The Day I Jumped for My Cheating Husband, I Woke Up with a System That Taught Me Revenge
Just as I pulled myself onto the ledge, words began to flash in the air, shimmering like a digital mirage against the night sky.
[OMG, DON’T DO IT! IN THE FUTURE, THAT MAN WILL BE ON HIS KNEES LICKING YOUR BOOTS!]
[IF YOU DIE NOW, YOU’LL MISS HIM BEGGING FOR YOU BACK!]
[YOU DON’T BELIEVE US? FINE. IN EXACTLY TWO MINUTES, YOUR HUSBAND IS GOING TO TEXT YOU. HE’LL TELL YOU TO DRAW HIM A BATH AND WAIT FOR HIM TO COME HOME.]
I hesitated, half-incredulous, half-intrigued. And then, precisely two minutes later, my phone buzzed on the patio table. It was him.
I came to believe these messages were here to help me save my marriage.
So when my husband came home, I did exactly what they told me to do. I opened the door, a silk robe caressing my skin and a fresh, angry-red hickey blooming on my neck.
1
The sound of the key turning in the lock sent a jolt through me. I took one last, deep breath and pulled the door open.
Ethan was propping up a drunken Tessa, his suit reeking of a cloying mix of perfume and whiskey. His brow was furrowed in that familiar, preemptive way, his excuses already forming on his lips.
“She’s drunk, I just…”
“I have plans tonight.” My voice, as smooth and placid as still water, cut through his prepared speech.
He froze.
I stepped aside, creating a path for them into the marble foyer. “Go on, get her settled,” I said with a serene smile. “Take a shower and get some rest. Don’t worry about the mess, the housekeeper will handle it in the morning.”
The string of calm, considerate words, so unlike the hysterics he was expecting, left him utterly stunned. Ethan’s gaze, finally pulled from his shock, landed on me. For the first time in years, he looked at me like he was seeing a stranger. The black silk slip dress, a relic from a time before I’d made myself small for him, clung to curves he’d long ignored. And then his eyes found it: the garish, purple-red mark on my neck.
His face darkened instantly.
“What is that on your neck?” The question was a low growl, laced with a tremor I hadn’t heard in his voice since we were young and still afraid of losing each other.
I instinctively raised a hand to cover the spot, my eyes darting away in a practiced display of panic. “It’s nothing. A mosquito bite, probably.”
Without giving him another glance, I grabbed my purse from the sofa, slipped on my heels, and walked past him.
“Where are you going?” he demanded, his voice tight with a rage he was barely suppressing.
I didn’t turn back, giving him nothing but the sway of my hips and the sharp click of my heels on the floor.
The moment I was outside, the cool night air hit me, and my carefully constructed composure crumbled. I leaned against the brick exterior of our building, my heart hammering against my ribs.
“Comments,” I whispered to the empty street, “did I… did I do the right thing?”
Instantly, the shimmering text flooded my vision, wrapping around me like a comforting blanket.
[THE RIGHT THING? GIRL, YOU KILLED IT! YOU ARE THE QUEEN!]
[DID YOU SEE THE LOOK ON HIS FACE? I COULD WATCH THAT ON A LOOP FOREVER. PRICELESS!]
[YOU’VE BEEN TOO GOOD FOR TOO LONG. HE GOT SO USED TO IT, HE THOUGHT YOU HAD NO WHERE ELSE TO GO!]
[REMEMBER THE RULE: GOOD GIRLS GET A PAT ON THE HEAD. BAD BITCHES GET EVERYTHING.]
I thought of the shock and raw, possessive anger on Ethan’s face—a flicker of the man who once cared. And I knew, with a certainty that settled deep in my bones, that the comments were right.
[YOU HAVE TO COMMIT! GO TO A CLUB! SOMEPLACE HE CAN’T FIND YOU!]
A club? I was the kind of woman who apologized when someone else bumped into me.
But the words felt like a thousand invisible hands, pushing me forward into the night.
The music was a physical force, a wall of sound that vibrated through my bones. Strobe lights fractured the darkness, catching glimpses of bodies writhing on the dance floor. I huddled in a corner booth, clutching a cocktail I hadn’t touched.
[DON’T BE SCARED, HONEY! YOU’RE GORGEOUS! OWN IT!]
[FEEL THE BEAT! LET YOURSELF GO!]
Swept up by their encouragement and the intoxicating energy of the room, I found myself walking onto the floor. My movements were stiff at first, a clumsy translation of the rhythm. But then, slowly, I let the music take over. For the first time in my life, I wasn't thinking. I was just moving. And it was pure joy.
Hours later, flushed and breathless, I returned to my table and finally checked my silenced phone.
The screen glowed with a single notification: Ethan (27) Missed Calls.
My husband, the man who hadn’t bothered to call me back in over a year, had called me twenty-seven times. It was a complete reversal of our dynamic, where I was always the one desperately trying to track him down.
[IGNORE HIM! LET HIM STEW! GIVE HIM A TASTE OF HIS OWN MEDICINE!]
I obediently shoved the phone back into my purse, a slow smile spreading across my face.
It’s not that I don’t want to come home, darling, I thought. It’s that I need to make you fall in love with me all over again.
You’ll understand. You have to.
2
I stayed out all night.
When I walked through the door at dawn, exhausted and hungover, the living room lights were blazing. Ethan was on the sofa, his eyes a roadmap of red veins. The ashtray at his feet was overflowing with crushed cigarette butts.
The second he saw me, he shot up and grabbed my wrist, his voice a raw rasp. “Where were you?”
I could still smell the faint, floral scent of Tessa’s perfume clinging to him.
He stared at me, his face a mask of disbelief. “You’ve never done this before. You never stay out all night.”
I met his gaze and gave him a slow, innocent blink.
“And what if I do?”
“Ethan, we’re both adults. We’re allowed to have our own lives, aren’t we?”
My words struck him dumb. In those bloodshot eyes, for the first time, I saw a flicker of something new: fear.
“Isn’t that what you always told me?” I tilted my head, my smile disarmingly sweet. “You were busy. You had a work dinner. You said… adults need their own space.”
I served his own bullshit back to him, word for word.
My heart was pounding, my palms slick with nervous sweat.
[STAY IN CHARACTER! DON’T BREAK! YOU’RE IN YOUR VILLAIN ERA NOW, AVA!]
[YES! FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE! SO SATISFYING!]
The comments were my armor.
Just then, the master bedroom door clicked open.
Tessa emerged, wrapped in a large silk robe, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It was my favorite robe.
A year ago, the sight would have sent me into a jealous rage. I would have clawed her eyes out.
[HERE WE GO! THE MAIN EVENT! REMEMBER, THE FIRST ONE TO GET ANGRY LOSES!]
I took a deep, steadying breath. Calm was my greatest weapon.
Tessa feigned a gasp when she saw me, her voice dripping with syrupy sweetness. “Oh! Ava, you’re back! I’m so sorry, I had a little too much to drink last night, and Ethan was worried I’d ruin my clothes, so… he just found one of your old things for me to wear. You don’t mind, do you?”
Ethan looked deeply uncomfortable. “Her dress was dirty,” he mumbled. “I just grabbed the first thing I saw.”
“Mind?” I laughed. I walked straight over to Tessa, my tone full of gentle reproach—but my eyes were fixed on Ethan. “How could you give Tessa one of my old hand-me-downs? That’s so thoughtless.”
Before either of them could react, I took Tessa’s hand and led her, stunned, toward my walk-in closet. I pulled a brand-new, tags-still-on silk chemise from a box and pressed it into her hands.
“This one’s new. It’ll be perfect with your skin tone. Go on, try it on. It’ll look beautiful.”
[HOLY SH*T! QUEEN BEHAVIOR! THAT’S NOT JUST A POWER MOVE, THAT’S A PUBLIC EXECUTION!]
[TESSA’S FACE! SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS MAKING A STATEMENT, AND AVA JUST TREATED HER LIKE A BARGAIN BIN SHOPPER!]
I ignored their petrified expressions, went into my own room, and changed into a sharp pantsuit. On my way out, I stopped at the safe hidden behind a painting in the hall and retrieved a velvet jewelry box.
“Where are you going now?! What is that?” Ethan finally snapped out of his trance, grabbing my arm.
I immediately shook him off and opened the box. Inside, a breathtaking sapphire necklace and earring set glittered under the light.
“Oh, this?” I said, my voice airy and casual. “It’s the ‘Heart of the Deep.’ You remember, the set you bought for eight million at that auction our first year of marriage? The one… you were planning to give to Tessa, before you thought better of it.”
Ethan’s pupils contracted.
I turned to Tessa with a look of apology. “So sorry, Tessa, it’s not that I’m being stingy. It’s just, you know Mr. Harrison from Apex Corp? The deal we’re trying to close? His wife saw this set a few weeks ago and fell in love with it. I’m meeting her for tea this afternoon, and I thought I’d give it to her. A little gesture to help move the project along.”
“Are you insane?” Ethan’s voice was trembling. “You loved that necklace more than anything! You wouldn’t even let me touch it!”
“I’ve had a change of perspective,” I said, looking him directly in the eye, my expression open and sincere. “It’s just a piece of jewelry, collecting dust. It’s time it started serving a greater purpose, don’t you think?”
I smiled, snapped the box shut, and patted his shoulder. “You two have a nice, relaxing day at home. I have to run.”
And with that, I walked out without a backward glance.
The second I was in my car, the door shut, I clutched the velvet box to my chest and felt a sharp, stabbing pain.
It was, for so long, the last tangible proof I had that he once loved me.
To pretend it didn't hurt to give it away would be a lie.
[DON’T BE SAD, AVA! YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE A PAWN TO CAPTURE THE KING!]
[THAT APEX DEAL IS WORTH FIFTY MILLION TO HAWTHORNE INDUSTRIES! AS A MAJOR SHAREHOLDER, YOU’LL BE ROLLING IN IT!]
[THINK BIGGER! YOU’RE TRADING A TAINTED MEMORY FOR POWER, MONEY, AND RESPECT. HE’S GOING TO SEE YOU IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT!]
I read the messages, took a deep breath, and nodded.
They were right.
It was time to think bigger. Trading a material object for my career was more than worth it.
3
The look of sheer delight on Mrs. Harrison’s face when I gave her the “Heart of the Deep” was everything. Just as I’d predicted, the deal between Apex Corp and Hawthorne Industries was finalized within the week. And Mr. Harrison personally requested that I be appointed the lead project manager.
The days that followed were a blur.
I threw myself back into the corporate world I had abandoned three years ago, soaking up information like a sponge. Meetings, spreadsheets, client dinners… my calendar was a solid wall of appointments.
[YES, BOSS LADY! GO! LET HIM SEE HOW INCREDIBLY HOT YOU ARE WHEN YOU’RE FOCUSED ON YOUR CAREER!]
[THAT’S RIGHT! DON’T PAY HIM ANY ATTENTION! MEN ONLY SLOW DOWN THE GRIND!]
The comments were my personal cheerleading squad. I could feel Ethan’s eyes on me whenever we were in the same room, a mixture of confusion, awe, and something else I couldn’t quite decipher.
But I had no time to respond.
Partly because the comments told me not to, and partly because I was just too damn busy.
On the night of the celebration gala for the Apex deal, I was, as project lead, expected to attend with Ethan.
I chose a champagne-colored, mermaid-style gown that hugged every curve. When I stepped out of the bedroom, Ethan was leaning against the wall, waiting. The moment he saw me, his breath hitched. The look in his eyes was one of pure, unadulterated shock and admiration.
A spark of triumph lit inside me, but I kept my face a mask of cool indifference. “Are you ready to go?” I asked flatly.
He swallowed hard and moved to open the door for me.
Just as we were about to leave, a cloying voice cut through the air.
“Ethan, honey? Ava? Where are you two going?”
Tessa appeared out of nowhere, holding a glass filled with dark purple grape juice. She feigned a stumble, lurching directly toward me.
The icy liquid soaked the front of my gown, blooming into a hideous, dark stain.
“Oh my god! I’m so, so sorry, Ava!” Tessa shrieked, tears instantly welling in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to… I tripped! What are we going to do? The gala is so important tonight, and now you don’t have a dress. I guess… I guess Ethan will have to go by himself…”
Every word of her apology was a carefully aimed dart.
Ethan stared, first at the ruined dress, then at me. A flicker of indecision crossed his face. After a few seconds of tense silence, he actually opened his mouth and said it. “Maybe… Ava, maybe you should just go change. There isn’t much time. I can take Tessa with me to the event.”
First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "256773" to read the entire book.
MotoNovel
Novellia
Bookworm« Previous Post
Leave Them With Nothing