Camilla’s lips twitched. The tears glistened in her eyes, but she still nodded softly.
Beatrice yawned beside us, her voice light with amusement.
“Alright then, Flavia. This afternoon, you take Camilla clothes shopping and pick out a bag for me too. Mr. Rodriguez promised me a new limited-edition model as compensation.”
Her tone was half-serious, half-joking and tinged with playful teasing.
I smiled and agreed to her request.
“Sure, I’ll pick out a bag for you too.”
After speaking, my gaze swept unobtrusively across the faces of the three women. They were the people closest and most trusted to me.
Beatrice was my childhood best friend, Camilla was the student Diego and I had sponsored together and Emily was Diego’s capable assistant who had been by his side for many years.
Their presence had witnessed nearly every moment of my thirteen-year relationship with Diego.
Yet a strange heaviness settled in my heart. I refused to believe it, refused to doubt.
But my grandmother’s words still echoed in my ears. I knew the other woman was among them.
Truthfully, when my grandmother mentioned Diego’s infidelity in my dream, my first reaction had also been disbelief.
Diego and I met when I was eighteen.
Back then, he had nothing, only a fierce determination not to admit defeat.
He said, “Flavia, following me will be tough. But when I make it big, I’ll make sure you live better than anyone.”
Without hesitation, I took his hand.
From street stalls to small shops, from constant setbacks to founding our first company.
During the most difficult times, he went after the thieves alone when our goods were stolen. While I limped on an injured leg, I guarded our last cash reserves.
What made me happy was that Diego never broke his promise. For ten years, he cherished me deeply and never wavered.
In the second year of our marriage, we were in a car accident.
In that instant, Diego shielded me with his body, but was knocked unconscious by the immense force of the impact.
In the split second before losing consciousness, he forced a smile and whispered, “Flavia, don’t be afraid. I love you.”
Who could believe such a man like that would cheat?
At that time, I smiled and blurted out, “Grandma, please don’t joke with me.”
“Trust is the most important thing between husband and wife. I trust Diego.”
My grandmother took a drag from her pipe and snorted coldly. “Flavia, you’re still too young. There’s not a single man in this world who doesn’t cheat! I’ve sent you three dreams and saved your life three times. And now you still don’t trust me?”
A lump formed in my throat, stuck there—I couldn’t swallow it down.
Adele had sent me three dreams and every one had come true.
And Diego had indeed been acting strangely these past few months.
He wore our wedding ring for six years.
Not long ago, he took it off and told me he’d sent it to the store for cleaning and maintenance.
Last time I rode in his car, I found potato chip crumbs in the crevices of the passenger seat.
Diego had always been a neat freak and never allowed anyone to eat in his car.
At that time, he explained, “Emily borrowed my car a few days ago to pick up her child. These must be some potato chip crumbs her kids dropped.”
I trusted Diego completely back then and didn’t think much of it.
***
But now, looking back, every little detail hints at something being amiss. I suppressed my doubts and casually brought up the topic.
“By the way, Emily, it’s almost noon. Shouldn’t you be picking up your child from school?”
Emily was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
“Oh dear, I transferred him to No. 9 Middle School last year. It’s right next to my house, just a five-minute walk. I haven’t needed to pick him up for ages.”
