Chapter 5: Jealous of the Stand-in

After leaving, Vivian Hale’s heart continued to pound like a war drum. She felt an increasing curiosity about the man’s identity, but even more so, a sense of danger. Returning home, her mind raced the entire way. She became even more resolute in her determination to leave as soon as possible. Whether it was Adrian Cross or that stand-in, she wanted to see neither of them ever again. To achieve this, she would need "help" from Adrian’s new flame, Chloe Bennett.

Entering the house, the thought of those two entangling with each other made her stomach churn. Suffering through all of this for no reason left her with no outlet for her swelling emotions. Especially when remembering her past with Adrian, she found it hard to imagine how a man could be so two-faced. She took a deep breath, walked to the dressing table, and pulled open the small bottom drawer. Inside was a beautiful, handmade ceramic mirror. It was something Adrian had made with his own hands on their first date after he confessed his love to her when she was eighteen. It was their token of love.

Tipping the mirror, she saw her reflection. The features were the same as they were back then, but the vitality and spirit had vanished from her eyes. They were as calm and lifeless as a pool of stagnant water. She tried to curl her lips into a smile. But the mirth dissolved before it reached her eyes; it was a fake happiness that even she found unconvincing. She reached out and gently touched the names they had written on it together. Tempered and baked in a furnace, it was now as hard as a rock, yet ironically as fragile as a soap bubble that could be popped with a single poke. Taking a deep breath, she tossed the item into the trash can. With a dull thud, it felt as though everything was finally being let go.

At that moment, the bedroom door was kicked open rudely from the outside. Adrian Cross stormed in with a dark expression, scanning the room before his gaze locked onto Vivian’s face. "When did you get back?"

Vivian understood instantly—he was once again jealous of the stand-in. She found it both hilarious and pathetic. She wanted to provoke him to death. On the surface, she feigned confusion and stood up to greet him. "Honey, what’s wrong? Didn't you say you had to go back to the office for a meeting? Didn't you say you didn't have time for dinner and told me to come home first? Why are you asking me that now?"

The man's expression shifted through several shades. The fury trapped in his chest felt like it was about to explode, yet he had no way to let it out. Vivian intentionally used her soft, delicate hands to gently stroke his chest, as if soothing his breath. "Who upset you? Why such a temper? Weren't you very happy earlier at the mall, holding me and teasing me?"

The man’s face, which had just begun to soften, turned green again. The look he directed at Vivian was tinged with a strange, domineering intensity. His large hand moved to her waist, and he asked in a low voice, "Are you really on your period?"

Vivian’s heart skipped a beat. She had always known that Adrian wasn't so easily fooled. But until she had the divorce certificate in hand, she couldn't let him detect any anomalies. Though she was nervous to the extreme, she immediately acted embarrassed and turned away to sit on the edge of the bed. "Then why don't you check for yourself? You know better than anyone how much I want a child with you. Do you really think I’d just refuse to share a bed with you?"

The tension in the man’s chest eased instantly. After twelve years together, no one knew better than he did how much Vivian loved him. "It’s my fault. I just..."

Vivian’s eyes flickered as she interrupted him reproachfully. "I know you’re busy. I was immature before, always wanting to cling to you. I’m planning to go away for a while—to visit all the places we said we’d go to but never did."

She didn't specify how long she would be gone. She expected Adrian to be happy about her departure. To her surprise, the man knit his brows and took her small hand. "Fine. I’ll delegate my work and go with you. Consider it a makeup for the honeymoon we never finished."

Vivian looked into the man’s sincere eyes. She felt a sense of mockery and profound sadness. When they first married, her health was poor; she was constantly in and out of hospitals for treatment, making a honeymoon impossible. After she recovered, she had brought it up several times. Each time, Adrian had brushed her off, citing work. Now, after personally sending a stand-in to her bed and suspecting them of an affair, he had suddenly changed his tune out of a sense of crisis, desperately trying to hold onto her. He really wanted to have it both ways. Well, she would make him pay the price.

She nodded with a smile, showing a delighted expression as she pulled her hand back. "Then I’ll have to get my luggage ready." She stood up and walked toward the walk-in closet. After a few steps, her eyes twinkled, and she turned back, leaning toward Adrian to take a "pouting-kiss" selfie together. "Honey, I’m truly so happy. Go take a shower first. I’ll order some ingredients and cook for you tonight."

Suspecting nothing, the man loosened his tie and entered the bathroom. Vivian leaned against the closet door, suppressing the swirling emotions in her heart. She casually logged onto Weibo and posted an update: "Finally have time for a vacation. My husband insisted on a spontaneous honeymoon trip. The secret to keeping a marriage fresh is the sudden surprises." Below the text, she attached the intimate selfie they had just taken.

She rarely socialized but often updated her daily life on Weibo. Chloe Bennett followed her with a burner account specifically to track her. Chloe would see any movement immediately. Sure enough, less than a minute after the post went live, a phone began ringing repeatedly inside the bathroom, sounding like a death knell.

The sound of the rushing water stopped. A moment later, Adrian walked out wrapped in a towel. He hurried past her to change his clothes. "Who’s calling? Why the rush?" Vivian remained leaning against the door, asking in a casual, indifferent tone. "There’s an issue with a project at the company. I need to handle it urgently."

The man's lie slipped out effortlessly, sounding perfectly normal. The dark grey bespoke suit made him look handsome and distinguished. He beckoned with his long fingers, signaling for her to come and tie his necktie. She stood on her tiptoes, expertly arranging it. They were inches apart, their breaths intertwining, yet her heart remained as still as a frozen lake. "Sorry, I can't have dinner with you tonight." The man’s hand gently brushed across her cheek. After those affectionate words, he turned and left without hesitation.

Because he was in a hurry, he bumped into the trash can by the wall. The ceramic mirror she had just thrown away rolled halfway out. His leather shoe stepped on it—crack—countless fractures spread across the glass. The man instinctively looked down to check. Vivian’s heart instantly leapt into her throat. Her mind raced, thinking of how to react.

But the man simply frowned, already walking briskly toward the door. While quickly typing a reply on his phone, he complained with displeasure: "Don't leave the trash can there. It’s a mess. Clean it up."

Bang! The door slammed shut. Soon, the sound of a car engine starting echoed from below, followed by the roar of it speeding away. It was like a loud, stinging slap across Vivian’s face, making her previous anxiety and worry seem utterly ridiculous. As it turned out, the token of love she had cherished and preserved so carefully was something the man who swore to love her forever had long since forgotten. In the shattered mirror, her own broken face was reflected. It was the perfect metaphor for her current situation with Adrian. The last trace of her reluctance finally vanished completely.

She knelt down and gathered the fragments piece by piece. Just as she was about to throw them away, her phone vibrated. It was a message from Adrian. "Vivian, the project matter is a bit tricky, so I won't be able to go on vacation with you. Tell me where you want to go, and I'll have someone book the tickets and arrange the hotel. Just focus on having fun; you don't need to worry about anything else."

The man rarely sent such long messages. Vivian sneered in her heart. Chloe Bennett really was capable. She had trained Adrian to be so compliant. Vivian didn't care. In fact, she was happy to see it happen. With a trash bag in one hand and her fingers tapping the screen with the other, she replied obediently: "Okay, Honey. You don't need to arrange anything for me. Just prepare more money for me, and I’ll report my location to you constantly."

Very soon, she received a notification for a transfer of one million dollars to her bank account. She accepted it with a clear conscience. In this one month, she still had many things to do.