The camera started shaking. The woman took the phone and flipped the view. She wasn't tall, so only the man's chest was visible when she entered the frame. The caption read: "The one I love will come to me with roses, braving the snow." The comments below were all shipping them. It would be a lie to say I wasn't envious. But before I could even sigh, my eyes locked onto the man's chin as the camera swept past. There was a small mole. Identical to the mole on my professor husband's chin, who said he wasn't coming home. Chapter 1 The video continued to play, the woman's sugary voice giving me a headache. I opened the comments section. The top comment had over 3,000 likes. [OMG so sweet! Can the OP share your love story?] Almost instantly, the top comment was replaced by the OP's reply. [Thanks for the love, babes. Heart emoji.] [He was a student under my father. The first time I saw him, I knew he was the one.] [Later, although there were some accidents in between, we still got together.] This familiar backstory made me suspicious. I clicked into the woman's profile and scrolled through her past videos. Finally, I found a familiar face. It was Jasmine! The woman who had been pestering Professor Bennett since he was in grad school. I remember the first time I went to Bennett's university to visit him. It was Jasmine who picked me up at the gate. She wore a white dress, long hair flowing. Her look at me was perfunctory at best. "Bennett is doing an experiment, so he asked me to pick you up." At first, I didn't know who she was and thanked her. Jasmine just smiled and said nothing. Later, I learned from people around us. She was the daughter of Bennett's mentor, and she had her eyes on him. At that time, Bennett and I were just dating, not married. Hearing such things naturally made me panic. As soon as Bennett came back, I asked him. Unexpectedly, Bennett just rubbed my hair and smiled. "Miriam, only we are one." "I will never do anything to betray you." To reassure me, Bennett proposed immediately. And refused any contact with Jasmine. Until Jasmine got married, I finally felt at ease. But why? Why does the person in this video look so much like Bennett? A wave of grievance surged, tears blurring my vision. Just as my mind was in turmoil. Bennett video called me. My hand answered the call faster than my brain. "Why are your eyes red? Miss me?" Bennett's voice was as affectionate as ever. Seeing I didn't speak, Bennett sighed. "Alright, I bought you a gift, go get it." Saying that, he was about to hang up. I stared at the screen intently, as if trying to see through it. "Where are you right now?" Bennett seemed confused, "In the lab, of course." "What's wrong? You're acting paranoid." I gripped the phone tight, keeping my voice calm. "Show me a video of your surroundings." "Photos aren't allowed in the lab." "I want to see it NOW!" I screamed, and Bennett froze. After a long while, the camera flipped. I looked carefully; it was indeed their lab. The breath I was holding finally relaxed. Bennett complained a little. "We've been married for so long, and you still doubt me." "Hmph, wait till I get back in a few days, see how I punish you." Hearing Bennett's words, my ears turned slightly red. Maybe the video was just a misunderstanding. After all, people can look alike. I wanted to say something more, but Bennett glanced outside and said to me. "The experiment is starting, I have to go watch those students." "I'll call you when it's over." I nodded, preparing to hang up. But in Bennett's camera frame, I spotted a figure that shouldn't be there. It was Jasmine! Chapter 2 Why was she in Bennett's lab? Before I could figure it out, the video ended. A woman's intuition told me something was wrong. I immediately dialed the landline of Bennett's lab. "Hello, I'm Professor Bennett's wife." "Something happened at home, and I can't reach Bennett. Can you call him for me?" The person answering seemed to be a new student. His confused voice came through the phone. "Mrs. Bennett, the Professor isn't in the lab. Didn't he apply for leave?" "We already received the reply from his family." I didn't speak for a long time, and the other side got nervous. "Thank you, I found him." "That's good. Happy New Year, Mrs. Bennett." After hanging up, I squatted on the floor, my chest hurting unbearably. Just then, a thought flashed through my mind. I opened the previous local video. Checked the location tag and drove over. The city roads late at night were empty. Just like my heart. My nails dug deep marks into the steering wheel. I didn't know how to describe my feelings. Wanting to know, yet afraid to face the truth. The location was very close to home. A thirty-minute drive. I got out of the car. It was empty. Only a snowman stood there lonely. I didn't see Bennett. I sighed in relief first. Just as I was about to leave. I caught a glimpse. The house next to the snowman was lit. I approached quietly. Laughter and faint talking came from inside. "Bennett, is everything okay with your wife?" This voice froze me in place. But the next voice tore me apart directly. "After so many years, I'm used to it. Don't know what got into her this year, she actually wanted to check on me." "Good thing you prepared everything." "Or I wouldn't know how to explain." I looked inside through the window. The room was warm. Jasmine sat on the sofa, a girl sleeping on her lap. And Bennett was sitting next to her, pinching the bridge of his nose, looking helpless. Jasmine patted the girl's back and said. "It's all my fault. If not for me, you should have spent the holiday with your wife." "Letting you come to accompany me every year, I..." Boom. Something shattered completely. So, Bennett came back every New Year's Day. Just never home, but accompanying another woman. He lied to me, saying there was an important experiment. I suddenly remembered last New Year's. Bennett also said there was an emergency experiment, so he couldn't come home. That time, I hadn't seen him for a whole year. I gritted my teeth and took a long leave, planning to fly over to spend the holiday with him. But after learning my plan. Bennett threw a temper tantrum for the first time. "I told you I need to do experiments. You coming will only cause me trouble." I still remember how helpless I was then. I just wanted to see him, was that wrong? But Bennett's cold demeanor scared me. In the end, I didn't go. Another holiday alone in an empty house. Thinking back now, he was probably afraid I would discover the truth. I couldn't help stepping back, knocking over a flower pot in the corner. Bennett walked out, and I stood there looking at him. Panic surfaced on his calm face. "Miriam, why are you..." Chapter 3 Before he finished, Jasmine walked out too. Seeing me, she seemed flustered and hurriedly explained. "Mrs. Bennett, don't overthink. Bennett just pitied us, a widow and orphan, so he spent the holiday with us." Saying that, she reached out to pull me into the house. I waved my hand impatiently. I didn't use force, but Jasmine fell to the ground. Bennett immediately stepped forward to hold her, looking at me with blame. "Jasmine is in poor health. If you're angry, take it out on me, don't target her." My tears came out faster than my questions. Bennett called her Jasmine, just like he called me Miriam. How ridiculous. "Professor Bennett, is she the experiment you must do every year?" I braced myself against the wall to keep from falling. Bennett was silent for a moment before looking at me. "Jasmine is the widow of my brother. His only wish before dying was for me to take good care of her." I looked at him with red eyes. "There are many ways to take care of someone. Why choose this one?" "Why hide it from me?" "Is that child yours?" I spoke incoherently, pointing at the girl in the room. This sentence made Bennett's face turn cold. "I didn't do anything to betray you. Don't spread rumors and ruin people's innocence." I smiled sadly, "Does it only count if I catch you in bed?" "Do you have to speak so harshly?" Bennett let go of Jasmine, stood up and stared at me. I had only seen that look once. It was when Jasmine deliberately provoked me in the past. The way Bennett warned her. Time has passed, and the object of Bennett's warning has switched. I took out my phone and played the video in front of him. "The one I love will come to me with roses, braving the snow." I played that sentence on loop. "Explain this!" "Not betraying me means leaving me alone at home every holiday to be with her?" "Not betraying me means watching me being deceived by you again and again?" "Bennett, playing me like a fool, are you proud?" I cried hoarsely, but Bennett remained silent. It was always like this. Whenever there was a dispute, Bennett would only give me the silent treatment. I needed him too much. So, every time, I silently digested it myself and then coaxed him. Suddenly, a child's cry came from inside the house. The girl walked out barefoot. Bennett frowned immediately. "Jasmine, take the child inside. The ground is cold." I stood in the snow, my body and mind freezing. But Bennett didn't see it at all. I looked at the girl, and in a trance, I remembered. Once, Bennett and I also had a child. But due to an accident, the child was lost. Since then, I haven't been pregnant. I could see Bennett liked children very much. For this, I saw many doctors and took many shots. But none succeeded. The snow fell harder. Bennett reached out to pull me into the house. I avoided his hand. "Don't touch me. I find it dirty." Bennett's face darkened. "In that case, go home yourself." Bang. The door closed. I returned to the car almost numbly. The moment the engine started, I called my best friend who is a lawyer. "Help me. I want to ruin them." Chapter 4 My best friend is a famous divorce lawyer in NYC. After learning the truth, she formulated a plan for me. I hired the best Private Investigator in the city. And threw a lot of money into it. Finally, I got what I wanted. Looking at the photos covering the bed, I found it hard to breathe. Soon, the news of Professor Bennett abandoning his wife of seven years and cheating with his brother's widow hit the trending search. That day, I was packing at home. Bennett slammed the door open and rushed in, looking at me with an iron-green face. "You distrust me this much!" "Using public opinion to ruin Jasmine and the child, how did you become so mean and vicious?" "Do you know, because of you, the child is afraid to go to school and cries at home all day." My hand paused, voice faint. "Is any of that evidence fake?" Bennett froze, not knowing how to answer. I continued. "We lived apart for years. I never knew you had a house in Boston." "Did you buy it to visit her conveniently during experiments?" "After all, that house is very, very close to your lab." "No wonder, every time I said I wanted to visit you, you made excuses." Bennett seemed guilty, his tone softening a bit. "Jasmine is a woman raising a child alone, it's not easy. I just looked after her a bit more." He walked towards me, "I understand you are angry." "As long as you post a clarification video, we'll let this pass." "Let's live a good life in the future, okay?" I threw the things on the floor, tone sarcastic. "Live a good life? With the three of you?" Bennett couldn't help pushing me. "Can you clean up your mouth?" My waist hit the corner of the table. Instantly, a sharp pain shot through me. I reached out to grab Bennett. "Take me to the hospital." Bennett looked cold, "Faking illness now?" "Too late!" With that, Bennett left. I endured the pain and called my best friend. When I woke up again, I was in the hospital. My friend looked at me unbearably. A sense of uneasiness rose in my heart. "What happened?" My friend sat by the bed comforting me. "The doctor said... you miscarried." A wave of bewilderment surged. This was the child I had longed for. I just found out about his existence. And he left me. My heart felt like it was being torn apart. Pain made it hard to breathe. My friend hugged me. "This is not over. You have to be strong." She showed me her phone. The original trending search was gone. My friend told me, "Someone intervened. No one dares to report it anymore." I gripped the sheets, gritting my teeth. "This isn't over!" After that day, I didn't contact Bennett again. He thought I learned my lesson. But he didn't know I was waiting for an opportunity. Finally, on the day of the New Year's Gala. I received a text. [You and Bennett will go to the college's New Year Gala this year, right?] [I saw his application to bring family.] [Long time no see, miss you.] The sender was the Dean's wife. In the faculty housing, because we were from the same hometown, we were very close. [Don't worry, sister-in-law. I brought you specialties from home. Hope you like them.] After replying, I cleaned myself up. Booked the earliest flight to Bennett's workplace. Thanks to the Dean's wife, I entered the college smoothly without alerting Bennett. The college was decorated with lights, and many older alumni were chatting in the audience. I saw Jasmine leading her daughter from the crowd towards Bennett. Standing together, they looked like a natural pair. Soon, the show began. The PPT that was supposed to say Happy New Year... Changed to intimate photos of Bennett and Jasmine. The whole venue was in an uproar. I took off my hat and walked onto the stage step by step. "Hello everyone, I am Professor Bennett's wife."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "389997", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel