Chapter 3

Nora and I started working together in secret from that day onward. We agreed to use a newly registered encrypted social media account for all communication and to only communicate during my one-hour lunch break.

Nora continued to play the part of Michael's gentle, attentive wife, making sure he suspected nothing. I, on the other hand, carried on with the wedding preparations with Michael as usual—picking out my wedding dress, reserving the venue, and drawing up the guest list.

Michael remained completely oblivious. He was still coasting along, playing both sides with ease.

He was my perfect fiance during the weekdays—coming with me to catering tastings, checking out venues, picking favors, and posting our cute photos on social media.

He was Nora's model husband during the weekends—taking Ryker to the park, changing the lightbulbs around the house, and sending over an allowance for household living expenses.

He even answered Nora's call once while we were eating together.

I overheard him speak in an incredibly gentle tone. "Yes, I've transferred you an extra 3,000 dollars. You should go buy yourself some new clothes and stop pinching pennies."

He ended the call and smiled at me, saying, "It was just someone from the finance department reporting in."

I returned his smile, though I was sneering inwardly. He probably had no idea how repulsive his performance was.

Nora and I began deliberately tormenting his psyche. We would both message him at the same time.

Michael responded to my messages first, then waited a long while before getting back to Nora.

Nora, however, would call him right after he finished replying to me. "Are you busy right now, Michael?"

"I-I'm not…" Michael's voice briefly betrayed his panic before he lowered his voice and asked, "What's the matter?"

Nora sounded as gentle as ever. "It's nothing, really. I just miss you. When are you coming back from your business trip, Michael?"

I watched him from the side as he talked, noticing the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. I couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction at the thought of getting my revenge.

I occasionally had to stop by Michael's "branch office" to gather evidence.

Nora would tip me off about his schedule beforehand, then call him home at the exact time he was supposed to be at the "branch office".

Michael never dared refuse because he knew Nora had no one else to depend on but him.

During those openings, my men would sneak into his "office branch"—the apartment he rented to keep up the act for me—and gather evidence of his bigamy.

There was far more evidence than I had expected. Michael probably never thought that someone would look into the two identities he had created for himself. He was quite careful since he used different social media accounts and phone numbers with Nora and me.

He had overlooked quite a lot of things, though. He had actually transferred money to Nora using the "startup funds" Dad gave him. He had also taken Nora to the same resort where he had taken me, with the trips scheduled exactly one week apart.

He presented himself to Nora as a hardworking husband who was often away on business trips, while with me, he pretended to be a wealthy, successful person with a thriving career.

I carefully organized all the evidence and stored it in an encrypted folder.

Nora was his safety net, the anchor for his stable life. I, on the other hand, was his stepping stone—the one he used to climb up the social ladder—and the thrill that spiced up his mundane life.

He went back and forth between the two women, enjoying double the affection, admiration, and devotion. He genuinely thought he was a mastermind who had us all wrapped around his finger, completely forgetting that the truth would always come out in the end.