Theo and I decided to get married after dating for six months, partly because my parents were urging me to get hitched, and partly because I did not want another long relationship.I was the one who proposed to Theo, but he turned down my proposal. He said, "No, the timing is not right. My custom-made engagement ring is not ready yet. Can you please wait?"The custom-made engagement ring came with a diamond ring as big as a pigeon's egg. It wasn't until that moment that I realized Theo was loaded."I never knew you were this rich." I couldn't tell he came from wealth when we were classmates in middle school.He replied in all seriousness, "We weren't that rich back then—just getting by. I advised my parents to buy a piece of land when I was in college, and later, the land's value shot up when the developer bought out the owners."Oh, it turned out that he was made of new money.Our parents got along well, and our wedding was set to be in March the following year. Theo took care o
I became a homewrecker in the tenth year of dating my boyfriend, Ryan Maple. We were checking out our potential new home before we got married. It was at that moment his wife came looking for him.The scene of a wife getting into a catfight with the mistress unfolded at the sales gallery.I lost part of my scalp in the fight, but all Ryan cared about was his pregnant wife, Jessie Rivers, whom I had shoved onto the ground.Ryan later tried to get a divorce from Jessie in order to marry me. "Madison, I beg of you. Please forgive me this once."…"Ms. Pell, the unit size and floors of this apartment suit your requirements. What do you think?"Many couples were looking at apartment units at the sales gallery, including me and Ryan. I had visited many apartments alone in search of a suitable apartment.The one we were viewing was a riverside apartment. Its location and other facilities satisfied my wants.As our marriage drew closer, the more I looked forward to married life, espe
Ryan did not confirm nor deny it, but I could tell the truth from the guilty look in his eyes.The scorching summer day in June felt like winter to me. I held my breath in shock. What was I to Ryan, if that woman was his wife?"Stop faking it," the woman taunted me.Then, she went on to introduce me to the onlookers. "Ladies and gentlemen, take a good look at this homewrecker! She snatched my husband from me, and she had the audacity to ask him for an apartment."In fact, Ryan and I had worked hard to save up for the apartment. If I were to be precise, I put more money into that apartment than he did.I stubbornly asked him, "What is she talking about? Are you married?"Ryan wore a deep scowl. My continuous questioning seemed to have added to the woman's anger. Once again, she tried to grab my hair with all her might. A stinging pain shot through my scalp as I felt my hair being ripped out.In great pain, I instinctively pushed her away, and she stumbled onto the ground. A momen
I sank into a trance for a while before admitting to Kiara that I was the "homewrecker" in the video. This time, she called me. "I'm free now. Can I come over?" she asked cautiously."Sure. Bring some cold medicine for me."I must have been running a fever. My skin felt hot to the touch. Kiara arrived and saw me looking as red as a tomato. I was reaching out desperately for the glass of water on the cabinet."Oh my god! Wait a second. I'm here." Kiara did not even have time to kick off her shoes. She set the bags aside and handed me the glass of water. "Drink slowly."I chugged half of the water before licking my cracking lips. I stared at her muddy shoes. "You didn't change into home slippers."It took her a while to come around. She pinched my face in annoyance. "Princess, you're sick, and all you care about is my muddy shoes? I can call a helper to clean your home for you!"No. I could not tolerate the mud being dragged across my clean floors. I stubbornly stared at Kiara
Ryan finally left. He was driven away by Kiara's sharp reprimands.She was terrified at the sight of me shaking violently from head to toe. I couldn't stop trembling long after Ryan left. Teeth chattering, I took huge inhales."Maddy, calm down. Listen to me. Take a deep breath. Come on. Exhale… Inhale…"It took her half an hour to calm me down."I'm fine. I'm feeling much better." My voice cracked like an old, rusty gate. My forehead felt cold to the touch, which was rather uncharacteristic of a fever patient."Maddy…" Kiara hesitated.But I didn't let her speak. I insisted she get disinfectant from the nurse, which I sprayed across the chair Ryan had just been sitting on.Kiara asked, "I know you're a hopeless neat freak, but aren't you immune to Ryan?"I couldn't come up with an answer.It was true. I had spent a long time adjusting to Ryan's presence. Slowly, I had grown used to his hugs and even more intimate gestures.So why did his presence suddenly feel unbearable?
After a short pause, I shook my head and spoke. This was the longest sentence I had formed in these two days. I stated, "Ryan is a mentally healthy grown-up. He can think for himself. I doubt that he was tricked into sleeping with another woman. He was definitely sober when he registered their marriage at the city hall."At the end of the day, Ryan had impregnated a woman named Jessie Rivers. They had slept with each other. It was an undeniable truth.Kiara waved at me dejectedly before speeding away.I took the elevator while clutching a bag of medicine in my hand. I deliberately picked a hygienic neighborhood when I decided to rent. My pallid face was reflected on the squeaky clean elevator doors.I'd developed deep dark circles under my eyes after just three days. I suddenly had an urge to cry upon seeing my disheveled look.The sadness I had kept under control for days finally flooded me.I couldn't help but think of the past. I had run into Ryan for the second time, one we
Ryan stared at me in utter disbelief. It hadn't occurred to him until that moment that I thought of him as filthy. The idea shocked him. His lovely eyes were filled with fear.Then, he frantically tried to prove himself to me. "Maddy, it's me. It's Ryan. Don't you love the way I smell? You always say it's a unique scent only a lover would know how to appreciate. Why do you think I'm smelly now?"His voice trailed off until only silence remained.Meanwhile, I was so close to suffocating. My initially pale face turned into an abnormal pink shade.The elevator chimed when its doors opened. It was like music to my ears.I stumbled out of the elevator unsteadily. Then, I gasped for breath in the corridor.Ryan followed along. He wanted to get closer to me, but he was fearful.I had never felt more thankful for his thoughtfulness in this life because I was still nauseous. I was ready to puke at any minute, though there was nothing left in my stomach.We stood across each other, 20 fe
Theo and I decided to get married after dating for six months, partly because my parents were urging me to get hitched, and partly because I did not want another long relationship.I was the one who proposed to Theo, but he turned down my proposal. He said, "No, the timing is not right. My custom-made engagement ring is not ready yet. Can you please wait?"The custom-made engagement ring came with a diamond ring as big as a pigeon's egg. It wasn't until that moment that I realized Theo was loaded."I never knew you were this rich." I couldn't tell he came from wealth when we were classmates in middle school.He replied in all seriousness, "We weren't that rich back then—just getting by. I advised my parents to buy a piece of land when I was in college, and later, the land's value shot up when the developer bought out the owners."Oh, it turned out that he was made of new money.Our parents got along well, and our wedding was set to be in March the following year. Theo took care o
I bought the riverside apartment. I managed to put down a 30% down payment from the 500,000 dollars Kiara lent to me on top of my savings.I invited many friends to my housewarming party when the renovation was completed, which was unlike myself. Some of my guests were mutual friends I shared with Ryan.When they first learned about our breakup, some of them asked me for the reason either openly or in private, and I brushed it off as "incompatibility."Of course, no one bought the answer. After all, I had dated him for 10 years. They must have guessed that something happened and felt bad for me."She basically wasted her precious youth—10 years—on him!"I often laughed it off. "A relationship can always end."Thankfully, the topic of my breakup quickly went away because as adults, we were all busy with our lives.Therefore, I was surprised to overhear guests gossiping about Ryan in the bathroom. They spoke in such hushed voices, perhaps not wanting me to overhear."I heard Jess
Ryan stared at me in utter disbelief. It hadn't occurred to him until that moment that I thought of him as filthy. The idea shocked him. His lovely eyes were filled with fear.Then, he frantically tried to prove himself to me. "Maddy, it's me. It's Ryan. Don't you love the way I smell? You always say it's a unique scent only a lover would know how to appreciate. Why do you think I'm smelly now?"His voice trailed off until only silence remained.Meanwhile, I was so close to suffocating. My initially pale face turned into an abnormal pink shade.The elevator chimed when its doors opened. It was like music to my ears.I stumbled out of the elevator unsteadily. Then, I gasped for breath in the corridor.Ryan followed along. He wanted to get closer to me, but he was fearful.I had never felt more thankful for his thoughtfulness in this life because I was still nauseous. I was ready to puke at any minute, though there was nothing left in my stomach.We stood across each other, 20 fe
After a short pause, I shook my head and spoke. This was the longest sentence I had formed in these two days. I stated, "Ryan is a mentally healthy grown-up. He can think for himself. I doubt that he was tricked into sleeping with another woman. He was definitely sober when he registered their marriage at the city hall."At the end of the day, Ryan had impregnated a woman named Jessie Rivers. They had slept with each other. It was an undeniable truth.Kiara waved at me dejectedly before speeding away.I took the elevator while clutching a bag of medicine in my hand. I deliberately picked a hygienic neighborhood when I decided to rent. My pallid face was reflected on the squeaky clean elevator doors.I'd developed deep dark circles under my eyes after just three days. I suddenly had an urge to cry upon seeing my disheveled look.The sadness I had kept under control for days finally flooded me.I couldn't help but think of the past. I had run into Ryan for the second time, one we
Ryan finally left. He was driven away by Kiara's sharp reprimands.She was terrified at the sight of me shaking violently from head to toe. I couldn't stop trembling long after Ryan left. Teeth chattering, I took huge inhales."Maddy, calm down. Listen to me. Take a deep breath. Come on. Exhale… Inhale…"It took her half an hour to calm me down."I'm fine. I'm feeling much better." My voice cracked like an old, rusty gate. My forehead felt cold to the touch, which was rather uncharacteristic of a fever patient."Maddy…" Kiara hesitated.But I didn't let her speak. I insisted she get disinfectant from the nurse, which I sprayed across the chair Ryan had just been sitting on.Kiara asked, "I know you're a hopeless neat freak, but aren't you immune to Ryan?"I couldn't come up with an answer.It was true. I had spent a long time adjusting to Ryan's presence. Slowly, I had grown used to his hugs and even more intimate gestures.So why did his presence suddenly feel unbearable?
I sank into a trance for a while before admitting to Kiara that I was the "homewrecker" in the video. This time, she called me. "I'm free now. Can I come over?" she asked cautiously."Sure. Bring some cold medicine for me."I must have been running a fever. My skin felt hot to the touch. Kiara arrived and saw me looking as red as a tomato. I was reaching out desperately for the glass of water on the cabinet."Oh my god! Wait a second. I'm here." Kiara did not even have time to kick off her shoes. She set the bags aside and handed me the glass of water. "Drink slowly."I chugged half of the water before licking my cracking lips. I stared at her muddy shoes. "You didn't change into home slippers."It took her a while to come around. She pinched my face in annoyance. "Princess, you're sick, and all you care about is my muddy shoes? I can call a helper to clean your home for you!"No. I could not tolerate the mud being dragged across my clean floors. I stubbornly stared at Kiara
Ryan did not confirm nor deny it, but I could tell the truth from the guilty look in his eyes.The scorching summer day in June felt like winter to me. I held my breath in shock. What was I to Ryan, if that woman was his wife?"Stop faking it," the woman taunted me.Then, she went on to introduce me to the onlookers. "Ladies and gentlemen, take a good look at this homewrecker! She snatched my husband from me, and she had the audacity to ask him for an apartment."In fact, Ryan and I had worked hard to save up for the apartment. If I were to be precise, I put more money into that apartment than he did.I stubbornly asked him, "What is she talking about? Are you married?"Ryan wore a deep scowl. My continuous questioning seemed to have added to the woman's anger. Once again, she tried to grab my hair with all her might. A stinging pain shot through my scalp as I felt my hair being ripped out.In great pain, I instinctively pushed her away, and she stumbled onto the ground. A momen
I became a homewrecker in the tenth year of dating my boyfriend, Ryan Maple. We were checking out our potential new home before we got married. It was at that moment his wife came looking for him.The scene of a wife getting into a catfight with the mistress unfolded at the sales gallery.I lost part of my scalp in the fight, but all Ryan cared about was his pregnant wife, Jessie Rivers, whom I had shoved onto the ground.Ryan later tried to get a divorce from Jessie in order to marry me. "Madison, I beg of you. Please forgive me this once."…"Ms. Pell, the unit size and floors of this apartment suit your requirements. What do you think?"Many couples were looking at apartment units at the sales gallery, including me and Ryan. I had visited many apartments alone in search of a suitable apartment.The one we were viewing was a riverside apartment. Its location and other facilities satisfied my wants.As our marriage drew closer, the more I looked forward to married life, espe