Chapter 5
I thought it was the police, but it was Alexander.
He punched Michael square in the face, then kicked him to the ground. Michael didn’t get back up.
Alexander rushed to me, carefully lifting me into his arms, his face full of worry.
“Anna, are you okay?”
I tried to answer, but as I spotted the police entering, everything went black.
When I woke up in the hospital, I learned Alexander had stayed by my side all night.
“Alexander, how did you know I was
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kidnapped? And how did you find me?” I asked.
He just smiled and didn’t answer.
Michael and his accomplices were arrested and charged with kidnapping and extortion. I expected a ten–year sentence, but Michael ended up with life in prison.
A few weeks later, I received a call from the prison. Michael wanted to see me.
I almost didn’t go but decided to settle one last thing.
When I arrived, Michael looked gaunt in his blue prison uniform, but his expression was calm.
“Anna, if I hadn’t pushed Sophia to have a child, do you think we could’ve had a
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successful business and a happy family?”
“Michael,” I said coldly, “there are no ‘what–ifs‘ in life. If I hadn’t divorced you, if I hadn’t won the lottery, if I hadn’t uncovered your plans–do you think I’d still be alive today?”
Before leaving, I pulled out five years‘ worth of medical reports.
“You didn’t really think Sophia’s child was yours, did you?”
The word “infertile” was printed in bold letters. Michael stared at it, shaking his head in disbelief.
“This isn’t possible. This isn’t possible…” he muttered, over and over.
He’d destroyed his family and career for a
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child that wasn’t even his.
In the end, I’d hoped to let the two of them ruin each other, but life had done that for me.
Sophia met a fitting end, conned out of all her money and left penniless in a foreign country, where she ultimately died at the hands of a depraved man.
With Michael and Sophia gone, I could finally breathe easy.
I even bought Michael’s bankrupt company, kept the old staff, and hired a professional manager to run it. The modest annual income of two to three million was enough for me.
As for Alexander? After the kidnapping, he started pursuing me, showing up every day with flowers and waiting outside after work
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to take me to dinner.
Gossip spread like wildfire at the office, but I didn’t mind.
Men? I’ll take them as they come.
Life as a single, wealthy woman suits me just fine.
Alexander’s Story
Anna and I were high school classmates. That was the extent of our relationship–or so she thought.
In truth, I’d been quietly watching her for three years.
The first time we met was in a narrow alley outside of school. I was cornered by a group of thugs demanding protection money. Just
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as things were about to get ugly, I heard her shout from outside the alley, “The cops are coming!”
The thugs scattered in a panic.
She had no idea that her one sentence saved me from a serious beating.
On the day of our high school graduation, I planned to confess my feelings for her. But after hesitating too long, I saw someone else call her over to take a photo.
Then, life happened. My family had some issues, and I was sent abroad.
When I finally returned and went looking for her, I found out she was married–to someone from our school.
I couldn’t help but wonder. if I hadn’t left,
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would I have been the one standing by her side?
My family kept urging me to return to Beijing, but I refused. Just being in the same city as her, even if we weren’t together, was enough for me.
Maybe the universe took pity on me, because one day, as I was reviewing a list of job candidates, her name appeared. Without hesitation, I ensured she got the job.
After that, I imagined countless ways we might meet again. In the end, none of them played out the way I’d envisioned.
Instead, I saw her leaving work one evening and hurriedly pretended I was just getting off too. Feigning surprise, I “recognized” her and struck up a conversation.
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We ended up having dinner together under the pretense of catching up as old classmates.
That night, I was both ecstatic and nervous.
Even though I already knew her preferences, I still asked if she had any dietary
restrictions or favorite dishes. I wanted the moment to feel genuine.
It was the first time in years that I’d been so close to her.
She still doesn’t know that her one shout years ago saved me from harm.
After that incident in high school, I couldn’t help but pay attention to her.
Our biggest interactions were borrowing things–pens, erasers, even notebooks.
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It was my excuse to talk to her without it seeming odd.
Sometimes, I’d deliberately delay turning in my homework, just so she’d come over to remind me. Even if she was scolding me, I’d feel happy.
After dinner, it started raining. I offered to drive her home, but she mentioned, matter–of–factly, that she was recently divorced.
Her words stunned me. Then, almost immediately, I felt a surge of hope.
Before I could respond, she’d already climbed into a cab and left.
Then came the night she was kidnapped by Michael.
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She later asked me how I knew about the kidnapping and how I found her.
I didn’t tell her.
How could I explain that I waited outside her office every evening, watching to make sure she got home safely?
That night, I saw her being forced into a van. My heart nearly stopped.
I followed the vehicle to an abandoned warehouse. After scouting the area and confirming there were only three men inside,
I stormed in.
When I saw her face–swollen and bruised -I was furious. My rage boiled over as I pummeled Michael to the ground.
When she passed out, I panicked. My
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hands were trembling as I carried her to the hospital.
I called in the hospital director and stood outside the operating room, praying relentlessly.
When the doctor finally said she was okay, the weight on my chest lifted. I stayed by her side, watching over her, afraid that if I looked away, she might disappear.
After that incident, I stopped hiding my feelings.
I wanted to shield her from harm.
I wanted to protect her.
I wanted to be her safe harbor.
As for Michael, I couldn’t let him off so
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C
easily.
While the police took him into custody, I worked behind the scenes. I had my lawyer push for harsher charges, turning what could have been a ten–year sentence into life imprisonment.
I made sure he wouldn’t see the outside world again.
And inside prison? I pulled strings to ensure he’d be “well taken care of.”
I wanted him to suffer, to wish for death but never find it.
And now, I can finally stand by Anna’s side, not as a shadow, but as someone she can
lean on.
The End.
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Book 5 My Husband And I Both Had Affairs
Late at night, I drove my boyfriend home. Before I left, he unbuttoned his jacket and teasingly suggested, “Want to try something tonight, sis?”
I firmly refused, saying, “I have a curfew. I must be home by ten.”
My boyfriend protested, “You’re an adult. Why are your parents so strict?”
“Uh… that’s my husband’s rule.”
‘…?”
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