Between His Secret Lover and Me

I was the adopted daughter of the Clark Family, but I became Justin's secret lover. We have been together for five years, during which he had cheated countless times and he was a well-known playboy.

But I loved him deeply, so I could only silently endure.

But this time, it seemed different. He had genuinely fallen for another girl.

At two in the morning, clutching my cramping stomach, I stared at the chat window labeled "wife". I felt almost numb inside.

There were many times this had happened during these five years and I had lost count.

However, this one felt different.

[Are you home yet? I have a little surprise for you, I'll give it to you tomorrow.]

Late at night, my stomach twisted in pain, keeping me awake. Just as I picked up my tablet, a message popped up.

I hadn't even processed it when the second message came through.

[I miss you so much. I don't know why, but you always understand me and respect my feelings. I really love you!]

Respect?

In the Clark Family, there was no respect, only power.

I let out a bitter laugh and put down the tablet.

The sound of the door opening came from outside. Before I saw him, Justin's roguish voice called out. "Hey, come over here, I brought you some spicy hot pot."

I didn’t expect him to come home today and even brought me food. This was unlike him.

Justin had already entered the room and his face suddenly darkened when he saw the tablet on the bed.

"What are you doing with my tablet?"

I pretended to be casual. "I was watching a series. My stomach doesn't feel well, so I can’t sleep. What's wrong?"

He threw out a curt warning, "Don't touch my things in the future!” Then, he hurried out of the bedroom.

By the time I slowly walked out, Justin was sprawled out on the sofa, his expression back to normal.

I pushed his legs aside and sat down, stirring the noodles in the spicy hot pot. I took a bite despite my stomach cramps, only to find a hair in it.

I didn't say anything. After all, the last time he brought me food was years ago and I didn't want to ruin the moment.

He nudged me with his foot and when I looked at him, he smirked. "Smells good, doesn't it? It's the last serving, just like when we were kids."

The noodles indeed tasted like they did when we were kids, but he had changed.

Years of late nights and drunkenness had made Justin irritable and quick-tempered. His once indifferent face was now marked by various vices and even his hair had turned a brazen red.

The noodles in the bowl had grown cold, with congealed oil floating on top, making me feel a bit nauseous.

I kept stirring the noodles, the hair now gone.

"Tastes good, just like before. But my stomach really hurts and I can’t eat much. Can you take me to the hospital?"

Justin scoffed. "I'm exhausted. Just take some painkillers."

I softly murmured an acknowledgement. Then, a phone started ringing.

Justin answered without hesitation.

A cheerful and bright voice came from the other end, "Justin, I miss you so much!"

Justin instantly broke into a wide, indulgent smile, repeating, "Okay, okay, my little darling."

He grabbed his keys and headed out.

Hearing the door slam shut, I went back to the bedroom and picked up the tablet.

The latest message read, [Justin, I couldn't wait to give you your gift tomorrow. You won't be mad at me, right?]

It was accompanied by a pleading kitten emoji.

I swallowed a few painkillers, unsure if the pain in my stomach or the ache in my heart was worse.

In the end, I just wasn't worthy.

The chat records on the tablet continued to update.

[That spicy hot pot tonight really had the taste of our childhood. Too bad I'm on a diet and can't eat too much. Why did you pack it up? Are you so thrifty that you won't even waste your girlfriend's leftovers?]

I went to the living room and looked at the now cold spicy hot pot, my already uncomfortable stomach feeling even worse.

I hugged the trash can and vomited for a long time, tears streaming down my face.

Leftovers.

Justin gave her the memories of their childhood and then served me the leftovers.

I wiped my tears, got up and threw the bowl and soup into the trash can.

Unable to sleep the entire night, I went through all the chat records. I didn't cry again, just watched repeatedly, feeling almost numb.

They had just started their relationship and were in the throes of passion. This girl's love was unconditional.

She was innocent and naive. She didn't even know about Justin's dark and twisted side.

He also put away all his sharpness and cared for her wholeheartedly.

I looked at it calmly for a long time and put the tablet back to its original place.

He didn't take it away in a hurry. Maybe he knew that even if I saw it, I would keep silent like before.

When they talked about their childhood, Justin only said that he was an only child and was very lonely. His mother was kind and would sponsor some children to accompany him at home.

I smiled sarcastically.

Kind?

The so-called kindness was to listen to the priest, find a girl with a hard life and bless her future son by constantly abusing her.

She got pregnant less than a month after she brought me home. I was four years old at that time.