Six years of my life, I dedicated to Ryan Sterling, building everything with him from the ground up.
It wasn’t until a month before our wedding that I found out I’d been cheated on.
The man who’d sworn to marry me had already tied the knot with someone else behind my back.
As our wedding day loomed, I suddenly discovered that Ryan Sterling, my boyfriend of many years, was having an affair. It left me utterly bewildered.
We’d started a business together, I’d helped him build his fortune from nothing, and we’d accumulated considerable wealth side-by-side.
I’d watched him transform from a penniless young man into the successful entrepreneur he was today.
But now, it seemed I was no longer the woman he loved wholeheartedly.
I knew him when he loved me, so the lack of love was painfully obvious.
Should I just cut my losses, quickly divide our assets, and break up?
That didn’t feel fair to me.
Or should I hold on, dragging things out until our relationship completely withered?
That would be a torment for all of us, not just them.
So, what was the best solution?
My answer was clear: Yes, I could break up with him!
But…
He owes me, and I’ll make him pay for every single bit of it!
They say once you’ve made it to the top, the first thing you do is cut ties with the very people who helped you get there.
I never believed that before.
Now, I had no choice but to.
Discovering Ryan’s infidelity was purely by chance.
That day, I happened to be home from a business trip, ready for a deep clean.
When I changed the bedsheets, I instinctively removed the pillowcases too.
So, when my hand brushed against that red marriage certificate inside the pillowcase, I froze, stunned to my core.
Ryan Sterling… he actually got secretly married to someone else?
How could this be happening?
Tears welled in my eyes. I tried to delude myself, to believe it was all a fake.
I desperately searched for any sign of a forgery.
But the result was utterly disappointing.
Blunt, bold words stared back at me.
Holder: Ryan Sterling.
Marriage Date: March 15, 2024.
The raised official seal was a stark, undeniable reminder that I was the other woman.
That day, it was supposed to be our wedding photoshoot.
But he’d claimed urgent company business.
I, naive fool, had actually believed him, thinking he was truly busy with work.
My tears streamed down, uncontrollable.
They splattered onto his marriage certificate with another woman.
In the photo, their smiles were radiant and blinding.
They seemed to mock me, the clown who’d been so easily deceived.
I stood there, my fingers clutching the certificate, trembling uncontrollably.
Why would Ryan hide this marriage certificate, conceal the fact that he’d betrayed me?
Was someone holding something over him, forcing him to marry? Was he left with no choice?
Or was he afraid that if I found out the truth, I’d expose his past and destroy everything he’d built?
Whatever the reason, it was no excuse for betraying our relationship.
Expressionless, I put the marriage certificate back exactly where I found it.
I went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face, trying to clear my head.
It did absolutely nothing.
After sitting on the sofa for an hour, numb with disbelief.
I called Leo Davis, Ryan Sterling’s assistant.
I wanted to indirectly figure out what Ryan had been up to lately.
When Leo answered, I heard a soft “Shhh” from his end, then the background noise gradually faded.
A moment later, he spoke, a hint of a smile in his voice:
“Lena, are you looking for Mr. Sterling? Bad timing, he just left to meet a client, he’s not in the office right now.”
Meeting a client without his right-hand man?
That lie was way too flimsy.
I let out a cold laugh:
“No, I’m looking for you.”
Leo paused, then chuckled, replying:
“Lena, anything you need my help with, just say the word.”
I tapped my finger lightly on the armrest of the sofa, my voice as cold as ice:
“Leo, do you remember how many years it’s been since we first met?”
Silence stretched for a few seconds on his end.
Then, his voice came back, tinged with a fawning tone:
“Of course, it’s been exactly ten years since we met.”
I pressed on:
“Do you remember who saved you back then, when you were cornered in that alley and getting beaten by a gang?”
“It… it was you. You called the police ahead of time and stepped in, stopping that assault, saving me from those thugs, and taking me to the hospital…”
Leo stammered out his reply.
Even though I couldn’t see him, I could picture his embarrassment.
I took a deep breath, suppressing the anger boiling within me.
“So, I’m looking for Ryan Sterling now. Is he there?”
“…Yes!”
“Where are you guys right now?”
“The Golden Summit Private Club.”
“Room number.”
“7008.”
I hung up without another word.
Driving while this emotional was an accident waiting to happen.
So, I opted for a cab to the club.
Leo was already waiting for me at the entrance.
The moment he saw me step out of the car, he rushed over.
He took my bag and guided me towards the elevator.
Inside the elevator, he seemed flustered, rubbing his hands together nervously, apologizing awkwardly:
“Lena… I’m sorry, I, I really am. Mr. Sterling just met up with some friends today, I was afraid you’d worry, so I said he was seeing a client.”
Just friends today.
What about all the other times?
My face was devoid of emotion. I didn’t bother to reply.
If a boyfriend I’d been with for six years could betray our relationship,
how could I expect loyalty from a so-called classmate, based on the flimsy ties of an old friendship?
Leo escorted me to the private room door, then turned and left.
I was about to push the door open, wanting to see with my own eyes who Ryan Sterling had chosen to marry.
But the teasing voices drifting from inside the room made me pause, standing quietly by the half-open door.
Someone joked, “Mr. Sterling is so virtuous, here we all are with ladies on each arm, and he’s just sitting there drinking juice.”
Another person immediately chimed in.
“Naturally! Mr. Sterling’s girlfriend is a top student from the Riverton City Music Academy, the campus belle everyone here envies, a truly supportive partner.”
“I heard that when Mr. Sterling was just starting his business, he had cash flow problems. His girlfriend found out and didn’t hesitate to quit her job at the music academy, pouring all her savings into helping him. So admirable!”
No sooner had the words faded than a man’s voice cut in, sounding quite certain:
“You’ve got it all wrong!”
It sounded like Sean Peterson, an old friend of Ryan’s.
He continued, half-joking, half-serious:
“What six-year girlfriend? Who in their right mind dates someone for six years and doesn’t marry them?”
“You guys don’t know, do you? He told Lena he wasn’t married yet because he wanted to save up enough money to throw her a lavish wedding. But the truth is, he secretly married someone else two months ago.”
“Saying he was forced, that she had something on him… please! Like they say, one’s willing to act, the other’s willing to play along. If he truly didn’t want it, no one could have forced him to drop his pants, right?”
Everyone in the room burst into surprised laughter.
Ryan, meanwhile, leaned back on the sofa, a smirk playing on his lips.
Sean continued to spill the beans:
“That girl isn’t even prettier than Lena, and she didn’t even finish high school. She’s just an online influencer from Riverton City. What do you think he’s thinking?”
The room fell silent.
Sean, growing even more relaxed, crossed one leg over the other, looking completely at ease.
“Haven’t you heard that men never truly grow up? I’m just looking for something new, some fresh excitement.”
“You wouldn’t know, Lena… she just can’t give me that thrill. She’s always so cold. Now, just thinking about her calm, controlled face makes me lose my appetite.”
“Besides, even if she were a goddess, I’ve slept with her for six years, a whole 2190 days. I’m utterly bored.”
“If it wasn’t for having to split half my assets with her if we broke up, I would’ve confronted her ages ago.”
Hearing these words from Ryan’s own mouth felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over me from head to toe.
My heart was frozen to the core, the chill seeping into my very bones.
If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I would never have believed these words could come from the mouth of the boyfriend who had always been so compliant with my wishes.
Some sayings are indeed true.
You can never imagine how ruthless a man can become once his heart changes.
To him, you’re just a completely superfluous person.
I didn’t push the door open and confront him.
Instead, I quietly turned and walked away.
Even for the sake of the past six years, I chose to preserve some dignity for both of us.
At the club entrance, Leo was anxiously pacing back and forth.
Seeing me approach, he immediately rushed over, a wide, ingratiating smile plastered on his face:
“Lena, I didn’t lie to you, did I? Mr. Sterling was just catching up with old friends today.”
“As for those girls in the room, they have nothing to do with him. He even specifically asked me to order him juice, so he wouldn’t get drunk and make you worry.”
I looked at my old classmate, who had become so smooth and slick.
The genuine sincerity that once filled his eyes was long gone.
He continued to smile ingratiatingly:
“Lena, let me find someone to drive you home. And, I won’t tell Mr. Sterling you were here.”
I didn’t refuse his offer.
The driver was in Ryan’s business car.
Sitting in the back seat, two handprints, one large, one small, were strikingly visible on the window.
My heart sank.
I stared intently at those tangled handprints, which seemed to whisper the sordid stories that had unfolded here.
After getting out of the car, I told the driver:
“Thank you for the ride.”
“Oh, and by the way, the back window is dirty. Remember to clean it for your boss, Mr. Sterling.”
The driver stood there, bewildered and helpless.
Soon after I got home, my phone rang.
It was Leo, calling specifically.
On the other end, his voice was urgent as he explained.
He said the handprints on the back seat were accidentally left when he was being affectionate with his new girlfriend, and he repeatedly promised it wouldn’t happen again, begging me not to tell Ryan about it.
How ridiculous.
He seemed to have forgotten who helped him get to where he was today.
But I didn’t expose his lie.
Late that night, Ryan finally returned home.
I was sitting on the living room sofa, idly watching TV.
On the screen, a girl was weeping bitterly:
“Why are you doing this to me? You promised you’d marry me, so why are you marrying another woman behind my back?”
In the past, I never truly saw Ryan for who he was.
Now, I realized I probably hadn’t even seen his worst side.
“So late, and you’re still not resting? Are you binging another show?”
Ryan asked, his voice cheerful, as he entered, taking off his suit jacket and changing his shoes.
I turned my head, gazing at the man I’d been with for six years.
At thirty, he had only grown more mature.
With a defined jawline and thick, dark short hair, he exuded mature charm and gentlemanly grace.
His tall, slender physique, accentuated by his well-fitted suit, made him look even more composed.
I had shaped this man, bit by bit.
I had accompanied him through his growth, through his entrepreneurship, from nothing to everything, step by step, to where he was today.
But now, he had betrayed me, marrying another woman.
He took off his suit, draped it over the sofa back, then sat beside me, gently massaging my throbbing temples.
“Is your head hurting again?”
“Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll take you to the doctor, okay?”
“Okay,” I replied softly, subtly moving his hand from my forehead.
He didn’t notice my odd behavior. He stood up and said, “I’ll go shower first. I have to go on a business trip tomorrow; it might be for a month.”
“Where to?”
“Seaside City. Some suppliers there are having issues with contract fulfillment, I need to go talk to them personally.”
He spoke smoothly, without a single flaw.
I said nothing more, watching him quietly walk back to the bedroom.
Only after the bedroom door closed,
I walked to the entryway and picked up the jacket and briefcase Ryan had just taken off.
I examined them carefully.
Inside were a laptop, some business cards, and a few documents.
The laptop was password-protected; I couldn’t open it.
I flipped through the documents and business cards, finding nothing unusual.
Just as I was about to put everything back in the bag, a piece of paper tucked inside the suit jacket caught my eye.
It was an ultrasound pregnancy report.
The report indicated early pregnancy, 10 weeks.
Patient name: Amber Hayes.
Patient age: 29.
Amber Hayes…
I froze.
The woman who had married Ryan Sterling.
The owner of a newly opened beauty salon in Riverton City.
Her image involuntarily surfaced in my mind.
An obviously cosmetically enhanced face, a slender build, long flowing hair, a preference for revealing, sexy clothing that showcased her long, pale legs.
I remembered seeing her for the first time when I accompanied a friend to her beauty salon for a skin treatment.
I’d casually heard her mention that her family background was modest, and she had worked very hard to get where she was.
When it was time to pay, she even offered a discount, hoping we would frequent her salon more often.
When she said that, her eyes crinkled into crescent moons.
It truly left an impression.
My hand clutching the pregnancy report slowly tightened.
I took out my phone, snapped a picture of the report, then put the items back into the bag.
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