Under the guise of holding a fake wedding with Angela, Mark grew increasingly close to her.I was considerate enough not to disturb their happiness.Years ago, I gave up an opportunity to transfer for work to another province because of Mark. At the time, my boss had promoted me with a raise and wanted me to manage a branch office, but I turned it down because of something Mark said.“A woman should focus on taking care of the family. Don’t let the internet brainwash you into thinking you need a career. What could you even achieve?”I thought it was because he couldn’t bear to be far from me. It wasn’t until later that I realized he just wanted someone to prepare his three meals a day. Back then, I genuinely wanted to be a good wife.Now, I saw how foolish I was. My boss readily approved my request to transfer to the branch office this time.Meanwhile, Mark really went through with the wedding with Angela.Angela posted online as if she couldn’t wait. “Finally got to wear the we
Mark never truly intended to cut ties with Angela. Compared to Sera, Angela was younger, prettier, and shared more common interests with him, but he was well aware of one thing: he was already married, and his wife was Sera.At that moment, he gently moved Angela’s hand away. “I’m heading home. You should rest early.”Angela stomped her feet angrily on the road, but she knew better than to throw a tantrum. Mark liked her for being gentle and obedient. If she acted like a jealous shrew, wouldn’t that make her just like Sera?Angela understood this all too well and could only suppress her frustration. In her mind, she believed she would eventually outlast Sera—until the day Mark divorced that old hag. She just had to wait.When Mark returned home, he noticed the lights were off.That was strange. Sera was always meticulous. Why wouldn’t she leave the lights on for him?The house was eerily quiet. On the table, a large envelope sat conspicuously.When Mark opened it and saw the div
Sera’s P.O.VI divorced Mark.The moment I received the divorce certificate, I let out a long sigh of relief.Mark looked a little dazed as if he wanted to say something to me, but I ignored him and brushed past without a word.At that moment, I was free. Free from following his orders. Free from rushing home every evening to prepare his favorite dinner.I once pretended to live a happy life, but maintaining that happiness was solely my effort—an effort he took for granted. He never learned to cherish it.After hearing about Mark’s divorce, Angela couldn’t wait to post on social media. “You’re finally mine!”Once, words like that would have stung and made me jealous and sad, not because of Angela, but because Mark’s heart had changed. Nevertheless, now that I no longer loved him, her words only seemed ridiculous.My life no longer revolved around Mark. My new job kept me fulfilled and busy.Angela even sent me a message, “Sera, thank you for giving him back to me.”She contin
I stopped paying attention to her and Mark’s situation and focused on my work.Then one day, a colleague suddenly shared some gossip. “Did you see the news? A female university student got pregnant, but the kid’s father ran away. So she found a stand-in dad! But it turned out that this stand-in dad was infertile, and the whole thing got exposed.”“Pfft, hahaha! That’s insane!”“The guy wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t gone to the hospital for a checkup. He’d have lived his whole life in the dark!”While everyone burst into laughter, my phone suddenly rang.It was Mark calling. I didn’t want to answer, but he was persistent and sent me a barrage of messages:“Sera, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect Angela to be like this. She was asking different men for money outside. I was just one of them. If it weren’t for you telling me, I would’ve been deceived for life... I was wrong. Can you come back?“She’s a liar, and I’ve kicked her out! She’s the reason we broke up in the first place. Witho
Sera’s P.O.VWhen being trailed by the murderer, I called Mark Simpson.He answered impatiently, “I already told you I’m working late tonight. What do you want now?”The person behind me continued to follow relentlessly, forcing me into a dead end.My heart pounded like a drum, and my voice trembled. “Help me, I’m being followed by a murderer. He’s holding a knife…”“There’s no murderer. Stop imagining things!” Mark’s tone was annoyed. “You always call me at night. Can’t you just let me work in peace? Will this ever end?”I humbly tried to explain, “It’s true. I’m not lying…”Suddenly, a sweet, flirtatious female voice came through the receiver. “Marky-boo, does this lingerie look good on me?”Hearing Angela Bright’s voice, I froze. Before I could question anything, Mark immediately hung up the phone.My heart sank, and the murderer’s footsteps grew closer. The instinct to survive overcame my fear. I clenched my fists tightly and then threw my phone at him with all my strength
Mark looked anxious. “Angela sprained her ankle riding her bike. I need to go check on her.”“So?” I replied.“You can take a cab home yourself. I can’t drive you.”I laughed bitterly. “Mark, have you forgotten that I’m your wife? Shouldn’t you and Angela keep some distance?”He frowned at me. “Sera, can you stop being so unreasonable? Angela’s just a young girl. Why are you so jealous? She’s lying on the roadside, hurt. Do you expect me to ignore her? I’m not as cold-blooded as you!”He kicked me out of the car without the slightest care. My phone was broken, so calling a cab wasn’t even an option. The rainstorm came fast and furious, trapping me at a tiny bus stop. The wound began to ache sharply as a chill rose in my heart. I never thought that, in this lifetime, I would cry over two dollars.Humbled and drenched, I had no choice but to accept a stranger’s charity to make it home.By the time I reached the house, the rain had stopped, but my heart had completely turned cold
I suddenly laughed. Laughed at how naive I had been in my youth, believing in things like promises.“So? You want me to just let it go?”“Sera, enough already. It’s just a bracelet. Do you really have to make things difficult for Angela? She’s just a college student.”While we were at a stalemate, Angela suddenly stepped forward with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Sera, don’t be mad at Mark! I’ll pay you back for the bracelet. I’ll work part-time to earn the money…”Mark cut her off. “Angela, you don’t need to pay her! It’s just a bracelet. What’s the big deal?” He then turned to Angela with concern. “Angela, she pushed you so hard just now. Let’s go to the hospital and have you checked out.”As he left, Mark shot me a glare sharp as a knife.Watching them leave, my tears began to fall uncontrollably. I wasn’t crying over Mark’s change of heart but over my mother’s death. Now, even the sole thing she had left me was gone. The broken bracelet on the ground cou
I stopped paying attention to her and Mark’s situation and focused on my work.Then one day, a colleague suddenly shared some gossip. “Did you see the news? A female university student got pregnant, but the kid’s father ran away. So she found a stand-in dad! But it turned out that this stand-in dad was infertile, and the whole thing got exposed.”“Pfft, hahaha! That’s insane!”“The guy wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t gone to the hospital for a checkup. He’d have lived his whole life in the dark!”While everyone burst into laughter, my phone suddenly rang.It was Mark calling. I didn’t want to answer, but he was persistent and sent me a barrage of messages:“Sera, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect Angela to be like this. She was asking different men for money outside. I was just one of them. If it weren’t for you telling me, I would’ve been deceived for life... I was wrong. Can you come back?“She’s a liar, and I’ve kicked her out! She’s the reason we broke up in the first place. Witho
Sera’s P.O.VI divorced Mark.The moment I received the divorce certificate, I let out a long sigh of relief.Mark looked a little dazed as if he wanted to say something to me, but I ignored him and brushed past without a word.At that moment, I was free. Free from following his orders. Free from rushing home every evening to prepare his favorite dinner.I once pretended to live a happy life, but maintaining that happiness was solely my effort—an effort he took for granted. He never learned to cherish it.After hearing about Mark’s divorce, Angela couldn’t wait to post on social media. “You’re finally mine!”Once, words like that would have stung and made me jealous and sad, not because of Angela, but because Mark’s heart had changed. Nevertheless, now that I no longer loved him, her words only seemed ridiculous.My life no longer revolved around Mark. My new job kept me fulfilled and busy.Angela even sent me a message, “Sera, thank you for giving him back to me.”She contin
Mark never truly intended to cut ties with Angela. Compared to Sera, Angela was younger, prettier, and shared more common interests with him, but he was well aware of one thing: he was already married, and his wife was Sera.At that moment, he gently moved Angela’s hand away. “I’m heading home. You should rest early.”Angela stomped her feet angrily on the road, but she knew better than to throw a tantrum. Mark liked her for being gentle and obedient. If she acted like a jealous shrew, wouldn’t that make her just like Sera?Angela understood this all too well and could only suppress her frustration. In her mind, she believed she would eventually outlast Sera—until the day Mark divorced that old hag. She just had to wait.When Mark returned home, he noticed the lights were off.That was strange. Sera was always meticulous. Why wouldn’t she leave the lights on for him?The house was eerily quiet. On the table, a large envelope sat conspicuously.When Mark opened it and saw the div
Under the guise of holding a fake wedding with Angela, Mark grew increasingly close to her.I was considerate enough not to disturb their happiness.Years ago, I gave up an opportunity to transfer for work to another province because of Mark. At the time, my boss had promoted me with a raise and wanted me to manage a branch office, but I turned it down because of something Mark said.“A woman should focus on taking care of the family. Don’t let the internet brainwash you into thinking you need a career. What could you even achieve?”I thought it was because he couldn’t bear to be far from me. It wasn’t until later that I realized he just wanted someone to prepare his three meals a day. Back then, I genuinely wanted to be a good wife.Now, I saw how foolish I was. My boss readily approved my request to transfer to the branch office this time.Meanwhile, Mark really went through with the wedding with Angela.Angela posted online as if she couldn’t wait. “Finally got to wear the we
“I’d like to see where you can go once you walk out that door!”Without looking back, I left that house. Then, with a clear mind, I dialed my lawyer’s number.“Hello, I’d like to consult about filing for divorce.”The day after I left, Mark texted me, “Sera, don’t think you can use this runaway stunt to threaten me. I’m not coming to find you! If you have the guts, don’t ever come back!”I never expected him to come looking for me anyway. I was already prepared never to return.A week soon passed. To my surprise, Mark actually showed up.“Sera, how much longer are you planning to wander outside?”For a moment, I wondered if I’d mistaken him for someone else. He was the one who said he wouldn’t care, and now he was suddenly showing concern.“If something happened to you, how could I ever feel at ease?”I searched his eyes, but there wasn’t a hint of love in them. Nevertheless, that didn’t matter anymore. Even when I later discovered signs that Angela had been living in our bedr
I suddenly laughed. Laughed at how naive I had been in my youth, believing in things like promises.“So? You want me to just let it go?”“Sera, enough already. It’s just a bracelet. Do you really have to make things difficult for Angela? She’s just a college student.”While we were at a stalemate, Angela suddenly stepped forward with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Sera, don’t be mad at Mark! I’ll pay you back for the bracelet. I’ll work part-time to earn the money…”Mark cut her off. “Angela, you don’t need to pay her! It’s just a bracelet. What’s the big deal?” He then turned to Angela with concern. “Angela, she pushed you so hard just now. Let’s go to the hospital and have you checked out.”As he left, Mark shot me a glare sharp as a knife.Watching them leave, my tears began to fall uncontrollably. I wasn’t crying over Mark’s change of heart but over my mother’s death. Now, even the sole thing she had left me was gone. The broken bracelet on the ground cou
Mark looked anxious. “Angela sprained her ankle riding her bike. I need to go check on her.”“So?” I replied.“You can take a cab home yourself. I can’t drive you.”I laughed bitterly. “Mark, have you forgotten that I’m your wife? Shouldn’t you and Angela keep some distance?”He frowned at me. “Sera, can you stop being so unreasonable? Angela’s just a young girl. Why are you so jealous? She’s lying on the roadside, hurt. Do you expect me to ignore her? I’m not as cold-blooded as you!”He kicked me out of the car without the slightest care. My phone was broken, so calling a cab wasn’t even an option. The rainstorm came fast and furious, trapping me at a tiny bus stop. The wound began to ache sharply as a chill rose in my heart. I never thought that, in this lifetime, I would cry over two dollars.Humbled and drenched, I had no choice but to accept a stranger’s charity to make it home.By the time I reached the house, the rain had stopped, but my heart had completely turned cold
Sera’s P.O.VWhen being trailed by the murderer, I called Mark Simpson.He answered impatiently, “I already told you I’m working late tonight. What do you want now?”The person behind me continued to follow relentlessly, forcing me into a dead end.My heart pounded like a drum, and my voice trembled. “Help me, I’m being followed by a murderer. He’s holding a knife…”“There’s no murderer. Stop imagining things!” Mark’s tone was annoyed. “You always call me at night. Can’t you just let me work in peace? Will this ever end?”I humbly tried to explain, “It’s true. I’m not lying…”Suddenly, a sweet, flirtatious female voice came through the receiver. “Marky-boo, does this lingerie look good on me?”Hearing Angela Bright’s voice, I froze. Before I could question anything, Mark immediately hung up the phone.My heart sank, and the murderer’s footsteps grew closer. The instinct to survive overcame my fear. I clenched my fists tightly and then threw my phone at him with all my strength