A Wife's Revenge: Subduing Her Husband's First Love

I stared at the vase for a long time.

Suddenly, I sat up in a panic, like someone jolted awake from a nightmare.

I had completely forgotten something incredibly important.

I quickly pulled the nurse over.

"Robin, where's my phone?" I asked.

"Mrs. Andrews, it's in the cabinet over there. If you need it, I can get it for you," she replied.

The appellation made me cringe involuntarily. Anything related to the Andrews family now repulsed me.

"Thanks, just call me Shelley," I said.

I grabbed the phone, yanked off the tattered screen protector with a ripping sound, and powered it on.

I opened my email, relieved to see that the video was still there.

This video was proof of Patric's affair—talk about a silver lining in a bad situation.

On Monday, I went to the Andrews Group HQ.

As soon as I entered the office, I was informed that I had been promoted to the reception desk in the CEO's office on the top floor.

Something felt off.

My instincts were right. As soon as the elevator doors opened on the top floor, I saw Kelsey Montes, the woman Patric adored.

She strutted into the CEO's office, swaying her hips in red-soled heels, coffee in hand.

I limped over to the reception desk, quietly arranging my things.

There, I waited for someone to brief me on my new duties.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over me.

I looked up to see Kelsey.

She flicked her hair back as if she were adjusting some imaginary strands.

"Shelley, right? Go mop the far end of the hallway," she said.

The top floor had its cleaning staff.

She was just making things difficult for me, trying to put me in my place.

I complied, silently reminding myself that this was all to gather evidence.

My lawyer had told me that proving infidelity was tough, and the more evidence, the better.

Patric would divorce me eventually.

But if I could prove his affair, I'd have a better chance of winning custody of Elsa.

After I finished mopping, I hobbled back to the reception desk, where Kelsey took it up a notch. She sneered, "So, the mighty Harding family's daughter is now a cripple. Karma sure doesn't wait long, does it?"

I frowned, leaning against the desk and massaging the pressure point between my thumb and index finger.

It was a way to ease the throbbing pain in my head.

"Please, keep it down," I said, irritation lacing my voice.

One of the side effects of my brain injury was frequent, splitting headaches.

Kelsey's brows shot up.

"You must have forgotten that you're just a lowly receptionist now, and I'm the CEO's secretary. How dare you speak to me like that?"

I frowned at her sudden outburst.

Just then, the sound of leather shoes clicking on the floor echoed from the CEO's office.

Kelsey's arrogance vanished, replaced by a pitiful, fragile expression.

She leaned in close, whispering in my ear, "Trash like you deserve to be unloved by your husband, alienated from your daughter, and have your parents-in-law kill your two children."

I stared at her coldly and took a step back.

Then, I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

"Shut up!" I snapped.

The slap echoed through the hallway.

Kelsey clutched her face with one hand, while the other trembled as she pointed at me, about to lash out.

But someone beat her to it.

Patric strode over, raising his hand and slapping me across the face.

"Shelley, you venomous woman! How dare you hit Kelsey?" he barked.

Kelsey staggered forward, conveniently collapsing into Patric's arms.

He turned slightly to cradle her.

"Patric, don't be mad at Shelley. It's my fault for chatting too much and annoying her," she said in a soft, pitiful voice.

Her words had the desired effect.

Patric's eyes blazed with fury.

"Apologize to Kelsey! She was just looking out for you, worried about how you'd handle the new position. Is this how the Harding family raised you?"

My face burned from the slap.

Their voices only made my headache worse.

I rubbed the pressure point between my thumb and index finger.

The headache intensified, but I felt nothing inside.

It was like watching a cheesy soap opera unfold in front of me.

Kelsey glanced at me, a challenge in her eyes.

She snuggled closer into Patric's arms.

"Shelley must still be shaken up from the car accident. I don't blame her. Patric, could you take me to the hospital?" she said.

Patric tenderly brushed her face with his hand.

"Kelsey, you always let yourself get hurt. She doesn't deserve your kindness," he said.

Then, like flipping a switch, he shot me a venomous look.

"Apologize to Kelsey right now and then go clean the pool! Don't waste any more of my time. I need to take Kelsey to the hospital," he demanded.

His actions played right into my hands.

The hidden camera on me must have captured everything.

I obediently said, "I'm sorry."

Kelsey responded, "It's okay. If slapping me made you feel better, I don't mind the pain."

I smiled, nodding politely.

"Mr. Andrews, if you don't take Miss Montes to the hospital now, her face might heal on its own," I said.

Patric scoffed, "Get to the pool, now."