Chapter 6
I don’t remember exactly how I released Madison.
There were suddenly people everywhere, voices blending together.
When I fully regained awareness, I was lying in a hospital bed.
The doctor stood beside me, test results in hand, watching me with concern.
“Doctor, am I dying?” I asked weakly,
Startled by my question, he jumped slightly.
“You’re awake.”
“No, don’t worry. It’s just the dry climate and your elevated stress levels that caused the nosebleed I’ll prescribe-
“Is Madison dead?” I interrupted.
He hesitated, then lowered his gaze. “No. Mr. Lockwood was here.”
“I see.” I turned away.
It had been a long time since I’d cried, but now my eyes burned with unshed tears.
When did I first discover Ethan’s infidelity?
It was probably when I playfully pressed my lipstick–stained fingers against his neck in a moment of spontaneous affection.
His reaction caught me completely off guard.
“My assistant nearly fainted from low blood sugar. I caught her, and I guess that’s when it happened.”
He spoke so casually, but my heart felt like a cruise ship hitting an iceberg–shattered and sinking.
That night, I sat awake until dawn.
I hired a private investigator, and when I threw the photos in Ethan’s face, he slapped himself repeatedly and fell to his knees, begging me not to leave.
“Olivia, I made a terrible mistake. Please forgive me just this once. I swear on my life, if it ever happens again, I’ll deserve whatever comes to me.”
Young love cuts deep.
Watching him weep, I convinced myself that perhaps I’d put too much pressure on him, that he was simply exhausted and had momentarily strayed.
I successfully gaslighted myself.
20:34
My Marriage Vows Became His Death Sentence
45.5%
Japter 6
Our life returned to normal, and neither of us mentioned the incident again.
But once a man cheats, it’s never just once, is it?
The second time I caught him, he still acted remorseful, but his apology had an edge of impatience.
“Olivia, it was just business. Everyone does it. Why can’t you be like other CEOs‘ wives and look the other way?”
He even allowed that woman to taunt me to my face.
Without a word, I just arranged someone to have her tongue cut out.
Ethan and I had built our empire from nothing–it was impossible that we hadn’t accumulated certain unsavory connections along the way.
He’d become a respected business leader who couldn’t be seen managing the darker side of operations.
So naturally, I became his shadow enforcer.
He probably never imagined I would turn against him.
After that incident, I realized that young love was meaningless.
It couldn’t withstand the test of time or temptation.
I began systematically and quietly seizing his assets and business operations.
I became the generous, unconcerned wife he wanted–no longer questioning his whereabouts or investigating his activities.
And meanwhile, I stopped loving him.
Thus, he kept a series of mistresses, none lasting more than six months.
Until Madison came along. They’d been together for nearly two years now.
My indifference to his affairs didn’t mean I could tolerate him using my trauma as entertainment.
Ethan deserved to die for this!
20:34
