My girlfriend used a secret account to ask a question on a Quora platform.

“I was pregnant before. Will it show up during a premarital medical examination?”

I was stunned. We always took precautions, so there’s no way we could have gotten pregnant.

01

She had posted the question a few days ago.

“I took the pill right after, but it still didn’t work. But when it was just over a month, I had an abortion. It’s been almost half a year now. Can it be detected in a premarital medical exam?”

There were already hundreds of replies.

Some were teasing, some sarcastic, and some insulting…

There were also those who answered seriously: “A premarital medical exam checks if your body’s indicators are normal and if you have a family history of hereditary diseases. What you mentioned usually isn’t checked.”

My girlfriend only replied to that comment: “Then I’m relieved.” I felt like I had been struck by lightning.

02

My girlfriend and I had been together for four or five years, and both our parents were urging us to get married soon.

So last week, I suggested we do a premarital medical checkup together.

My girlfriend hesitated. “Huh? It’s not like we have to…”

I didn’t notice anything unusual at the time.

“The medical exam is free, and according to regulations, we’ll get more days off for our honeymoon if we do it. Don’t you want more time for our trip abroad? We can enjoy ourselves more with more time.”

I heard water running; my girlfriend was taking a shower in the bathroom.

When did she do all these things behind my back?

I stared at my phone, realizing the information I had missed.

Half a year? I remembered! My girlfriend was studying for her master’s degree at a local arts school.

Half a year ago, her school organized a study trip, and she went out of town for over a month.

So… it happened then?

I gritted my teeth, and anger flared up. Just then, the bathroom door opened, and I quickly switched the screen on my phone.

My girlfriend came out in thin pajamas, coquettishly asking me to hug her. Images of her under another man involuntarily appeared in my mind.

They didn’t even wear protection… My stomach churned, and I almost vomited.

I held back the urge to confront her and pretended to cough.

“Honey, I think I caught a cold today. Don’t catch it from me.”

My girlfriend didn’t suspect anything and went to bed facing away from me.

I hid my smile.

03

The next morning, while my girlfriend was getting ready, I sneaked her tablet out of her bag.

She didn’t notice as she left, grabbing her bag and heading out. Her Facebook was logged in on the tablet.

I scrolled through her contacts several times, tapping into every male account, but their chat histories were all normal, revealing no suspicious characters.

It wasn’t until around one in the afternoon that a new message came through on my girlfriend’s Facebook.

“Lily, have you had lunch? Swing by my office for a bit.”

“Professor Martin, right now?”

“Yep, now, immediately.”

Up until this point, I sensed nothing amiss.

But in the next instant, their conversation blew my mind!

“Didn’t we just visit your ‘office’ yesterday at noon?”

“You look so gorgeous swaying in front of me every day, what am I supposed to do? Don’t worry, I’ve calculated, you’re in your safe period these few days.”

“Alright~ I’ll come right away~”

I couldn’t believe my own eyes. My girlfriend… with her professor?! A man thirty years older, damn it.

With a jumble of emotions, I started reading their chat history from the beginning.

My girlfriend hadn’t deleted all the messages.

” Won’t your boyfriend call unexpectedly again today?”

“No, I told him I’d be home later today.”

“Professor Martin, my period hasn’t come this month, I’m a bit worried…”

“It’s okay, grab a pregnancy test first. If it’s positive, I’ll sort it out. We’ll head to a hospital out of town.”

This is how she spoke about me to her professor:

“He treats me well and spends money on me generously, but with how pretty I am, it’s only fair that she dotes on me.

“We’ve been together too long, the spark’s gone.”

And when that old man talked about me, his tone was dismissive.

“A young punk who can only offer you a bland marriage, a life full of trivia. Does he understand art? Women? You?”

“You’re my most accomplished student, I can’t bear to see you cooking and having kids for some ‘loser’, ending up as a ‘vulgar, middle-aged woman’.”

“Haha, Professor Martin, why don’t you divorce that old woman at home? If you dare divorce, I’ll break up with my boyfriend.”

“Behave, don’t joke around. Things are fine as they are.”

After reading, shivers ran down my spine, feeling as if I’d plummeted into an icy abyss.

Every sentence, every word, felt like a whip lashing at me. I never in a million years would’ve guessed that my girlfriend, whom I’d been with for almost five years, had been deceiving me for so long!

Thinking about that post on a certain platform made me tremble with anger.

04

My girlfriend’s tutor, Martin, was a man I’d met two or three times. In his fifties, he seemed tall and dignified, with a refined and scholarly air—definitely not a crumpled old man.

Rumor had it that Martin was deeply devoted to his wife, and they shared two daughters. I’d once perused his résumé.

Old Bitch, as I called him, had quite an impressive track record, having won numerous accolades both domestically and abroad, and enjoyed a high standing in his field. With a blissful family, a thriving career, and adoring students.

Damn it. I wouldn’t rest until I exposed this hypocrite’s true face and destroyed his reputation.

Typically, my girlfriend wouldn’t return home until around seven or eight in the evening, but today she arrived much earlier.

Upon her return, she asked if I had seen her tablet. Pretending ignorance, I searched for it with her, eventually finding it beneath the shoe bench.

She snatched it away from me. “Good thing it’s here; I thought I left it outside.” Then, she retreated to our bedroom with it.

I watched her coldly, silent.

Her hasty return must have been to erase her chat history with that Old Bitch. Later, when Martin called, my girlfriend answered the call openly.

“Teacher Martin, I’m at home. What’s up?” “Nothing, I’m not tired.”

“Alright, I’ll come to your office tomorrow morning after I get to school.”

After hanging up, she casually informed me, “Today, I helped my tutor sort through documents and worked the whole afternoon.

He even wants me to continue tomorrow.

Sigh, a master’s student is just here to assist the tutor.” Immediately after, she began bossing me around.

“Honey, I couldn’t say this in front of Teacher, but my arms, legs, and knees ache. Come give me a rub.”

I nearly lost my cool and lashed out at her.

How could she have the audacity to order me around?

Massage yourself. I excused myself to the bathroom, seeking refuge there.

If this had happened before, I would have taken her words at face value.

But now, I realized they were deliberately seeking excitement in front of me.

Fine then. If they wanted to play, I’d play along.

05

I hired someone to trail Martin for a while. This led to a discovery about the man that even my girlfriend was unaware of.

Martin had a mistress on the side. He rented a luxurious three-bedroom apartment for her, and whenever he had the chance, he would drive over for secret meetings.

His mistress wasn’t any ordinary woman; she was involved in a questionable relationship with a personal trainer at the gym in their upscale neighborhood.

Wow. This tangled web of relationships left me stunned.

Starting from Martin, how many people were entangled in this mess?

Thinking about my girlfriend and how I was one of the fools in this chain made my face harden.

My hatred for this unscrupulous pair intensified.

I compiled all the evidence and managed to obtain their contact information after some effort.

A few days later, my girlfriend cheerfully told me she was attending a master’s art exhibition out of town.

I offered to accompany her.

She promptly declined, explaining that this was a school-organized event, and there would be other classmates present, so it wouldn’t be convenient for me to tag along.

I smirked inwardly.

Other classmates, huh?

She was just going to meet that old bitch, wasn’t she?

She thought I was oblivious to the lingerie she had packed for the trip.

The day before they were due to depart, I used a new phone number to send several messages to Martin ‘s wife.

“Mrs. Martin, do you truly understand? All you do is smother him. He finds genuine happiness with me.”

“You should thank me for spicing up his life.”

“The gifts he gave you for your birthday were all items I rejected.”

Apologies, Mrs. Martin.

But I’m also helping you see your husband’s true colors; otherwise, you might not know the truth if you were to contract an STD someday.

The following day, my girlfriend left with her luggage, full of excitement. Two hours later, she returned, her face darkened.

06

I pretended to be surprised and asked why she was back.

She replied irritably, “Don’t ask. I’m not going anymore.”

After that, she went straight to bed. I smiled to myself.

It seemed my plan had worked.

Those provocative messages must have stirred chaos in Martin’s household.

Martin ‘s father-in-law wasn’t just anyone; his connections had helped Martin secure a position at the university.

So I surmised that Old Bitch, having endured years of suppression by his wife and her family, had been bottling up resentment.

Now that he had achieved success, he was indulging in compensation.

I advise all wealthy and beautiful women, when marrying, find someone equally matched, don’t easily help someone rise up in life; you might end up supporting a thankless person.

After I interfered, my girlfriend and Old Bitch behaved themselves for a while, coming home earlier every day.

I once secretly saw my girlfriend going crazy at Old Bitch.

“Teacher, why are you afraid of her? Doesn’t she know she’s old, ugly, and boring? How dare she control you! I really want to ask her to her face, ‘Just because you’re the original partner, does that make you amazing?'”

Huh. You don’t even know if you’re the fourth or fifth mistress, yet you dare to provoke the main wife?

On Saturday morning at 7:30, my girlfriend’s parents called, asking me to hurry to the station to pick them up.

Ever since I bought the house, her parents, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew would come to the city to play every now and then, naturally staying with me at night. Not only that, but I also had to act as a driver, tour guide, babysitter, and cover their family expenses.

In the past, I tolerated it for my girlfriend’s sake.

Now, I just wanted to tell them to go to hell. But it wasn’t time to break things off completely. At the station, the whole family got into my car smoothly. Her dad suddenly said, ” Carter, you have to drive to pick us up every time, it’s too much trouble for you.” I raised an eyebrow. How novel, this was the first time I heard my girlfriend’s father being polite to me.

He continued, “Charles is also planning to buy a car. Next time we come to the city, we’ll drive ourselves.”

He was talking about my girlfriend’s brother.

Her brother didn’t go to college, was lazy, and relied on his parents even after getting married and having a child.

Now he has money to buy a car?

Whatever they want to buy is their business.

In the past, I might have asked a few more questions, but now it’s none of my concern.

“That’s great.” Her brother replied, “I’ve already picked out the car and paid the deposit. Actually, I just clicked on it to play around, but I didn’t expect the deposit not to be refundable. It’s really blackhearted. But then I thought, buying it wouldn’t be a problem either. It’ll be more convenient to get around with a car.”

Her mom spoke up, “We still need a bit of money. Carter, could you help your brother out?”

No wonder her attitude towards me changed today, she was waiting for this. “How much is missing?” “About 50,000 dollars.”

Damn, the car costs 90,000 dollars, and you say you’re short 50,000.

I rolled my eyes inwardly but said, “Auntie, we’ll be one family soon, borrowing money is no big deal. But I don’t have that much right now, it’s all tied up in the stock market.”

Her dad wouldn’t give up, “Your car can sell for at least 170,000 or 180,000 dollars now. If you sell it, you’ll have cash, then you can buy a cheaper sedan.”

Huh? Sell my car to support your son’s car purchase? He actually had the nerve to suggest that.

“Uncle, let me think about it.”

My girlfriend was unhappy.

Her tone carried a hint of complaint, “We’re about to get married, how is it a big deal if my brother asks for your help?”

I almost lost my temper at her again.

07

Living in my house, spending my money, cheating on me for so long.

Now she has the nerve to pressure me into helping her brother who won’t be able to pay back the debt for ages.

Is she made of diamonds?

Her mom spoke in a sullen tone, “Carter, speaking of marriage, shouldn’t we find a date to discuss the dowry and gold jewelry? Let me give you a heads up, in our area, the dowry for marrying a daughter doesn’t go below 150,000 dollars.”

“My daughter is good-looking and highly educated; I won’t mention those.

She studied art since she was young, you know, that takes quite an investment!”

Listen, listen, is this what human beings say?

So marrying her daughter means I’m buying her life, covering the expenses her family incurred for the first twenty years.

Luckily, I’m no longer planning to marry she, or I’d be furious. I smiled slightly.

“Auntie, don’t worry, our feelings over the years aren’t something ordinary people can compare to. The wedding will definitely live up to your expectations.”

“I’ve already discussed it with my parents, the dowry will be 500,000 dollars, and I’ll buy Lily a house.”

There was a gasp from the backseat.

The girlfriend in the passenger seat looked at me in disbelief.

Her dad stammered, “H-How much?”

Her brother mumbled, “500,000… And a school district house?”

I continued, “My parents like Lily. They said that a pure and obedient girl like her is hard to come by these days. They told me to cherish her. If I want to marry Lily, I have to show my sincerity.”

Lily’s mom let out a sharp cry, like a kettle coming to a boil.

I kept spinning my tale for them, “Charles doesn’t need to worry about the car.

I have a fixed-term investment that matures at the end of the month. I’ll cash it out to help him then. I won’t ask for interest, and he doesn’t need to rush to repay it.”

The whole family was overjoyed.

Laughter and cheers filled the car.

They sang my praises. “Carter, you’re a dependable guy! We can feel at ease leaving Lily with you!”

“You’re so capable, Carter! In the future, I’ll rely on you for everything!”

Lily looked at me with a tender gaze.

Her mother couldn’t wait to send a message to her relatives.

I smiled along with them.

The bigger the dream, the more unforgettable its shattering would be.

08

When we got home, I said I hadn’t slept well and was still tired.

My girlfriend’s family, unusually, immediately said I should go rest, and they’d go out and take a taxi to play.

On Sunday evening, the noisy bunch finally left.

After her bath, my girlfriend came out wearing the lingerie she had intended for Martin and snuggled into my arms with unusual enthusiasm. “Honey, we haven’t… “

Smack!

I suddenly slapped her across the face. She wasn’t prepared and fell heavily off the bed.

She cried out in pain and lifted her head in disbelief.

Since we started dating, I had never even spoken harshly to her, let alone laid a hand on her.

My girlfriend was now furious. Before she could lose control, I erupted first.

“Lily, what the hell do you think you’re doing?! Were you sneaking around with another man behind my back?”

Hearing my accusation, she looked guilt-ridden for a few seconds before putting up a brave front.

“What are you talking about?! Sneaking around with another man? !”

I opened her phone to her Facebook and pointed at a random male contact.

“Still saying no?

If there’s no affair, why were you chatting with him late at night? !”

She glanced and saw it wasn’t Old Bitch, and she relaxed.

Her tone regained its confidence, and the guilt in her eyes vanished as she screamed hysterically, “That’s my junior! Open your eyes and see if there’s anything wrong with our conversation? !”

She cried as she yelled.

“You hit me! You actually hit me just because of this! My parents have never even laid a finger on me in my entire life!”

I looked annoyed.

“Of course, you wouldn’t admit it. Even if you were flirting, you’d delete the chat records.”

My girlfriend was speechless with anger, her lips turning white.

Then, regardless of everything, she started tearing at and hitting me. “Carter, are you crazy? ! My junior and I are completely innocent!”

I pushed away the crazed her.

“Quickly put some clothes on. Wearing that, you look like a streetwalker. Ugly!”

My girlfriend was stunned, as if struck by lightning. She was furious, absolutely furious.

09

I took my blanket and went to another bedroom.

My girlfriend was crying and shouting outside, seemingly smashing things.

Sometime in the middle of the night, the door slammed shut.

She had left. I turned over and went back to sleep.

The next morning, Lily’s mother called.

She cautiously asked what had happened and why her daughter was crying, saying she didn’t want to marry me.

I impatiently replied, “Auntie, no man can tolerate such a thing. I don’t feel like discussing it right now. My mind is in chaos, and I need some peace and quiet.”

“No, you misunderstood… “

Without letting her finish, I hung up. No matter how many times they called, I ignored them.

My girlfriend was wrongly blamed and slapped hard.

She must be both aggrieved and enraged.

But her parents wouldn’t want us to break up now.

Breaking up meant giving up their son’s car, the 500,000 dollars dowry, and the free house.

Even if she was beautiful, finding another generous fool wouldn’t be easy.

Her family started sending messages to me every day.

They kept insisting that my girlfriend would never betray me.

Her mother even swore a curse that if her daughter truly wronged me, her family would be poor forever and never make money.

Huh. Don’t make curses lightly, or you might end up eating your words and feeling embarrassed.

My girlfriend left home and first stayed with her schoolmates for a couple of days.

Then she checked into a hotel. Martin footed the bill.

Finally, the two of them had their chance.

Already furious with me, without supervision, she must have wanted Old Bitch to console her.

The person I hired staked out the hotel for three days and finally spotted Martin.