Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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I glanced at her quickly, then grabbed Juno and rushed out. As we passed the woman, I heard a brief, mocking chuckle. It was so quick–barely a second. By the time I registered it, the elevator doors were already closing slowly behind me.
I felt like I was losing my mind. I thought, ‘Why would I think there is something wrong with a woman I’ve just brushed past?‘
I paused for a moment, then, without a second thought, headed straight for the beauty salon. I gave the receptionist my membership number and personal details.
She told me, “Ms. Moreno, your card’s balance is all used up. There’s no money left.
“I know.” I said, “But what I want to know is–who came in and used my card?” I stared at her, determined not to miss even the smallest clue.
The receptionist replied, “A woman in a fuchsia dress. She just left.”
A wave of realization hit me. It really was the woman I’d passed by. That laugh hadn’t been my imagination–she’d recognized me for sure. She was so smug, so bold, even unbothered when we nearly bumped into each other.
I picked up Juno and rushed to the escalator. Looking down from two levels above, I saw her–wearing the same fuchsia dress, her face turned upward, staring in my direction.
She had long chestnut hair, a sharp chin, and huge dark sunglasses. From the muscle tone in her arms, I could tell she wasn’t young, but her body was in much better shape than mine–slender waist, curves, and a very seductive figure.
She smirked at me, then flipped me the bird. I thought, ‘That woman!‘
By the time I got downstairs, she was nowhere to be seen. I searched the mall from top to bottom, circling around in every direction, but came up empty.
It wasn’t until my son, Juno, complained that he was tired that I snapped out of my anger and frustration. Looking at Juno, I couldn’t help but smile wryly, thinking, ‘What am I even doing?‘
I went back to the beauty salon, canceled my old membership card, and signed up for a new high–tier one. Now, only I could use it no one else could, even if they had the card.
I also asked to review the surveillance footage. Unfortunately, even in the footage, the woman was still wearing sunglasses, so her face was obscured. But for some reason, she seemed oddly familiar.
The receptionist apologized again, “I’m so sorry, Ms. Moreno. When she came in to use your card, she said she was your sister. We didn’t realize she was a fraud… Also, we’re not allowed to use the surveillance footage in the treatment rooms.”
“What treatments did she get?” I asked.
“She had an imported hydrating treatment and a full Pico laser session.”
As I heard that, my heart sank. No wonder she spent 2,500 dollars so quickly. The salon had given her a 30% discount because of my membership.
I asked, “If she comes back, would you recognize her?”
The receptionist nodded eagerly. “Yes, we’d recognize her right away.”
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After I left, I went straight to the police.
Although I knew it was unlikely they’d be able to track her down after she’d already stolen and spent the money, I had a feeling that I might be able to put some pressure on Dexter.
By the time I got home, utterly drained, I started putting away the things I had bought,
When Kimberly saw me come home carrying all the bags, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for me, “What did you even buy
“Some of this stuff wasn’t necessary at all. Look at all of this… Oh my, what’s the point of buying wet wipes? You could’ve just used a towel to wipe things down.
“Your mother’s seriously ill in the hospital, and you’re spending m
like this? You’re not even thinking about your husband, just throwing all this money away… Do you have any idea how hard it is to earn money?”
I was already irritated and couldn’t take it anymore. “I didn’t spend your son’s money. He hasn’t given me a single cent You’re worrying about the wrong person.”
Kimberly was stunned, then after a moment, she said, “Well, that’s fine, Dexter is more capable than you, so it makes sense that he should be the one managing the money in the family. You’re married, but you can’t be this careless with money”
At that moment, I regretted agreeing to Dexter’s suggestion to have Kimberly come over, I wished I could slap myself for it.
People really did forget the pain once the wound healed. I thought, ‘How can I have forgotten what it was like when Juno was born, and Kimberly came to take care of me during that period?‘
The constant nagging, the little challenges–I lost ten pounds that month. While other women were glowing and plump, 1 looked like I’d been through a serious illness.
I carried Juno into the room, no longer wanting to hear any more of her lecturing.
Later, when Dexter came home, as expected, Kimberly started in on him. I could hear their conversation clearly from the bedroom.
A little while later, the door opened, and Dexter walked in. “Sylvia, are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said, as I was teaching Juno.
Juno was at the age where he was completely absorbed in picture books, so he was quietly turning the pages, lost in thought.
Dexter breathed a sigh of relief. “My mom is always been like that. She’s been this way for years, and it’s not going to change. She’s not picking on you–she treats me the same way. Sometimes when I buy something, she’ll go on about it for ages. It’s so annoying.”
I forced a smile. If this had been before, I would’ve appreciated Dexter comforting me like that. But today was different.
Today, I had almost come face–to–face with that woman. I was so close to exposing her. I couldn’t forget the way she taunted me, and I definitely wouldn’t forget her arrogance.
Thinking about it all made my blood boil. “Come outside for a minute. I need to ask you something.”
I locked the balcony door behind me, making sure no one–neither Juno nor Kimberly–could hear us.
“What’s going on, Sylvia?” Dexter looked confused.
I stared at his face, the one I’d loved for so many years, and a rush of emotions flooded through me. “Dexter, how long have
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Chapter 11
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we known each other?”
“Ten years. We’ve known each other for ten years, been together for six, married for five, and we have a four–year–old son, Juno Dexter said it all so gently. “You’re not trying to remind me that I’ve forgotten some important date, are you?”
I thought, ‘See, that’s Dexter, He’s always been kind and thoughtful, never missing an anniversary.
In a way, my life after marriage had been just as happy as when we were dating. Other than Kimberly occasionally causing trouble, I was luckier than most people.
I opened my mouth. “Where is my beauty card?”
“Beauty card?” Dexter looked completely confused.
“The one I keep in my bag–the one I’ve been using for treatments at that salon. Don’t you remember?” I reminded him again.
“Yeah, I think there was a card like that…”
Seeing his blank expression, I couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Does he really not know anything?‘
Just then, Dexter’s phone rang. He checked the number, and his face instantly changed…
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