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A Parking Ticket Exposed My Husband's Double Life
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
On a Sunday, a traffic violation alert popped up on my phone out of nowhere. Your vehicle was illegally parked at [location] on [date]. Please move your vehicle immediately... The notification caught ...
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第1章
On a Sunday, a traffic violation alert popped up on my phone out of nowhere. Your vehicle was illegally parked at [location] on [date]. Please move your vehicle immediately...
The notification caught me off guard. I stared at it, confused.
Hadn't my husband already sold that car?
The money from the sale had gone straight toward covering the losses from his failed business venture.
At first, I figured it was a system error.
Then, a week later, another parking violation came through. This time, the location was near our home.
Curiosity got the better of me. I went to check it out in person and found my car parked right outside a restaurant.
A woman walked out. She had a sizable baby bump, looked like she was close to her due date.
And that woman was none other than Boris Harding's former assistant from his startup days.
...
I watched the car pull away until the red taillights blurred into the darkness, their glow faintly stinging my eyes.
My mind raced. Had my husband sold my car to his assistant?
Instinctively, I pulled up the woman's Instagram, hoping to find some kind of confirmation.
Sure enough, there were traces of my car all over her feed.
In one photo taken inside the car, she was posing with someone. The other person's face wasn't visible, but I recognized the shirt he was wearing instantly. It was a designer button-down I'd given Boris for our fifth wedding anniversary.
Something heavy lodged itself in my chest.
When I got home, Boris didn't walk through the door until nine that night. He looked exhausted, but he still forced a smile. "Babe, why are you still up? Didn't I text you that I'd be working late tonight?"
The word babe made my stomach turn.
I looked up at him and asked casually, "Boris, who did you end up selling our car to?"
His chopsticks froze mid-air. "Why are you suddenly asking about that?"
"Just curious." I watched his reaction closely. His eyes blinked rapidly, and his gaze darted away.
It reminded me of a crime drama I'd watched. Suspects who reacted like that were usually hiding something.
"Oh, I was in such a rush at the time, I just found some random used car dealer and let it go. Every penny went toward paying off the debt." His expression quickly shifted to one of guilt and remorse. "Honey, that car was a wedding gift from your family. I'm so sorry..."
I looked at that pathetic performance of his.
A bone-deep chill crept through me. I thought about how he'd sobbed in the middle of the night after his business collapsed, and how I'd stood by him without hesitation, handing over the car myself so he could sell it.
And this was what I got in return.
"Don't worry. I'm going to work harder and give you the life you deserve." He dropped that line and headed for the shower.
The moment he was gone, I quietly re-downloaded the car's companion app and the DMV traffic app, both of which I'd deleted months ago.
I opened the traffic app first. The violation records were right there, plain as day. They hadn't even bothered to remove the registration from my name.
Then I opened the car app and pulled up the recent dashcam footage.
In the exterior camera feed, Boris had his arm around Rachel Fleming on multiple occasions as they strolled past the front of the car. There was footage of the two of them embracing, kissing passionately, right there in the frame.
In one clip, Rachel's voice came through clearly: "Baby, when are you going to divorce that washed-up wife of yours?"
"Our baby's almost here. I don't want our child coming into this world without a legitimate father."
第2章
Rachel clung to Boris, nuzzling against him.
"Don't worry, it's almost done. I've already transferred her car into my name. Once I get the house signed over to you, I'll officially file for divorce."
"Baby, you're so smart, coming up with that whole 'failed business' story. That frumpy wife of yours is so in love with you, she'd sell everything she owns to support you."
Listening to the audio from the dashcam footage, I started trembling uncontrollably. My eyes burned, and I couldn't stop them from going red.
The most recent video was from just two hours ago. The two of them, making out in the car.
How had I never seen it? The man I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with had been scheming against me with another woman this entire time.
The car was part of my dowry, but I didn't have a license, so Boris had always been the one driving it. That was probably why he assumed I knew nothing about the vehicle.
He hadn't bothered to cover his tracks.
I downloaded the videos one by one. My hands shook the entire time.
"Babe, grab me a dry towel?" Boris's voice drifted out from the bathroom.
I took a deep breath and forced my emotions down.
I handed him a towel. He came out of the bathroom after his shower, grinning at me without a shred of shame. "Come on, babe, let's go to bed. I owe you some quality time tonight."
My stomach lurched. I nearly threw up.
"I'm not in the mood." I turned him down.
Boris shrugged it off like it didn't matter.
He was so sure he'd covered every angle.
"Honey, we need to move forward with the house, too. I've already found a buyer. Don't worry. Once I get back on my feet, we'll build everything back together. We'll have it all."
He was feeding me lies, but they were wrapped in the very future I'd dreamed of. I wanted a beautiful life with him. He was the one who'd destroyed it with his own hands.
I gave a vague "mm-hmm" and let the conversation die.
The next morning, Boris left early. He said he was heading out of town to look at a project and wouldn't be back for a couple of days.
I just nodded.
Sure enough, not long after he left, I pulled up the car's location on my phone. He'd taken Rachel to the hospital.
Inside the car, Rachel was pressing him. "What's happening with the house? Did that frumpy wife of yours agree to sign it over so you can sell it?"
"Relax. When I turn on the charm, nobody says no. She's clueless. Practically tripped over herself agreeing."
"Once the house goes through and you divorce her, we'll buy a big place together. Start our happy little life."
The two of them sat there, dreaming about their future.
I walked into a law office.
My hands were shaking as I laid everything out in front of the attorney.
He reviewed all the materials, then looked up at me. "Mrs. Taylor, what is it you're seeking?"
"An immediate divorce." I paused, then added, "Is the evidence I have enough?"
The attorney nodded. "More than enough. Your husband fabricated a financial crisis to defraud you of marital assets, and he's been having an affair. Your case is fully supported."
"I'll have the divorce agreement drafted and sent to you within two days."
I thanked him and left.
I barely remembered walking out of the building. On my phone, the car's GPS showed it parked at the hospital. Boris was probably there with Rachel for a prenatal checkup.
Over the next two days, he drove her to see flower fields.
第3章
Rachel had posted on Instagram too. "Visiting the flower fields with the love of my life. Pure bliss. I just wish our little one would hurry up and arrive so we can be a family of three. That would make everything perfect."
I stared at her carefully curated photos and let out a bitter laugh.
I'd wanted to visit those same flower fields with Boris. But every time I brought it up, he had an excuse ready. Too busy with work. Too tired. No time, no energy. Yet when it came to Rachel, he suddenly had all the time in the world.
The one who isn't loved is never cherished.
After three days of their little getaway, Boris finally came home.
The moment the door swung open, he walked in holding a bouquet. "Hey, babe. Surprise."
I didn't reach for it.
"When I was meeting with the client, we happened to be near the flower fields, so I picked these for you on the way back."
I still didn't reach for it. He kept going. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Once things settle down, I'll take you to see the flower fields in person. I promise."
That fake smile spread across his face.
It made me sick.
"Your client was Rachel, wasn't it?" I said flatly.
Boris froze. A flicker of confusion crossed his face, like his brain hadn't caught up yet.
His outstretched hand hung in midair.
"What? Rachel? She left the company ages ago. I went to the flower fields area with a client. Well, not to the fields exactly. We passed by them. The trip was mainly for business." The words tumbled out of him.
I drew a deep breath. "Boris, I know everything. I've seen it with my own eyes."
The bouquet slipped from his hand and hit the floor.
Panic crept visibly across his face.
"You... what did you see?"
"Everything. Including your pregnant Rachel. You took her to her prenatal checkup."
"You called her 'babe.'"
Shock flashed through his eyes, but it was quickly swallowed by anger. "Sarah, you... you've been stalking me?"
"Do I need to stalk you? When you transferred my car into your name, you didn't even bother to clear the linked accounts." I held up my phone and waved it in front of him.
He lunged for it. I stepped back.
He must have moved too fast because his feet tangled and he went down hard.
Boris sat on the floor, all composure gone. Panic, guilt, desperation played across his face in rapid succession. Every trace of his usual smooth confidence had evaporated.
"Sarah, let me explain."
I had no interest in his explanations. I cut him off. "Boris, when your startup failed, I stood by you. I was ready to sell the car, sell the house, do whatever it took to help you through it. And what did you do?"