Chapter 3

I never thought I’d be cheated on. Carter and I had been together for thirteen years. I thought we knew each other inside out.

And I certainly never expected that the woman outside would try to steal my daughter, too.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails nearly bit into my palms. I typed back: "Sure, have fun. Get back early."

Carter forgot that his current success was built on my sweat and tears, funded by every single dance show I performed back in the day.

And now, he wanted to turn me into a laughingstock? I don't think so.

After dance class ended, I saw Carter standing by the door, dressed in a sharp suit, waiting to pick up Lily.

Lily jumped into his car giggling, and I quietly followed them in mine.

The car didn't head to any "dinner party." Instead, it drove straight into the luxury gated community next to our neighborhood.

I remembered when we bought our current house, Carter had pointed at this exact luxury estate and said with deep emotion:

"Chloe, don't worry. This house is just the beginning. One day, I’ll buy you that villa right in the center."

We had toured that villa before. It had a perfect view, but it was priced $500,000 higher than the others.

I had smiled at him and said, "It’s fine, babe. As long as our family is happy, I don't care where we live."

Over the past few years, he kept complaining about how bad his business was, bringing home less and less money.

I always comforted him: "It's okay. I can work to help support us. You just focus on your business."

Thinking back to my past self, and looking at the luxury villa he bought for his mistress, what a sick joke.

I parked my car across the street. I hopped on TaskRabbit, hired a local runner, and offered a huge tip with one condition: find out the exact villa number of the woman living there.

Usually, security in these gated communities is tight, but in my previous life, I remembered the mistress's name was Hailey.

The runner called me immediately after accepting the task, asking if I had made a typo with the tip amount because it was so high.

Hearing her voice, I realized the runner was a young woman. I choked up and told her briefly that my husband was cheating on me and staying in that estate.

Hearing my story, she got incredibly angry. She agreed immediately, saying women need to stick together.

She walked straight to the security guard. Within minutes, she managed to charm the information out of him.

When she sent me the delivery confirmation photo, a man’s hand was shown taking the package. He was wearing the exact designer watch I bought for Carter.

With the address confirmed, I contacted a local drama alert channel on Instagram. I asked if they wanted some exclusive tea on a rising influencer.

The only thing I asked in return was a copy of the photos they took.

They agreed instantly. I didn't care if this villa was their permanent love nest or just a hookup spot. Getting hard evidence of his infidelity at the lowest cost was my priority.

To prevent Carter from hiding or transferring our joint assets, I immediately contacted a top divorce lawyer to get the paperwork ready.

I didn't want the man anymore, but the money? Every single cent of it was earned through our joint hard work. I wasn't going to leave empty-handed.

I went home and acted completely normal.

The only difference was that I stopped cooking, cleaning, or taking care of them. I left them to fend for themselves.

Within a day, Lily couldn't take it anymore. She sat at the empty dining table and complained loudly.

"Chloe, why aren't you making dinner? Are you trying to starve me and Dad?"

"I have to study hard every day, and Dad works so hard to make money. How can you be so lazy and not cook?"