I held my crying son in my arms, gently soothing him. At that moment, my mind drifted back to the day Janelle gave birth. It was a difficult delivery. She was in labor for a full day and night in the operating room. She nearly lost her life.
I cried uncontrollably, blaming myself for letting her suffer like that. Yet she only smiled, looking peaceful and happy. “Being able to marry you and give birth to your child is the happiest thing in my life.”
However, just a month later, she openly betrayed me and completely forgot the vows she once made at our son’s full-month celebration.
I stayed up the entire night, struggling with whether I should call her.
Then, I heard the soft click of the door unlocking. Janelle placed a piece of cake on the dining table and looked at me with the same gentle, caring smile she used to have.
“You haven’t eaten breakfast yet, right? I made this cake myself. Try it. About what happened yesterday… I was wrong. I didn’t consider your feelings…”
I stayed silent, staring at her for a long time before suddenly asking, “How many times did you let him touch you?”
Her smile froze. She let out a helpless sigh. “Cyril, please don’t get stuck on that. I know you’re still upset about last night.
“But you know your uncle is different from you. If he doesn’t let it out, he’ll suffocate. And who knows what kind of women are out there? If he caught something, it would damage the entire Yates family’s reputation.
“Even though I helped him during this time, my heart has always been with you.”
I shoved her hand away and let out a cold laugh. “Janelle, have you no shame left?”
A flash of anger crossed her eyes, but before she could explode, Uncle Jackson suddenly called her. I could not hear what he said, but I saw her face flush instantly. She grabbed her coat and rushed out.
I followed her immediately, all the way to the underground parking garage.
Uncle Jackson was sitting on the hood of his car, smoking. Janelle was pulled into his arms, and they kissed passionately without caring who might see.
“I’m hungry. I want milk.” Uncle Jackson licked his lips. Janelle immediately lifted her shirt and pressed herself toward him without hesitation.
My vision blurred. I nearly lost my balance.
We had been married for two years, but we barely had any intimacy. She was delicate, easily shy, and afraid of pain. Not long after she got pregnant, she told me she wanted a sex-free marriage.
I could not bear to make her uncomfortable, so I agreed immediately. I even secretly underwent a vasectomy because she was afraid I might cheat.
Now, she was being roughly pressed down in the parking garage. Her eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation. She even actively arched her waist, urging him on.
Perhaps it was my imagination, but Uncle Jackson seemed to glance in my direction, then loudly said in a mocking tone, “My dear nephew really has it easy. Not only did he inherit the Yates family from birth, but he even has a wife who produces milk.”
I wanted to rush over and beat him to a pulp. Even if I killed him, he would have deserved it. However, the image of Janelle going all out for him last night made me stop in my tracks, and I only felt pathetic and miserable.
She pressed herself against him with a passion I had never seen before.
“My dear nephew is always busy with work. He's never really satisfied you, has he? Good thing I’m here, or you’d have to endure it your whole life.”
Uncle Jackson smiled as he stroked her body. To my shock, Janelle even nodded in agreement, complaining impatiently, “If he hadn’t taken advantage of my family’s downfall back then and used financial leverage to force my parents, I would never have agreed to marry him. If I had met you earlier, I would have left with you no matter what…”
Her deep obsession with Uncle Jackson pierced straight through my heart.
Back then, it was she who came to me, begging me to save the Sanders family. She said she would marry me if I helped her. I rejected her condition and told her that even though I loved her, I would never use it to coerce her.
She was moved to tears and confessed that she had loved me for years, which was how our marriage began.
I thought it was a mutual love finally coming true, and I even once sighed over how many years we had missed each other. It turned out this marriage was nothing more than a calculated move to save her family, and I was just her best available option.
Their movements grew more intense, and the empty garage filled with sticky, heavy breathing.
I could not face it anymore. I forced myself to turn away, holding back the pain in my chest, but after only a few steps, I could not breathe properly. Tears fell uncontrollably in heavy drops.
I cried silently, pouring all my anger and grievance into those tears.
It was only when the sounds inside finally stopped that I wiped my face dry and picked up my phone.
“I’d like to consult about a divorce. Can I make her leave with nothing? Can your firm handle it?”
“Of course!” The woman on the other end sounded proud, even excited. “I’ve been waiting for you to divorce since your wedding day, Cyril. I've told you before, we’re the real match. If you wanna get married, I’m down anytime!”
I curled my lips slightly, made plans with her for a meeting spot, then hung up and left without looking back. I would not soften toward Janelle again. She would have to return everything I once gave her, down to the last cent.
Our marriage had never been smooth.
The reasons behind the Sanders family’s financial collapse were complicated. My parents believed their internal problems were too severe and that marrying her would only become a burden to me.
However, I loved her. I was willing to support her with everything I had.
The day the Sanders family successfully went public after escaping bankruptcy, Janelle arranged a proposal for me. In front of all our friends, she wore a wedding dress and proposed to me herself.
“Cyril, I came to you at first because you could help me through my crisis. But after all this time together, I’ve finally understood my heart. I truly love you, and I will only ever love you.”
Her awkward but sincere confession moved me, and I agreed to the engagement.
When I was utterly exhausted later that night, my parents suddenly called to ask if the next day’s share transfer was still going ahead.
“Go ahead as planned. Hold the press conference tomorrow.”
I rubbed my temples. Just after I hung up, Janelle called again.
“Cyril.” Her voice was still hoarse with lingering desire, careful and tentative. “I know you don’t want to see me right now. I’ll stay at my best friend’s place tonight. Don’t worry. I’ve already talked to your uncle. He won’t be disturbing our lives anymore.
“Please don’t hate him. After all, who can resist their instincts? He doesn’t even want to be entangled with women like this.
“And actually, every time after doing those things, he always apologizes to me over and over. He cries and says he shouldn’t have had those improper thoughts about his nephew’s wife, but he really can’t control himself…”
Her voice gradually choked up. She was full of sympathy for Uncle Jackson.
I cut her off. My tone was calm. “Fine. Then you won’t see him again. If I find out even once more, our marriage and both our families’ cooperation ends here.”
She did not hesitate at all. “Don’t worry! I love you the most! If I ever meet him privately again, I’ll divorce you immediately and leave with nothing. I’ll be struck by lightning and die horribly! And tomorrow’s share transfer…”
“It will proceed as planned. Be there on time.” She let out a relieved breath, then began to sweet-talk me again.
“I knew you loved me the most, Cyril. Don’t worry. I just got confused for a moment before. I only agreed to help him because I felt sorry seeing him tormented by his instincts. But I won’t be soft-hearted toward him anymore. I’ll just live a good life with you from now on.”
I let out a faint scoff, pretending not to hear the heavy breathing on her side of the call.
“Alright.”
Seeing I had no intention of bringing up Uncle Jackson again, she happily asked which dress she should wear tomorrow. I casually picked one and sent it to her.
At that moment, my assistant messaged me. Over a dozen high-definition photos and audio files confirmed everything I already suspected. Honestly, I thought it was a waste that Janelle never became an actress. She had all the talent.
As I listened to her soft laughter in the audio, I turned off my phone. I just hoped that she could still smile happily in front of the cameras tomorrow.