I was the Boss Lady everyone admired.
The day I caught my husband in bed with my best friend, I didn’t cry, or make a scene.
He’s trash, I stated coldly. Keep him.
My friends cheered my independence, praising how I’d never cling to a man.
Meanwhile, my ex and my best friend rushed into marriage. Twins came the next year. His business boomed. They built a perfect, enviable life.
And I? I fell apart. Depression hit me hard after the divorce. My career tanked. My relationships crumbled. I lost everything.
Lost in thought, I stepped into traffic.
Before I died, my best friend appeared at my bedside, her eyes gleaming with triumph.
“I knew you prided yourself on being a ‘boss girl’,” she said. “That’s why I staged that scene for you to find.”
I died, choking on regret and resentment.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the scene of their betrayal.
I lay in the emergency room, barely clinging to life.
Just moments ago, the doctor had gravely informed me that my injuries were too severe; there was nothing more they could do.
As I vaguely thought, “Well, if I’m going to die, I’ll die,” I heard the soft click of high heels, and Serena walked in.
She was elegantly dressed, her skin glowing and full, looking even younger than she had eight years ago when I caught her in bed with Derek.
She gazed at me with a mix of sorrow and pity.
“Cassidy, I never imagined you’d end up like this.”
“Fate is truly amazing, isn’t it? After all these twists and turns, it’s me who’s sending you off on your final journey… Since it’s come to this, let’s just consider this a confession session between us.”
I had no idea why she was here. I wanted to turn my head away, too tired to look at her.
But I couldn’t.
Because I was dying.
Serena sat by my bed, sighed softly, and began speaking, seemingly to herself.
“I fell in love with Derek the moment I saw him.”
“But for all those years, I could only watch you two date, then marry, watching you live a better life than me, buying a bracelet that cost my entire month’s salary without a second thought. I couldn’t understand it. We had similar backgrounds, similar education, similar looks. Why, just because you arrived at that coffee shop ten minutes before me, did Derek fall in love with you and not me?”
“So, I decided to personally ‘adjust’ our fates.”
“I managed to get into bed with Derek, but when he woke up, he was full of remorse and despair. He even offered me money to keep it from you. Later, even though he couldn’t resist and we did it a second and third time, he regretted it every single time.”
She chuckled softly, “Well, that simply wouldn’t do, would it?”
“I knew you always prided yourself on being the ‘boss girl,’ the one who always said if her husband cheated, she’d never cry or throw a fit like other women, but would get an immediate divorce and never look back. So, I begged Derek to be with me one last time, and… I deliberately made sure you’d catch us in the act.”
I stared at her, stunned, unable to believe it.
After the divorce, I quickly realized that the cool, nonchalant air of a strong independent woman was only temporary. Soon, I was overwhelmed by an emotional backlash, tormented daily by the betrayal from my most intimate confidante and the sheer social humiliation.
Later, as I watched them marry, have children, and succeed in their startup, thriving in every way, I, having lost all faith in love, couldn’t continue my work as a wedding designer. I also didn’t dare start a new relationship, and my life only got worse.
The contrast felt like a cruel torture, plunging me into anxiety, self-doubt, and a complete breakdown of faith. Every day felt like my heart was on fire, leaving me sleepless and consumed.
I thought I was just unlucky, or weak and useless, even despising myself for not being able to bounce back.
But it never once occurred to me that it was all a carefully laid trap.
“Thank you, Cassidy! You certainly didn’t disappoint me. Your pride and dignity also left us with our dignity intact, which is why Derek and I were able to recover so quickly.”
“Of course, I should thank myself the most. After all, I did so many things, including mimicking your tone and actions in front of Derek, paying to get you repeatedly fired, and even-”
She suddenly smiled.
“Going to a sperm bank abroad beforehand, picking someone who looked similar to Derek, and getting pregnant with twins…”
My weak body had no strength left.
But at that moment.
Her words made my eyes snap wide open.
After I got a swift divorce, Derek still wouldn’t let go, kneeling before me, confessing his heart only loved me, begging for another chance, and vowing on his life never to see Serena again.
Until Serena said she was pregnant with his child…
“Anyway, in the last few years, especially after having two adorable babies, Derek has been getting better and better to me. He really did fall in love with me, little by little!”
“Cassidy, I finally got to live your life. I personally changed my own destiny, but it always felt a little regrettable that no one knew. Thank heavens, you gave me this chance to confess everything before you died. Cassidy, given how honest I’ve been with you, I hope you won’t blame me after you pass. Rest in peace.”
She said, rising gracefully, her face beaming with smug satisfaction.
“Oh, right, are you wondering how I ended up here?”
“My favorite shortbread shop closes at nine, and my driver was worried I wouldn’t get there in time and would be disappointed, so he drove a bit fast. I hope you don’t blame him either; it was an accident. He might even develop psychological trauma because of you. Of course, I’ll compensate you fairly and legally. After all, no matter how much I pay, ha, it’s just the cost of one of my handbags.”
“But…”
She suddenly tilted her head, looking troubled.
“You’re all alone now, with no family. Who should I pay the compensation to?”
She laughed and shook her head, walking out gracefully in her high heels.
I closed my eyes amidst the screaming of my soul.
…
When I woke up again, I found myself standing at the door of a second-floor room.
Laughter and chatter from friends drifted up from downstairs.
Inside the room.
Two naked bodies were passionately entangled, their gasps filling the air.
I froze for two seconds, then raised a hand and slapped myself.
It hurt!
Good, it hurt!
The next second, I screamed with all my might.
“You shameless Cheaters!”
Two flushed faces simultaneously turned, panting.
The moment Derek saw me, his pupils constricted, his body stiffened, and in a panic, he completed his final movements.
Serena let out a soft gasp for a moment, then pulled the covers over both their bodies, speaking in a hoarse whisper.
“Cassidy, don’t be impulsive!”
“It’s all my fault. I seduced Derek. Please don’t blame him. Hit me, curse me, just direct your fury at me alone!”
I’d heard this script in my previous life.
Back then, I was a wedding designer with a thriving career and a happy family. I believed that love and marriage should be flawless. A man who could be stolen was, by definition, unworthy of my energy.
So I did what any self-respecting ‘boss girl’ would do. I looked down at them, my face a mask of icy disdain, and said.
“Hes yours.”
I didn’t even step into the room, turning and walking downstairs to leave.
Now, Serena watched me, her eyes flickering, clearly anticipating my reaction.
But I charged in.
First, I grabbed the kettle from the table and hurled it at Derek’s face. After a “thud,” hot water cascaded over him, and he screamed, clutching his face.
At the same time, nimble as a cat, I darted around to Serena’s side.
My left foot swept all the clothes on the floor under the bed in one swift motion, and my right foot braced against the bed frame.
With both hands, I grabbed Serena’s long hair and yanked her forcefully outwards.
It was her meticulously cared-for, pride-and-joy long hair.
Thick and long, perfect for a good grip and some serious tugging.
This scheme was her doing.
So, the retribution should start with her!
I yanked a section of her hair, wrapping it around my fist, and struck her flushed face-smack, smack, smack-ten times without pause. When my hand ached, I switched and delivered ten more.
The rhythm was brutal, precise, as if this violence was a native language my body had always known.
Serena’s upper body dangled over the side of the bed, her seductive act vanishing. She stared at me in terror, making a desperate and deflating sound:”Pfft-pfft-pfft-pfft-pfft!”
On so many bitter nights, I’d been haunted by regret.?
Why did I play the noble boss lady and just walk away?
Why didn’t I make them pay then and there!
Why didn’t I expose their sordid affair to the world!
After rehearsing it many times in my imagination, I realized nothing was as satisfying as slapping and hair-pulling to vent my rage.
In short, when the people downstairs, drawn by my screams, rushed up, this is what they saw.
I was tugging Serena’s long hair with all my might, like a game of tug-of-war; Serena, completely naked, clutched the blanket tightly, refusing to let go; Derek, one hand covering his face, the other instinctively pulling the other end of the blanket to cover his naked body.
The three of us formed a bizarre, frozen tableau.
Everyone at the doorway stared, mouths agape.
Today, a group of friends had planned a weekend getaway at this Airbnb. I originally had work and intended to arrive tomorrow, but Serena called me, saying Derek had too much to drink tonight, so I changed my mind and rushed over.
At this moment, Serena, dangling precariously, her face swollen like a pig’s head, let out a muffled plea.
“Help me, please help me!”
No one helped her.
Everyone wore expressions of disgust and contempt.
But last time, it hadn’t been like this.
They hadn’t seen the cheating firsthand, only learned the details from our expressions and snippets of conversation.
Seeing it and not seeing it were completely different.
The visual impact was different.
The level of disgust was different.
In fact, years later, when Derek’s startup succeeded and Serena transformed into a glamorous socialite, they even exclaimed in admiration.
“You two proved that true love can overcome all hardships!”
“Cassidy, please, just calm down.”
Derek’s voice trembled.
His head above the neck was bright red, his once handsome face covered in glistening blisters from the hot water, and his hair was still steaming slightly.
He looked like a boiled lobster.
Years ago, Serena and I had arranged to meet at a coffee shop. She was late. I opened my laptop, working on my senior project while I waited. Derek, sitting at the next table, smiled and asked me.
“Hey, are you a design student too?”
That day, Serena was ten minutes late, and Derek and I chatted so much that we only had eyes for each other. So much so that when Serena arrived, I completely missed the sparkling look in her eyes as she glanced at him.
Derek was an art gallery designer.
In everyone’s eyes, he was a gentle, kind, talented, and also sensitive and easily swayed person. He even remembered to carry a small bag of cat food for the stray cats on the street.
But his kindness was a weakness.
In my previous life, he had knelt before me, crying and confessing.
He said Serena had confessed her feelings to him one night when she was drunk, crying that she had secretly loved him for years and had even remained chaste for him. She cried, saying she didn’t ask to be with him forever, only to have him once.
He had refused her many times until he discovered she was trying to take her own life. Only then, out of a moment of weakness, did he agree.
I was utterly disgusted at the time, wanting nothing more than to be as far away from those two wretched people as possible. Within a month, I swiftly settled the property and divorced.
Now, I only hated that I had just two hands, unable to rush over and claw at his face, tearing open each blister on it.
But I couldn’t be hasty.
Serena only had this one chance. If she got away, there might not be another.
And Derek… he had to come home with me…
“How can I calm down?”
I gritted my teeth, glaring at him.
His face was crimson, his eyelashes fluttering, and he spoke, full of shame. “Cassidy, please let go of her first, let us both get dressed, please…”
I sneered, “You want to play the hero? Fine. Serena and I swore that if either of us ever did anything to wrong the other, the wronged one could slap the other thirty times. I’ve slapped her twenty times, and now I’m tired. You can deliver the remaining ten, and then I’ll let her go.”
Derek shook his head frantically, “Cassidy, I’m not trying to be a hero-”
“Just do it.”
Serena suddenly cried out.
“It was me who seduced Derek, I drugged him, I’m the despicable and shameless one, I’m Serena, the disgraceful mistress. It has nothing to do with him. Just hit me, quickly, my stomach… my back can’t take this anymore!”
Her voice was miserable and helpless. On one hand, she was playing the victim in front of Derek; on the other, she genuinely couldn’t hold on much longer.
After all, she was pregnant with twins at this moment.
My friends were all crowded at the doorway.
They occasionally offered platitudes like, “Don’t be impulsive,” or “Let’s talk this out calmly.”
But no one moved, their eyes glued to the unfolding drama.
I thought Derek would hesitate.
After all, he was a kind and soft-hearted man.
But to my surprise, before Serena’s words had even faded, he wrapped the blanket around himself and scooted over to her side.
Then, crisp sounds echoed through the room.
One of the slaps was a bit light.
I raised an eyebrow slightly, and Derek immediately increased the force.
Serena, her nose bleeding, showed a flicker of surprise and hurt on her face.
But she had planned this for a long time, her goal clear. She had gotten what she wanted.
After the ten slaps were delivered, her pig-like swollen face actually managed a smile at the panting Derek.
“I don’t blame you.”
She spoke incoherently, looking at Derek with the eyes of a suffering couple oppressed by evil.
But Derek averted his gaze.
Two seconds later, he looked at me, his eyes trembling.
“Cassidy, is that enough?”
I was expressionless.
“Of course not. You put such a disgusting cuckold’s hat on me. If I only hit the mistress and not you, people would look down on me, say I’m ‘man-loving,’ and only pick on other women.”
Derek immediately nodded, closing his eyes and lifting his face, speaking in a tone of agonizing pain.
“Cassidy, do it. I just want you to get this out of your system. We can talk everything else over when we get home.”
I looked at the increasingly glistening blisters on his face, as if unknown fluids would splatter out with a touch. I changed my mind on the spot, lowering my gaze to Serena.
“You do it.”
She looked shocked, then shook her head sadly. “No, no!”
Derek suddenly roared, “Just do it! Hurry! Anything is better than this!”
So, Serena, in an awkward position, began to slap him mournfully.
“Are you two flirting?” I asked.
Derek gritted his teeth. “Harder!”
When Serena pulled her hand back, I caught a glimpse of sticky residue on her palm.
Finally, this ugly spectacle ended with Derek wrapped in the blanket and Serena in a bed sheet, both crawling on the floor to retrieve their clothes from under the bed.
It was a small taste of vengeance, and it was sweet.
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