The Devoted Husband Act

Jason Gibson was trending online as the internet's textbook "devoted husband". It all started when a behind-the-scenes camera caught him during a meeting break, casually transferring tens of thousands of dollars to my account alongside a photo reporting his whereabouts. The comments worshipped him. [This is a real man's mindset. Where his money goes, his heart follows.] From building our company from scratch to taking it public, we had walked side-by-side for ten whole years. During our broke days, I survived by collecting plastic bottles off the streets just to scrape together five bucks for our meals. Back then, he held me and swore, "Once I build this company, I'll never let you live another poor day in your life." So even as he grew busier over the years, I believed those on-time bank transfers were proof we were still deeply in love. That was until my training workshop wrapped up early, and wanting to give him a sweet surprise, I snuck back home unannounced. The master bedroom door stood slightly ajar as a woman's breathless, ragged pants drifted out. "Ten grand for a kiss, fifty grand for sex, plus another thirty grand if you don't use a condom. You went way more than once last night, Mr. Gibson. How much hush money are you planning to send your wife this time?" Jason let out a low grunt. "Shut up." Standing in the hallway, I gripped my phone tightly. My screen was showing last night's transfer notification of three thousand and eighty thousand dollars. That meant seven times without protection. At the time, I had even joked that I was only away for a few days of training and didn't need that much cash. Only now did I finally get it. What he was sending me was never peace of mind. It was nothing more than an indulgence ticket, a price tag to blind my eyes to his betrayal. Chapter 1 The thudding sounds inside the room finally stopped. Moments later, a familiar female voice drifted out, sounding cloying. "Mr. Gibson, can you give me a little extra this time? I want to buy those expensive designer bags, just like your wife does." That voice belonged to Susan Brown, the underprivileged student I had been personally sponsoring for four years. My hand froze on the doorknob as a bone-chilling cold instantly seeped from my fingertips straight into my core. "Don’t compare yourself to her. She’s different," Jason Gibson’s voice rang out, carrying that lazy post-coital tone. "How is she any different?" Susan let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Aren't we both just kept by you? The only difference is that she’s older, so it takes a bit more cash to keep her happy." Jason didn't take the bait. He just grunted in a low voice, "Shut up and go take a shower." Then came the rustling sound of someone getting dressed, and my hands shook as I backed away from the door. Those few dozen seconds in the elevator on the way down felt like a lifetime. Back inside my car, I stared at the text message Jason had just sent. [Hey babe, just wrapped up a long meeting. I transferred a hundred thousand to your account. Get some sleep early tonight. Loving you is my number one priority.] He even attached a photo of his back as he drank coffee, still pulling off the devoted husband act without batting an eye after what he had done with another woman. I tapped into my transaction history, watching the numbers climb from ten thousand to fifty thousand, all the way up to three hundred thousand. It turned out betrayal was subject to inflation, too. The worse he messed up, the bigger the price tag on his indulgence tickets. A sudden laugh escaped my lips, and tears fell onto the screen without warning. By the time I pulled myself together and walked through the front door, Jason was sitting on the couch watching TV. He froze when he heard me come in, a flicker of panic flashing across his eyes. "Babe? Why are you back so soon? Wasn't your training supposed to last two more days?" He rushed over to wrap me in a hug and shoved a fancy orange gift box into my hands, smiling softly. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back early so I could pick you up? Look, I picked out this new purse just for you. Do you like it?" His tone was sickeningly sincere, the smooth performance of a man desperate to patch up the cracks before I noticed them. He didn't want me to find out, and he definitely didn't want me to leave. So he was desperately throwing money around to patch up the cracks. Jason stroked my hair, his eyes filled with pure affection. "You rest up first. I'm gonna go wash up." Soon enough, the sound of running water echoed from the bathroom. Right then, his phone on the couch lit up with a new text alert. It was a photo from Susan. She was posing with a brand-new, million-dollar designer bag. [Got the bag. Thanks, Jason!] I looked at the limited-edition piece in her hands, then down at the basic handbag in mine, the tier-entry item sales reps throw in just to meet a purchase threshold. Disgust rushed through me. I guess what I took as deep affection was really just a mandatory add-on he had to buy for his wife whenever he treated his mistress. My mind drifted back to that drafty basement apartment years ago, when he wrapped his only winter coat around me and swore he’d treat me right for the rest of his life. Ten years of history, reduced to a total joke. I quietly gathered up my stock ownership documents and bank statements, then dialed my lawyer's number. "Draft divorce papers for me." Chapter 2 Early the next morning, my phone vibrated with a message from Susan. The voice note was only a few seconds long, but when I tapped it, all I heard was her holding back choked-up sobs. "Hazel, my stomach hurts so badly. I think my acute appendicitis is flaring up again... Can you please come with me to the hospital? I'm all alone in my apartment, and I'm really scared something bad might happen..." I squeezed my phone tightly until my knuckles turned white. In the end, I still typed back, [Okay.] When we got to the hospital, the place was packed. The nurse at the triage desk took one quick look at Susan and frowned immediately. "That pain doesn't look like appendicitis at all. Head up to Gynecology on the second floor first to get checked out. Just in case it's something else." "Gynecology?" Susan’s body stiffened, a flicker of panic darting through her eyes. Soon, the test results came back. She was pregnant, six weeks along. Yet there was no panic on Susan’s face, unlike what I had imagined. She turned her head to look at me, her eyes brutally innocent. "Hazel, you’ve been married for so many years. You must have been pregnant before, right? What does it feel like… to be a mom?" A huge lump formed right in my throat. In three years of marriage, I had suffered two miscarriages. The first time happened right when we started our business. I worked myself into the ground until I passed out from sheer exhaustion, and the baby was gone. Later on, to protect Jason from drinking at a business dinner since he was allergic to alcohol, I downed drink after drink until I was admitted to the hospital with stomach bleeding. That was when I found out I had lost another baby. After my body took such a heavy toll, I went through countless round-the-clock hormone injections for IVF, but I never got pregnant again. I stared at her somewhat provocative face, and just as I was about to say something, a figure suddenly rushed over from the end of the hallway. Jason ran up completely out of breath, his tie lopsided, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Hazel! What on earth is going on? I saw your location showing you were at the hospital while I was in a meeting, and it scared the life out of me!" Susan stood to the side, biting her lip, and called out shyly, "Mr. Gibson, it’s all my fault..." Jason whipped his head around, his eyes instantly turning cold as ice. "Shut up. Don't think you can just harass my wife every time you get a minor illness." Instead of being scared, Susan’s eyes glittered as she flirtatiously glanced at him. "Mr. Gibson, you’re totally right to scold me, but isn't it just because my body is too weak? You said last time that you were going to help me work out properly..." The two exchanged a glance, and that subtle, taboo tension laced with pure desire instantly exploded in the air as Jason's gaze swept over the ultrasound report. "Pregnant?" Susan bit her lower lip, tears welling up and spilling over in an instant. "Mr. Gibson, Hazel... please don't yell at me. I... I’ll go get an abortion later." She sniffled, dodging our gazes and refusing to lift her head no matter what. "As for the father, it was just me being careless. It has nothing to do with him." Jason’s expression darkened, appearing extremely sensitive to the word "abortion". "Hazel, just listen to the ridiculous nonsense coming out of her mouth. An abortion wrecks a woman's body. If things go wrong, it could end up taking two lives at once." He turned to look at me and let out a sigh. "Hazel, you’ve been through this before. Even though we couldn't keep ours, you definitely have more experience taking care of a pregnant body than she does. "Sign her up for a VIP inpatient room, find a top specialist for a check-up, and prescribe the absolute best medication to keep the baby safe. After all, a life is still a life." Those words hit me hard. Jason pulled his phone from his coat pocket and tapped frantically on the screen. My phone vibrated, and a transfer alert flashed across my screen: One million dollars, more than double the three hundred thousand from yesterday morning. Jason pulled me close and whispered, "She’s a student you’ve sponsored for so many years. Haven't you gotten close to her? She's all alone in the hospital right now. Who else can she rely on if not us?" I stared at that glaring string of digits, and a laugh suddenly burst out of me. With that laugh, fat tears rolled down my cheeks uncontrollably. Jason froze, instinctively reaching out to wipe my tears away. "Hazel..." "Rely on us?" I raised my head, my eyes bloodshot. "Jason, stop the act. You know damn well whose baby that is." My voice shook as I choked back a sob. Jason’s face turned pale in an instant, his hand freezing mid-air. "Hazel, what are you talking about..." My eyes swept over Susan’s protective hands on her stomach, my heart aching as if cut by a knife. "Six weeks. Counting back the days, you two really were quite busy back then, weren't you?" "Hazel! Do you even realize what you're saying?" Jason’s face turned completely livid, stepping forward to grab my hand. I took a step back, my eyes filled with disgust. "Jason, let's get a divorce." The air seemed to freeze at my words. I shoved past his shoulder and took long, heavy strides right out of the hospital lobby. It wasn't until I stepped out into the biting cold wind that I realized I was trembling so hard I could barely stand. Chapter 3 Early the next morning, I headed straight to the office. This company was an empire, Jason and I had built together, and if I was going to get a divorce, I had to take back what was rightfully mine. However, the moment I stepped into the top-floor conference room, Director Connor, who used to be completely obsequious toward me, stepped up to block my path. "Mrs. Gibson, this is an internal executive meeting. It’s not appropriate for family members to attend." Family? I let out a cold laugh and shoved his hand aside directly. "I'm the second-largest shareholder in this company. Since when did I become just 'family'?" Director Connor casually flipped through the meeting minutes in his hands, a flicker of pity showing in his eyes. "Mrs. Gibson, you probably don't know, but a year ago, when you took a leave of absence to focus on trying to conceive, you signed a voting proxy agreement for your shares. As of now, the board only recognizes Mr. Gibson as the sole decision-maker." My mind went blank. Back then, I was physically and mentally exhausted from the failed IVF treatments, and Jason had brought over a thick stack of documents, telling me it was just routine paperwork that needed my signature. It turned out he had already laid out his trap way back then. Refusing to give up, I stormed into the Legal Department. The head of legal couldn't even meet my eyes as he handed me an asset breakdown. "Mrs. Gibson, the transfer of your shares was finalized three months ago. Right now, under your name... there are only a few supplementary credit cards that Mr. Gibson gave you." Three whole years of relentless hustle and countless late nights spent in endless meetings. While my stomach was being bruised from endless hormone injections, all my hard work had been quietly emptied by him behind my back. "Jason!" I kicked open the door to the CEO’s office. Jason was sitting in his large leather chair, looking as if he had already anticipated my arrival. Seeing my bloodshot eyes, he furrowed his brows, his tone oozing with heartbreak and helplessness. "Hazel, why did you rush all the way here? Are you tired? Come, sit down." He stood up to support me, but I shoved him away with all my strength. "Jason, where are my shares? Where is my position?" I slammed that document right in front of his face. Jason let out a soft sigh and sat back in his chair, his eyes looking so earnest you couldn't find a single flaw in them. "I know you're upset right now, but Susan is young and healthy. I couldn't bear to see you go through IVF again and get poked with all those needles, so this baby came at the perfect time. "Susan's pregnancy solves the issue of an heir without putting you through hell again. Once the baby is born, we pay her off, send her away, and raise the child together. You get to step back and enjoy your life. What's the problem?" He looked at me, his eyes carrying a hint of confusion, as if he couldn't comprehend why I was reacting so dramatically. A wave of nausea washed over my stomach. Staring up at him now, I felt like I had never actually known this man. "Jason, do you even realize what you're saying? You cheated on me with the student I sponsored, and now you want her to have a baby for me to raise, all while calling it 'caring for me'? "You are absolutely disgusting! We're getting a divorce. Give me back the shares and position that belong to me, and we'll cut ties completely." Jason's expression instantly turned cold. "You are far too naive. Nobody can live ten years in the past, and a divorce is out of the question." He pulled out his phone and opened his banking app right in front of me. "I was going to leave you an exit route, but since you refuse to appreciate my kindness..." My phone vibrated violently. [System Notification: Your account has been frozen.] [System Notification: Your supplementary cards have been deactivated.] Right then, the phone on his desk rang out. Without a care in the world, he hit the speakerphone button. Susan’s coy, sweet voice instantly filled the entire office: "Jason, the doctor said the baby is super healthy and has a really strong heartbeat. When are you coming to see me and the baby?" Jason glanced at my expressionless face and replied into the phone, "I'll head over as soon as I wrap things up here." He hung up and turned his gaze back on me. "I’ll give you time. Once you’ve thought it through, come back and find me." Chapter 4 I walked out of the building in a daze, catching a cab straight to our home on the west side of town. A year ago, Jason had specifically bought this house so I could rest and focus on trying to conceive in peace. Sitting on the couch, I ran through my options for my next move when my phone suddenly vibrated like crazy. "Hazel!" My uncle Jerry's voice nearly exploded through the receiver. "Your mom had a sudden brain hemorrhage! The hospital says we need to pay ten thousand right now to clear her for emergency surgery!" My head went blank, and I scrambled to open my banking app and try to make a transfer. [This account has been frozen.] Refusing to accept it, I switched to another card, and then another. However, every single one was frozen. To help build the business, I had stepped back from my career years ago, funneling every cent of my savings into Jason's corporate accounts. With trembling hands, I dialed Jason’s number. He was my only lifeline left. The phone rang for an agonizingly long time, so long that I was right on the verge of despair before someone finally picked up. "Hello?" The voice that came through wasn't Jason's, but rather Susan’s lazy, nasal giggle. My heart instantly skipped a beat. "Susan? Where’s Jason? Put him on the phone! I have an emergency!" "Hazel, what's the rush?" Susan’s voice sounded light and airy. "Mr. Gibson is in the shower right now, so it’s not a good time for him to take a call. He handed his phone to me so I could pick out a few things for my pregnancy." "You..." "Hazel, you’re calling about money, aren't you?" She cut me off, her tone turning sharp and poisonous in an instant. "Since you refused to behave, Mr. Gibson naturally has to give the money to someone who actually listens to him instead. All that money of yours is more than enough to cover the best postpartum care center for me and buy the highest-quality vitamins to nourish my body." "That is my mom's emergency money! Susan, I am begging you, put Jason on the phone!" Susan let out a soft sneer from the other end. "Emergency money? So what?" "When your uncle called earlier, I declined the call myself. Mr. Gibson has no idea about any of this, so don't count on him coming to save you." Those words hit me like a bucket of ice water, soaking me from head to toe. "Why... why are you doing this?" "Because I can't stand you," Susan laughed, her voice sounding brutally innocent. "Why do you get to live such a great life while I have to survive on your charity? I could just step on you to climb all the way to the top." I gripped my phone, my entire body shaking uncontrollably. Back when Jason’s business was struggling the hardest, we didn't even have money for food. It was my mom who secretly sold her only old house behind my back, stuffing the chequebook into my hands. "Sweetheart, take this money for the emergency," she had told me. "I trust that he'll give you a good life." Yet now, her "good son-in-law" was letting another woman sever her last line of survival. With shaking hands, I scrambled through my contact list, calling every single old friend and former colleague I knew. I even pawned off my brand-new luxury bags at rock-bottom prices. Only after scraping together whatever I could from every corner did I manage to pull together ten thousand and send it over. However, it was too late. My phone rang half an hour later. There was a suffocating silence on the other end, followed by Uncle Jerry's broken sobs. "Hazel... the doctors tried everything... Your mom... she’s gone." Suddenly, I lost all strength, and I slid down onto the floor, clutching my phone tightly. I was in such agony that I could not even shed a tear. My phone rang once more. This time, it was my lawyer. "Ms. Marshall, the divorce agreement is fully drafted, and the stock ownership documents have been verified and approved. Given that the husband committed adultery, we have a very strong chance of making him leave the marriage with nothing. When are you planning to submit this to the court?" I closed my eyes. "Right now."