Chapter 5

Chapter Ninety-Seven

Fearing that his wife might find out about his relationship with Pearl, Max quickly turned to explain to Bella.

"Bella, don't misunderstand. She seems to be drunk. I can smell the alcohol on her."

Pearl heard Max's words and realized he hadn't come here alone, nor had he come to see her. At that moment, Pearl no longer wanted to hide anything. She had been in the shadows for too long and didn’t want to continue like this.

But before Pearl could speak, Bella smiled gently and said, "It's okay. It seems your situation is getting worse, Pearl. So bad that you even hugging mistook my man."

The faces of both Pearl and Max turned pale, especially Max, who was furious with Pearl for putting him in such an awkward situation.

Pearl looked at Max, wanting him to say something, her eyes asking why Bella was here. But Pearl didn't wait for Max's response; she couldn’t hold back any longer.

"What are you doing here? Who allowed you to come to my house?" Pearl's eyes were filled with hatred as she glared at Bella like an enemy and shouted.

Max frowned at Pearl's attitude. He stepped in front of Bella, afraid that Pearl's current state might harm his pregnant wife. "Are you crazy! My wife came here out of kindness to visit you, and this is how you treat her?"

But Max’s protective gesture only drove Pearl mad. The fact that Bella was pregnant had already been a huge blow to her, but she still had a sliver of hope, however small, for Max. But now, seeing Max stand before Bella to protect her made Pearl want to tear Bella apart.

Bella wanted to stay silent and just watch these two despicable people play out their dramatic love drama, but the main characters were so distasteful that she couldn't keep listening any longer.

"Enough. You two seem to have a lot of secrets that I'm not aware of, don’t you?" Bella said in a very calm tone, without any emotion, which was understandable since she had already experienced the pain of betrayal long ago.

Max wanted to explain but was cut off by Bella. "I know what you're going to say, but save it for later. I want to talk to Pearl. After all, the purpose of my visit is to see her. Pearl, I may not know what problems you have with my husband, but I think we have some issues to discuss too."

Pearl's face was pale and gloomy, but she still looked at Bella with disdain and hatred. Bella's serious and calm demeanor made Pearl furious and full of resentment.

"Why are you going to talk to her! Just come with me and let’s go home!" Max grabbed Bella's hand, trying to pull her away. He was still trying to salvage the situation, but now he was very scared, afraid that Pearl might reveal everything, but he couldn't stop her because saying more would only make Bella more suspicious.

Pearl clenched her fists. Never before had she felt more like the third wheel than she did now. Clearly, the third wheel was Bella, not her. Pearl gritted her teeth and said, "You can come in, but your husband can't."

Max didn't understand what Pearl was planning, and he angrily shouted, "Are you crazy! Just say what you want to my wife right here, don’t do anything stupid-"

"Fine. This has nothing to do with you, Max, so stay out of it." Bella didn't want Max to interfere in her conversation either.

"But..." Max wanted to say more but didn't know what to say. He just stood outside the door, watching Bella follow Pearl inside. If he had known things would turn out like this, he would never have let Bella meet Pearl. No, if he had known Pearl was like this, he would have gotten rid of this trouble long ago.

Bella entered the living room, surprised by the messy and chaotic state of the room.

"You must be happy to see me in this state, right?" Pearl slumped into a chair, never imagining that she would be this miserable in front of Bella.

Bella raised an eyebrow, glancing around the room. She really didn’t want to step further in because it was so filthy.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand. How could I be happy seeing my best friend in this condition?" Bella looked at Pearl with pity, but her tone was incredibly mocking.

Bella folded her arms and approached Pearl, who was sitting down. "But, after all, aren't you the one responsible for ending up like this, Pearl? I thought you would know that better than anyone."

Pearl's eyes widened at Bella’s words, staring at Bella in disbelief. She wondered if the woman standing before her was really the Bella she knew. Pearl felt like she was being overwhelmed by the woman in front of her. Bella's strong aura was pressing down on Pearl, making her feel very uncomfortable and hesitant. The Bella she knew was timid and so simple-minded that it was stupid. So who was this woman who looked exactly like Bella?

"Why aren't you answering me, Pearl? Are you unsure of how to respond, or... are you too afraid to answer?" Bella spoke softly, but her words were like a knife stabbing into Pearl.

Pearl clenched her fists in anger as she glared at Bella. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm scared? That's ridiculous! Why should I be scared when I've done nothing wrong? Who do you think you are to speak to me like that? A woman as crude and incompetent as you has no right to talk to me like this. Have you even looked at yourself? If it weren't for your good family background, do you think Max would have married someone like you?"

For some time now, Pearl had felt a growing distance and significant change in Bella. It wasn't that she was unaware of the issues between them; she simply didn't care. In Pearl's eyes, Bella was a timid, rural woman who only knew how to follow her around, pleasing both her and Max like a dog.

Pearl had always thought this way—Bella was foolish and naive. From the start, she was nothing more than a small but crucial piece in Pearl and Max's plan.

"Why is it that you can so easily get what you want? Why? Just because you were born into a wealthy family? It's absurd! I've had to sacrifice so much, yet in the end, you still took everything from me. You stole everything I had, and you still dare to call yourself my friend?" Pearl stood up abruptly, screaming.

Bella almost wanted to laugh. She had no idea what she had supposedly stolen from Pearl.

"What are you laughing at? Seeing me fail like this makes you feel satisfied, doesn't it? You wretch! I've sacrificed so much, but in the end, you still took everything from me, and Max is still on your side. What did you do to him? Why could he treat me like this?" Pearl couldn't hold back her madness any longer. Thinking of Max, her heart twisted in pain.

In the end... had he abandoned her?

Looking at Pearl's current state, Bella didn't feel any sympathy—only disgust. She curled her lips into a sneer. "So, for a man who never belonged to you, you're willing to betray a friend of so many years. Have you ever felt any guilt or remorse for your friend, Pearl?"

Bella's words left Pearl stunned. She looked at Bella and was confused for a moment, her entire body trembling as if a cold wind had swept down her spine. Pearl collapsed into a chair, laughing shakily.

"So... so you knew... you knew everything from the start, didn't you?"

Bella remained silent, not responding. She didn't know everything from the beginning. It was only a year ago that she discovered her husband was having an affair with her best friend. Gradually, she uncovered the dirty and greedy plan they had been hiding.

Before that, she had been nothing more than a clueless puppet, unaware of anything going on between them. One could say they had hidden their tracks too well, or one could say that Bella was too foolish and naive, easily manipulated and used by them.

When Bella didn’t answer, Pearl burst into maniacal laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA… So you knew everything from the start, and yet you said nothing... Ha, I never thought I had misjudged you so badly. Yes, if you already know, then I don't have to hide it anymore. That's right, your husband and I have been together for a long time, since before you and he were married. Even if Max was your husband, so what? He loved me, he betrayed you and had an affair with me, do you know what that means? It's because we are the ones who truly love each other.  Max and I are true love, while you're just the third wheel. If it weren't for your wealthy father, if it weren't for you insisting on marrying Max back then, the woman standing by his side, his wife, would be me! Do you understand, Bella? It's all your fault, all because of you!"

Bella hadn’t expected Pearl to admit that she and Max were a true love. But what was true love? Exploiting each other's value? Hurting others and discarding them when they're no longer useful? Where was the loyalty and sincerity in love?

Pearl was a smart and calculating woman—how could she not see that?

Listening to Pearl's words, Bella simply smiled faintly. She thought she had woken up too late, living naively with a betrayer for three years of marriage. But it seemed that Pearl was the one who had yet to wake up from her delusion—or perhaps, she never would.

"Why? Why am I the one being abandoned? I've done everything! AH!" Pearl screamed, clutching her head. She felt as though the entire world was turning its back on her, as if the darkness was suffocating her. The man she loved wanted to leave her, and she couldn’t bear to be alone!

Bella noticed something was wrong with Pearl's behavior. She approached her, but Pearl suddenly looked up at her, grinning maniacally.

"That's right, Max doesn't want to leave me. It's all because of you, because of that baby... If you weren't pregnant, Max would never abandon me... So, Bella, you’re not allowed to have that baby! DIE! YOU WRETCH! DIE!"