Chapter 4
The one who spoke was Adrian Knight, the mysterious intellectual from high school. When my dad sent out invitations, he had only symbolically given Adrian an invitation.
Yet, to my surprise, Adrian Knight, heir to the city’s most prominent Knight Group, was attending this gala.
Adrian continued, his gaze falling on me without avoidance:
“Do you think you’d be where you are today without Chloe, without the Chen family?”
Perhaps unprepared for Adrian’s intervention, everyone who had been stirring immediately quieted down. Marcus instantly sobered up.
He spoke with a slight tremor, his tone filled with forced composure and an inexplicable hostility towards Adrian:
“Mr. Knight, this is my private matter. Besides, I’ve given Chloe the title of Mrs. Hayes. Isn’t that enough?”
Adrian chuckled softly, still staring at me, asking teasingly:
“Do you think she cares for the title of Mrs. Hayes?”
Marcus was stumped. I felt uncomfortable under Adrian’s intense gaze. A quick-witted guest swiftly broke the ice between us.
The lively atmosphere in the private room returned.
Adrian looked at me, said nothing more, just grabbed his jacket and left.
Marcus drank until he was half-drunk. I made an excuse about my physical therapy and left again, leaving Marcus in a room I had booked beforehand.
I subtly gave Brittany the information, leading her to the hotel half an hour later.
I sat behind the camera, staring unblinkingly at the two intertwined, naked bodies in the room.
Fueled by alcohol, Marcus was sweating profusely on top of Brittany, lamenting:
“If only Chloe could be like you. Why would I ever need to find someone else?”
Perhaps it was the impending freedom from a suffocating marriage, but hearing that, I felt no nausea, only a detachment, as if watching a stranger.
The next day, I threw the video at Marcus, along with the ready-made divorce papers.
After Marcus saw the video, he made countless continuous calls until, half an hour later, he finally realized that, to him, I was still the wife who couldn’t hear.
A text message popped up on my phone: