When the plane malfunctioned, Liam and I were both on board. In the tense atmosphere, everyone was writing their final messages. I gripped Liam’s hand tightly but caught a glimpse of him sending his message to my best friend, Riley. Liam pressed his lips together and, after a long pause, finally explained, “Don't get the wrong idea. She’s the person we trust most, isn’t she?” Fortunately, it was a false alarm. I stepped off the plane on shaky legs and immediately called Riley. “Since he left all his assets to you, I might as well give him to you too.” On the other end of the line, Riley sounded frantic. “Nora, what are you talking about? I just saw the news about the plane malfunction. Are you okay? I’m on my way to the airport right now. Wait for me!” She quickly hung up. Liam walked beside me, saying helplessly, “Your parents and mine are getting older. I didn’t want to worry them, so I sent it to Riley instead! Alright, I apologize!” Liam pulled my hand and kissed my face. “Don’t be angry anymore. When Riley sees me, she’s definitely going to scold me. Can you bear to watch her lecture me?” My heart felt blocked. I walked away without a word. Liam chased after me, apologizing. When we reached the entrance, I saw Riley getting out of her car. The anxiety in her eyes didn’t seem fake. But I could see clearly—the first person she looked at was Liam. Then she rushed over to me and gave me a big hug before punching Liam’s shoulder. “You jerk! Why would you send a final message like that? You scared me to death!” Liam smiled. “Nothing happened, didn’t it? Besides, if something did happen, I trust you could handle everything for us! Nora’s still jealous of me!” He joked playfully. Riley rolled her eyes at him and pulled me to the car. I noticed how naturally they talked and joked together, without any sense of avoiding suspicion. When we got home, I made an excuse about being too tired and went back to the bedroom to rest. Lying in bed, I couldn’t fall asleep. I’d known Liam for eight years. We’d just returned from our honeymoon. I thought I understood him well. But earlier, when the plane malfunctioned and we faced life or death, I only thought about being with him forever. Yet Liam, with trembling hands, typed a few lines and sent them to Riley. He said it was a final message. But under the fear of death, my senses were heightened. I clearly saw those few lines he sent to Riley. All assets go to her. I dug my nails into my palm. Then I heard a voice from outside: “Nora, I’m walking Riley downstairs. I’ll be right back.” I quietly got up and came to the living room. I noticed he’d left his phone behind. In an instant, impulse took over. I walked over, entered the password, and opened his phone. I checked several apps but found nothing. Was I overthinking this? I thought it over, then with trembling hands clicked on settings and switched accounts. Sure enough, I accessed his alternate account. I didn’t even need to enter a password, probably because he used it frequently. Here, I saw his chat history with Riley. The earliest messages dated back eight years. Back then, I had just met Liam. Riley had known Liam before that. “You’re one lucky guy to know the most beautiful girl at our school. Nora’s pretty aloof—not everyone can catch her eye!” “Let’s take Nora to the badminton court today. She loves playing badminton! Don’t say I don’t help you out—just make sure you perform well!” “See how good I am to you? Nora’s my best friend. If you dare betray her, I’ll be the first one who won’t let you get away with it!” Later, their chats evolved from helping him pursue me, to playing sports and dating, and even to sex! From initial reluctance, to growing guilt, to excitement and passion. In just twenty minutes, I quickly skimmed through everything, photographing the information I needed, then exited and locked the screen. Then I opened my phone. At the parking space below, the two of them were hugging, briefly holding hands and touching each other, looking exactly like reluctant lovers saying goodbye. I took a deep breath. Something inside my heart completely collapsed.
I didn’t sleep all night. When Liam came back, he wrapped his arms around me from behind. His breathing near my ear made me feel sick. I pushed him away and went to the guest room. The next morning, I left early. If I continued staying under the same roof with him, I was afraid I’d throw up. When Liam called looking for me, I was at a law firm. I glanced at the divorce agreement, then answered the call. “Where did you go so early in the morning?” “The honeymoon’s over. I came to sort out my work.” I admired myself for being able to lie so calmly at this point. Liam seemed reassured. “Okay. I’m also busy today, so I won’t come home for lunch. I bought you a gift—remember to sign for it.” After hanging up, the lawyer across from me looked at me. “Are you okay?” Perhaps because I looked so terrible, he pushed a cup of hot water toward me. I smiled and thanked him, then added, “All of this goes to me. He’s the one at fault. I want ninety percent of the assets! He’s been having a long-term affair. He won’t refuse my demands. Just do as I say.” Perhaps sensing my bad mood, the gift Liam sent me was actually a handbag worth twenty thousand dollars. Immediately after, Riley called. “I’m so envious of certain people. He just wrote you a final message yesterday, and today he couldn’t wait to spend over twenty thousand on a bag for you. I’m telling you, don’t be too dramatic—just forgive him!” Listening to Riley make excuses for him on the phone, even blaming me for being too dramatic, I couldn’t help but find it funny. As if I was the petty one. After I stayed silent, Riley asked, “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything?” “I don’t really want to talk. Probably jet lag. I’m a bit tired,” I answered impatiently. “Then rest well. We’ll meet up later!” After hanging up, I quickly took action, searching all of Riley’s social media accounts. We’d been friends for years, but we’d only really been close for about five years—we grew closer because of Liam. I’d seen all her social media before, but without exception, I hadn’t found any issues. After thinking it over, I found an account in her following list with an avatar of a chubby cartoon girl—her favorite type. When I clicked on it, I discovered it was actually her alternate account. It was densely packed with records of her moments with Liam. Although the guy’s face wasn’t shown, I’d known Liam for eight years. I recognized him at a glance—whether it was a blurred silhouette or a fleeting side profile, this was Liam. Behind my back, they even had a little home together outside. I watched all her videos. In her bio, she’d written about Miss Fox and Mr. Rabbit who’d known each other for eight years and three months. “July 13, 2017. First time meeting Mr. Rabbit. Love at first sight! Took the initiative to get his contact info, then found out we go to the same university. Shamelessly joined the same club as him.” “October 1, 2017. My roommate and my crush also became friends. She’s really calculating—acting all cute the moment they meet. Don’t all men fall for that?” “She beat me to it after all! It hurts!” “December 25, 2017. Things are turning around. He says he still feels we have more in common!”
Over eight years, more than a thousand videos. I watched every single one. It was heartbreaking. Three months after Liam and I became official, he was already playing around with her. After a long while, anger surged through me. Liam, how could you face our eight years together! In that instant, I wanted to destroy him completely. It just so happened that the day after tomorrow was my mother-in-law’s birthday. In the years since I’d known Liam, his mother Diana had been truly good to me. But this time, I was bound to disappoint her. I boxed up the bracelet Diana had given me and bought a twenty-thousand-dollar wallet. I wrapped them together. The next morning, I reminded Liam, “Today’s your mom’s birthday. Come home early!” He agreed immediately, then turned and left. I took the day off, packed my luggage, and bought a large sledgehammer. I aimed at the wall and smashed down hard! Three hours later, the house was in ruins. I dragged my luggage and took the gifts, heading straight to Diana’s house. When I arrived, Riley was there too. Seeing me, she familiarly linked her arm with mine. “Nora, you’re finally here! We’ve been waiting forever!” I watched as she seated me, brought me water, acting like she was the hostess. Diana sat there smiling at her, not seeing anything wrong with this. My heart sank again. So they all knew. Only I didn’t know. “Where’s Liam?” It was already six o’clock. He should have been here by now. I took out my phone to message him when Riley said, “Liam said he has a meeting tonight. He’ll be about half an hour late!” Hearing this, I said coldly, “He’s certainly honest with you. I didn’t even know!” Riley froze, then smiled. “How would I know? Diana called him and I overheard! I just got here too. Liam said having more people would be livelier!” Diana took over. “That’s right. Liam’s busy at work. After a month-long honeymoon, he has too many tasks piled up. He must be swamped these days. Nora, you need to understand.” Before I could speak, Riley put her arm around my shoulder and smiled at Diana. “Our Nora is the most understanding. She definitely gets it, right?” I smiled without responding. Half an hour later, Liam finally arrived. As soon as he entered, he came to my side and started peeling an apple for me. Everyone sat together. The housekeeper brought out all the dishes. I also took out my gifts. “Happy birthday. This is my birthday gift for you!” Diana took the box. After opening it, there was clearly a wallet inside. Riley exclaimed beside her, “Nora, you really know how to choose! That must have cost a lot!” “Twenty thousand dollars.” Diana immediately set the box aside. “So expensive! No, no. Nora, you and Liam work hard for your money. Don’t spend so much!” I joked, “If I don’t spend this money, he’ll spend it on other women. I might as well buy you a gift with it!” Diana froze. “Child, don’t talk nonsense!” I smiled. “Look underneath. There’s more!” When Diana pulled out the small box underneath and opened it, her expression changed dramatically! “Nora, what does this mean?” Liam also grabbed my wrist. “Nora, what are you doing? Who returns a gift they’ve given?” Riley also patted me. “Nora, don’t be confused. You can’t give back a gift like this!” I looked at their faces—shocked, afraid, and panicked. Liam took the bracelet and was about to put it on my hand. I pulled my hand back and stood up directly. “That’s right. I’m returning it. I want a divorce!”
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