Whispers In The Heart

Tenth Wedding Anniversary

On the day of our tenth wedding anniversary,

I received a photo of my husband in bed with another woman.

His lover flaunted it in front of me,

boasting, "The unloved one is the true intruder."

I laughed so hard I nearly fell over.

She probably didn't know that besides her and the other mistresses, my husband had a true love he'd been hiding in his heart for ten years.

In order to be with his true love,

he even concocted the absurd story that his true love was his aunt.

Morning

After dropping my youngest daughter off at school, I was about to pick up the jade bracelet I had reserved for three months. It was a gift from my husband, Aidan, to celebrate our ten years together.

The saleswoman, Miriam, was smiling so broadly that her eyes disappeared, coaxing me to buy another jade bracelet. Just then, an unexpected photo popped up on my phone.

In the photo, a woman was sweating profusely, disheveled, nestled in the arms of a man, looking delicate and dependent like a little bird. If the man she was leaning on wasn't my husband, Aidan, I might have appreciated the beauty more.

"The one who isn't loved is the real outsider."

A common and cliché declaration from a mistress, something I'd seen in countless romance novels. Nine out of ten mistresses say this.

At my age, love had become a luxury. The only motivation to maintain this family was to give my children a complete home and keep up appearances.

I no longer sought love from my husband. All I needed from him was a steady stream of money and social resources. Our marriage had long been sustained by mutual benefits, an unspoken agreement between Aidan and me.

He was never a faithful man. It was almost an open secret in our circle that high-ranking executives in large corporations had a few confidantes. The unspoken rule was not to bring these women home and to maintain a positive image in front of the children, ensuring the family's integrity.

By letting his mistress cause a scene in front of me, Aidan had broken the rules.

Miriam noticed my change in expression and quickly led me to a nearby sofa, offering tea and kind words, afraid of losing the sale.

I took a deep breath, struggling to maintain my dignity in public. With a smile that didn't reach my eyes, I bought an imperial green jade bracelet, but I didn't take it home. Instead, I had it sent to Aidan's mother.

Everyone else could lose their composure, but I couldn't. At least not until I maximized my benefits in the divorce.

That evening, during dinner, Aidan tentatively brought up my 88,000 yuan purchase. I remained calm and composed.

"I saw a beautiful jade bangle when I picked up the bracelet. It had great clarity and color. Mom mentioned she didn't have any jewelry to match her outfits recently, so I bought it for her."

Aidan visibly relaxed, smiling as he placed a piece of mixed vegetables on my plate. "You're always so thoughtful, remembering everything Mom says."

I sneered inwardly. Of course, I had to remember. He lost his father at a young age, and his mother cherished him more than anything. She even tried to make things difficult for me at our wedding, worried he wouldn't continue to be the king of his own home. Over the years, I had to use countless strategies to finally send her to a high-end nursing home in the suburbs, yet I still faced criticism.

I had endured enough for this family.

But I couldn't explode just yet. I had two children to consider. I couldn't just think about myself; I had to plan for them.

Moreover, I had been a housewife for many years, disconnected from society. If I divorced him, without a stable income, I wouldn't be able to secure custody of the children or afford their expensive international school tuition. I wouldn't be able to provide them with a better environment or build a quality network of relationships.

So, I had been biding my time, waiting for the right moment.

Of course, I wasn't entirely without leverage. I had always held a piece of evidence against Aidan.

Good steel should be used on the blade. A foolish girl who caused a scene before I had dealt with Aidan wasn't enough to make me act.

Aidan chatted about the children for a while before mentioning the company's team-building event next month. All middle and senior management's families were required to attend.

"It'll be a bit of a hassle for you."

The warmth of his hand on mine made me feel nauseous. Even a touch felt like a slimy snake coiling around my hand.

Suppressing the urge to yank my hand away, I forced a polite smile.

"It's no trouble."

I knew the moment I had been patiently waiting for was coming soon.

Aidan worked at an old-established foreign enterprise. His boss was a traditionally-minded Zhadena man who advocated for traditional gender roles, with men as breadwinners and women as homemakers. Many female employees in the company felt oppressed, but correspondingly, male employees who reached a certain age without having settled down were also destined to hit a ceiling in their career advancement.

Everyone tacitly maintained the appearance of family harmony and respectability. This gathering was an opportunity for each manager to demonstrate to the boss their control over their family. After all, how could a man who couldn't maintain harmony in his own family be trusted to ensure the harmony of a team?

Aidan wouldn't give anyone a chance. He was an extremely selfish man who considered himself the most important person in the world, more important than his children and parents, let alone those unrelated by blood. For the sake of his career, Aidan wouldn't divorce, at least not at this moment. He was currently vying for the position of General Manager of the Bligate region, and a divorce now would severely undermine his competitiveness.

It was clear without a doubt that the woman hadn't managed to handle him, which was why she was targeting me. Seeing that I hadn't reacted, she grew anxious and even took the initiative to ask me out to lay her cards on the table. And I agreed.

She was as young as I had imagined, around twenty years old, with a face as delicate as a peony and fingers as slender as green onions, all crafted by wealth.

"So, you're Aidan's wife," she said, looking me up and down with undisguised disdain in her eyes. "You're really just a plain old housewife. I don't know why Aidan stays with you."

I smiled without saying a word, calmly taking a sip of my coffee. Ugh, I really don't understand why young people these days like to drink this bitter drink. I still prefer juice, sweet and delightful.

Seeing that I didn't react at all, the pretty girl across from me grew anxious and started saying more unpleasant things. Things like how the unloved one is the third party, and at your age, do you really think you can still hold onto a man? I wondered where she had learned such outdated, fundamentalist drivel-it was a version behind the times.

"You came to see me because Aidan refused to divorce, right?" I asked directly, interrupting her haughty expression. She instantly reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, screeching, "That's nonsense!"

I offered her a cup of hot cocoa, tapping my fingers lightly on the table, and said calmly, "If you had Aidan under control, you wouldn't be here trying to provoke me, would you? Otherwise, aren't you afraid I might do something rash in anger?"

She looked at me in disbelief and asked, "Aren't you angry?"

I shook my head, looking at her like she was a fool. "If you can push me out today just because you're young and beautiful, then in the future, you'll also be replaced by someone younger and prettier. What will you have then? If you consider yourself clear-headed and are with a married man just for benefits, you should account for every penny he spends on you. Whether it's marital property or personal property."

"His wife can sue to reclaim it at any time. When that time comes, you'll lose your youth and have nothing. Wouldn't that be a losing proposition?"

The young girl's face changed drastically, deflated like a punctured balloon. She looked at me like I was a monster.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Yes, why?

I can't quite put my finger on it.

Clearly, what she took from Aidan and me could be considered our marital property. Calling out someone who has encroached on my assets might seem a bit too self-righteous.

Perhaps it's the last bit of compassion in my heart. If a person loses even their last shred of empathy, they might as well be less than human.

"I hope you know when to stop. I won't always be this lenient. You're not the first woman to cause a scene in front of me, but you are the youngest. I'm only telling you this because of your age. I don't know if you're acting out of a momentary impulse or a long-term scheme. I've said my piece. Whether you choose to be smart or foolish is up to you."

After saying this, I didn't give the young woman another chance to speak.

In the end, she was still foolish, not understanding the meaning behind my words. She rushed up to me and spilled an entire cup of hot cocoa on my dress.

"Do you think you're some kind of success? What right do you have to lecture me? Let me tell you, Aidan will marry me in the end!"

I couldn't be bothered to argue further. I called the police. When she heard I was calling the police, her face turned red with anger. "You dare call the police? I'll make you pay!"

I thought she would call Aidan to complain, but I overestimated her. I don't know what she did, but after she was detained that day, I never heard from her again.

Maybe she knew when to stop, or maybe she continued to cause trouble with Aidan, losing both money and love. But none of that concerned me.

I calculated that Aidan had secretly transferred nearly a million in assets over the past few years. He used the so-called life of a wealthy housewife to gradually turn me into a puppet at home. In a couple of years, if I wanted to confront Aidan, I would be left with nothing but losses.

Looking at the shredded paper in the shredder, the last bit of softness in my heart disappeared, just like the scraps.

On the day of Aidan's team-building event, I kept up the appearance of a happy family as if nothing had happened.

The company president was old and loved seeing young couples. It was as if watching young people could bring back his lost youth and his wife who had committed suicide.

Of course, men are always moved by their own deep feelings, putting on a show for others. He claimed to be mourning his late wife, but he already had someone new by his side.

The new wife was an elegant woman of similar age, named Lauren, the eldest daughter of a famous professor in the country. She exuded an air of refined elegance, cultivated from a scholarly family, radiating a sense of pride and detachment.

Complimenting her talent and uniqueness, saying she looked much younger than her age, would immediately make her beam with joy.

"Joanna, you have great taste. Aidan is truly lucky to have married such an outstanding wife."

These words were said in front of Aidan, whose eyes sparkled with excitement, barely able to contain himself.

As soon as the banquet ended, he eagerly grabbed my hand and slipped a diamond ring the size of a large marble onto my finger.

"Joanna, you're my lucky star. You have no idea how long I've been competing with Roderick for this position. Nicolas has never taken a stand. Now that you can talk to Lauren, my chances have greatly improved."

Hiding my revulsion, I pulled my hand back, the smile vanishing from my face. I took off the ring and handed it back to him.

"Aidan, I know you mean well, but... this might be the last time I help you."

After saying this, I feigned distress and ran out of the hall in front of Lauren.

Aidan, noticing Lauren's inquisitive gaze, hurriedly chased after me, his face darkening, his tone questioning, "Joanna, what are you doing? Do you know you almost made Lauren suspect we were arguing? If you have any complaints, just tell me. I'll change anything you want. Don't trip me up at a critical moment. Don't forget we're a family."

"Yes, a family. So, are you saying you don't want me or this family anymore?"

I thought about the most heartbreaking moments of my life, finally recalling Aidan kneeling in front of me at our wedding, promising to take care of me forever. I also remembered him rushing to my hospital room with dark circles under his eyes after our daughter was born. Finally, I started to cry.

"She said I'm a washed-up old woman, unworthy of you."

The glaring photo on my phone, taken in bed, was right in front of Aidan.

Aidan's expression finally changed.