Chapter 3

Adam and I got married right after his graduation, just as we'd planned.

But life wasn't as easy as he'd imagined.

He worked himself to the bone to earn money, coming home exhausted every day, collapsing into bed the moment he walked through the door.

To ease his burden, I learned to cook, clean, and manage the household.

I never knew before how much housework there was.

Endless meals to cook, floors to sweep...

Each task seemed insignificant, yet together, they threatened to drown me.

Once the financial pressure eased, our daughter was born.

I named her Lily, hoping she'd be as gentle and sweet as Valerie.

But from day one, she was a ball of energy, crying and fussing.

Every night, I had to carry her around the living room until she finally fell asleep.

By the time I crawled into bed, Adam's hand found me.

"Honey, it's been so long since we've..."

Exhausted in both body and mind, I still submitted to his touch.

But just at the crucial moment, Lily's cries reached us.

I abruptly pushed Adam away, leaping out of bed naked to pick up our daughter.

I didn't see the look of pure annoyance on Adam's face behind me.

Life had finally ground me down from a naive princess into a boring, joyless housewife.

That year, for my birthday, Adam bought me the most expensive art supplies.

But I looked around our house and said,

"We're out of diapers. You should have bought some diapers instead."

Meanwhile, Valerie was busy conquering the corporate world.

She and Adam had joined the same company. Her competitive spirit unchanged, still constantly challenging Adam.

But she still couldn't beat him.

One time, she'd prepared meticulously, refining her proposal repeatedly, yet the boss still chose Adam's.

Valerie called me, sobbing hysterically.

"Why can't I ever beat Adam?!"

"It's been years! Can't I just win once?!"

I glared at Adam, preparing to go comfort Valerie.

But Lily clung to my leg, refusing to let me leave, so I sent Adam instead.

"She's a woman, drinking alone in a bar, it's not safe."

"You caused this mess, you clean it up."

Adam's movements faltered. He looked at me intently.

"You really want me to go?"

"Of course."

Adam, as if making a huge decision, said, "Fine."

Before he left that night, he turned back to look at me several times.

I didn't sense any premonition, though. I was just holding Lily, telling her jokes to make her laugh.

The disaster was brewing.

That night, Adam didn't come home at all.

When he finally returned the next morning, I was already up, making breakfast.

He offered a few hurried explanations, claiming Valerie had been impossibly drunk and a nightmare to handle.

He said he'd finally managed to get her home, then collapsed from exhaustion and fell asleep right there.

His tone was so casual, so natural.

And Valerie was my best friend.

So, I easily believed him.

In the days that followed, Adam started working overtime and going on business trips more and more often.

At first, I just assumed the company was going through a particularly busy period.

But gradually, I noticed things weren't right.

A stray hair on his shirt.

An unfamiliar scent of perfume.

Finally, when I found an opened condom wrapper in his pocket, I knew for sure he was cheating.

Heartbroken, I stormed to Adam's company and caused a huge scene.

I cried, I screamed, I even lay on the ground, throwing a fit, demanding he tell me who she was!

Adam looked at me with utter disgust.

"Jenna, I feed you, I clothe you, I let you live a life where you don't have to worry about anything! And this is how you repay me? By slandering me with baseless accusations?!"

He pulled out his phone, turned on the camera, and pointed it at my face.

"Look at you! What a sight you are! You're a raving lunatic!"