Chapter 2

I closed my eyes, and the memory of a rainy afternoon half a year ago surfaced in my mind.

That day, Wendy was picking me up from work, and Zach happened to be coming down the stairs right behind me.

Just as Wendy's car pulled up in front of us, Zach suddenly swayed, clutched his stomach, and leaned against the front of her car.

Panicked, Wendy immediately got out to check on him.

Pale-faced and breathing heavily against the car door, Zach murmured, "I'm so sorry, Terrence. I was so caught up finishing the report you asked for that I skipped lunch, and now I'm feeling dizzy from low blood sugar..."

At the time, my mind was entirely consumed by work. Seeing him in distress, I asked Wendy to take him to the hospital while I hailed a cab home.

Thinking back, that was no bout of low blood sugar, it was a premeditated move to throw himself into her arms!

From that day onward, Wendy began asking questions about Zach with increasing frequency, remarking how it must not be easy for a young man like him to make it in the city on his own.

I had naively thought she was merely acting out of compassion.

Little did I know, a woman's compassion is often the passport to infidelity.

With a cold chuckle, I turned on my computer and logged into the joint bank account shared by Wendy and myself.

We were saving up together to buy a home. Every month, I deposited $3,000 into the account, while Wendy deposited $2,000.

Not a cent remained in the account, but even that total was far from covering the down payment for the luxury apartment.

A sudden realization struck me: aside from her base salary, Wendy also received substantial quarterly bonuses and project commissions.

Half a year ago, she had come to me looking distressed, claiming that the company's performance was suffering, so bonuses were being deferred and might even be canceled altogether.

To ease her financial pressure, almost all the expenses over the past six months, including our dates, furniture shopping, and wedding banquet deposit had been covered entirely by me.

I picked up my phone and asked a friend working in the finance department of Wendy's company to look into the matter.

Ten minutes later, my friend messaged back:

[Terrence, Wendy's department has been killing it performance-wise over the past six months. Their bonuses weren't docked at all. Last month, it was actually doubled and directly deposited into her bank account ending in 8892.]

Reading that message, I was so angry I laughed out loud.

She used my money to prepare for our wedding, while using her own secret bonuses to buy a luxury apartment for her toyboy?

Amazing, Wendy Sheppard!

That afternoon, I requested a half-day leave from my boss.

Based on the property reviews Zach had upvoted and the riverside view he occasionally showed off on social media, I managed to pinpoint the apartment's exact location within two hours.

It was in Riverside One, one of the most exclusive and expensive high-end residential complexes in the city.

I parked my car in a discreet spot across from the entrance, put on my sunglasses, and quietly monitored the vehicle traffic in and out of the residential complex.

I didn't rush to confront Wendy, nor did I throw a tantrum on social media.

Until I had gathered evidence powerful enough to deliver a fatal blow, any premature emotional outburst would simply alert them and backfire foolishly.

At 4:30 PM, a familiar black car slowly cruised out of the residential gates.

It was Wendy's car, the license plate number of which I knew by heart.

I immediately started the engine and followed at a safe, unnoticeable distance.

After turning through a few streets, the car finally pulled into the underground parking garage of an upscale private maternity hospital in the downtown area.

Sitting in my car, I watched Zach step out from the driver's seat.

He was dressed in a well-tailored casual outfit today, his hair neatly and crisply styled.

He briskly walked around to the passenger side, carefully opened the door, and thoughtfully shielded the roof with his hand to protect the passenger's head.

Shortly after, a foot wearing flat shoes stepped out.

Wendy.

She wore a loose maternity dress layered with a knitted cardigan. Her pregnancy was not yet showing.

In other words, she was less than four months along.

Zach immediately held her waist to support her. Wendy naturally leaned into his embrace, tilting her head up to offer him a gentle, affectionate smile.

Zach bent down and planted a tender kiss on her forehead.