Chapter 2
59%
Yvonne’s eyes widened in shock, and she quickly stretched up on her tiptoes, trying to grab the phone from Reid’s hand.
But Reid was tall, and with just a slight lift of his arm, she couldn’t reach it no matter how many times she tried. Unknowingly, she leaned forward, almost clinging to him.
Reid looked down at Yvonne, a smile tugged at the corners of his lips and his gaze gentle and warm.
His eyes sparkled with mischief, but beneath that, a hint of something deeper flickered–a tender and subtle affection. He just stood there, watching her flail around like a kid trying to reach a cookie jar.
“Reid!” Yvonne’s eyes widened even more when she saw him tap and slide the green button on the phone.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Remember the Yara Jewelry set in your closet? She liked it, so I gave it to her. Steven’s voice came through.
Reid put the phone on speaker and held it up in front of her. Yvonne looked at him, her expression serious.
Reid smiled, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her closer, bringing the phone to her ear. “Did you hear that?” Steven asked on the other end.
Yvonne chuckled, thinking about how she’d been trying to figure out how to “get rid of” that jewelry. It turned out Steven had just solved her problem for her.
Steven was silent for a moment. Then a clear voice rang out from the other end. “Darling, who are you calling?”
Steven replied, “Well, I’m just calling my assistant to bring over some clothes tomorrow-”
Before Steven could finish, Reid abruptly hung up. He looked down at Yvonne, feeling a bit sorry. “Yvonne, are you so tolerant?” he sneered. “You’re his legal wife, but it looks like you’re the one having an affair. How much do you really love him?”
Yvonne didn’t say anything. She stepped out of his embrace and walked into the room, phone in hand.
Reid spoke slowly from behind her, “Yvonne, for that little favor, how many more years are you going to stick with this? I’ll give you two weeks. If you don’t divorce him by then, I’ll do it for you.”
With that, he kicked the nearby cabinet in frustration, stormed out the door, and disappeared into the rainy mist.
Yvonne stayed calm, filled the bathtub with water, and submerged herself until she couldn’t hold her breath any longer and had to come up for air.
Water droplets rolled down her hair and cheeks. She was slightly out of breath, and the bathroom was filled with steamy mist that blurred her vision.
She quietly leaned against the edge of the tub, took out her phone, and checked the calendar. It was July 18th.
‘It’s almost time. Hang in there, Yvonne,‘ she told herself in her mind. ‘Just a little longer, and you’ll have repaid the Chapin family’s kindness. You’re almost free. Then, it’ll be time to settle things.
*****
That night, Yvonne had a deep sleep, and when she groggily woke up, she heard some noise coming from downstairs.
She got up, walked out, and stood in the hallway, looking down. She saw Steven in the kitchen, making fried eggs. The kitchen lights were warm and soft, casting a glow on him, but Yvonne felt incredibly distant from him.
Chapter 2
28 Mar
59%
A girl in a white dress bugged him from behind, saying playfully. “Darling, for over medium, please? Her voice was sweet and full of happiness.
Steven smiled indulgently and replied. “Okay, whatever your say
Yvonne paused for a moment. Back then, she and Steven had lived in a tiny rental place, where life was rough but cozy.
Steven would get all sweaty just making her a simple meal, and he’d be really happy about getting an egg fried just right. They’d plan their future together in that tiny apartment.
But now, their houses had gotten bigger, and he’d become to buy that he didn’t have time to cook for her or even come home.
Later, Yvonne saw him do a lot of romantic things together with Sharon Evans, his lover, finally realizing that “being busy” was just an excuse once someone’s feelings changed.
Yvonne turned around, went into her bedroom to change her clothes, and came out carrying a bowl of water.
By then, Steven and Sharon were seated at the dining table, already eating. Yvonne stood upstairs, looking down at them. and poured the bowl of water over them.
Water splashed onto the fancy plates, ruining the food instantly. Sharon screamed, and Steven stood up abruptly. They both looked up to see Yvonne staring at them coldly, her eyes devoid of emotion.
Steven angrily shouted, “Are you crazy?” Then he grabbed a napkin to quickly wipe Sharon’s face.
Yvonne slowly walked down the stairs, glanced at the woman in Steven’s arms a few times, and suddenly said, “Let her stand up so I can get a good look.” She remembered Steven mentioning the night before that Sharon looked a bit like her.
Sharon looked up, startled, and quickly hid in Steven’s arms again. Steven patted her head and turned to Yvonne, his voice serious. “There’s no need for that. You’re scaring her.”
Yvonne stood there quietly for a moment, watching Steven and the protective look on his face.
The boy she remembered, who once held half a stale pie and promised her a good life, had long disappeared. Now, he was polished by money, stuck in a mess, dirty inside and out.
“Steven, I remember you promised not to bring other women here,” Yvonne said.
The house was their marriage home, and she did the interior design personally. To save money back then, she had visited the market many times to ensure every detail was perfect. She had overseen every tiny thing herself.
Steven paused for a moment, then got up and said, “Oh, I just came back to get a document.” He added in his mind, ‘Sharon is clingy and insisted on following me in. Then she said she was hungry, so…‘
“I thought you had gone to work,” he continued.
Yvonne glanced at Sharon. Sharon was very young, her face full of youth, and her eyes showed innocence and fearlessness- a purity untouched by life.
Sharon seemed to feel Yvonne’s gaze and slightly lifted her chin, a bit of challenge in her eyes.
Yvonne gave a soft laugh and slowly moved toward them, each step seeming decisive as if she was walking on Steven’s
nerves.
Instinctively, Steven shielded Sharon, stepping back a few steps. “Yvonne, don’t make a scene-”
“I’m not causing a scene. Bringing her back here is quite a blow to my face. It’s not very appropriate, is it?” Yvonne said.
Chapter 2
Their clothes were mostly soaked through, with water still dripping from the edges, making them look very messy. Sharon was shivering with cold in Steven’s arms.
Steven asked, “What do you want?”
Yvonne extended a finger, gently curled it, and declared, her tone firm. “Either of you, come here and get a slap from me, and we’ll be even
Steven’s face darkened as he held Sharon more protectively. “Yvonne, don’t push it.”
Yvonne said coldly, “Okay. I have several properties under my name. I’ll put them up for sale today.
“Steven, the company is about to go public. You wouldn’t want people to say your wife is in a hurry to sell off assets and suspect you’re having financial trouble, right?”
Steven went silent after hearing that. Yvonne looked at him coldly.
After a while, Steven slowly lowered his head, looking at Sharon with a bit of hesitation and struggle in his eyes. He then whispered softly, “Sweetheart, just bear it for my sake. I have a meeting later”
Sharon looked at him in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Wh–what did you say?”
Steven gently let go of Sharon, placed his hands on her shoulders, and gave her a slight push forward, making his intention clear.
Tears quickly filled Sharon’s eyes. She choked on her words, saying, “Steven, you-” She was unable to finish her sentence. Yvonne showed no mercy and gave her a hard slap.
A clear red mark appeared on Sharon’s cheek. She opened her eyes wide, tears welling up as if she couldn’t believe it really was happening.
Steven was shocked too, not expecting Yvonne to actually strike.
Yvonne looked at Sharon with cold eyes. ‘Too bad. She’s so young yet she won’t live a happy life in the future.
Yvonne turned and called a cleaning service. “Yes, clean the whole house, inside and out. After all, some dirt got in.”
“Yvonne, is this really necessary?” Steven shouted angrily.
Yvonne put her phone away and looked at the two. “Could you please leave now? The cleaning service will be here soon. But if you stay, maybe they can clean you up too.
“I just wonder how many bottles of sanitizer it would take to clean you up.”
“Ms. Stark, you-”
“Steven, keep your dog on a leash. If you can’t afford one… maybe you should just find a leash somewhere,” Yvonne said coldly.
“Darling!” Sharon held her swollen cheek, tears running down her face.
Steven got up with a stern look, holding Sharon’s hand as they walked out. At the door, he turned back and said, “Mom wants us to come over for dinner this afternoon. Wait for me at the office; I’ll pick you up.”
Yvonne let out a mocking laugh.
Not long after those two left, the cleaning crew arrived. Yvonne gave them a few instructions and then headed out.
She didn’t go to the office. She had spent more than a week working tirelessly out of town, and the project
Wa
finally
50
59%
Chapter 2
approved, so the company rewarded her with a three–day break.
She found a movie theater and bought tickets from morning till afternoon, not caring what movies were playing Sitting by herself in a corner, she watched people on the screen go through the ups and downs of life.
After watching a few movies, she started to feel it was all rather pointless. Just then, her phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number: [15]
Even without saving the number, Yvonne knew it was Reid. She had blocked countless numbers from him, yet he always found a new way to message her.
She deleted the message and blocked the number, leaving the movie theater to stroll aimlessly down the street.
The phone rang, and Yvonne picked it up, only to hear Steven’s mom, lona, angrily scolding her, “Yvonne, didn’t you agree to come back for dinner today? It’s so late now. Why aren’t you home cooking yet?”
“Oh, coming.” Yvonne replied.
“Hurry up, and I want that crispy chicken from the south side and those pickled radishes from the north side. Remember to bring them back,” Iona demanded.
“Okay,” Yvonne said, hanging up the phone. She saw a coffee shop across the street, went in, ordered a coffee, and sat quietly for a while.
When Yvonne got back to the Chapin residence, it was almost six. Iona was playing cards with a few others. The room was filled with smoke and the noise of their chatting.
As soon as Iona saw Yvonne come in, she immediately snapped, “Oh, you think you’re still the rich girl from before, taking forever to make a meal? If you don’t want to cook, just say so, instead of leaving me waiting all afternoon.”
Iona’s face was full of displeasure and disdain as she glanced at Yvonne from the corner of her eye.
Yvonne said calmly, “You’re right. I don’t feel like cooking. You do it.”
Iona was caught off guard, not expecting Yvonne to be so blunt. Seeing Yvonne come back empty–handed, she shouted even louder, “Yvonne, you’re getting bold, huh? Didn’t I tell you to buy-”
“I didn’t go,” Yvonne said flatly.
“You-” Iona started, but Yvonne ignored her and walked into a different room.
She lit a candle, pressed her hands together, and bowed deeply three times to the photo of Albert, Steven’s deceased father.
As she was leaving, she heard Iona continuing to badmouth her while playing cards with her friends.
“Always with that sour face, like doom and gloom, so annoying,” lona complained.
“I heard Steven has a lover. Doesn’t Yvonne make a fuss?” one of Iona’s friends asked.
Iona boasted, “She used to make a scene, but what’s the use? Steven’s career is doing so well. He’s about to take his company public. If she causes trouble and Steven leaves her, what will she do then?”
“Yvonne sure is lucky. She used to be a rich girl, and when her family lost everything, she was taken in by your family. She’s never really had to suffer,” another woman said.
“That’s right. Without Steven, she would’ve been out on the streets. Now, she just won’t leave. She’s basically stuck serving my family for life. Oh, I just got another win,” Iona gloated.
“Oh come on, how do you keep winning?” one of the others grumbled.
16:47 Fri, 28 Mar
Chapter 2
“Pay up, now!” Iona laughed.
58%
Yvonne overheard their conversation, and a wave of deep sadness and resentment surged in her heart. They only saw Steven’s success but overlooked the times she stood by him through hardships. Her past efforts seemed worthless to them.
She muttered inwardly, ‘Albert, you wouldn’t want to see her playing poker in front of you, would you? Don’t worry. Soon she won’t be playing at all… ever.”
Yvonne slowly stepped forward and, under the astonished eyes of everyone, she flipped the poker table with a violent motion. The cards scattered everywhere, the table hitting the floor with a thud.
“Yvonne! Have you lost your mind?” Iona yelled.
