共有

Chapter 4

作者: Lychee Soda
It was just past September, yet the heat of late summer still lingered. Despite that, as I sat in the study, my whole body was cold, as if I were trapped inside an ice cellar.

I rushed out the door, lost in a haze.

Somewhere deep down, I still refused to believe Aiden betrayed me.

I told myself that everything I found on his computer was fake. Someone was trying to set him up. They wanted to frame him.

I called his phone, but there was no answer.

He told me earlier that he was at dinner with his department. So I searched for him, restaurant by restaurant.

I stubbornly wanted to confront him in person. I needed answers.

When I finally spotted Aiden in a barbecue shop, the table was filled with laughter and conversation.

He sat at the head of the table, smiling slightly. He was the perfect image of a cultured, confident, and effortlessly charming man.

To his right sat a woman in a white dress, her long hair cascading down her back. Her eyes shone brightly, and her expression was shy. She was a delicate beauty—soft yet alluring.

My steps abruptly came to a halt. I found myself hesitating, unable to move forward.

The voices of the younger employees rang out in playful banter.

"Mr. Spencer, we admire you in every way except for how whipped you are for your wife. That, we just can't relate to!"

"Yeah, Mr. Spencer, you're always so chill and in control. How could you let your wife, an outsider, meddle in how we do things? What happened to 'strict teachers make great students'?"

It took me a while to register their words.

Then, it clicked. I finally understood why they were saying that.

Aiden was never naturally good at managing people. His approach was to do everything himself since explaining things to others felt like a waste of time to him.

As a result, he exhausted himself, shouldering all the burdens alone, which made him the busiest and most overworked person in the department. It was so extreme that he even didn't have time for Chloe.

So, I suggested that he step back into a proper leadership role and review his subordinates' work instead of doing everything himself. Otherwise, his department's performance would always suffer.

I had no idea how Aiden framed it when he explained it to his team, but judging from their words tonight, they clearly blamed it all on me.

But right now, I had no energy to care about that.

My eyes were locked on the long-haired woman.

She sat in the middle of the crowd, smiling faintly, looking poised and warm. Amidst the noisy, bustling restaurant, she carried an air of quiet elegance, as if untouched by the world around her.

Just then, she smiled gently and said in a soft voice, "Alright, alright. Don't bully Mr. Spencer. If you guys ever need extra help, I'll lend a hand."

The young employees burst into laughter. "Man, if only Mr. Spencer's wife was someone like Skyla. Our department would be heaven. Ah, it's too bad!"

My heart sank.

So, it was true. The long-haired woman was Skyla.

They clinked their glasses, raising toasts to her. Skyla's face flushed a rosy pink, her hands shielding the rim of her glass as she laughed.

Suddenly, Aiden stood up. He took the glass from her hand and downed the entire drink in one gulp. "We don't let women drink in our department. Don't mess with her. I'll drink for her!"

Skyla lowered her gaze, smiling shyly as she and Aiden exchanged a look.

The younger employees cheered and refilled his glass. Aiden, full of bravado, downed another shot.

From across the restaurant, I watched him, my entire body trembling violently. Aiden had a weak stomach. Even the slightest irritation would trigger his ulcers.

For years, aside from taking care of Chloe, keeping Aiden healthy was my number one priority. I searched everywhere for remedies, brewed traditional medicine, and made herbal tea. He wasn't allowed to eat anything too hot, too cold, or too spicy.

Even though I loved spicy food, I never used chili when I cooked. When we had watermelon, I even took it out of the fridge in advance so it wouldn't be too cold when he got home.
この本を無料で読み続ける
コードをスキャンしてアプリをダウンロード

最新チャプター

  • Don't Come Home   Chapter 20

    Two years later, I saw Aiden and Skyla again.I took Chloe to the hospital to visit Mrs. Holmes, who sprained her ankle. As we walked out, we ran straight into Aiden and Skyla.They were in the outpatient lobby, yelling at each other at the top of their lungs.I held Chloe's hand, standing among the crowd watching the scene. The drastic change in their appearance startled me.Skyla was now thin and haggard, and her face was etched with bitterness. Her lips were shriveled into a thin line, and the corners of her mouth were permanently turned downward.Right now, her features were twisted as she cursed furiously, "Bullshit! Your family is completely useless! My parents are the ones breaking their backs to raise that kid, and yet your family still acts all high and mighty in front of us! They even have the audacity to insult me. Those two old fools!"Aiden's face was dark, and his expression was grim.He was wearing the old jacket I bought him years ago. At just 35 years of age, hi

  • Don't Come Home   Chapter 19

    "Everyone was in disbelief, saying there had to be some kind of mistake. But Skyla spoke up and loudly insisted there was no mistake. The baby in her belly is Mr. Spencer's!"The moment Mr. Spencer heard that, he suddenly snapped at Skyla, cursing her out, saying she had seduced him, drugged him, and tricked him into bed. But Skyla wasn't about to back down."She said even if she drugged him the first time, there's also the second and third time. She demanded to know if he claims he was drugged then too."After hanging up the phone, I sat there in a daze for a long time.That day, I told Skyla there was a way for her to avoid paying back the money. When she asked me what it was, I said, "Just take Aiden for yourself."My original intention was to have her help me push for the divorce. I never expected her to take such an extreme approach.For a moment, I found it hard to believe.Thinking back to that "My One True Love" folder filled with all those burning, passionate words, I j

  • Don't Come Home   Chapter 18

    I was overwhelmed, unable to believe what I was hearing. I roared, "Skyla is your one and only wife in this lifetime, Aiden! How can you say you never wanted to be with her? Then, what do you call those hundreds of files between you two? What do you call all that intense passion you two shared?"If he gave up, what was the point of my meticulously planned divorce?Aiden was a stubborn man. It seemed he was determined to prove his words through actions.From that day on, he started waking up early every morning to make breakfast. Chloe and I didn't even look at him. I went to work, and she went to school. We barely exchanged words with him.During the day, he would send me random messages. He shared a perfectly shaped autumn leaf he saw on the sidewalk, what he had for lunch, or some new philosophy he figured out.At night, he washed the dishes, cleaned the house, and told us goodnight over and over again. He was patient and persistent.I had enough.I went to find Skyla again.

  • Don't Come Home   Chapter 17

    There was an unmistakable lingering desire in both their expressions.Suddenly, Skyla called out to him and threw herself into his arms. The two of them held each other tightly.Chloe bit her lip as she watched them, tears streaming down her face.I sighed inwardly. I never intended to drag my daughter into this mess between adults.However, the moment Chloe cried and shouted at me, telling me she chose Aiden, I finally realized that she had long been involved in this. Her words hurt, but deep down, I knew I could never let go of the daughter I raised. She always depended on me and Aiden. But now, she was being led astray by someone with an agenda.She needed me, and I needed her.So, I let her see the cruelty of life early on.It was fine—as long as she was with me, I would teach her how to shine brightly and bravely face the ugliness of life.…Now, Aiden stood frozen, his face pale as he hoarsely explained, "That day, Skyla said we needed a proper goodbye. In the end, I d

  • Don't Come Home   Chapter 16

    Skyla's body trembled. She finally broke down, letting out a sob before covering her face and running out.Aiden remained frozen, his head lowered as he stared at his phone. He didn't look up again.When we got home, Aiden's face was dark with anger, and his voice was laced with resentment. "Lily, I told you—I only came back home on the condition that we let this go. You didn't keep your word."I let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I broke my promise. So? What are you going to do about it?"Aiden was silent for a long time. He stared at me, his voice carrying the kind of cold finality that came when someone completely gave up. "Then, we have no choice but to get a divorce."I nodded. "Okay."He stiffened, his face flashing with disbelief.I walked into the bedroom, pulled out a document, and handed it to him. "Here's the divorce agreement. Look it over and let me know if you have any issues."His eyes widened as he took it with stiff fingers, gritting his teeth. "You… When did you pr

  • Don't Come Home   Chapter 15

    Derrick stammered, "I-I didn't recognize you at the time. I just couldn't stand by and watch someone get hurt, so I stepped in. I've already apologized to Mr. Spencer.""Apologized to Mr. Spencer? Was he the one who got hurt?" My voice was cold as I glanced at the group standing nearby.They were all Aiden's former subordinates. They were clustered together, looking indignant. They clearly felt Skyla was wronged and that I was being unreasonably aggressive.Then, I turned to look at Aiden.His face was slightly turned away, but his gaze lingered on Skyla, who was desperately trying to hold back her tears. His expression was full of pity and sadness.I let out a soft laugh. I reached into my bag, pulled out my phone, and handed it to Aiden."You left your phone in the car. I brought it back for you. Oh, and I also sent the surveillance footage from the barbecue shop that night to your work group chat."The entire room buzzed, a low murmur sweeping through the crowd as people pull

続きを読む
無料で面白い小説を探して読んでみましょう
GoodNovel アプリで人気小説に無料で!お好きな本をダウンロードして、いつでもどこでも読みましょう!
アプリで無料で本を読む
コードをスキャンしてアプリで読む
DMCA.com Protection Status