Moving On from a Cheater

On the day Iris Glover was prosecuted in court by her husband, it was snowing heavily.

From their courtship to their marriage, they had been together for seven years. She had always believed in his love for her; they were happy together. However, everything changed when he personally prosecuted her in court because of an accusation made by Wendy Rain.

During the trial, the judge stated the case: "On November 23rd, during a drunk driving checkpoint on Westfield Road, a prohibited substance was discovered in the vehicle driven by the defendant, Ms. Iris Glover. We are here today to address these charges."

"Prosecutor, please present your statement."

Stanley Stein stood tall in a black suit, exuding seriousness. When he looked at his wife, there was only disappointment and indifference in his eyes. "On November 23rd, Ms. Glover drove a white car, license plate V8861, in which five grams of prohibited substance was found. Ms. Glover claims Ms. Wendy Rain had called her to pick up her intoxicated husband—me—from the Star Coast Club, but our investigation found that no such call was made."

His expression turned icy as he confronted Iris, "I did not go to the Star Coast Club that night, and Wendy did not contact you. Why did you lie? There is undeniable evidence. Do you plead guilty?"

The question "Do you plead guilty?" struck her like lightning, breaking her heart.

She stared at Stanley in disbelief. When she saw the coldness in Stanley's eyes, the last of her strength drained away, and she tasted blood in her mouth.

She never imagined he would turn against her after becoming an elite lawyer in a Big Eight law firm.

Her lips tugged as she tried to smile, but tears streamed down her face instead.

Six years ago, they were both in law school. They had dated for a year, and they were very much in love with each other.

The professor told her there was a prestigious opportunity to study abroad. At the time, she and Stanley were neck and neck at the top of their class, so the two of them were the strongest candidates for the opportunity. However, there was only one spot.

She knew that he really wanted the opportunity, so she withdrew from the competition. To this day, he did not know that she had pretended to be ill on the day of the selection.

After he was selected, he came to celebrate with her. His excitement made her smile.

Two years later, he returned from his studies and proposed to her. She felt like she was the happiest woman in the world. She was convinced that she had chosen the right man.

Their love story was the envy of their peers. After marriage, she set aside her own law aspirations to be a housewife, supporting him as he worked hard in his career.

When he was troubled by work, she would help him come up with solutions. When he came home tired from work, she would provide him with warm food and a warm home.

His career gradually got on the right track. He became more and more well-known in the industry.

A year after their marriage, a young assistant joined his law firm. She was a fresh graduate called Wendy Rain. She was attractive and innocent-looking, the kind of young woman that men instinctively wanted to protect.

Stanley liked keeping her by his side. One time, during a friends' gathering, Iris overheard one of his friends referring to Wendy as 'your girl'.

At that moment, she experienced the pain of betrayal, yet she chose to remain silent.

Because she still loved him.

Stanley later became a partner at a prestigious law firm, earning recognition as the most promising young lawyer in the industry. He and Wendy became even closer, and they were often seen together. All the people around them knew about their relationship. Iris, as his wife, felt her dignity trampled, yet she lacked the courage to confront him. She had become a housewife, devoid of her own identity. Her life revolved entirely around him.

In her world, there was only him.

As she looked up at the man she had loved wholeheartedly for seven years, his expression of disgust and mistrust became the straw that broke the camel's back.

In his eyes, she saw her own pitiful reflection. She looked like a clown.

At that moment, her heart died, utterly and completely.

Standing tall, she declared, "I plead not guilty. I am not guilty of this crime."

The judge asked, "Can you present any new evidence to prove your innocence?"

"I can." Iris produced a wristwatch.

Wendy had called her while she was conversing with her friend, Yvonne Sandler, on her smartwatch, which had an automatic recording function.

Since she had "mysteriously" lost her phone, the watch was the only thing that could prove that Wendy had indeed called her at around 9 PM on November 23rd. The recorded conversation was clear.

"Iris, Stanley is drunk. Can you come pick him up at the Star Coast Club?"

"Going to Star Coast requires passing through Westfield Road, and on that day, there happened to be a drunk driving checkpoint on Westfield Road. She clearly lured me there," Iris explained steadily without any hesitation. She then presented another crucial piece of evidence. "I have evidence to prove that someone planted the illegal substance in my car."

It was surveillance footage from the underground parking lot of Stanley's law firm. Iris had gone to the law firm to see him the day of the video recording, which was sometime in October. The video showed a woman opening the door of Iris' car and placing something inside.

The woman could clearly be identified as Wendy.

Iris was no longer looking at Stanley with love like she had always done. She had been reborn after experiencing utter hopelessness and disappointment. There was now a newfound determination in her eyes. "Mr. Stein, I have two car keys. One is with me, and I believe you have the other one. Have you ever given my car key to someone else?"

Stanley's eyes moved to Wendy, who was seated among the spectators.

Wendy, flustered, stood to defend herself. "No, it's not like that. I didn't…"

The judge banged the gavel. "Order."

Wendy had no choice but to sit back down. She looked at Stanley with teary eyes and continued to defend her innocence anxiously, "It's not me, I swear…"

Stanley, who had a reputation as a composed and aggressive lawyer in court, could no longer keep a straight face. He appeared taken aback by the situation.

It seemed it had never crossed his mind that an innocent-looking girl like Wendy would lie to him and abuse his trust to steal his car key.

He turned back to Iris with complicated emotions in his eyes.

"I request a re-investigation based on the new evidence I have provided. Why did Ms. Rain lie? Why did she secretly open my car door? Where did the prohibited substance come from?" Iris stated confidently before taking her seat, awaiting the outcome.

With her clear and compelling evidence, Iris successfully proved her innocence. She was acquitted, while Wendy was detained for further investigation.

When she exited the courtroom, it was still snowing outside. The snow blanketed everything in white. She looked up, feeling the cold flakes against her cheeks, the chill piercing to her core.

"If you had evidence, why didn't you tell me earlier?" Stanley, who had suddenly appeared beside her, asked.

Iris reached for the sky, catching snowflakes in her palm as they melted. "I did tell you. You didn't believe me."

She had defended her innocence countless times, but his response had always been, "Why would Wendy lie?"

He had chosen to believe Wendy over his own wife. That was painful for Iris.

The reason she had not presented the evidence from the start was because she still had a sliver of hope in Stanley.

She thought Stanley would not be that heartless, but she was wrong.

He would actually send her to prison based on what Wendy had said.

"Stanley, let's get a divorce."