuel will get me a new one.”
Many more of these types of messages had been sent. The messages were by no means long, and they certainly weren’t sophisticated in any way. However, the fact that Jessica kept pointing out Emily’s age and talking about Samuel made it impossible to miss the obvious passive–aggressiveness. It was practically oozing through the screen.
The policewoman who’d lent her power bank to Samuel saw some of these messages too. Scoffing, she immediately began surveying Samuel with an added level of derision.
Even if Samuel wasn’t trying to get a divorce, just from the way Jessica sent these messages to Emily alone was enough to prove that he was considering having a second family on the side.
Perhaps Samuel was the only one who thought that hiding his affair from Emily was a show of love for her.
Samuel had an icy scowl on his face, but alas, these messages were only the beginning. Scrolling up through the chat logs, he realized that Jessica would send pictures to Emily every few days.
There were pictures of the gifts she cajoled him into getting for her, screenshots of the money he sent to her, and even indecent photos of them lying in bed together, with him sound asleep after their latest bout of passion.
When he saw the images, he felt the urge to vomit. He realized just how disgusting he was.
By now, the surrounding police officers could figure out what happened too. Despite seeing his reaction, they couldn’t muster up much empathy for him.
Doing his best to hold himself together, Samuel passed the power bank back to the policewoman before beseeching Kate, “I need to head back to check on something. Please continue your efforts to locate my… Emily.”
He was too ashamed of himself to call Emily his wife.
While heading back to the house, he called Jessica. His tone was the coldest it had ever been when talking to her. “Where are you? Come by my house. There’s something I need to say to you in person.”
Overjoyed, Jessica asked, “When?”
“Right away,” Samuel replied before ending the call.
He was thoroughly exhausted. Truth be told, he didn’t have the strength left to deal with this issue anywhere else. He didn’t even want to set foot into the house he set up for Jessica. Just the thought of that house made him feel like throwing up, even though he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since last night.
Jessica got to the house a lot quicker than Samuel did. She was already there by the time he drove back. In fact, she was blatantly assuming the role of the lady of the house and barking orders at the household staff.
“Take down all those paintings! They’re so ugly. If we’re going to have anything up, we should at least buy some valuable paintings. Who wants to look at her hideous art?” Jessica scoffed.
“Oh, we need to change the rugs as well. I’ll tell you the name of the brand later. Make sure you get the most expensive handmade ones. Otherwise, when my friends come over, they’ll think I’ve been lying to them.”
“Get rid of those flowers outside. I want the most expensive…”
Jessica was happily giving orders to everyone, making them work their backs off. Meanwhile, she flitted around the place, stroking this and nudging that. She even plucked a leaf off one of the pots before tossing it aside.
Even when she noticed Samuel’s presence, she didn’t rein herself in. Instead, she skipped over to him with a wide grin and asked coquettishly, “What took you so long? Have you decided where we’re going to celebrate tonight? I say we should just do it here. After all, I’m going to be the lady of the house from now on. Oh, by the way, where’s the chef? I’ve got something specific in mind for dinner tonight.”
Jessica had always acted like a childish young woman in front of Samuel. Although she came off rather vain and materialistic, he didn’t think she was a bad person.
As he considered her nothing more than a distraction to pass the time, he didn’t expect much of her. Naturally, he wasn’t disappointed by her shallow personality. After all, he was merely indulging in her youth and her infatuation with him.
But now, he finally realized just how wrong he’d been. Eyeing her coldly, he questioned, “What are you wearing?”
Jessica was still so engrossed in her delusions about finally becoming Samuel’s wife that she didn’t notice anything amiss in his words. She lifted the
7
bem of her nightgown and twirled around, saying, “I found it in the closet. What do you think? It suits me perfectly, right? Out of everything I found, this was the only one that tit me.”
The nightgown had been designed with comfort as its top priority. When worn by Emily, it gave the impression of coziness. However, the way Jessica loosened the collar and wore it sultrily instantly made it look tacky.
Eyes blazing with fury, Samuel snarled, “I bought that nightgown for Emily. She hasn’t even worn it yet!”
