Then Sharon said in a cynical tone that a good wife is not just one with a rich father, but one who can serve her husband in all aspects and give him heirs to continue the family name. That sentence was like a slap in the face for Khloe, who had not yet had children after 3 years of marriage. However, Khloe knew that Sharon was referring to Isla. She knew that Sharon had met Isla in the town when Ethan went to visit and that they had surely celebrated Isla’s pregnancy together. Khloe swallowed the pain, turning it into fuel for her revenge plan.
The climax came when Sharon, perhaps too carried away by the euphoria of getting rich, began to lose control of her tongue. While chewing on a biscuit made by Khloe, she said that soon the house would be filled with the cries of a sturdy baby boy, and that Ethan should prepare a special and luxurious room for his only heir. Ethan choked on his drink, hearing his mother slip. His eyes widened, gesturing for his mother to be quiet. Khloe, with a performance worthy of an AACA award, frowned and asked innocently which baby her mother was referring to. She asked if any relative was going to have a child. The atmosphere instantly became tense and silent. Ethan quickly intervened, nervously saying that his mother was just fantasizing and wishing for Khloe to get pregnant with a boy soon. Sharon, realizing her mistake, laughed forcibly, confirming Ethan’s words and saying she was eager to have a grandchild. Khloe nodded slowly with a slight smile, as if she believed that ridiculous excuse. But inside, she noted an important point. They were very sure that the child Isla was expecting was a boy, and they were already planning the future of that child in this house, Khloe’s house.
That afternoon, Ethan excused himself to go out for a moment with the excuse of an urgent work matter. But Khloe knew he was going to see Isla to calm her down, as she would surely be jealous that Sharon was staying at Khloe’s house. Thus, Khloe was left alone with Sharon. Sharon, feeling tired from the trip, asked Khloe to bring her small handbag which had been left in the car to the guest room. Khloe politely agreed. Taking the bag from the car, Khloe noticed it was quite heavy. She took it to the guest room. Sharon was in the bathroom. Khloe did not miss this golden opportunity. Her curiosity guided her hand to slightly open the zipper of the bag. She had no intention of stealing, just looking for evidence. And indeed, the instinct of a betrayed wife is sharp.
In a side pocket of the bag, which was slightly open, a piece of paper was sticking out, a purchase receipt that had not been thrown away. Khloe’s hand trembled as she took it out. It was a receipt from a well-known baby goods store in a nearby city. Dated two days ago, just when Ethan had excused himself to go to his hometown, her eyes scanned the list of items purchased. a set of baby clothes for a boy, an expensive brand-name electric breast pump, a nursing pillow, and premium prenatal vitamins. The total purchase amounted to a considerable sum. At the bottom of the receipt, the loyalty points were listed under Ethan’s name. Khloe felt her breath catch; so the money she had given Ethan to buy medicine for his mother had been used to buy items for his lover’s baby. And Sharon, the woman who was supposedly seriously ill, had gone shopping with him to choose those forbidden items.
Khloe quickly took out her mobile and photographed the receipt from several angles as irrefutable proof. Then she placed the receipt back in its place very carefully, making sure its position was exactly the same so as not to arouse suspicion. When Sharon came out of the bathroom, Khloe was already by the window arranging the curtains. Her face was calm, showing no sign of the whirlwind of anger burning inside her. Sharon thanked her with a dry tone, and then asked Khloe to leave because she wanted to rest. Khloe nodded and slowly closed the guest room door. As soon as the door closed, Khloe leaned against the hallway wall. Tears of rage fell one by one. She felt a deep disgust. Disgust for Ethan, disgust for Isla, and what turned her stomach the most, Sharon’s hypocrisy. The three of them were conspiring to squeeze her fortune, insulting her behind her back while enjoying the comforts she provided.
Khloe wiped her tears abruptly. She would keep the proof of the purchase receipt in a special envelope labeled evidence for destruction. That envelope was now thicker, as thick as their sins. Khloe swore there would be no mercy for them. If they wanted to play with fire, Khloe would make sure they all burned to ashes. Today, Sharon had arrived with arrogance, but later she would leave with a humiliation she would not forget for the rest of her life.
The sun had barely begun to set, but the dark clouds covering the city sky seemed to reflect the mood of the house’s inhabitants. After finding the proof of the baby goods purchase receipt, Khloe realized she could not just wait for the date of the fictitious fund transfer. She had to accelerate their mental destruction. She had to create a rift between the conspirators. The divide and conquer strategy was the best option at that moment. Khloe knew that the bond between Ethan, Isla, and Sharon was not one of sincere love, but a transactional bond based on greed. And that kind of bond is very fragile, easy to break with a small jolt of suspicion.
Khloe took her first step by buying a new anonymous SIM card. She installed it in a spare mobile she had hidden in a kitchen drawer. Her first target was Isla. Pregnant women often have unstable emotions and tend to be more suspicious. Khloe wrote a short but lethal text message and sent it to Isla’s personal number. The message read, “Be careful. The man who promises you a luxury house is playing with fire with another woman besides his wife. Do not become just a stepping stone. Check who he calls often in the middle of the night.” The anonymous message was sent just when Ethan was at home watching television peacefully with Sharon. Khloe watched from a corner of the room, waiting for the chain reaction that would follow.
And so it was. Less than 10 minutes later, Ethan’s mobile vibrated on the table. Ethan looked at the screen and his face tensed. He quickly picked up the mobile and went to the backyard with the excuse of bad reception. Khloe knew Isla must be exploding on the other end, demanding an explanation about the other woman mentioned in the mysterious message.
