He Let Me Drown

Jason’s brow furrowed, his gaze cold as he looked at me. "Now is not the time for this. Can you stop being so dramatic?"

In my past life, an answer like this would have surely made me miserable.

But this time, I actually smiled.

All right.

I knew it would be like this.

If he hadn't answered this way, would I have been able to strengthen my resolve to leave?

"Don't joke with me like this again."

Seeing my smile, Jason frowned and took out a credit card, holding it out to me. "Take it. Buy whatever you want."

I stared at the laughable credit card in front of me.

Jason was the chairman of a publicly traded company, his net worth having surpassed a hundred million dollars long ago.

Yet, in all our years of marriage, I had managed the household, organized his work documents, and handled all his affairs, pouring my heart and soul into everything.

But this was the first time he had ever given me a credit card.

Meanwhile, Arielle had a supplementary card to his account long ago.

Wasn't that fun?

What was this credit card supposed to be?

An apology?

Or compensation for his own guilt?

Oh, right. It was probably to buy his own peace of mind.

I casually tossed the credit card onto the floor.

Jason clearly hadn't expected me to do that. The displeasure in his eyes was palpable as he glared at me.

Amid his displeasure, I was wheeled into the ambulance and taken to the hospital.

When I woke up, my arm was wrapped in bandages, and I had a slight lung infection. My leg was also badly injured, so I needed a wheelchair to get around.

But I was all alone.

I was just about to look for my phone.

But then I heard voices from the hallway outside:

"I'm so envious of Arielle."

"I know, right? Jason's devotion to his childhood friend is something else. Even after all these years, even after getting married, he still gives the most important place in his heart to Arielle, treating her just like he always has."

"Who says childhood friends can't end up together? This is it, isn't it?"

"I wonder if Tessa will be angry when she finds out."

"Don't even go there. I heard that at the rescue scene, the first responders asked Jason who to save first, and he chose Arielle without a second thought—not his own wife."

"Keep your voices down, you guys. Let's go talk outside. Tessa's in this hospital too, we can't let her hear this."

"A blow like that… I doubt she could handle it..."

The voices gradually faded away.

I numbly opened Instagram.

The first post in my feed was a photo from Arielle.

In the picture, Arielle was propped up against her pillows on the hospital bed, and Jason was carefully spoon-feeding her chicken soup.

And my daughter, Sophia, was massaging her leg.

The sweet smiles on the three of them, creating the warm, happy atmosphere of a family, garnered countless likes.

Looking around my empty hospital room, I quietly liked the post as well, adding my one and only comment: "How nice."

Soon, messages from several friends started pouring in:

"I told you a long time ago Arielle was a bitch. I said not to give Jason any chance to be around her, but you wouldn't listen, and now..."

"Arielle is so shameless. She knew perfectly well that Jason was a family man, and she still came on to him."

"I knew back in school that Arielle was a two-faced hypocrite who could really put on an act. Jason's no saint either. It's just a shame you wouldn't listen to me and insisted on being with him..."

"Tessa, which hospital are you in? Jessica and I will come keep you company in a little while."

My phone buzzed incessantly with my friends' messages of concern and complaint.

But I didn't reply to a single one.

Instead, I sent a message to Arielle: "Come see me when you have time. I have something important to discuss with you."

Arielle sent back a confused emoji. I replied, "It's important to you, the one you desires most."