12
Late at night, Gary came out. He hesitated
before speaking. “Why are you sleeping here?
Why not go to the bedroom?”
“Whose bedroom would that be?” I asked
calmly.
He frowned. “Molly, what are you thinking?
I’m just taking care of Susan and Chloe, that’s
all. We’ve slept in separate rooms for years.”
“Don’t you believe me?”
I didn’t believe a word.
I said calmly, “Gary, if you have any
responsibility left, make Susan move out. I
have no problem with you helping them, but
you’re giving me all your money to manage.
I’ll give Susan three thousand a month. That
will support them.”
He refused instantly. “No way! Susan and
Chloe are alone. How can a woman raise a
child by herself? Besides, three thousand
く
dollars isn’t enough for them.”
I was close to exploding. Susan needs
support, but Lily and I only got three hundred
dollars a month! He was heartless!
I closed my eyes, the pain too sharp. Gary
reached for me. “Come to bed, honey. We
haven’t been intimate in a long time.”
I laughed coldly. “I only want a divorce and
your assets. I have no interest in you. Go
sleep with Susan; you’ve done it countless
times already. Why pretend in front of me?”
Gary’s face fell. He didn’t press further, but
before leaving, he said, “Sleep here if you
want. But the divorce isn’t happening!”
13
The next morning, I was woken by shouting.
Chloe was pushing Lily away, yelling, “You
country bumpkin, get away from my doll!
You’re so dirty!”
Lily fought back.
Chloe fell to the floor. Lily punched her.
I watched quietly until Gary and Susan woke
- up. Susan rushed over, shoving Lily. “You little
monster! You’re bullying my daughter!” She
grabbed a feather duster. I jumped up. “What
are you doing?!”
Seeing me awake, she hesitated. “Control
your daughter! She’s got no manners,
attacking people like that!”
“Manners?” I laughed. “I may lack manners,
but at least I don’t show my daughter how to
be a shameless homewrecker!”
Susan sputtered, turning red. Gary glared.
“Molly, I’ve had enough! You’re going too
far!”
“Enough?” I smiled. “Then let’s get a divorce.”
The words silenced him.
Susan, frustrated, took Chloe to their room.
Soon, she emerged with a suitcase.
Gary panicked. “Susan, where are you
going?”
“Do I have a place in this house anymore?”
Susan pointed at me. “From now on, it’s
either her or me! Choose!”
14
I watched Gary’s face. I already knew what
he’d choose.
Gary approached, pleading, “Molly, you’ve
only been here a day, and you’ve made a
mess of everything. How can I work like this?
Go back to the country. You want money,
right? I’ll give you my bonus next month. And
eight thousand dollars a month, just go back,
okay?”
His words were like poison darts.
Seeing my silence, he started packing my
bag. He emptied his wallet into it. “I’m busy
at work, might even become VP soon, no time
to drive you back. Take this money, buy Lily
something nice on the way.”
He left. At the door, he turned to Susan. “I’m
about to be promoted, lots on my plate. You’re not leaving, right?”
That worked. Susan stopped arguing. A
promotion meant more money, better living
for her. Where would she find another man
like Gary?
After he left, Susan quietly returned to their
room. At noon, she made soup, saying she
was taking it to Gary at work. I followed,
unnoticed.
At his workplace, I heard his colleagues
talking:
“Gary’s wife is amazing, beautiful, gentle. She
even makes him soup every day. My wife isn’t
half as good.”
“Yeah, they’re so in love. I remember once,
she came to deliver soup in a downpour. She
left immediately. I asked her to wait till the
rain subsided, but she said she didn’t want to
disturb him.”
“I envy him.”
“What a wife!”
I interrupted, pulling Lily into the building.
“That’s nothing compared to a brother’s
wife’s cooking, isn’t it? There’s a saying,
‘Nothing’s better than dumplings, nothing’s
better than a brother’s wife.’ Am I right?”
My words drew everyone’s attention. Gary
and Susan’s faces turned crimson.
15
Gary whispered, “Molly, this is my workplace.
This will affect my career. You know I’m
about to be VP. Let’s talk at home. I’ll give
you what you want.”
“Too late!”
I hugged Gary, feigning tears. “Gary, I’m not
as pretty as Susan. That’s why you don’t want
me anymore, right? Don’t abandon us! I can
change! Even if you live with Susan, I’ll
accept it, just don’t kick us out, please…”
Lily clung to Gary’s leg. “Daddy, Mommy and I
work in the fields, can’t afford school fees, or
ice cream. People say I don’t have a father… I
don’t want to be fatherless. Please, Daddy! I’ll
always listen to you. It’s okay if you sleep with
Aunt Susan. Let Mommy and me sleep on the
couch. Please don’t kick us out…”
Children are incredibly persuasive. Especially
in this situation. The onlookers‘ expressions
changed.
“So that’s how it is! Gary’s a monster!”
“He always seemed so nice, but he’s secretly
been with his brother’s wife, abandoning his
own family!”
Gary and Susan’s faces turned ashen. Susan
feigned vulnerability. “Everyone, please don’t
misunderstand. We’re not married! We haven’t
done anything immoral, Gary, say something!”
Gary composed himself. He explained,
<
“Colleagues, things aren’t as bad as you
think. I may not be perfect, but I wouldn’t
abandon my wife and child. Susan is my best
friend’s wife. He was an orphan, died in a car
accident. Before he died, he asked me to take
care of Susan and Chloe. It was his dying
wish. How could I refuse?”
Susan added, “Molly, if you don’t like me, I’ll
leave. You don’t have to make a scene here.
Gary’s about to be promoted. You’ll ruin his
career…”
They made me look like the bad guy.
16
But I was ready. I mimicked her pitiful act.
“Susan, I don’t mind your husband taking care
of you. But you can’t live with him, and never
let him come home, not even for the
holidays!”
Susan’s face paled. “I… I didn’t… Gary was
working late…”
く
I cut her off. “But you’ve been living together
for years, sharing everything. Is that what
taking care of your brother–in–law’s family
entails?”
The onlookers stared at Susan again.
I continued, “You can live with him, but you
can’t steal all his money! Lily and I were living
in poverty, unable to afford medical care or
ice cream! Your husband died in an accident,
wasn’t there insurance money? Why take his
salary instead? You and Gary have been
together, I’ve endured it, but you took all his
money. How are Lily and I supposed to live?
Please, just leave him.”
Some colleagues‘ eyes welled up.
“That’s terrible!”
“He’s taking advantage of his brother’s death
to get with Susan!”
“Gary gave all his money to his brother’s wife,
not his own! His wife had no choice but to
come here for help!”
17
“What’s going on here? Aren’t you all
supposed to be working?”
A group of well–dressed people arrived, led
by a man in his fifties – Mr. Qin, the CEO.
Gary rushed over. “Sir, it’s nothing important.
I’ll handle it.”
Mr. Qin frowned. “Nothing important? It’s
disrupted the entire company. Especially
today, with big clients coming in!”
Gary hung his head. Someone whispered the
situation to Mr. Qin. He frowned. A client, a
woman in her forties, stepped forward. “I’m
shocked by Mr. Gary’s behavior. If a man
lacks such basic integrity, I have no
confidence in his business dealings. We’ll
have to cancel our contract.”
Mr. Qin tried to keep her, but it was too late.
After the client left, Gary tried to explain.
L
“You don’t need to explain! Your behavior is
unacceptable. I don’t want you here anymore.
Go to HR and resign!”
Gary was stunned. Mr. Qin turned to me. “I’m
appalled by my employee’s behavior. If you
need legal assistance, I’ll have our lawyers
help you.”
He wasn’t saying it directly, but he was
offering help if I wanted to divorce Gary.
“Thank you, Mr. Qin,” I said. “I need legal
assistance now.”
A few days later, I won the case. Gary was
ordered to leave the house with nothing, due
to adultery and neglect of his duties as a
husband. He lost his job and his house. With
Susan’s extravagant spending, they were
reduced to living in a rundown apartment.
I sold Gary’s Audi to pay off the mortgage
and found a new job in the city.
<
Two months later, I heard that Gary had been
arrested. Apparently, Susan wanted to leave
with Chloe and got into a fight with Gary.
I visited him in prison. He looked much older,
his confidence gone. He said Susan, seeing
him useless, started an affair with their
landlord and had used all his money to help
her brother. He couldn’t handle it and tried to
strangle her. Susan reported him to the
police, and he got three years.
Through the glass, he cried, “Molly, I’ll
change. Can you forgive me?”
I said calmly, “First, I’m not your wife
anymore. Second, you don’t deserve
forgiveness. Third, you loved Susan
completely, and she’s the one who put you in
prison. Go find her after you’re released.
She’s the one who should be responsible for
you.”
The copyright of this content belongs to
