On the day of our third wedding anniversary.
Richard bought me a necklace I've loved for a long time at a high price.
Everyone said that he's crazy about me.
I was joyfully preparing a candlelight dinner when I received a video.
In the video, he put the necklace on another girl with his own hands, "Congratulations on your new life."
Turns out, today is not just our wedding anniversary.
It's also the day his first love got divorced.
----
I never thought that this would happen to me.
Even though my marriage with Richard wasn’t borne out of romance.
But in public, he has always indulged me as a doting husband.
I sat at the dining table, staring at the now cold steak, and at the still trending search –– Richard spent millions only to please his wife.
All of these, have become a silent mockery.
At two in the morning, the black Mercedes-Maybach finally drove into the yard.
Through the floor-to-ceiling window, I could see the man getting off the car, dressed in a custom-tailored dark suit, towering figure, noble and elegant.
"Why haven't you gone to bed yet?"
Richard flipped on the light, noticing me sitting in the dining room with a bit of surprise.
I attempted to get up, but due to my numb leg, I collapsed back onto the chair, saying, "I was waiting for you."
"You missed me?"
He laughed nonchalantly, went to pour himself a glass of water, glancing at the untouched dinner on the table with some surprise.
If he wanted to pretend, I would hold my emotions back as well. I stretched out my hand towards him and said with a crooked smile, "Happy third anniversary, where's my gift?"
"Sorry, I was too busy today and forgot to prepare it."
He paused, then finally realized that today was our wedding anniversary.
He reached out to tousle my hair but I reflexively dodged it.
I didn't know what else his hand had touched this evening, and it felt a bit repulsive.
He was slightly taken aback.
Pretending I hadn't noticed, I kept smiling softly at him, "Still trying to fool me? You've clearly bid on my favorite necklace, and it's even trending on social media! Give it to me now."
"Sophia..."
Richard slowly retrieved his hand, his face impassive, his voice light, "That necklace, I've actually bid for Henry."
...
As stated online, a brother is always the best shield.
I barely managed to keep the smile on my face, "Is that so?"
"Yes, as you know, he attracts trouble like bees to honey."
Richard's tone and expressions gave nothing away.
Looking at him under the light, with his flawlessly handsome features, I suddenly feel like I might have never truly understood this man.
I even start to question if this is really the first time he has lied to me.
Or maybe, I just trusted him too much in the past.
If it weren't for the anonymous video I received, I wouldn't have doubted his explanation at all.
Seeing that I stayed quiet, he patiently tried to comfort me, "I shouldn't have forgotten such an important day. I'll definitely make it up to you with a gift tomorrow."
"All I want is that necklace."
I still want to give him a chance.
The angle in the video didn't reveal the woman's face.
Just maybe, their relationship isn't something bad.
Richard showed a hint of hesitation. I looked at him with confusion, "Is it not possible? Let Henry, for the sake of you, his brother, bear with losing his admirers. It shouldn't be an issue right?"
He remained silent for a moment, understanding my insistence, all he could do was reply, "I'll ask him tomorrow, It's not right to forcefully take what someone cherishes."
"Do I ask 'him' or 'her'?"
Unable to inquire further, I simply reply, "Alright."
"Have you been waiting for me, starving?"
Richard starts to clean up the dining table. His distinctly boned fingers, landing on the china-white tableware, look pretty good.
I nod, "Mm, it's our anniversary."
As I stand up to help him clean up, he stops me. His voice is soft, "Just sit down, let your husband cook you some noodles."
"Oh."
Seeing him like this, the doubt in my heart fades a bit more.
Could a man who has cheated really be so calm and considerate?
It's strange, Richard was born with a gold spoon in his mouth, yet he has such good cooking skills. His meals are quick and delicious.
However, he rarely cooks on regular days.
After about ten minutes, a bowl of enticing-looking tomato and egg noodles is served.
"It's delicious!"
After taking a bite, I praise him generously, "Who did you learn to cook from? It's even better than the restaurants outside."
He looks startled, as if lost in some memory. About half a minute later, he finally responds in a low voice, "Those two years when I was studying abroad, I had to learn to cook just to satisfy my Chinese stomach."
I originally just asked out of curiosity, without giving it much thought.
Coming upstairs after taking a bath and laying on my bed, it was already past three.
Behind me, the man’s hot body pressed against mine. His chin was in my neck hollow, lightly rubbing against it.
“Are you in the mood?”
His voice was as if it had been polished with sandpaper. The breath between his words sprayed onto my skin, causing ripples of shivers.
Before I could answer, he leaned over, his hand slipping under my silk nightdress.
He was always dominant in bed, not allowing me to resist.
But this time, I had to refuse, “Husband, I can't today…”
My voice, like my body, had softened into a puddle of water.
“Hm?”
Richard was softly kissing on my neck, his hand reaching down, saying embarrassingly candid words: “Down here is welcoming me so much, aren't you?”
“I, I have a stomachache today.”
Hearing this, he finally halted his movements. He gently kissed my earlobe and pulled me into his arms, “I forgot, your period is coming soon. Get a good rest.”
The heartstrings I had just relaxed tightened immediately. I turned to look at him without blinking, "My period was at the beginning of the month, it's been over for a while now."
"Is it?"
He looked calm, asking in return without losing his composure, "Did I remember it wrong? Does it hurt badly? Should I ask Aunt Sandra to accompany you to the hospital tomorrow?”
“I went there this morning.”
"What did the doctor say?"
"The doctor said…"
I lowered my eyes, hesitating briefly.
The doctor said that I was five weeks pregnant. The abdominal pain was due to a threatened miscarriage. I need to take medication to boost progesterone first, and have an ultrasound check-up for the fetal heartbeat in two weeks.
Finding out that I was pregnant on our wedding anniversary was undoubtedly the best gift.
I hid the pregnancy test results in a tiny glass jar, concealed in the homemade cake at the center, planning to give Richard a surprise during our candlelight dinner.
Yet, until now, the cake remained untouched in the refrigerator.
No one paid any attention to it.
"It's nothing serious. I might have an upset stomach from drinking too many cold beverages recently." I chose to hide the truth for the time being.
If the necklace returns tomorrow, everything will be fine.
However, if it does not, our marriage, with a third person involved, might struggle to continue. Telling him about the child would lose its original meaning.
I had a restless night.
Probably no woman could calmly accept the fact that her husband might be having an affair.
Unexpectedly, the matter that I have been worrying about quickly had a follow-up.
The next day, while Richard was still washing up, someone knocked on the door.
I had just changed my clothes, I opened the door to see Aunt Sandra pointing downstairs, "Madam, Miss Bianca is here, she said she came to return something."
Bianca is the daughter of Richard's stepmother, half-siblings, two years older than him. When you think about it, she could also be considered a lady of the Lincoln household.
Aunt Sandra was arranged by the Lincoln household to take care of us, and she habitually refers to her as "Miss Bianca".
I was somewhat puzzled. Normally, besides meeting Bianca at family banquets back at the old house, we don't interact much, let alone borrow things from each other.
"Return something?"
"Yes, it's in a very delicate jewelry box, it should be some kind of jewelry." Aunt Sandra replied.