Chapter 3

Violet's hand was trembling, and she looked visibly nervous. However, the moment I mentioned adding her name to the deed, her face lit up.

"Did you change your mind?" she asked.

"Yeah. After all, we are married. Plus, your colleague is living there. It'll be easier for you to manage the place if your name's on the deed too."

"That's great, honey! You've finally come around!"

Feeling overjoyed, she got to her feet and planted a kiss on my cheek.

Suppressing my disgust, I forced a smile onto my face and added, "But after giving it some more thought, I think it might be better for us to sell the apartment."

I went on, "Real estate prices are still fairly reasonable right now. We could sell it and get a bigger house. It'll be more convenient to stay in a bigger place when our daughter gets older as well."

Her expression instantly stiffened.

"Sell it?" she asked, suddenly sounding anxious. "I don't think that's a good idea. The market isn't exactly great right now."

I gave her a noncommittal grunt and continued eating.

I didn't press the issue, but I knew my suggestion had successfully caused her to panic.

Just as I had expected, she had trouble falling asleep later that night.

When I pretended to snore, she immediately got up and slipped out onto the balcony to make a phone call.

"He wants to sell the apartment… Yeah, that apartment… I'm trying to figure something out too…"

Then, she lowered her voice and said gently, "Don't worry. I won't let him sell our home."

Their home?

I scoffed and gently shook my head as I recorded the conversation with my phone.

I paid for that apartment in full, and every cent they had spent on renovations had come from my savings account. Yet, she was claiming the apartment belonged to them.

"Yeah, he agreed to add my name to the deed," I heard her say. "Once I have ownership rights, I'll transfer the apartment to your name. Then, you'll officially own the place."

Once she returned to bed and blissfully drifted off to sleep, I unlocked her phone and pulled up her chat history with Howard.

She really trusted me.

In other words, she simply assumed that I was too stupid to notice what she was up to.

The earliest messages were sent two years ago, and Violet was the one who contacted him first.

"Want to grab dinner tonight?" her text read.

Howard agreed.

At first, it was dinner. Then came the movie dates, shopping trips, and gifts. Soon, they started checking into hotels and dreaming about their future together.

Five months later, Violet sent him another message.

"I found an apartment for you. Go take a look and see if you like the place."

Howard was ecstatic.

"Does this make me your sugar baby, Vi?"

Violet replied with a string of bashful emojis.

"You're so naughty," she texted back. "I'm going to wear you out tonight—just you wait."

I took screenshots and continued scrolling.

"The renovation company said everything will cost 40 thousand dollars, Vi. Isn't that a bit expensive?"

"It's fine. I have money. Just do whatever you want."

I took a photo of every single message, and I ended up with more than 300 screenshots.

Glancing at Violet, who was sleeping soundly next to me, I suddenly felt a bit dazed.

I had been with the same person for years now. Her face had always looked beautiful, innocent, and slightly mature. I had never imagined that she'd be a completely different person behind closed doors.

…

Over the following week, Violet continued to "work overtime" for a day or two like she usually would. While she was occupied, I kept myself busy as well.

I placed all of my assets—including my savings, my car, and my house—under legal protection. On top of that, I also had all of the evidence of her affair officially notarized. This included audio recordings, chat logs, and bank statements.

By the time everything was in order, William had sent me a draft of my divorce papers.

"If she refuses to sign it, we'll file for divorce immediately," he said. "She cheated on you—and we have plenty of evidence to prove it. If this goes to court, the judge won't be nearly as lenient," he said.

After taking care of everything, I finally began to set the trap.

…

During the weekend, while Violet was also at home, I pretended to make a phone call in front of her.

"Yeah, that's right. The apartment is at Riverbank Residences. I want to sell it. I won't consider anything lower than 90% of the market value.

"Yeah. Please make the necessary arrangements as soon as possible."

The moment I hung up, Violet rushed over and grabbed my arm.

Panic was written all over her face as she cried, "I thought you said you weren't going to sell it! Why are you—"

"I changed my mind."