All Chapters of Start from Zero: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1 The Betrayal

My heart clenched. Staring at the message that had just appeared, I opened my WhatsApp chat with James in disbelief.Just half an hour ago, he had sent me a video."Honey, even when you're not here, I'm still keeping myself in check."…"Honey, I miss you."…"Honey, this is the hotel I'm staying at today. I'll bring you a gift when I come back tomorrow."…I had not opened the video earlier. Now, with trembling fingers, I tapped on it, my heart pounding like a drum as I watched the seconds tick by.James had filmed every corner of the hotel room, leaving practically nothing out, while his cheerful voice came through the speakers."Honey, I'm staying in a king room tonight. If you were here with me, I'd definitely get us a suite—"Then, I paused the video. As I zoomed in, I spotted a heat patch in the room.I could not believe it. I took a screenshot and searched online for the same product. When an identical heat patch appeared in the search results, I completely broke dow

Chapter 2 The Other Woman

"Don't you have a friend who's at Resortworld right now?" I got straight to the point."James is cheating on me. At Resortworld," I told Cleo. "I need to know what kind of person made him betray our ten-year marriage."Then I hung up and sat in the living room all night. I did not sleep a wink.Finally, a message from Cleo came through. At the same time, James messaged me."Honey, I booked a flight for tonight. When I get back, I'll make you some oatmeal. Take good care of yourself!"Underneath was a sticker from him that read, "Love you."I opened the information Cleo had sent me. Her friend had taken photos of James entering and leaving the hotel with a girl that very morning. Right now, the two of them were using the special-access lanes at Resortworld.Cleo was furious. "That bastard really is cheating on you! Is he even human? If it weren't for you, how could he ever have become the man he is today?"I could not take in a single word she said. I simply stared at the photo

Chapter 3 What Am I to You?

I was like a thief spying on someone else's happiness.Wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a hat, I stood less than a meter away from James and listened as the man who had once whispered sweet nothings in my ear passionately declared his love for another woman.And me? From beginning to end, I was nothing more than an outsider.My fingertips trembled until they went numb. It felt as though someone had plunged a blunt knife straight into my heart, dragging and wrenching it through my flesh as scorching blood poured endlessly from the wound until there was nothing left.My vision blurred with tears, and my entire body shook uncontrollably.Just as Cleo was about to charge over and fight James to the death, I grabbed her.Then, I called James.I watched as James pulled out his phone and glanced at the caller ID. He looked at the girl who had just gotten off the carousel. Then he chose to hang up.Once. Twice. Three times.The girl walked over to him and asked, "Who is it?"When she

Chapter 4 The Surprise Gift

Maybe he had loved me once, but love always changed. Over time, it became tainted, allowing all sorts of uncertainties to creep in.And that was how we ended up here today."Honey?" James didn't even have time to pay attention to the girl who had been acting spoiled with him. He walked out of the hotel and anxiously looked around. "Why aren't you answering me? Do you want me to come pick you up in Sangland?"I watched James pace around like an ant on a hot pan. Only after I had seen enough did I calmly tell him, "No need."Unlike before, I did not tell him when I would be going home, nor did I ask whether he had gone back.Then, I heard him ask, "Are you coming home today?" He could not suppress the anxiety in his voice. "Or are you staying in Sangland?"Looking at the man not far away, I merely smiled and replied, "We'll see."After that, I hung up.I watched as James, restless and uneasy, pulled the girl into the car and headed home.I was in the car right behind them.…

Chapter 5 I Don't Recycle Trash

Cleo pulled down the curtain we had prepared beforehand.The entire backdrop had been changed. What had originally read, "Congratulations to Our Little Princess on Turning Twenty-Two," now read, "A Joyous Occasion in Our Family Today. As the Lawful Wife, I Have Come Personally to Accept My Husband's Mistress." Even the cake the girl had prepared in advance had become part of the surprise I had meticulously prepared for the two of them. On top of the cake were photos I had printed out.There was a photo of them kissing beneath the Resortworld fireworks, along with photos of them holding hands as they entered and left the hotel.I had witnessed James' romantic gestures. I had seen just how thoughtfully and meticulously he pampered his princess.And now, I stood here.Meeting James' stunned gaze, I walked over to the girl."I heard my husband paid quite a price for a taste of something new." My smile was gentle. "How could I possibly miss such an exciting occasion? After all, wh

Chapter 6 Give Her a Proper Name Then

"If you really love her, you should let her stand openly in the sunlight instead of making her into a homewrecker that everyone despises!" Then, I turned to the stunned Denise and continued, "If your crush really loves you, he should give you a proper name instead of making you sneak around even when you go to Resortworld.""One more thing." I smiled. "You had the guts to add my contacts and make sure I saw you flaunting your relationship every single day, yet you don't have the guts to bring it right to my face. You're nothing but a coward."Smiling, I took out a pen and said, "Consider it my birthday present to you. Why don't you get your crush to sign it?"In that split second, the room was in chaos.I watched the emotions in Denise's eyes shift from panic to anger, and finally to an excitement she could no longer conceal. She even forgot to cry as she cautiously looked at James.James stared at the divorce agreement in disbelief. Through gritted teeth, he asked, "You're divo

Chapter 7 Karma

"I know I interfered in your marriage! I know I'm in the wrong, but there's no such thing as first come, first served when it comes to love! If love had to be rational, then it wouldn't be love! I love James!" Denise covered her face as she shouted, "If I had been the one by James' side back then, I never would've been like you! I wouldn't have failed to protect even my own child!""You bitch! Say that one more fucking time!" Cleo completely lost it. She grabbed a chair and looked ready to fight Denise."The second you decided to become someone else's mistress, you fucking deserved to get slapped!"Seeing that Cleo was about to fight Denise, I stopped her.Then, I turned to James.His face was filled with disappointment as he said, "I never thought you would become like this! You've disappointed me so much, Melinda. You want a divorce, right?"He picked up the pen from the table. "Fine. I'd like to see just how well you can live without me!"As he spoke, he signed his name in

Chapter 8 The Video

Our things were still neatly arranged in their original places, as if nothing had ever happened.James casually picked up one of the sticky notes I had left behind. The handwriting on it was still clear."The porridge is in the pot. Remember to eat."There was another note on the balcony. "Remember to water the flowers for me."And another by the sink. "James, I bought you a new razor!"I had even drawn a smiley face on it.Just from looking at those notes, he could imagine how happy I must have been when I wrote them.The house was filled with traces of me. Just by looking around, he could imagine how I had looked and felt back then. It was almost as though he could see me humming around the house before smiling and throwing myself into his arms.He could see us sitting together on the sofa, watching a movie. See us kissing. See things going further between us.Then, his hand suddenly brushed against something uneven.He pulled it out and found a USB drive inside.James' he

Chapter 9 It's Too Late for Regrets

"Goodbye, James."Only then did James remember how many of my calls he had rejected at Resortworld. He also remembered that strange phone call that night, when I had repeatedly asked him whether he would ever betray me.At the time, he had simply assumed I was delirious from the fever and acting spoiled with him. But Denise had already stirred up his desire, so he hadn't spared a thought for my feelings. He had merely let out muffled groans as he listened to what sounded like me vomiting on the other end of the line before hanging up.He and Denise had burned with passion all night, while I had spent the entire night crying.It was as though he could suddenly see me vomiting until I was utterly exhausted, collapsing onto the floor and sobbing in despair. He could see me sitting alone in the living room, torturing myself by endlessly scrolling through Denise's posts.Every time he imagined another detail, his heart hurt a little more.He had always believed that I could not truly

Chapter 10 Stepping Toward a New Life

"James is seriously the biggest scumbag alive. He keeps saying he loves you, yet everything he does is inhuman! Just look at that bitch! Disgusting!"I did not respond.While Cleo continued cursing, I calmly deleted the surveillance app. Then, I opened the travel map and asked her, "Aren't we going traveling anymore?"Cleo immediately changed her tune.She grabbed my arm. "Let's go!"…The night before we were scheduled to leave, I saw Denise.She no longer looked as polished as she had the day we first met. Instead, she looked much more haggard.The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up. Then, she dropped to her knees in front of me and begged, "Melinda, please let James go!"She kneeled before me, sobbing."I really love him! I really want to spend the rest of my life with him! Please, let him go! You're the only person on his mind now. He doesn't want me anymore. Melinda, can you make him stop loving you?"As I stared at Denise, I suddenly remembered what I had been like bac

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