But before I walked far, I heard mocking laughter from inside again.
"Salma, look at him. You were right, he's nothing compared to Adam. Not a trace of manliness," said Janice. "Adam is coming back tonight. Let him see what a real success looks like. Just because he married you doesn't mean he can become the young star of the Lance Family again!" she said again.
Salma replied, "He's indeed not as good as Adam. But next time, be more careful. Don't hurt his hand, Adam's company still needs him. And yes, I wronged him, but I don't regret it. For Adam, everything is worth it."
I stared blankly at the lipstick mark on the back of my hand, I scrubbed it until the skin turned red before I finally calmed down. I pulled out my phone and made a call.
Someone's voice rang out, "Mr. Lance, have you agreed?"
I answered, "Yes. I agree to sell you all the data. But the time of release must be decided by me!"
For the next three days, Salma didn't come home. Her assistant told me there was a sudden business trip.
That night, it wasn't until midnight that I finally got her call, "Jason, I've arrived safely. Don't worry. And while I'm not home, don't spend all your time in the lab. You must eat properly!"
Through the video call, I clearly saw the bed beside her sunken in. I suppressed the questions in my heart and I replied lightly, "Okay."
After hung up, I turned and entered the room that meant everything to her. The moment the door opened, I was met with a hand-drawn portrait.
The lines were already faded, clearly worn down by frequent touch.
The walls were also filled with photos of Adam, arranged in chronological order, the first one taken on the day of our wedding.
So for five years, every time she said she was handling important business, she was really reminisced about Adam.
There was also a safe in the room. I entered Adam's birthday and successfully opened it. Inside, there were no valuable items, only the love letters Adam had written to her.
Started from my first failed startup, every time he received my data, he would write her a love letter. Each one filled with their shared longing and affection.
Even though I already knew I was just a pawn in Salma's game, my heart still felt like it had been torn in two.
Every time I failed, Salma would offer to review the data and give me strategic advice. I once wholeheartedly believed in her love, willingly sank deeper.
But it turned out, everything she did was just to make it easier to pass the data to Adam.
In the safe, there was also a letter Salma never sent. My hands trembled as I opened it. After I read it, tears spilled uncontrollably.
Salma had planned to propose to Adam once she obtained my final set of data. Even if she couldn't give him a proper title, she still wanted to give him a wedding.
But me? Because my parents had just died, Salma said it was inappropriate to celebrate.
All I got was a marriage certificate, nothing else. I obsessively reread every word in that letter until dawn, then used my phone to photograph them all.
They weren't just symbols of her betrayal. They were also evidence of Adam's theft of my work.
But as I stepped out of the room, I saw the housemaids huddled together whispering. When they noticed me, their faces briefly showed panic, then quickly turned to pity.
One of them said, "Sir, you're still home. We'll go make breakfast right away." With that, they scattered like birds, but in their haste, one dropped a phone on the floor.
