His Affair, My Fortune

I ran into my husband Howard's mistress, Scarlett, at my prenatal appointment for our second child.

I was expressionless, but she looked absolutely terrified.

Scarlett was overthinking it, though. Howard had three or four mistresses before her, and she wouldn't be the last. If I got mad every time, I'd probably die young.

But when I got home, Howard was the one who confronted me. He demanded:

"I told you, everything Howard's family owns will be for you and the kids. Don't go looking for trouble with Scarlett. Why don't you ever listen?"

I lowered my head, clutching my belly, and didn't argue back.

Howard smashed some furniture and threw a huge tantrum.

Then he packed his bags and left for Scarlett's place.

My housekeeper asked, "What are we going to do now?"

I picked up my phone, snapped a picture, and sent it to my mother-in-law, Rosalind.

"Look at this mess..." I typed.

Soon after, a nine-figure compensation hit my account.

Actually, in the beginning, when Howard first cheated, Rosalind didn't have to step in with money.

I'd fight with him constantly, cursing him out right to his face, reminding him we were each other's first loves. We'd only been married ten years; how could he have changed so much?

When did I stop fighting?

It was around the time Scarlett first appeared.

She wore a white dress, sweet and demure. Just standing there, she was strikingly similar to me.

Then I saw Howard with his arm around her, attending parties where everyone knew us.

In that moment, I didn't even have the energy to be angry.

All I could think was, Maybe I should just divorce him.

Rosalind was the one who talked me out of it. She said even though she didn't particularly like me, I came from a good family, and our backgrounds were perfectly matched.

Besides, ever since my mom died, my stepmother had been running our house. A divorce would just give her more to gloat about.

Howard might be terrible in relationships, but he was good at making money.

His stock dividends alone brought in a nine-figure sum every year.

Divorce would mean breaking up the assets. Bad for Howard Group, worse for me.

"So, a woman should be realistic," she advised, "not just filled with dreams of love."

My stubborn brain couldn't grasp it. I bottled it up for over half a year and ended up with depression.

After catching a high fever from being out in the rain, something clicked.

From then on, I started listening to Rosalind and adjusted my perspective on Howard.

She also promised me that if Howard ever hurt me again, she'd compensate me accordingly.

So, this time, I was inexplicably blamed and got a nine-figure payout.

I transferred the money to my investment account, then went to the bathroom to wash up, calling for the butler to find someone to clean the living room.

When I came out, I found my son, Marcus, was home.

He ignored the mess in the house, his eyes fixed on his homework.

I held my lower back as I walked downstairs. "Marcus, you're back."

He barely glanced up at me.

"Yes, Mom," he said, politely yet distantly, just like his dad.

I didn't say anything else, just made myself a cup of milk and prepared to go upstairs.

Marcus spoke up. "Mom, there's a parent-teacher conference tomorrow. Do you have time to go?"

"I'm pregnant, so it's not convenient," I replied. "Ask your dad to arrange someone."

The person Howard arranged would only be his personal secretary.

Sure enough, the next morning, Scarlett, heavily pregnant, showed up at my doorstep.

She flinched but tried to hold her ground when she saw me.

"Mrs. Howard."

"Mm-hmm," I acknowledged.

"Scarlett, thanks for helping out."

Scarlett offered an awkward smile.

"Of course, Mrs. Howard, don't worry. I've been many times."

I knew, actually. I knew all of this ever since Scarlett and Howard got together.

But I was too lazy to ask, too lazy to listen.

I wanted to go to the yoga studio to stretch. Marcus walked past me, looking unusually hesitant. "Mom. Why don't you come with me? Scarlett is pregnant, and she can go."

I looked at him calmly. "Because I'm delicate, and I don't want to deal with the hassle. Besides, you're the one who said Scarlett is gentle and kind, and you prefer her to accompany you to parent-teacher conferences. So, your mom just wants you to be happy."

Marcus's mouth opened, but no words came out.

He watched my retreating back, and his eyes darkened.

I stayed home, resting and nurturing my pregnancy.

The doctor said it was twins, likely girls, and I needed to take good care of myself.

I ordered a year's supply of luxury prenatal supplements and bought a few new maternity outfits.

After a beauty treatment, I made plans to have lunch with my best friend, Emily.

At the restaurant, her eyes were a little red as she looked at me. "Joshua, we haven't seen each other since you were sick last time."

I looked at her calmly. "Yeah, it's been about half a year, hasn't it?"

That illness kept coming back, bothering me until recently.

Emily asked, "You and Howard?"

"We're fine. He's good to me."

"Good to you?" She looked like she wanted to say more.

"I heard he's even bringing her to parties now."

I smiled. "But Rosalind gave me a nine-figure compensation."

"...That's pretty good, I guess."

"Emily, I actually think I've been wrong all along. When I married Howard, I shouldn't have only thought about love."

Emily's expression was odd. "You two knew each other since middle school, got together in high school. You were madly in love back then, got married and stayed together. Isn't that normal?"

"But people change."

I took a sip of hot milk. "It's like how I used to only drink soda, but now, I can actually drink milk."

She looked a bit sad.

Just like other old classmates who'd visited me when I was sick. They all felt losing an epic love should be tragic.

I used to think that way too, but then I figured it out.

Eighteen-year-old Howard said he'd love eighteen-year-old Joshua forever. Twenty-eight-year-old Howard never said that.

So, there's no point in dwelling on the past.

I patted my belly. "See? There are babies in here now."

Emily looked disbelieving. "You're having more kids?"

"Why not? Rosalind said for every child I bore, she'd give me another nine-figure sum and 5% of Howard Group shares."

Howard was incredibly good at making money, and Marcus took after his dad, with a very high IQ.

My mom had only left me an eight-figure inheritance, which I'd invested entirely in Howard Group. In just a few years, my net worth had surpassed a billion.

Where else would I find a husband and child who made money like that if I divorced him?

Emily didn't say anything.

"But Scarlett has a child too. When her baby is born, it'll definitely split Howard's attention. If he writes a will, you might lose out on a lot."

I'd thought about that too, which is why I wanted two more kids.

With more kids, Scarlett wouldn't be able to get too much.

When I got home that evening, the broken items had been restored to their original state.

That's the upside of having money. As long as you have it, you can replace even the rarest things with identical ones.

I held my hot milk, wearing a face mask, sitting in the spacious living room, listening to the lonely wind.

Howard wasn't back, and neither was Marcus.

My private investigator told me that the three of themHoward, Scarlett, and Marcuswere out having dinner at a romantic restaurant.

In the photos sent to my phone, Howard wore a gentle smile, and Marcus's eyes were sparkling.

It was strange, how much they, father and son, liked Scarlett.

That girl, besides looking a bit like me, had a completely different personality.

She came from a poor background, wasn't academically brilliant. Her only real virtue was her gentle patience.

Unlike me, who'd been fiery since childhood.

Howard and I actually met because of a misunderstanding that led to a fight.

Back then, my friend got bullied after confessing her feelings. She tearfully mumbled a name, and I just assumed it was Howard, the hottest guy in school.

Only after I'd finished my rant did my friend clarify it was someone from the class next door.

Howard glared at me, a cold smirk on his face. "You just said some pretty awful things. How are you going to make it up to me?"

On a whim, I puffed out my chest and leaned in. "How about I offer myself as compensation?"

His face immediately flushed.

We went from friends to lovers, like something out of a romantic teen movie.

Everyone knew Howard was head-over-heels for me. At our wedding, he almost cried himself unconscious.

My mom had just passed away then. He held me, sobbing, "Joshua, I'll treat you well for the rest of our lives."

But the shelf life of our love was so short. In just five years, he had his first affair.

Then a second, a third, until Scarlett.

When I saw them together, I often felt a strange sense of dj vu. It was like seeing eighteen-year-old Joshua and twenty-eight-year-old Howard falling in love all over again.

Howard dropped Marcus off around ten that night.

He was already calm, and even offered a few words of concern when he saw me.

"How are the babies?"

"They're fine," I said.

"And your prenatal appointments?"

"Normal."

Howard fell silent, turning his head away.

I didn't say anything either, just picked up my phone and continued looking at photos.

He waited for a while, seeing I wasn't speaking.

"I just dropped Marcus off. Should I go now?"

I didn't even lift my eyelids.

"Fine. No need to see you out."

After a long moment, I didn't hear his footsteps.

I looked up. Howard was still standing there.

"Something wrong?"

He pressed his lips together.

"You... look pretty good."

What was wrong with him?

"Thanks," I said.

I thought Howard wouldn't be back for a while, but then I saw him again the next morning.

Howard and I hadn't had a peaceful interaction in ages.

Except for a few months ago, on our anniversary, we'd both had too much to drink and ended up in a strange, passionate entanglement all night.

Most other times we met, we barely spoke. And if we did, we'd argue the moment we opened our mouths.

This time, he came back on his own, which usually meant trouble.

Sure enough, I heard Howard say, "Scarlett is due to give birth soon."

"So?" I asked.

"I wanted to ask you, which postpartum recovery center is the best? You're quite experienced in this area."

His expression was calm, as if he was genuinely asking for advice.

If he wasn't my husband, I might even praise him.

But I was still pregnant myself. My own husband asking me for recommendations for his mistress's recovery? Was he trying to kill me?

I couldn't help but sneer. "Is your company secretary underpaid? Can't he handle this?"

Howard gave an uncomfortable laugh. "Secretary Brown is doing the work of two people, he's a bit overwhelmed. Plus, he's a man, he doesn't understand these things."

"Scarlett said you have experience; it's her first baby, and she's really scared. That's why she asked me to come to you. She really didn't want to bother you, I've seen her crying and crying. It reminds me of when you were pregnant with Marcus, how terrified you were. You've been through it, so you must understand how she feels."

I didn't understand, and I didn't want to.

No matter how generous I was, I wasn't going to help my husband deal with this garbage.

"Go ask around yourself. If all else fails, just book the most expensive one."

Howard frowned, annoyed. "Joshua, there you go again. The moment things don't go your way, you get sarcastic."

"It's always this terrible temper. Who else but me could put up with you?"

He sighed. "Forget it, I shouldn't have even asked."

"I've already looked at the postpartum recovery center information you booked on your tablet. Scarlett can just use that one. You vetted it, so it must be good."

"You're only three months along, you have time to find another one. If not, you can just use it after Scarlett finishes, there's still plenty of time."