Farewell to Love: Yearning for a Free Life

She had sent over a few revealing and provocative photos, her gaze teasing, "Babe, do you miss me?"

My brow furrowed tightly as a wave of nausea rose within me. I never imagined that Dexter secretly had a taste for this sort of thing.

It turns out men are all the same, they might appear dignified and proper in public, but behind closed doors, they still crave the wild and scandalous.

Before I could respond, Scarlett continued, "I ran into your wife today. She didn't suspect anything, did she?"

My eyes narrowed. The only place I'd gone today was the beauty center, so the person sharing the room with me must have been her. Scarlett must have recognized me at the beauty center.

As for why I didn't recognize her, it was because her appearance had changed drastically, she looked entirely different from the person I'd met before. Scarlett was once a poor student I sponsored and now, she's Dexter's assistant.

Back then, she was frail and skinny, with a sallow complexion and dry, yellowish, frizzy hair, like someone suffering from prolonged malnutrition. She avoided eye contact and carried an air of extreme insecurity.

After marrying Dexter, I hadn't been able to get pregnant. At first, I wanted to leave it to fate, but as time passed and I grew older, I decided to leave my job and focus on trying to conceive.

With my departure, Dexter's workload increased, so I suggested he hire an assistant to share the burden. At the time, Scarlett had just graduated and was looking for an internship. I recommended her to Dexter.

Initially, Dexter didn't want to hire her. From her appearance to her qualifications and abilities, nothing about her met his standards. But I kept persuading him to give her a chance, asking him to take good care of her for my sake.

In the beginning, Dexter frequently complained to me about Scarlett's lack of competence, her slow learning curve and her inefficiency. I encouraged him, saying that all rookies start from scratch and improve with time.

But at some point, Dexter stopped mentioning her altogether and gradually, I forgot about her existence.

I never expected that in just two years, Scarlett would undergo such a dramatic transformation. It was clear she had invested significantly in her appearance.

And I never thought Dexter would cheat on me with someone he once despised. The world had truly gone beyond my comprehension.

Imitating Dexter's tone, I replied, "No!"

"Babe, aren't I smart? Using a shopping app as a chat tool, your wife won't find anything even if she checks your phone!" Even through the screen, I could feel Scarlett's smugness.

I smirked coldly. Clever indeed. It's no wonder she's so confident. If I didn't know Dexter never shops online, I wouldn't have suspected anything.

"Mm, smart," I typed, keeping my response short to avoid arousing suspicion.

Yet, Scarlett still noticed something. "Huh? Babe, what's wrong with you today? Why so cold?" she asked suddenly.

For a moment, I didn't know how to respond. Dexter had always been warm and gentle toward me but reserved and distant with others. I couldn't imagine what his passionate side looked like.

After a brief pause, I typed, "She's next to me."

This seemed to put her mind at ease. "Okay, babe, I'll log off now," she replied. Scarlett went offline.

Scrolling up, I found the earlier messages vulgar and explicit, burning my eyes and further shattering my perception of Dexter.

I recorded all their chat logs on my phone, then deleted the conversation and placed his phone back where it was.