Chapter 5
By the time Kaden remembered that I was injured, I had already taken a cab to the hospital. The bruising on my ankle had faded quite a bit.
"I'm so sorry, wifey. I was in an online meeting and got held up for a bit," he explained.
Walking in with a mushroom soup takeout, he looked at my ankle with concern. "Is it any better?"
As he sat down beside me, I noticed a faint red mark on the collar of his shirt.
I couldn't help but wonder if Kaden perhaps had a split personality disorder. How could he go from a tender moment with his lover to coming here and playing the doting husband with me?
So, I brought up Gwendolyn. "Are you very close with her?"
Kaden chuckled. "Are you jealous, my dear? Don't worry. She's just a new employee. Don't you know what kind of person I am? I only scolded you earlier because I was afraid she might accuse you of something. Don't overthink it."
He casually rolled up my pant leg and applied medication to my ankle. After that, he blew on it gently.
This reminded me of when we first got together.
I could still remember the time when he had a huge row with his parents. He ended up living in a cramped and tiny rented apartment with me.
One Christmas, I was dismissed from my job. To cheer me up, he dressed as Santa Claus and dragged me out to hand out candy on the street.
Even his childhood friend had remarked in amazement, "I've never seen Kaden care about someone this much."
Over the past ten years, Kaden had given me everything I could have asked for—everything except marriage.
So, it was hard for me to believe that the man who professed to love me deeply was the very same man who slept with another woman behind my back.
I had never told Kaden about my family or background. He assumed that I was like Cinderella, who yearned to find her prince. However, the prince's true match would always be a princess.
I sat and watched him quietly, but my hand trembled uncontrollably under the blanket.
"You know, I think I've seen Ms. Crawford somewhere before. I think her name came up in the news," I remarked offhandedly.
Kaden stared straight at me and replied, "That's impossible. She's just a junior employee. You must have mistaken her for someone else."
The silence between us grew heavier until I suddenly laughed and said in a lighthearted tone, "You're probably right. I must have been mistaken."
Kaden let out a subtle sigh of relief, but his phone began to light up repeatedly with notifications of incoming messages.
This time, I didn't delay or hold him off from leaving. "Is something going on at the office? Go take care of it. I'll be fine here. So, don't worry about me."
The excuse he had prepared seemed to be caught in his throat. He looked at my curled-up form under the blanket and suddenly hesitated to leave.
Nevertheless, the steady stream of messages on his phone pushed him to make a choice.
He gave me a guilty glance and said, "Once things settle down, we'll go on a vacation to relax."
Kaden left me once again.
Soon, Gwendolyn's social media was updated. She posted a picture of herself lying on the hood of a sports car with a triumphant and smug expression.
"I can make all the tables turn. Why settle for an unremarkable housewife at home when you can have me instead?"
From that day on, Kaden didn't come back. I witnessed all his creative excuses and knew Gwendolyn was desperate to keep him with her.
…
Time flew by quickly. It was the day before Kaden and Gwendolyn would get married.
I packed up all my belongings and threw away anything in the villa that had any connection to me. The villa I had lived in for ten years suddenly felt like a stranger's home.
Kaden called me, saying, "Hey, wifey. I've booked tickets for the day after tomorrow. Let's meet at the airport, okay?"
It was almost impressive that he still remembered his promise to me, given how he and Gwendolyn were probably having the time of their lives these past few days.
Before I could respond, he hung up.
…
Early the next morning, the private investigator sent me one last message. He wrote, "The targets have obtained their marriage certificates."
The photo showed Kaden and Gwendolyn holding their marriage certificates, smiling contentedly at the camera.
At the same time, I boarded a plane that would take me far across the ocean.
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