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Chapter 4

Penulis: Roaring River
"You killed Dad, Jace! It was you! I'll kill you!" I shouted furiously.

Jace struggled against me, laughing maniacally. "Do you have any proof that I killed him? Your ex-fiancee loves me. Your wife loves me. They both believe I'm innocent and kind. They're on my side. What can you do about it?"

His words only fueled my rage. But after years of being ill, my body was so weak that I couldn't muster enough strength to strangle him.

Instead, Jace shoved me away violently and exclaimed, "Do you hate me that much, Julian? I'm sorry for everything. Please stop hitting me…"

"What's going on?" Erica rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

She glared at me in fury and slapped me hard across the face with eyes full of disappointment.

Erica started yelling at me. "Julian, he's your brother! How could you strangle him? Are you insane?"

Jace shook his head pitifully. "Please don't get mad at Julian. This is all my fault. I'm the one who got Kenneth killed."

I ignored the stinging pain in my cheek and stared at Erica with bloodshot eyes. "Only you and I knew where Dad's grave was. Was it you who took him there to dig up Dad's ashes?"

"What are you talking about?" Erica was stunned. "Jace went to pay his respects. How can you assume that he'd do something so terrible?"

She had once promised to keep her feelings for Jace hidden in front of me. But the moment things got turbulent, she exposed herself completely without even realizing it.

I looked at her, trembling in anger. And then, I started to laugh.

"Erica, if you're going to protect him, then protect him all the way. Never stop. Even if I die tonight, don't you ever change. Because if you do, I'm afraid you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Without waiting for my reply, Erica left with Jace.

As they walked away, Jace turned back and gave me a mocking smirk.

I stared after him, frozen in place with my hands trembling, barely able to breathe. A flood of overwhelming emotion surged through me, and I collapsed to the floor in despair.

I knew what was happening to me. This was a somatization episode.

My phone rang over and over again, but I didn't even have the strength to pick it up. After a long while, I finally answered the call.

"Mr. Swenson, I'm calling from the Jeston Police Department on North Street. We've retrieved the letter of forgiveness you requested. It's already been mailed to your home. Please keep an eye out for it."

"T-Thank you," I said, struggling to steady my voice.

My body felt like it was falling apart as I left the restaurant.

I deleted all of Erica's contact information and tossed my old SIM card away.

From that moment on, I was done with Erica. There was nothing left between us.

Later that night, while Erica was driving Jace home, her phone suddenly rang. She answered, only to hear something that chilled her to the bone.

"Hello, this is the Jeston Police Department. We've recovered the body of a man who drowned in the river, along with a suicide note and a letter of forgiveness.

"The letter of forgiveness was written by you for Jace Swenson. We have verified the suicide note. It was written by your husband, Julian Swenson. We need you to come and identify the body."
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  • Cheated On, Traded Up   Chapter 9

    After hearing what I said, Erica stood where she was, stunned and motionless.In the next second, she grabbed my wrist and forced herself into my arms.Her voice trembled as she spoke. "Julian, we can still have a future together. You said you'd love me forever. Let's have a child together. We'll be a small, happy family of three…"Upon hearing that, I couldn't help but laugh."Erica, do you remember what you once said? You said that a child who isn't wanted by their mother shouldn't be born into this world. And now you say you want to have a child with me? "Back when you were secretly switching my antidepressants for sterilization pills, did it ever occur to you that I, as a man, might want a child too? "When you filled your study with page after page of another man's name, did you even stop to think how heartbroken I would be?"If apologies could undo all kinds of damage, then there wouldn't be grudges or suffering in this world.Upon hearing this, Erica's face went ashen.

  • Cheated On, Traded Up   Chapter 8

    Soon, the public began boycotting everything related to Inman Group. This caused its stock prices to go into a steep, continuous decline. The company's capital chain was on the verge of collapse.Everyone now knew that the grand, showy romance Erica had once paraded to the world was nothing but a smokescreen to cover up her feelings for another man.In no time, Inman Group was crumbling. Its stocks hit rock bottom, and bankruptcy was imminent.With no options left, the shareholders voted unanimously to remove Erica from her position as CEO. Only then did the chaos begin to settle.But Jace wasn't so lucky.His old suicide video was dissected frame by frame. It became painfully clear that he was an excellent swimmer. Even if no one came to his rescue, he could've stayed afloat without effort.Only when Dad jumped in to save Jace did he suddenly pretend to panic. He ripped off Dad's life jacket and shoved it far away. Then, he repeatedly forced Dad's head underwater.Someone even

  • Cheated On, Traded Up   Chapter 7

    By the time I received the news overseas, the New Year had already come and gone in Crevon.I wasn't dead. From the moment I decided to divorce Erica, I had contacted the agency to stage my death.When I saw the headlines, I merely stared with indifference. I had let go of my love for Erica. Now, I only wanted one thing, and that was to watch them suffer and fall into ruin.Maybe Dad would never get the justice he deserved in a legal sense, but I could still make use of the power of public opinion to make sure those who had wronged me would never have peace.Isoria was frigid all year round. The long nights and cold weather led to a lifestyle that was more isolated and alone. But then, this place suited me perfectly. To adjust more quickly to life here, I enrolled in a language school and began systematically studying Wessic and Isorian.Leaving turned out to be easier than I'd imagined. In fact, I felt lighter and freer.But after news of my "death" broke, the once-composed an

  • Cheated On, Traded Up   Chapter 6

    "I read your letter of forgiveness. It was well written. I'd say it's such a perfect mockery of our perfect marriage."Farewell. Don't mourn me."The moment Erica finished reading the suicide note, all color drained from her face.It turned out that I'd known all along that this marriage was nothing but a carefully woven lie.The word "Farewell" pricked her eyes. It was one simple word, yet it was so glaring and full of unspoken disappointment.Erica burst into tears uncontrollably. Her legs gave out. She stumbled and collapsed to the ground. Her voice shook as she said to the officers, "Where's my husband's body?"The police led her to the morgue. The body was already decomposed and disfigured, but the clothes were identical to the ones that I had been wearing.Erica couldn't hold it in anymore. She bent over and retched at the sight of the dead body.She remembered how animated and alive I looked in our past moments together. But now, all she could see was that lifeless f

  • Cheated On, Traded Up   Chapter 5

    The moment Erica heard what the officer said over the phone, she froze for a moment and couldn't react. She rarely showed this kind of response.It was as if she hadn't understood the meaning behind the words, and it took her a long time to process it.She then responded with disbelief, "Suicide? You must be joking! My husband would never kill himself by jumping into a river! Is this some kind of scam call? And what letter of forgiveness? I did write one, but there's no way it ended up in my husband's hands!"The officer on the other end hadn't expected such a response.Still, he calmly repeated the details of the case. "We received a report at around 9:00 pm that someone had jumped into the river. Surveillance footage shows a young man in his 20s wearing a white shirt and jeans. At the scene, we found a suicide note and a pair of shoes he left behind. "After three hours of searching downstream, we recovered the body of your husband…"Erica slammed on the brakes and pulled over

  • Cheated On, Traded Up   Chapter 4

    "You killed Dad, Jace! It was you! I'll kill you!" I shouted furiously.Jace struggled against me, laughing maniacally. "Do you have any proof that I killed him? Your ex-fiancee loves me. Your wife loves me. They both believe I'm innocent and kind. They're on my side. What can you do about it?"His words only fueled my rage. But after years of being ill, my body was so weak that I couldn't muster enough strength to strangle him.Instead, Jace shoved me away violently and exclaimed, "Do you hate me that much, Julian? I'm sorry for everything. Please stop hitting me…""What's going on?" Erica rushed over upon hearing the commotion. She glared at me in fury and slapped me hard across the face with eyes full of disappointment. Erica started yelling at me. "Julian, he's your brother! How could you strangle him? Are you insane?"Jace shook his head pitifully. "Please don't get mad at Julian. This is all my fault. I'm the one who got Kenneth killed."I ignored the stinging pain in m

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