Start from Zero

In a feverish haze, I heard the doorbell ring. The delivery guy called out, "Delivery for Mr. Hendrick." I smiled as I took it from the delivery guy and thanked him. I was going to laugh at James for being childish. After all, before falling asleep, I had only mentioned that I had a fever. Yet he had already ordered medicine for me. However, when I opened the delivery bag and saw what was inside, my expression froze. Condoms and lubricant were right there in plain sight, and even the toy in my hand made my head spin. Just as I took out my phone, ready to demand an explanation from my husband, a text message suddenly popped up. "This is Sangland Resortworld. Dear Mr. Hendrick, we are delighted to confirm your reservation…" Chapter 1 The Betrayal My heart clenched. Staring at the message that had just appeared, I opened my WhatsApp chat with James in disbelief. Just half an hour ago, he had sent me a video. "Honey, even when you're not here, I'm still keeping myself in check." … "Honey, I miss you." … "Honey, this is the hotel I'm staying at today. I'll bring you a gift when I come back tomorrow." … I had not opened the video earlier. Now, with trembling fingers, I tapped on it, my heart pounding like a drum as I watched the seconds tick by. James had filmed every corner of the hotel room, leaving practically nothing out, while his cheerful voice came through the speakers. "Honey, I'm staying in a king room tonight. If you were here with me, I'd definitely get us a suite—" Then, I paused the video. As I zoomed in, I spotted a heat patch in the room. I could not believe it. I took a screenshot and searched online for the same product. When an identical heat patch appeared in the search results, I completely broke down. I sank onto the carpet and stared blankly around our home before my gaze fell on the toy and condoms in front of me. I remembered how James had complained to me before leaving on his business trip, "I hate going on business trips. I just want to cuddle with you." I remembered how he had video-called me the moment he got off the plane and grumbled, "The food on the plane was awful. Your cooking tastes better." I had laughed at him for being childish, wondering how the formidable Mr. Hendrick, so decisive and commanding in the business world, could turn into a little boy whenever he was around me. At that time, James replied, "I'm just a kid when I'm with you." Yet, he was cheating on me. Numbly, I called James. He picked up almost immediately, his voice breathless as though he had just been doing something physically strenuous. "Honey, what's wrong?" His voice was as gentle as ever. But tears were already streaming down my face. "James?" I called out. "Would you ever betray me?" I fought to keep the grief from my voice before asking him again, "Would you ever betray me?" Tears poured down my face. Then, I heard rustling on James' end of the call. There was obviously someone else there. Before James could answer, I suddenly heard a muffled groan escape him. I knew his reactions far too well. He was aroused. In that instant, an overwhelming sense of betrayal swallowed me whole. A violent wave of nausea surged up from my stomach. Unable to hold it back, I rushed to the bathroom and started vomiting. Even imagining the scene made me feel as though I could not breathe. I heard James rein in his emotions before asking hoarsely, his voice full of concern, "Honey, what's wrong? Are you still not feeling well?" When he received no response from me, he eventually said, "I'll come back tomorrow once I'm done here. Don't worry. I still have something to take care of, so I'll hang up first." The sound of the toilet flushing drowned out his voice. By the time I wiped away my tears, James had already hung up. I stared at our chat history, then at the toy still lying in the living room. I suddenly found it all so ridiculous. I laughed. And as I laughed, I called my best friend, Cleo Hayes. Chapter 2 The Other Woman "Don't you have a friend who's at Resortworld right now?" I got straight to the point. "James is cheating on me. At Resortworld," I told Cleo. "I need to know what kind of person made him betray our ten-year marriage." Then I hung up and sat in the living room all night. I did not sleep a wink. Finally, a message from Cleo came through. At the same time, James messaged me. "Honey, I booked a flight for tonight. When I get back, I'll make you some oatmeal. Take good care of yourself!" Underneath was a sticker from him that read, "Love you." I opened the information Cleo had sent me. Her friend had taken photos of James entering and leaving the hotel with a girl that very morning. Right now, the two of them were using the special-access lanes at Resortworld. Cleo was furious. "That bastard really is cheating on you! Is he even human? If it weren't for you, how could he ever have become the man he is today?" I could not take in a single word she said. I simply stared at the photo of the girl. For some reason, she looked familiar. In that split second, my heart skipped a beat. Then, I quickly scrolled through my WhatsApp contacts and soon matched her face to a girl's selfie profile picture. I opened our chat, and there was only one message. Six months ago, after adding me as a friend, the girl had sent me a transfer with a note that read, "Miss, this is your compensation." I froze. I opened the girl's Status and saw that she had just posted an update. "My crush brought me here to be a princess!" The photo showed the girl holding a bunch of balloons with a bright smile on her face. It was obvious that whoever had taken the picture had put real effort into it. The angle was perfect, capturing her at her very best. I scrolled down and found another post from last night. In the photo, the girl was in a hotel room, holding someone's hand and winking playfully at the camera. "My crush said he's actually always loved me." I kept scrolling. "My crush accepted my confession! Congratulations, Denise!" The photo showed the girl and her crush with their fingers intertwined. I scrolled farther. Then, I reached the day of my miscarriage. "My crush said nothing is more important than me. Whenever there's a choice to make, I'll always come first." The photo showed the girl hooked up to an IV, one of her hands clasped tightly in someone else's. Every post she had made to commemorate their love was overflowing with sweetness. If only I had not looked at that hand for nearly ten years. If only the scar on the back of that hand were not so obvious. If only that scar had not been left there because of me. If only my heart did not still ache uncontrollably at the sight of it. I did not want to believe that James and I had actually come to this. On the video call, Cleo's friend asked me, "Do you still want me to follow them?" I had already driven to the airport and met up with Cleo. I told her friend to keep following them. Of course I wanted to see. I needed to know why James could take someone else to Resortworld when I had asked him to take me there six months ago, only to be turned down time and again because he was supposedly too busy. I thought about it for a long time on the plane. I wondered whether I should rush up and slap James across the face, or get into a screaming match with that girl and see whose side he would take. Or perhaps I should simply keep my dignity, walk up to James, and tell him I was there for a divorce. In the end, I saw James. Cleo's friend got us in through a staff entrance and took us straight to the carousel. There he was. He stood there with a camera in his hands, smiling gently as he filmed the girl. She made a heart gesture at him, and he responded with the same gesture he had always refused to make whenever I asked him to do it with me. Sitting on the carousel horse, the girl shouted, "James, I love you! I love you more than anyone else in the world!" Then, I heard James respond. "I love you too. I'll always love you." Chapter 3 What Am I to You? I was like a thief spying on someone else's happiness. Wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a hat, I stood less than a meter away from James and listened as the man who had once whispered sweet nothings in my ear passionately declared his love for another woman. And me? From beginning to end, I was nothing more than an outsider. My fingertips trembled until they went numb. It felt as though someone had plunged a blunt knife straight into my heart, dragging and wrenching it through my flesh as scorching blood poured endlessly from the wound until there was nothing left. My vision blurred with tears, and my entire body shook uncontrollably. Just as Cleo was about to charge over and fight James to the death, I grabbed her. Then, I called James. I watched as James pulled out his phone and glanced at the caller ID. He looked at the girl who had just gotten off the carousel. Then he chose to hang up. Once. Twice. Three times. The girl walked over to him and asked, "Who is it?" When she saw the caller ID, her face immediately fell. "Why haven't you divorced her yet?" she complained with a pout. "If you keep refusing to divorce her, I'll always be the mistress who has to hide in the shadows. James, I don't want to be a mistress. I don't!" Her voice rose sharply at the end. I watched James reject my call again before coaxing her softly. "Okay, my little princess. How could you possibly be a mistress? You're the treasure closest to my heart." "What is she then?" James fell silent. At the same time, my heart tightened. She was right. What was I? I held my breath. Then, I heard James answer in an utterly indifferent tone. "I've been with her for ten years, so there aren't any feelings left between us. It's just responsibility tying us together. Plus, she lost her baby because of me, so I feel guilty." Then, he continued, "I promise you. Before your birthday, I'll make our relationship official on your social media, okay?" Hearing that, the girl smiled. Laughing, she threw her arms around James and planted a kiss on his cheek. That sound landed like a heavy hammer against my heart, shattering the last bit of hope I still had for him. After James left, he sent me a message on WhatsApp explaining, "Honey, I'm still busy. I'll call you back when I'm done." I watched him put his phone away and follow the girl back to the hotel. Then, I watched as she posted another update, looking every bit like a real princess. In the photo, she wore a crown and held out one hand. A man bent down and kissed the back of it. Neither of their faces was visible, yet the sweetness practically overflowed from the screen. Her caption read, "My crush promised to throw me the grandest birthday party ever and make me a real princess! I'm so happy!" I stared at her post, and a mocking laugh escaped my lips. Then, I took a photo at Resortworld and posted an update of my own. "Ten years together, and in the end, you're still the one who stayed by my side through it all." The accompanying photo was of me and Cleo. Less than a minute later, James called. "Honey, did you go to Sangland? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked anxiously. He sounded tense. When I did not answer, he grew even more anxious. His eyes kept darting around, as though terrified that our gazes might meet at any moment. Still, he tested the waters. "Didn't we agree that I'd take you to Resortworld? Why did you go without me?" Hearing that, I found it ridiculous. Back then, I had asked James no fewer than five times to take me to Resortworld. Every single time, he had found some excuse to brush me off. Every time, he left me with the same promise. "We'll go next time. We'll go tomorrow." James always said, "Honey, we have plenty of tomorrows. We have plenty of time ahead of us. I just want to earn more money while I'm still young so I can give us a secure life." At that time, I believed him. I really thought he loved me. Chapter 4 The Surprise Gift Maybe he had loved me once, but love always changed. Over time, it became tainted, allowing all sorts of uncertainties to creep in. And that was how we ended up here today. "Honey?" James didn't even have time to pay attention to the girl who had been acting spoiled with him. He walked out of the hotel and anxiously looked around. "Why aren't you answering me? Do you want me to come pick you up in Sangland?" I watched James pace around like an ant on a hot pan. Only after I had seen enough did I calmly tell him, "No need." Unlike before, I did not tell him when I would be going home, nor did I ask whether he had gone back. Then, I heard him ask, "Are you coming home today?" He could not suppress the anxiety in his voice. "Or are you staying in Sangland?" Looking at the man not far away, I merely smiled and replied, "We'll see." After that, I hung up. I watched as James, restless and uneasy, pulled the girl into the car and headed home. I was in the car right behind them. … Inside James' car, the girl was still throwing a tantrum. "You're still scared of her, aren't you? So what if she came to Sangland? What could she possibly do to us? Eat us alive?" What James did not know was that even the conveniently placed cab following behind them had been arranged by me. That was how I clearly saw James silence the girl with a kiss. After getting off the plane, I followed James as he took the girl back to an apartment. Only then did I realize it was the apartment he and I had bought when we first got married. It had supposedly remained vacant all these years. I never knew that he had long since been using it to keep his mistress. I watched as he returned home and sat in the living room, staring blankly at the condoms I had deliberately left behind. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he panicked and called the girl. Through the security camera, I watched as James questioned her. I listened to the girl sob and watched as James softened and began coaxing her. "Even if she knows, it doesn't matter. We were going to have to face this sooner or later anyway." He was right. Sooner or later, we would have to face it. … When James called me, I was at the hotel. "Honey, aren't you coming home yet?" James asked. "I miss you. You've been gone for so long. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." Looking around at the hotel after I had all the decorations replaced, I told him, "Soon. We're going to see each other very soon." James apparently did not notice anything unusual in my tone. Still, he did not dare ask too many questions. He merely laughed and said, "I'll come pick you up when you get back." I smiled and replied, "Okay." After I hung up, Cleo said, "That bitch is using your marital assets to throw herself such an extravagant birthday party. She really has no shame." I looked around at the hotel's completely transformed decor and nodded in satisfaction. "That's exactly why I'm giving her such a big gift." On the day of the girl's birthday, she arrived at the hotel with James by her side, looking every bit like a princess. Accompanying her was an entire entourage of classmates and friends. The atmosphere was lively. Everyone showered her with praise, telling her what great taste she had to have found such a perfect, wealthy boyfriend. Then, the waiter pushed open the doors to the private banquet room. The instant the girl saw what was inside, her face went completely pale. I was sitting in the seat of honor. I watched as the couple froze like living statues. Her classmates and friends, however, impatiently demanded, "Who are you?" "Who permitted you to come in here? Don't you have any manners?" Someone even shouted, "Waiter! What the hell is this? You just let anyone in here? Is this how you treat your VIP guests?" I watched as the person angrily berated the waiter before I slowly rose to my feet and walked over to James. Then, I smiled gently at him and asked, "What's wrong, dear? Aren't you going to introduce me to your mistress?"