Upon receiving an anonymous text message and rushing to the hotel just a moment prior, Adelide Ryton continued to harbor a glimmer of hope deep within her heart.
After all, they had been together since their college days ─ seven years now.
Seven years. It wasn't something one could just easily let go.
Upon swiping open the hotel room with her access card, in the dim light, from the foyer all the way to the round white bed, lay scattered clothes everywhere.
A delicately ornate peony dress, sexy red lace lingerie, men's clothing, and the most conspicuously striking item was the red thong.
Adelide crossed her arms, leaning against the door frame, and with a grimace, she covered her nose. The scent in the air revulsion in her stomach.
A sardonic grin played on the corner of her lips as she began to clap slowly. She was Miss Ryton, the proud daughter of the Ryton family. She wasn't the type to confront an adulterer out in the open or sob about her husband's infidelity.
Her cold gaze fell on the female figure on the bed. The woman was lost under the messy sheets, her exposed creamy skin under the light traced out a seductive mandala, bewitching and tempting.
"Addie," the man said in a flustered tone, quickly grabbing the blanket to cover himself. He stammered, looking at the silhouette by the door.
Adelide laughed lightly. Her indifferent gaze roaming down the man’s bare upper torso… “Impressive.”
She raised her wrist to glance at her watch, then said, "Don Abney, your 'performance' has reached a new record. From the time I received the message until now, it's been at least half an hour. So much faster than usual."
“Muen, I was confused for a moment. It was this woman, she seduced me," Don frantically defended.
"Really?" Adelide raised a sardonic eyebrow, her gaze shifting to the trembling figure under the blanket. "Cassandra Myles, my dear sister, don’t you want to explain? Don claims that you seduced him, that he was momentarily bewildered."
Pushing off the blanket, Cassandra looked pale, yet her tone remained defiant, "Adelide, don’t be so smug. Do you think Don would have married you if you weren't the heiress of the Ryton family? I’ll have you know, Don and I have secretly been together for a year."
"Shut up!" Don barked.
"Since you've already seen it, what else can't be said?" Cassandra roared angrily, "Adelide, my figure is better than yours, my education is not inferior to yours, and I am also a missy of the Ryton family. Why should I always be one step behind you?"
"Why?" Adelide's smile deepened at the corners of her eyes, "Cassandra, your surname is Myles, mine is Ryton. I don't recall our Ryton family acknowledging a daughter like you."
"So, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The daughter of a mistress, indeed like her mother."
"You..."
"A mistress and a beast, a perfect match." Adelide took out a signed and printed divorce agreement from her bag and placed it on the hallway cupboard. She smiled at Don, "Sign it, send it to Ryton's place tomorrow. As for the details of the divorce, my lawyer will discuss it with you."
"Adelide!" Don gritted his teeth, "are you this calm?"
"What else?" Adelide replied with a gentle smile, but her smile seemed like a mocking thorn in Don's eyes, piercing his heart, "I am your husband!"
"Do you still remember that?"
Don was taken aback.
Adelide still maintained her gentle smile, walked out of the hallway, closed the door softly, left the hotel gracefully, got into her car, and her smile instantly froze and faded.
Her hand laid weakly on the steering wheel. She closed her eyes. They were too dry. Because of the dryness, it hurt when she closed her eyes.
Yes, her tears had dried up when she was very young.
At the age of seven, her mother brought her and her brother to catch a cheater. Since then, she was aware of the existence of Cassandra, a half-sibling from the same father. Since then, she often saw her mother crying alone, shedding tears.
Having seen too many tears, she gradually lost hope in love and marriage.
She originally thought that Don was a suitable partner, both academically and in personal conduct. He was from a small city, with a conservative and dignified view on marriage.
But reality proved her wrong. Men, whether wealthy or not, traditional or open-minded, always want more than what they have.
She thought she would never cry. Even when she had to bear the humiliation of seeing her husband and sister in the same bed, she did not shed a tear. But tears fell unexpectedly.
Seven years, even if it wasn't love, it was a sincere and profound affection. How could she simply discard it?
She hit the accelerator, and her car sped away. The frosty wind, violently tearing through the air, lashed her face, slicing across her heart like a knife.
The night was dreamlike, lights sparkling, the past seemed illusionary.
Bang!
Her dream shattered. The world spun around as a terrifying crash occurred. Losing balance and control, the spinning got faster and faster. Sitting in the driver's seat, she saw Don sitting in the opposite car, his cold eyes watching her.
Then, he reversed his car, aiming at her... Bang!
She lost consciousness.