Chapter 3

3.

That evening, Garrett came home with Lila trailing behind him.

She was proudly carrying her new designer bag.

The smug, happy expression on her face was almost nauseating.

"Hungry? I brought you a cupcake. Lila picked it out specifically for you. "

Garrett tossed the box onto the table in front of me.

I glanced at it. It was a strawberry cupcake.

Had Garrett forgotten that I am deathly allergic to strawberries?

I didn't give them a polite reaction. I swept the cake straight into the garbage.

Garrett didn't expect such a response, and his face instantly turned grim.

Before he could snap at me, Lila started sobbing.

She looked so fragile and wronged that it was almost impressive.

"Vivian, do you hate me? I was just trying to be nice. Why would you throw it away? "

"I really don't understand what I did to upset you. You even blocked me on WhatsApp. "

Lila whimpered, acting as if I had committed a federal crime.

Garrett's expression darkened even further.

He grabbed my wrist, his patience clearly exhausted.

"Vivian, ever since we got back from the mountains, you've been acting like a different person. Where is the kind, graceful woman I married? "

"Lila has been working so hard to take care of you. How can you treat her like this? You blocked her? Is this how you show gratitude? "

I felt a wave of mockery wash over me.

How could I not change? After seeing my husband with another woman?

Was I supposed to act like everything was normal?

Garrett was right about one thing; I had received plenty of special care from them.

But after I checked the hidden security cameras in our house, I saw the truth.

Lila had been wearing my clothes and getting intimate with Garrett in every corner of our home.

The thought made my stomach turn.

I wanted to scream and ask if he really wanted to take care of me.

Or if "taking care of me " was just a cover for their disgusting affair.

I didn't want to argue about the details anymore. His cheating was a fact.

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady.

I looked into his angry eyes and said coldly, "I'm allergic to strawberries. "

His eyes flickered as he suddenly remembered.

The tension in his forehead eased slightly.

He knew exactly how severe my allergy was.

One time, I had almost died after accidentally eating a piece of strawberry garnish.

He slowly let go of my wrist and regained his calm, composed CEO persona.

"I'll go make you something else. "

He walked into the kitchen, looking like the perfect, devoted husband.

Lila followed him immediately, and the two of them started busy-working together.

The kitchen door was glass, so I could see everything.

Lila wrapped her arms around Garrett's waist, whispering in his ear and giggling.

Garrett responded by affectionately pinching her nose.

The intimacy was natural and practiced.

It hurt to watch, so I went to my bedroom.

A few minutes later, Lila walked in carrying a bowl of hot soup.

Right in front of my face, she spat into the soup.

Then, she put on a fake smile and held the bowl out to me.

I felt a surge of disgust and pushed the bowl away.

She wouldn't give up and kept trying to force it into my hands.

During the struggle, the bowl slipped and shattered on the floor.

The scalding liquid splashed everywhere.

My hands and feet were instantly covered in painful, red welts.

A sharp, stinging pain radiated through my body.

But Lila was the one who screamed first.

In an instant, her eyes were filled with crocodile tears.

Garrett came charging out of the kitchen.

He didn't even look at my burns; he rushed straight to Lila, checking her over.

"Lila! Are you okay? Did you get burned? "

His instinctive reaction sent a chill through my heart.

I didn't want to witness their little drama, so I turned to find some burn cream.

But in the next second, my wrist was gripped in a vice-like hold.

His eyes were bloodshot and terrifying.

"Vivian, are you crazy? Lila was kind enough to bring you soup, and you intentionally threw it at her? "

I glanced at Lila's hand. A few tiny drops had splattered on her.

But Garrett's entire world was focused on her minor discomfort.

He ignored the blistering skin on my hands and feet.

I felt a deep, cold emptiness inside.

Lila stepped out from behind him, looking like a misunderstood saint.

"Garrett, don't blame Vivian. I'm sure she didn't mean it. She's blind, so she probably just lost her balance. It's my fault for being clumsy. "

The more she "explained, " the more Garrett believed I did it on purpose.

The disgust in his eyes grew.

He pulled the sobbing Lila into his arms.

"Lila, you're too kind. That's why people like her take advantage of you. "

He glared at me with pure contempt.

"Don't think being blind is a get-out-of-jail-free card. Don't think you can do whatever you want just because I spoil you. My patience is running out. "

"If you keep acting like a hysterical brat, maybe we should spend some time apart to clear our heads. "

The tube of burn cream slipped from my fingers.

He had finally said what he was really thinking.

He scooped Lila up in his arms and kissed her forehead.

As he carried her out, Lila shot me one last smug, triumphant look over his shoulder.

I clenched my fists, wanting nothing more than to punch them both.

Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

It was my mentor.

"Vivian, can I book your flight for next month? "

"Also, one of your old seniors is over there. You can reach out to him when you arrive. "

Hearing my mentor's voice through the speaker, Garrett's face turned sour.

"London? Where are you going? "

"Who is this senior? Why would you go see him? "