Chapter 4
"Grace, what do you want to do?"
My dad looked at me, his expression serious.
I paused, then said firmly: "I want to catch them in the act."
My mom immediately perked up: "How?"
I didn't answer right away. Instead, I looked down at my phone and opened an app I'd never used before.
It was a location tracking app.
Alexander had insisted on installing a tracker on his phone to put my mind at ease, saying it would let me check his location anytime.
I'd refused at first—I trusted him, and I believed couples didn't need such things.
But he'd insisted, saying it was just insurance. If something ever happened to him, I could find him immediately.
All these years, I'd been proud that I'd never once opened this app.
I never thought I'd be using it to catch him cheating.
I took a deep breath and opened the app.
The screen loaded for a few seconds, then a map appeared. A green dot was slowly moving across it.
My dad looked at the map, somewhat surprised:
"That's Alexander's real-time location?"
I nodded without speaking.
My mom said impatiently:
"Let's go. We're going there now."
"I want to see what kind of woman could bewitch someone like Alexander."
My dad said nothing, just grabbed his car keys and headed for the door.
My mom and I followed close behind and got into my dad's car.
In the car, my mom kept muttering:
"I thought Alexander truly loved you. I never imagined he could cook for you while bringing women home."
"In all my fifty-plus years, I've never seen anything so disgusting!"
"If he really didn't love you anymore, if he'd asked for a divorce, I'd be angry but I'd respect it."
"But instead, he treats you like a fool! Plays you for a monkey!"
"If I catch him keeping a woman today, I'm going to tear them both apart!"
My mom's eyes were red with anger.
When Alexander was pursuing me, she'd been against it.
She felt Alexander's family background was ordinary and he wasn't good enough for me.
It was only after Alexander knelt at our door for three days and nights that my mom relented.
My dad drove in silence, not joining the conversation.
I saw his furrowed brow in the rearview mirror. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
After about twenty minutes, I suddenly saw Alexander's location stop moving.
I immediately told my dad to speed up. We stopped near Alexander's position.
When we arrived, I spotted Alexander's car parked in front of a villa.
I quickly got out of the car and headed straight for the villa.
But I didn't notice that in the car, my parents' faces both changed dramatically when they saw the villa.
Seeing me walking toward it, my dad immediately got out and blocked my path:
"Grace, are you sure Alexander brought that woman here?"
Seeing my dad's strange expression, I sensed something was wrong:
"What's going on, Dad? Do you know this place?"
My dad opened his mouth but made no sound. Then my mom caught up.
She glanced at the villa, swallowed nervously with a panicked expression, then said gravely:
"Grace, let's go back. Stop investigating."
I looked at my mom in disbelief:
"Why?"
"Mom, you were the one who wanted to come investigate. You were the most insistent about catching them red-handed."
"Now they're right inside that villa, so why are you telling me to stop?"
My mom didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed my arm, her voice breaking:
"Grace, I'm begging you. Let's go back."
"Let this end here, okay?"
My dad also stepped forward, his face serious:
"Grace, listen to your mother. Let's go back first."
"We're doing this for your own good."
I was completely baffled.
I couldn't understand why my parents, who'd been so eager to defend me just moments ago, suddenly changed after seeing this villa.
Was there something wrong with the villa? Or was it the person inside?
Consumed by intense curiosity, I ignored my parents' objections, rushed to the villa entrance, and knocked on the door.
The door opened quickly.
The moment it did, I saw Alexander standing inside, and the woman behind him.
The instant I saw that woman's face, my eyes widened and I suddenly understood everything...