I was married to Chen Zhinan for five years, but we never had a child.

Chen Zhinan comforted me, saying he loved me whether we had kids or not.

But later, his mistress showed up at our door, claiming she was pregnant with his child.

Chen Zhinan wanted a divorce for her.

I signed the papers without hesitation.

After all, it was Chen Zhinan who was infertile.

……

Today was mine and Chen Zhinan’s fifth wedding anniversary.

I’d canceled all work and prepared a big feast, waiting for him to come home.

But Chen Zhinan didn’t return for a long time.

I called him, but no one answered.

It wasn’t until I received a message from an unknown number—a video of Chen Zhinan holding a woman’s hand, cutting a cake together.

I called the number, and this time Chen Zhinan finally picked up.

I asked, “Zhinan, where are you?”

He said, “Didn’t I tell you I’m working overtime at the company? What’s wrong?”

So, he could lie too.

I said, “Do you remember what day it is today?”

He thought for a moment. “Is it your birthday?”

I found it ridiculous—only I cared about this marriage.

I said, “Nothing. Get back to work.”

I dumped each cold dish into the trash, along with my feelings for Chen Zhinan.

That night, Chen Zhinan came home.

He apologized for forgetting our anniversary and gave me an exquisite bracelet.

I let him put it on my wrist.

Unwilling to give up, I asked him, “Were you really working overtime?”

He said, “Yes.”

The next day, I went to work early.

In the morning, I received a call from Chen Zhinan’s colleague.

“Sister-in-law, something happened.”

When I arrived, Chen Zhinan was beating a man—I’d never seen him so angry.

I stepped forward and pulled him back, saying, “Stop!”

Chen Zhinan swung his hand away, accidentally slapping me hard across the face. A “slap” echoed, and my cheek turned red instantly.

Meanwhile, that woman shouted, “Zhinan, stop!”

Chen Zhinan froze immediately. The woman cried bitterly, looking truly pitiful.

I touched my burning cheek. Once, Chen Zhinan would have listened to anything I said. Now, he only listened to others.

Chen Zhinan had been about to hug the woman, but when he saw me, his hand froze mid-air.

He walked over and put his arm around me, saying, “Wanwan, why are you here?”

I said, “Naturally to watch you show off your power.”

Chen Zhinan explained, “Wanwan, it’s not what you think. Qiao Lu is my secretary. Her boyfriend was hitting her, and I couldn’t stand a man beating a woman, so I fought back.”

I smiled bitterly. “You don’t need to explain to me.”

Qiao Lu said, “Mr. Chen, it’s all my fault. I’m the one to blame.”

The beaten man, covered in injuries, said, “Fine, Qiao Lu. I didn’t expect you’d hook up with a married man. How interesting.”

Chen Zhinan walked up to him and said, “Name your price.”

The man said, “Half a million yuan.”

Chen Zhinan wrote him a check right away. The man pointed at Qiao Lu and left.

Back at the company, I asked Chen Zhinan, “What’s your relationship with Qiao Lu?”

He said, “She’s just my secretary. Remember my mom said my cousin’s daughter didn’t have a job and asked me to arrange one? I happened to need a secretary, so I hired her. I’ve always treated her like a younger sister.”

Qiao Lu looked pitiful and said, “Sister Wanwan, Zhinan哥 (Brother Zhinan) and I really have nothing between us. He just pities me. My ex-boyfriend is a gambler who asks me for money every day. Zhinan哥 couldn’t stand it, so he stood up for me.”

I accepted their explanation.

But then I noticed Qiao Lu was wearing the exact same necklace as mine.

A few days later, I received another message from an unknown number—this time, a photo of Chen Zhinan and Qiao Lu sleeping together.

I felt sick to my stomach and threw up.