No Ads
Chapter 24
Chapter 24
I thought, ‘What’s the point of getting tangled up with someone like him? From the start, I’ve been in a dangerous position.
‘I couldn’t find him, and when he finally showed up, he was already prepared. Whether I live or die has always depended on
his mood.
‘But why should it be this way? I’m Dexter’s first wife! Even if this woman’s been in his life longer than I have, so what?
‘When I met him, he acted like he was single. I was the one who was deceived–so why should I bear all this pain that isn’t mine to carry?‘
Once I let go of that, my heart still ached, but I felt a lot lighter,
Holly came to pick me up. She arrived early and even brought breakfast for Juno and me. I quickly got Juno ready, and we headed out together.
It was a little rushed eating breakfast in the car, but Holly’s cooking was on point. The fragrant cereal hit the spot, and she’d also brought some cute, sweet bread that Juno absolutely loved.
“Yum, this is so good,” Juno said, grinning. “Thanks, Holly.”
Holly beamed with pleasure at the compliment. “You’re welcome, little guy. Don’t worry, I am going to make sure your mom finishes work early today so she can pick you up on time.”
Juno’s eyes lit up. “Yay!”
Then he rummaged around in his pocket for a while and pulled out a piece of milk candy. “Here. This is for you. It’s from Ms. Santos.”
“Oh, thank you!” Holly laughed and winked at me. “Looks like someone’s sweet on me. You don’t have any, do you?”
I just shook my head, finding it a little childish. After we dropped Juno off at kindergarten, Holly and I headed to the office.
On the way, Holly asked, “Have you made up your mind?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “I’m done. I’m going to file for divorce. I’m not wasting any more time on him.”
“Exactly,” she said, nodding. “Why waste any more of your precious time on someone like that?”
I nodded, agreeing with her.
Once we arrived at the office, I dove straight into work. I didn’t even have time to check my phone. By the time I finally got back to my office and was about to take a breath, Dexter’s call came through.
“What do you mean by this?” he asked coldly.
“Exactly what I said,” I answered flatly. “Let’s set up a time to finalize the divorce. Juno stays with me.
“The house I bought before we got married is mine, and as for the savings–yours are yours, mine are mine. Oh, and I don’t want your salary card anymore. That’s it.”
“You’re really going to do this, just because of my mom?” he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Feb
83%
Chapter 24
“It’s not just about your mom,” I said, taking a deep breath. I wasn’t holding back anymore. “You know what? Last night, I almost got run over by a car.”
“What?” His voice softened, suddenly full of concern. “Are you okay? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There was no need to tell you,” I replied coldly. “The person who tried to hit me was your mistress.”
The phone fell silent. I could almost hear his breath getting heavier, sharper.
I never imagined I’d be this blunt with him. I’d always thought I would gather all the evidence, drag that woman into the light, and throw it all in his face.
But… life wasn’t a soap opera. It was messy and unpredictable, and you had to face it head–on, just like I was now.
(13)
I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “What’s the matter? Too stunned to speak? Do you think I didn’t know? I’ll show you all the messages that woman sent me–over and over again.”
After I said that, I hung up and gathered all the evidence I had, then sent it to Dexter.
On his end, there was complete silence. Maybe the blow was just too much for him to process all at once.
I shrugged and headed straight to the staff cafeteria. It was lunchtime, and I wasn’t about to neglect my stomach.
Today, I finally got to leave work a little early, and I was the first one waiting at the kindergarten gate to pick up Juno.
As the kids were led out by their teacher, I couldn’t see Juno anywhere. I scanned the group again and again, but my son wasn’t there.
I grabbed Rhea by the arm. “Where’s Juno?”
“He was picked up by his dad. Didn’t you know?” Rhea seemed surprised. “He was taken right after his nap. You might want to call him.”
A wave of panic hit me. ‘Dexter has taken
my
child!‘
I quickly dialed his number. It rang for a while before someone finally picked up. It was Juno’s voice. “Mommy, where are you? I’m with Daddy now.”
Hearing Juno’s voice nearly brought me to tears. “Mommy just finished work. Are you at home?”
“No,” Juno replied seriously. “Daddy said he’s taking me out to play. Mommy, tomorrow’s the weekend!”
My hands shook uncontrollably, but I forced myself to stay calm. “Okay, can you give the phone to Daddy?”
A moment later, Dexter’s voice came through the phone, and I couldn’t hold back any longer. “What do you think you’re doing? Don’t drag the kids into this!”
“Juno is my son too. What’s wrong with taking him out to play?” His response left me speechless.
“Sure, but you didn’t consult me first.” I took a deep breath. “If you’re trying to use our son to threaten me because I want a divorce, let me tell you–it’s not going to work.”
There was silence on the other end, then he spoke again, his voice thick with emotion, “I don’t want a divorce… What you’re accusing me of is too much. Let’s talk face to face.”
Since Juno was with him, I couldn’t refuse. I agreed.
019
08.54 Sat, 15 Feb M
83%
Chapter 24
An hour later, I met Dexter at a restaurant near our home. Juno was with him.
Seeing Juno safe and sound finally put my mind at ease. Even though Dexter was his father, when it came to matters of divorce, I trusted no one.
We ordered food, and I tried to force a smile at Juno, pretending everything was fine, just like when the three of us used to go out for meals together.
But in reality, I couldn’t have felt less like eating. I was just going through the motions. As I looked at Juno’s cute little face, though, my heart softened a bit.
After we ate, we played with Juno for a while until he fell asleep on Dexter’s shoulder. Only then did we slowly make our way
home.
In the car, I sat in the backseat with Juno. In the dim light, my mind began to clear. “You’re not on a business trip anymore?”
“I… I rushed back. My wife wants a divorce–how could I still be on a trip?” Dexter’s voice had tightened.
Looking at him through the rearview mirror, I could see his jaw clenching. It was clear–he meant what he said.
I was starting to feel conflicted, thinking, ‘Maybe it is best to just go home and have a long talk. I couldn’t keep living like this -constantly second–guessing everything. If anyone wanted to live like that, it was up to them, but I certainly didn’t.
When we got home, I closed the door behind us, and we began talking.
“Alright, tell me–who is she?” I was done pretending.
“What woman? I’m clean, I swear!” Dexter’s face turned pale as he threw his phone at me. “If you don’t believe me, then check for yourself.
“Go ahead–look at my call logs, my messages–anything. If you think I’ve deleted something, you can get someone to recover it. I’ve got nothing to hide!”
田
