1 It was my fifth year as a private investigator, and I’d just taken on a completely routine infidelity case. My phone vibrated in my pocket—a message from my wife, Iris Jiang. She said she’d be home late tonight to celebrate my birthday, adding mysteriously that she had a surprise for me. I was still looking at the message when the scene through my camera lens froze me. Iris, her clothes disheveled, was locked in a tight embrace with a strange man outside a hotel, kissing as if no one else existed. That profound tenderness was something she’d never shown me in our nearly ten years of marriage. It wasn’t until the click of the camera shutter that I snapped back to reality. I looked down at the familiar face in the photo, then up at the two still locked in an embrace not far away. A sense of absurdity washed over me. I gave a bitter laugh, thinking: What surprise could possibly compare to catching her cheating with my own eyes? … My finger hovered over the screen for a long time. I never sent the last message. Instead, I sent the photo I’d taken to Iris. When I returned home, Iris came back shortly after. Her face was calm, not a hint of panic at being caught. She was holding a birthday cake box. The atmosphere was silent. She didn’t say a word. It wasn’t until the cake box was placed on the dining table that I looked up at her. “You cheated.” My voice was hoarse when I said it, aching painfully. She frowned, no longer trying to hide it. “You already knew, didn’t you? You know I could never let go of Brett.” “Always have, always will.” Receiving the answer I’d expected, I thought I could truly remain calm. “He’s not doing well now, he’s in a lot of debt, and that’s the only work he can do.” “I’m just helping out his business. Don’t make it sound so awful.” Brett. It was Brett again. Ten years of marriage, and that name was a thorn in my heart. I thought with time, she’d eventually forget. I never expected that even now, she truly hadn’t let go. I found it somewhat ridiculous, and a film of mist welled up in my eyes. “Helping out his business all the way to bed?” “Did you forget we’re married? For ten years!” Iris tutted, rubbing her temples, her face full of helplessness and impatience. “Brett has a strong personality. He wouldn’t take money if I just gave it to him, so if I gave him money, he’d insist on providing a… service.” “So you just slept together?” I pulled out my phone, pointing at the photo on the screen, my entire body trembling. “He knows you’re married. What ‘strong personality’? I think he just wants to be a homewrecker!” The moment the words left my mouth, a sharp pain flared across my cheek. The taste of rust instantly spread in my mouth. Iris’s hand froze mid-air, stunned after the slap. Her lips trembled as she tried to apologize to me. “Mason, I…” The slightly ajar door creaked, and Brett poked his head in from outside. His expression was awkward when he saw the scene inside. “I… I came to bring Iris her lipstick. She left it at my place.” As soon as he spoke, as if making a decision, he immediately pulled the door open and drew Iris behind him. “Mason, I’m sorry. I was the one clinging to her, it’s my fault.” “Whatever anger you have, direct it at me. Iris is innocent.” His reaction immediately made Iris feel protective. The last trace of guilt she felt towards me completely vanished. “It’s none of your business. We didn’t kill anyone or set anything on fire. What’s all this talk of innocent or not innocent?” My tongue touched the inside of my cheek. The slap stung badly; I could see the imprint of five fingers on my cheek even through the mirror. “Since you already know, choose for yourself: divorce or stay together.” Her nonchalant words sent a sharp pang through my heart. It almost hurt too much to stand upright. She knew I couldn’t leave her, otherwise she wouldn’t have made such a ridiculous demand. I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, a jarring phone rang repeatedly. Brett, who had been protecting Iris, instantly paled. He fumbled to hang up the call. “Iris, the loan sharks are calling me again. I’m really scared.” “I, I need to go to work.” How could Iris let him leave now? Right in front of me, she tightly grasped Brett’s hand, her tone stiff. “Are you going to sleep with other people again? How much more do you owe? I’ll give it to you.” After she said this, she instinctively looked at me. “My secondary card still has fifty thousand. I can lend it to you.” My head buzzed, and I instinctively spoke out. “Are you crazy?! Do you know that money…” “Sorry, really, no need. It’s all my fault, I’m just so worthless.” Brett’s eyes were bloodshot. He pulled his hand away from Iris and left. Iris, her face full of worry, followed him. The front door slammed shut with force. The gust of wind it created chilled my heart to the bone. Ten years of marriage, and it amounted to nothing. Half my face was swollen high. I held ice to my cheek, staring blankly at our wedding photo on the wall. From the beginning of our relationship, I knew there would always be someone between Iris and me. When we were getting engaged, I took her to customize rings. That day, she stared at the display of ring samples for a long time. When I asked her about it, she subconsciously replied. “My first love never brought me here.” My hand, engraving a letter, paused. When I looked up at her, I saw tears streaming down her face. My lips trembled, and those around me looked at me strangely. “You still like him?” “Not like. Love.” After getting the matching rings, I was silent for a long time. I considered breaking up, but then she said. “That’s all in the past. What matters is that I chose you.” “If you really mind, we don’t have to get married.” Her words stirred my compassion. It was all in the past, and the future was with her. Time, perhaps, would change everything. Driven by this thought and a quiet stubbornness, I still chose to marry Iris. I thought she was willing to spend her life with me. It wasn’t until the first year of our marriage, after a work dinner, that I was rushed to the hospital with a severe stomach infection. The doctor examined me and said I needed surgery. But when I went to withdraw money from my bank account, I found that the money was gone. Tens of thousands, not a single penny left. I immediately contacted Iris. Only she knew the password to that card. We had agreed when we got married that the money in it was not to be touched unless absolutely necessary. Iris was silent for a long time on the other end of the phone before she spoke. “I lent that money to someone. I didn’t know you were sick.” She tried to explain but refused to tell me who she had lent it to. No matter how much I pushed or questioned, she wouldn’t say a word. When she learned I needed surgery, she rushed back from out of town. She borrowed money, nursed me back to health, and apologized profusely. “Mason, please forgive me. You can hit me, curse me, whatever, just no next time.” After enough money was raised, my illness still left me with chronic issues because the surgery wasn’t performed in time. When I was discharged, I brought up divorce to Iris. She even got down on her knees and begged me. “I just lent the money to someone who needed it. I truly didn’t expect you to get sick. You can’t divorce me over this.” “Money can be earned again.” She pleaded incessantly, but when I again asked her who she lent the money to, she still said. “I can’t tell you, but don’t worry, it won’t happen again.” Because of those desperate pleas, I eventually softened. The stinging pain on my face persisted; the ice had melted. Only now did I understand that the money all those years ago had been given to Brett. And all these years later, he still hadn’t paid it back. I wiped away my tears and took down the wedding photo from the wall. Since Iris couldn’t forget her ‘white moonlight,’ there was no need for me to hold on any longer. I cut off contact with Iris. For about a week, she didn’t come home. Until today, my phone rang incessantly. It was Iris calling. When I answered, a sharp, angry voice came from the other end. “Mason Lu, are you disgusting? What are you trying to do?” “Those photos sent to the company email, you sent them, didn’t you? Now everyone in the company knows about Brett and me. Are you satisfied?!” I gripped my phone, a little confused. I knew nothing of what Iris was talking about. Seeing my silence, she became even more frantic. “Don’t tell me you don’t know about this? You took those photos, didn’t you?!” I took a deep breath, my voice calm. “I don’t know what photos you’re talking about. If you mean the one of you cheating, I only sent it to you.” My words completely pushed Iris over the edge. The next second, our chat window was flooded with naked photos. My face turned ashen. Every single one was of her and Brett. Explicit photos. And a copy of her termination report. “If not you, then who? I really didn’t think you’d stoop to secretly taking photos?” “Satisfied? Because of this, I’m a laughingstock! Brett is hiding at home and dares not come out.” I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth. “Iris Jiang, your cheating is your fault. If you don’t mind being dirty, I do! Do you really think Brett is a good guy?” “Do you know that he!” Iris let out an angry laugh, directly interrupting me. “Since you won’t admit it, then you just wait and regret!” She slammed the phone down. I rubbed my temples, forcing myself to calm down and deal with other matters at the agency. However, not long after, several police cars pulled up outside my office. The police officers, their faces cold, looked around the agency. “Mr. Lu, correct?” “Someone has reported you for disseminating obscene material and violating privacy.” I froze, instantly recalling what Iris had said on the phone. She actually reported me to the police! “My agency is legal and compliant, and I absolutely did not disseminate anything!” “Mr. Lu, all the evidence currently suggests you are responsible. Your computer also contained secretly taken photos.” But that photo was merely a kissing photo. “Those were photos I took for work. They even have timestamps…” But no matter how I explained, it was useless. They sealed my agency. And I was detained for fifteen days. Fifteen days later, I was released from the police station. Before I could even fully process things, my former clients one by one came knocking. They crowded outside my office, all berating me fiercely. “Detective Lu, we hired you because we trusted you.” “Who would have thought something like this would happen!” “Leaking personal privacy, what was the point of signing a non-disclosure agreement? This is a crime!” Once something like this happened, no matter how innocent I truly was, in the eyes of others, I was tainted. Even if I repeatedly assured them I had never leaked their privacy, repeatedly stressed that I was framed, no one believed me. “Your agency has been shut down. Your words are garbage. We won’t believe a single word.” “Pay up! Pay up!” Some even sided with Iris, making a scene outside the office. They held banners and banged drums. Everyone on the street knew me. They accused me of being unfit for such work, of making dirty money. They all demanded compensation. Someone recorded the scene and posted it online. It spread widely. I was doxxed. My name and address were found. Every time I left home, I’d see various threatening letters, dead cats, and blood-stained razor blades outside. This made me afraid to leave the house for a long time. Iris returned about half a month later. She looked at the mess in the house, her eyes cold. “Mason Lu, had enough suffering lately?” “Go apologize to Brett, and I’ll forgive you and help clear your name.” Iris’s words made me snap my head up. My eyes were bloodshot, and I almost gritted my teeth. “Isn’t all of this because of you?” “What unforgivable thing did I do to make you hate me this much?” “Iris Jiang, we’ve been married for ten years! Damn it, even a dog gets attached after that long!” Iris froze. She couldn’t meet my gaze and quickly looked away. “Fine, even if it wasn’t you who spread the photos, the photo you sent me was indeed taken by you without permission.” “That’s a fact, and Brett and I were both implicated because of it.” “Brett has been kicked out of the club now, and no one is willing to let him work there anymore.” “His job loss is because of you.” Iris grew more and more self-righteous as she spoke. I scoffed. “His job is gone, so is mine still here?” Iris’s face grew increasingly impatient. She lowered her voice. “If you apologize, your agency still has a chance.” My agency was my life’s work for five years. I couldn’t bear to see it disappear just like that. I neither agreed nor refused. Iris arranged a dinner, just the three of us. In the private room, Brett looked timid and hesitant when he saw me. “Mason, I know you have issues with me, but I’m really struggling.” “Because of this, I lost my job, and I still have a large sum of money to repay.” Iris picked up a glass, already filled to the brim with white liquor. “Drink it, and this whole thing is over.” “I won’t contact Brett again, and you’re not allowed to do anything to him either.” “Your agency can also be reopened.” My face paled, and I looked up at Iris. She knew that my stomach had already developed chronic issues back then. She knew. All these years, I’ve had to take medication constantly to stabilize it, and my stomach problems would flare up from time to time, risking a perforated ulcer. “Drink it, is it so hard to drink a glass of liquor?” Iris impatiently pushed a full bottle of white liquor towards me. I forced a bitter smile. She had forgotten. I tilted my head back and drank the entire bottle of white liquor. I only stopped when a sharp, searing pain erupted in my stomach. Iris’s eyes held a complex expression. She reached out to grab me, but I fiercely pushed her hand away. “Satisfied? I’ve granted your wish, Iris Jiang. I won’t bother with you anymore.” I stumbled out of the private room. Picking up my phone, I opened the chat window of my earlier client. I sent the photo of Iris and Brett to the client, who was overseas. “I have captured the evidence of your fiancé’s infidelity.”
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