The conversation on the other end was becoming more and more heartbreaking. Ethan could be heard pampering Isla, asking her about the state of her pregnancy. This new revelation made Khloe feel nauseous. Isla was pregnant with Ethan’s child. They both talked about their future, about the luxury house they would buy, about holidays overseas, and how they would raise that child together using Khloe’s father’s money. They were celebrating their betrayal on the suffering of Khloe, whom they considered stupid and naive. Khloe heard Ethan say that he was sick of pretending to be a devoted and faithful husband in front of her. He was tired of listening to her father’s lectures on business and ethics. Ethan confessed that the only reason he endured it was the inheritance and the injection of funds that Khloe’s father had promised for a fictitious project Ethan had presented. Meanwhile, Isla asked Ethan to spend more time with her because she did not want her child to be born without a father by her side. Isla even mocked Khloe’s style of dress, which she considered old-fashioned and boring, unlike her, who always looked attractive in Ethan’s eyes. Every word that came out of their mouths was a dagger stabbing deeper and deeper into Khloe’s heart.
Khloe’s body slid to the floor, leaning against the living room sofa that now felt cold and strange. She hugged her knees with one hand while the other still held the mobile that was recording all that filth. She heard the clinking of glasses. Perhaps they were toasting to celebrate their evil plan. There was no alcohol. Perhaps just juice or tea. But the celebration was equally profane in Khloe’s eyes. Because it was built on the ruins of her marriage, the pain slowly transformed into disgust. Disgusted at imagining that Ethan’s hands, which had touched her that morning, had also touched Isla. Disgusted at imagining that Ethan’s sweet smile was just a mask to hide his greed.
After almost 10 minutes of torture, the conversation began to die down. Ethan was heard saying he had to turn off his mobile so Khloe would not get suspicious if she called again. Khloe’s heart pounded. She quickly stopped the recording just a second before the call disconnected from the other side. The mobile screen went dark, reflecting Khloe’s face with swollen eyes and an empty gaze. Silence rained again in the large house, but this time the silence was terrifying.
Khloe remained sitting on the floor. Her legs felt too weak to stand up. She never imagined that a drama as cliché as those in soap operas would happen in her life. Her husband and her best friend, the two people closest to her, conspiring to destroy her. But in the midst of that devastation, a small determination began to grow in a corner of her heart. She would not let them win. She would not be the stupid woman they said she was.
Khloe spent hours in the same position, letting the tears dry on her cheeks. The pain that had hit her so hard was slowly metamorphosing into a cold, lethal anger. She replayed the voice recording on her mobile, listening to every insult and the vile plan of Ethan and Isla over and over again. Every time she listened, her love for Ethan eroded, replaced by a calculated hatred. She also remembered all the moments she had spent with Isla, how Isla used to praise Khloe’s kindness, how Isla often borrowed money from her for urgent needs, and how Isla was always present at every one of Khloe’s family events. It turned out that it was all a strategy to get closer to Ethan and gnaw at Khloe’s fortune from within. Khloe felt like a blind person who had just had her sight restored. Now all the oddities of the past made sense.
She stood up, dusting off her clothes. Her first step was to go to the bathroom, wash her face with cold water to erase the traces of tears. She looked at herself in the mirror. The woman in the mirror looked fragile, but her gaze was now sharp as an eagle’s. She fixed her hair, making sure no sign of sadness was visible. She had to play her cards right. If she confronted them now, Ethan would deny everything and turn the tables on her. Ethan was cunning. He could say the recording was edited or that it was just a joke. Khloe needed more than just a voice recording. She needed their total destruction at the moment they felt on top.
Next, Khloe picked up her mobile and called the only person who had the absolute power to help her, her father. Khloe’s father was a veteran and respected property developer, someone very protective of his only daughter. When the call connected, Khloe tried to control her breathing so her voice would sound steady. She asked her father to come home immediately or to meet in a safe place because there was something urgent that affected the life and death of the company and her marriage. Hearing his daughter’s serious tone, her father agreed to come without asking questions.
Khloe knew that involving her father was a major step because her father’s fury could end Ethan’s career overnight. But Khloe did not want Ethan’s destruction to happen overnight. She wanted Ethan to feel like he was flying high before she crashed him to the ground. An hour later, her father arrived. In the soundproof study, Khloe played him the recording. Her father’s reaction was exactly as she expected. The old man’s face turned red with contained anger. His hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He was about to call his lawyer and the police to arrest Ethan that very instant, but Khloe calmly stopped him.
Khloe laid out her plan. She asked her father to hold back. She asked him to continue being nice to Ethan, even to pretend that the $10 million was about to clear. Khloe explained that the best revenge was to let Ethan and Isla dig their own grave with their greed. Her father looked at his daughter with new eyes. There was a mix of pride and sadness in seeing his daughter have to become so tough, but he finally agreed to follow Khloe’s script.
After her father left, Khloe began to map out her strategy in detail. She cleaned the house as if nothing had happened. She even cooked Ethan’s favorite meal in case her husband came back early or to welcome him later. And so it was. 2 days later, Ethan returned. the sound of his car entering the garage. Khloe’s heart pounded, not with love, but with adrenaline. This was the first act of her performance. She had to be the best actress in her own life.
Khloe walked to the front door, putting on the sweetest smile she could muster. When the door opened, Ethan’s figure appeared with a falsely tired face. Ethan hugged Khloe immediately, complaining about how tiring the trip had been and how sad he was about his mother’s condition. Khloe returned the hug. Although every cell in her body screamed in disgust, she held her breath so as not to smell the perfume of another woman that might linger faintly on Ethan’s clothes. In a tone full of concern, Khloe asked about Sharon’s condition. Ethan lied fluently, making up a story about the doctor’s diagnosis, about expensive medicines that had to be bought, and about how his mother kept asking about her. Khloe nodded, feigning passion, but inside she noted every lie as fuel for her hatred. She even offered to visit Sharon the following week, which Ethan subtly rejected with the excuse that the doctor had recommended isolation and complete rest.
