After touring around her house, I felt a bit disappointed. There wasn't even a pair of men's slippers in her place.I suspect she had tidied up since it took her two hours to come and pick us up. It was enough time for her to hide any evidence. I figured she had thought things through.Ivanna prepared a few snacks for Ava, perhaps because she sensed how distracted I was. She then turned on the TV, played a cartoon, and sat beside me. Soon after, she began to scrutinize me, making me feel uncomfortable. Then, she patted my hand, saying, "Let it out."My heart raced, and I looked at her defensively while withdrawing my hand. "Let what out?""Share what's on your mind," Ivanna encouraged as if trying to coax me.I sneered before saying, "What's on my mind? What do you mean?"I saw her mouth twitch. After a moment of silence, she stood up abruptly. "You stay here and play with Ava. I'll make something for you two to eat."After removing her coat and changing clothes, she went into

I was in disbelief because the two keys didn’t match. I doubted myself then and wondered if I had wrongly accused Ivanna. Was Matthew seeing someone else, or did he have another trick with those keys?I didn’t expect this or know if I should feel relieved or frustrated. My mind went blank as a strange feeling crept into me. I suddenly felt the need to turn around and was startled as Ivanna calmly stood behind me.“Did you find what you were looking for?” She sounded like she had planned this whole thing.My lips trembled as I looked at Ivanna and felt I could no longer read her. Of course, I was embarrassed when she exposed me. Still, I stood tall and locked eyes with her, saying, “What are you trying to say, Ivanna? Why did you lie to me? What’s going on between you and Matthew?”Her calm demeanor caught me off guard, provoking my anger and embarrassment."I've never lied to you. I know what you're referring to. You want to talk about that day I saw Matthew at the teahouse." Ivan

Ivanna shook her head, saying, "The surveillance footage I got was too blurry. Also, I couldn't see the woman's face because Matthew's arms blocked her face.""Do you have the footage now?" I asked.She quickly sent me the footage, and I saw many people on the street that night. Matthew’s figure in the video was fleeting. He wore the same overcoat I had ironed for him, making his tall figure stand out in the crowd.His left arm was around a woman in a pink top. His large frame obscured her figure, so I zoomed in on the footage, but it made no difference. I still couldn’t make out the woman’s face."He's quite the schemer," I said as my tears clouded my vision.Ivanna silently approached and sat beside me before putting her arm around my shoulder. I held the phone, choking on my tears as I said, "That night, I saw his figure on a live stream on TikTok. I sent him the video link immediately."I paused, tried to calm down, and spoke again. "Matt found a restaurant, removed his jacke

Sure enough, Matthew soon came to the office.With a composed smile, I asked, "Did Johnson call you? Where were you so early in the morning?""Yes, he called me. He said you were coming to work, and I was surprised you didn't mention it last night." He removed his coat, hung it up, and then looked at me. "I just went to check out a construction site on the way here."I explained, “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I felt a bit free after sending Ava to daycare.”Meanwhile, Matthew approached and sat beside me. "I thought about something on the way back. You can go to the general office if you insist on working. I think it suits you well. It's flexible, no pressure, and it's also good to have someone overseeing company matters.""No, I'm going to the marketing department. That's where I'm best suited," I rejected Matthew’s arrangement, expressing my thoughts and seeming stubborn.I understood Matthew's intention to send me to the general office. It was just a nominal position,

I redialed Matthew’s number, but a mechanical voice informed me that the call couldn’t connect. I squatted in frustration, but the thought of my daughter’s fever struck me. Then I gritted my teeth, forced myself to stand, and returned to the lobby.I tried calling Ivanna when I arrived, but her phone was off too. I paced around in panic and wondered where those two could’ve gone. At that moment, I felt like my pleas were falling on deaf ears.Ultimately, I reluctantly called my in-laws. Although it was past one in the morning, and I didn’t want to disturb them, I had no other option. Sure enough, my mother-in-law answered and sounded alarmed, “Chlo? What’s wrong? It’s so late. Is something wrong?”I had trouble answering her question but soon apologized and told her about Ava’s high fever and that I had no cash. My in-laws said they would rush to the hospital and quickly hung up. When they arrived, the doctor had already put Ava on an IV drip and diagnosed her with acute pneumonia.

I paused before snapping back to reality and realized she was right. I couldn’t lose everything without a fight or reclaiming what was rightfully mine. Even if I fought and lost, I wouldn’t regret it. At that point, my phone had stopped ringing.I stared into Ivanna’s calm eyes and gradually regained my composure. My thoughts began to clear, and I wiped my face, saying, “I get it now! I’m grateful to have a clear-headed person like you by my side. You constantly remind me of my priorities.”When the phone rang again, I had already sorted my emotions. Ivanna passed me the phone and nodded. “You’ve got this.”I took a deep breath and swiped the screen to answer the call, “Hey, honey. It’s about time you called. I need to ask you, where’s the money in our account? Ava had pneumonia, and I had to rush her to the hospital in the middle of the night.“Nothing was left when I tried to withdraw money from the card. What’s going on?”Ivanna smacked her forehead when she heard my words. How

I chuckled as I wondered what the good news could be. Ivanna didn’t specify the news due to time constraints, and I didn’t pry. Instead, we agreed to meet tomorrow.Meanwhile, everyone waited at my in-laws’ place for me to return for dinner. Surprisingly, Melanie was there.When Grace saw me, she quickly laid out the dishes, saying, “Dinner’s ready! Chlo, it’s been a while since you last joined us for a meal.”I smiled while washing my hands and helped with the dishes. The atmosphere was heartwarming with the whole family together. Henry asked Matthew about the project in Operose during the meal, but Matthew brushed it off.Without much thought, Grace asked Melanie, “What were you doing with your brother?”Immediately after, I noticed Melanie pausing and glancing at Matthew. He questioned, “You went to Operose too?”Melanie froze, seemingly off guard, as she hesitated before saying, “Uh…I went there with my friends!”However, Grace persisted, “Then why did you tell me you were w

I laughed at myself for thinking I had a way back while Matthew and the other woman were already transferring assets. I wondered when I became such an idiot. Ivanna was right to call me a fool.Matthew was practically selling me off, yet I stood beside him to count his money. I had no idea who that woman was and how cunning Matthew could be. Still, the woman’s identity was not my priority; I was just curious.Most people in my situation would obsess over finding out who they lost their love to, but the results were always the same, no matter who the other person was. I had already lost.After some thought, I told Ivanna, “My priority is finding where that money went.”"I already have someone looking into it, don't worry!" Ivanna reassured me confidently.I returned to work after our chat to figure out how to reclaim my company and bring Matthew down from his pedestal. That was my only wish. No one noticed when I had left and returned. After all, everyone knew I was the boss’s wife

Matthew seemed shocked at my question.I said innocently, “That was our house savings, so we need that money back soon. I want to buy a place once I find a suitable one. We can’t afford to delay our move any longer, especially after Ava’s fall. I need to find her a decent kindergarten, preferably Sunnydale Institute.”Matthew remained silent as I spoke. I feigned naivety and continued, “Why are you so quiet? I’ve noticed you’re so indifferent lately.”Matthew chuckled awkwardly, saying, “How’s that? Honey, I’ve got everything under control. I told you what happened to the money, right? We invested in a project many people have their eyes on.“We had to make an executive decision then, so I used our house savings as payment first. Do you think we’ll have trouble finding a good house once the company grows stronger? It’s all part of my plan, so don’t worry.”He smiled and gently pinched my nose. However, I knew his smile wasn’t genuine.We were preoccupied with our thoughts through

The message read, “I just wanted to show you how amazing he is.”Those few words sparked my wild imagination. I knew what the other party meant by saying Matthew was amazing. I was outraged and threw my phone aside, heavily panting to contain my impending scream.I knew the person was taunting me. I clenched my teeth so hard they made a grinding sound. Then I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. After a while, I picked up my phone, grabbed my bag, and stormed off.I could no longer hold back my grievances when I saw Ivanna. I threw myself into her arms and wailed. I couldn’t understand why I felt so shaken even after enduring torment.When I showed Ivanna the photos, she roared, kicked, and smashed things around. I guessed it was her way of helping me relieve my frustrations. “That bastard’s shameless! Disgraceful degenerate! How dare he?!”Once we finally calmed down, I looked at Ivanna and said, “I won’t fall for her provocations. She’s the wrong one, and I need to show h