Chapter 2

The small mole on the man's abdomen confirmed it was indeed my husband.

My husband cheating in the first month of marriage... Could anyone be more unlucky than me?

I saved the video and deleted it from the boy's phone, then bought him a lollipop.

"The uncle and auntie in the video were just playing a game. Kids shouldn't ask about these things. Don't play with your mom's phone so much in the future, okay?"

The little boy skipped away happily. My smile froze as rage boiled inside me, feeling both humiliated and shocked.

Jack had married into my family. Even the marital home with both our names was bought by my family... How dare he be so bold as to cheat on me?

I stared at the woman in the video. She had a petite figure and fair skin in profile, looking quite young.

I'd met all of Jack's female colleagues and friends. This was clearly an unfamiliar face.

I suspected she might be a hookup he found during the trip, but I wasn't sure.

After all, we were married now, and it would be hard to undo.

If I rushed to divorce without solid evidence, I'd be at a disadvantage when dividing assets!

Filled with resentment, I went to see my friend Mia who works in the beauty industry and showed her the video.

She was shocked. "No way, weren't you two on your honeymoon? He hooked up with another woman?"

I fumed, "I know, right? This scumbag acts like such a loyal puppy in front of me, but he's up to these tricks behind my back."

Mia pondered for a moment, then suddenly pointed at the video and said:

"This woman used prosthetic makeup techniques. It's not her real appearance."

As someone in the beauty industry, my friend easily spotted that the woman's nose was sculpted with special effects clay. She even pointed out the details to me.

I laughed bitterly. These days, women even use fake faces to cheat?

How interesting.

"Lena, don't overthink it. That homewrecker will slip up eventually. You're rich and beautiful anyway, ditching this scumbag won't affect you much," Mia reassured me solemnly.

However, how could a bad marriage have no impact?

Moreover, if I got divorced right after getting married, friends and family would surely mock me behind my back.

I absolutely couldn't let Jack get away scot-free. I had to catch solid evidence of his affair.

To avoid alerting him, I acted normal when my husband came home that night, though I was already plotting how to investigate him.

Unfortunately, before marriage we had agreed not to check each other's phones to maintain trust and privacy, so I didn't know his phone password.

Before bed, I refused his advances. Jack was quite surprised.

"Babe, we just got married and you're already losing interest? Come on, look at other couples."

I made an excuse about being tired and said I wanted to turn off the lights and sleep. But my gaze was drawn to some racy videos on my husband's phone screen.

They were a series of voyeuristic short clips, all from a male point-of-view angle.

The women in the videos were posed like puppets in various positions.

Jack chuckled awkwardly. "This is from my buddy. Can you believe his lack of class, filming his own wife and sending it around? He's sent me quite a few."

I couldn't help but ask curiously, "Which buddy?"

"My high school classmate Ryan. You met him at that small gathering before."

I seized the opportunity to ask to see his phone. Jack handed it over without hesitation.

Sure enough, in his chat history with Ryan, there were several videos of Ryan's wife.

Although no private parts were exposed, it was still disgusting to film and share intimate videos.

It was clear this couple enjoyed roleplaying, as the woman had different makeup and outfits each time.

Could my husband's affair partner be her? My suspicions grew, so I asked Jack to introduce me to his friend's wife.

To my surprise, my husband agreed readily.

"Sure, it's been a while since I've had dinner with Ryan anyway. I'll set something up tomorrow so you can meet them."

At the barbecue dinner, I met Ryan's wife for the first time.

Her name was Lily. Though her features weren't stunning, she had fair skin and ample cleavage peeking out from her camisole dress.

"Nice to meet you, sister-in-law," she greeted me shyly, blushing charmingly.

I learned that she worked at the same beauty salon as my friend Mia.

"Do you know Mia?" I asked.

She shook her head in confusion.

"I'm a beautician too, but I've only been working there for a month. I don't know that sister yet."

Hearing she was a beautician, my heart skipped a beat as I recalled my friend mentioning "prosthetic makeup techniques".

So Lily also knew how to do special effects makeup and disguises...

Could it be that Lily, seeking thrills but afraid of exposure, had disguised herself to hook up with my husband?

I was startled by this bold idea, instantly imagining all sorts of scandalous scenarios. My face burned.

I even thought of the comments under popular makeup transformation videos:

"I really want to marry a makeup artist! Marrying her would be like marrying all the female celebrities in the entertainment industry."

"Getting this woman would be like having a whole harem!"

Lost in wild speculation, Lily waved her hand in front of my eyes.

"Sister, are you feeling unwell? Your face looks terrible."

I gave her a meaningful look and shook my head.

"It's nothing, probably just the barbecue smoke."

She quickly handed me a tissue to wipe my sweat, smiling when she saw my hands.

"Sister, your hands are so beautiful, just like you. Wealth really shows, doesn't it?"

Only then did I notice how rough Lily's hands were, quite at odds with her sweet appearance. They were clearly the hands of someone used to hard work.

After some conversation, I learned that both Lily and Ryan came from poor rural backgrounds.

She was a beautician and he was a manual laborer. The couple was struggling to make ends meet in the city, with no hope of affording a home anytime soon.

I started to have doubts. Looking at her innocent demeanor, she probably didn't even know her husband was sharing her videos around.

Could such a naive girl really be a homewrecker who enjoys destroying other people's marriages?

To find out who that woman really was, I had an idea.

If she was willing to follow me and my husband to our honeymoon resort, she must also be interested in other high-end hotels.

I immediately booked a night at a new Japanese-style hot spring resort in the suburbs and sweetly said to Jack:

"Honey, I didn't get enough of our romantic getaway. This weekend, can we go soak in the hot springs?"

Jack smiled. "Whatever makes you happy."

Looking at my husband's gentle smile, I felt incredibly mocked. When it came to putting on an act, cheaters really were the best.

On Saturday, we arrived as planned.

This famous hot spring resort lived up to its reputation. The warm mist and blooming flowers created a perfect relaxing atmosphere that few women could resist.

When we got to the hot spring, I pretended to take an urgent call and came back looking flustered.

"Honey, something came up at work that I need to handle. I won't be able to enjoy the hot spring today."

He asked with concern, "What's wrong? Do you want me to drive you there?"

I shook my head. "It's fine, just some project issues my assistant can't handle alone. I'll have to work overtime today and sleep at the office. Why don't you stay and enjoy the hot spring? No need to waste it."

Jack nodded reluctantly. "Alright babe, be safe."

I pretended to leave, but actually changed into different clothes and snuck back in.

After anxiously waiting for about 15 minutes, the fish took the bait.

A woman in an indigo wave-patterned kimono appeared hand-in-hand with Jack at the front desk, queuing to get their number.

The woman's kimono was loosely tied, revealing glimpses of her chest underneath.

That fleeting side profile... was almost identical to the one I saw in the video!

They took their number and disappeared into the crowd.

In the hallway, I looked around cautiously and finally found our reserved room. I tiptoed towards the door.

One step, two steps, three steps.

The sliding door was pushed open a crack, warm yellow light seeping through.

In the private hot spring, water splashed as Jack's hands tightly gripped the woman's slender waist, kissing her lips nonstop.

The woman tilted her head back, enjoying his kisses while singing shamelessly like a siren.

My heart sank.

Because that familiar voice and petite figure were all too recognizable to me...

Jack suddenly scolded her in a low voice, barely concealing his excitement.

"Louder! You little minx."

4

My friend Mia had studied music, and this was her favorite love song that she often hummed around me.

My heart felt like it had been viciously torn to shreds, overwhelmed with pain.

I never imagined that the two people closest to me would end up betraying me!

Mia's usually sallow face now looked as fair and delicate as jade, seemingly a decade younger. She giggled coquettishly:

"Aren't you afraid your wife will suddenly come back and catch us?"

My husband possessively tightened his grip on her slim waist.

"Not at all. She's gone back to the office. It's over 60 miles from here to downtown. She definitely won't be back tonight."

Mia laughed softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I specially did the prosthetic makeup your wife has seen before. How's that? Exciting enough?"

Jack pinched her nose.

"Don't remind me of that. Last time we almost got caught. Good thing I was smart enough to use my buddy's videos as a cover."

She stuck out her tongue and quoted her favorite TV show line:

"If we're going for thrills, might as well go all out."

They looked at each other and burst into unrestrained laughter.

Talk about staying in character.

I gritted my teeth and continued listening to see what other schemes this pair of dogs had in store for me.

"You promised to divorce her right after the wedding... Then marry me. Have you forgotten?"

"Baby, don't rush. I'm just afraid divorcing too quickly would raise suspicions. Besides, my father-in-law promised to help with my promotion. That's not settled yet." Jack earnestly explained.

As for why he liked the plain-looking Mia, he gave the answer himself.

He said he liked that she could do all kinds of makeup transformations, giving him a fresh experience every time.

Jack complained, "Baby, you're so considerate. Unlike that Lena, always with the same boring look. She never makes a sound in bed either. I'm so sick of it."

"If it weren't for her family background, I wouldn't have deliberately pursued her. Marrying that dull woman would be such a waste of my life."

...

I rubbed my temples and laughed bitterly. All the love and tenderness had just been an elaborate scam!

Since I had booked the room, I could use the app to order water or herbal baths.

In my fury, I decided to "spice up" their passionate encounter.

I activated the automatic hot water feature, selecting 140°F water from the overhead shower.

This temperature wouldn't kill them, but it would certainly make for a "steamy" night.

While they were passionately kissing and lost in the heat of the moment, scalding hot water poured over them from head to toe.

Their amorous sounds abruptly ceased.

"Ahh!"

"F*ck! Where did this hot water come from? It's burning me alive!"