My Movie Star Wife's Male Friend
Occasionally, viewers in the bullet screen asked about Viola Scott.
My fingers paused briefly as I smiled and explained, She just won Best Actress, has had a lot of social engagements lately, and went out for dinner with her friends tonight.
No sooner had I said that than the bullet screen exploded.
Countless comments scrolled faster than I could flip through a book.
"Lawyer Lincoln, stop giving legal talk! Check the trending searches quickly!"
"Viola Scott isn't having dinner with her friends! She just checked into a couple's hotel with a man!"
"'Star Paparazzi' posted it, with photos and videos. It's already ranked third on the trending list!"
"You're still here covering up for her lies, but she is cheating on you!"
I stared at the screen, my first thought was that some haters were stirring up trouble.
Just yesterday, Viola Scott told me she would stay home and have a family dinner with me.
But the comments in the bullet screen insisted more and more that it was true, and someone even posted a screenshot of the trending search.
My hands trembled slightly as I opened the trending search list on my phone.
The hashtag #ViolaScottCheatingDuringMarriage# was glaring right at me.
Clicking on it, the first photo showed her linking arms with a man, smiling radiantly as they walked into a hotel.
I recognized the man's profile instantly—Jason Luke, her so-called 'male friend,' and also the owner of Star Paparazzi.
The live stream was still on, so I quickly told the viewers, "Logging off for now," then abruptly ended the connection.
My finger hovered over Viola Scott's number, pressing it three times before the call went through.
"Where are you?" I tried to keep my voice steady, but it still trembled at the end.
Music and laughter came through the phone.
Viola's voice was tinged with impatience: "Didn't I tell you? I'm at dinner with my close friends."
"Dinner?" I gripped my phone tightly, my knuckles turning white. "You were caught going into a hotel with Jason Luke — it's all over the Trending Search!"
She was silent for two seconds, but instead of panicking, she became even more impatient: "It's no big deal. Jason Luke and I just fake it to catch attention."
"His account needs traffic, and I just won an award—I have to keep people’s eyes on me. It's a win-win, don't you understand?"
I wanted to say more, but then Jason Luke's voice came through the phone, sounding like he was urging her.
Viola Scott quickly added, "I'll tell you later," then hung up.
I called back again, but the phone indicated it was powered off.
The screen went dark, and at that moment a message popped up from Jason Luke.
I opened it—it was a photo.
Jason Luke lay on the hotel bed in a bathrobe, clutching a woman's hand—I recognized that bracelet; it was the birthday gift I gave Viola Scott last year.
A voice message followed, his tone dripping with a provocative laugh: "Lawyer Lincoln, guess whose hand this is?"
I stared at the hand in the photo, suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion.
It was like carrying a soaked cotton ball—heavy and suffocating.
This wasn't the first time Viola Scott had lied to me.
Last time, she went to a neighboring city with Jason Luke to 'discuss work,' but returned with an unfamiliar perfume scent on her collar, saying it was just a gift from a client.
The time before last, she was on the phone with Jason Luke late at night.
When I asked her about it, she said they were just discussing the promotional plan for her new drama.
I kept telling myself to be understanding; it's not easy for her in the Entertainment Industry.
But this is what I got in return.
The wall clock struck twelve, and the door opened.
Viola Scott was brought in by Jason Luke, reeking of alcohol, barely able to keep her eyes open.
Jason Luke pushed her into the bedroom, and when he turned around, he saw me sitting on the sofa, a mocking smile tugging at his lips: "Lawyer Lincoln. Guess who it is?"
As he spoke, he deliberately lifted his chin toward the bedroom.
I ignored him, focusing my gaze on Viola Scott—she wasn't wearing the dress from earlier but a black men's shirt.
Jason Luke seemed to read my mind, tossing a tote bag in front of me with a forced, insincere smile: "Viola drank too much and threw up. I had spare clothes in my car, so I just grabbed them."
"You probably won't mind, right?"
Every word he said stabbed straight into my heart.
I took a deep breath, telling myself not to act rashly—I'm a lawyer; I can't knowingly break the law.
But Jason Luke kept babbling, "Actually, there's nothing between Viola Scott and me; it's just a rumor to stir things up. Don't be so petty."
"Besides, she needs the spotlight right now, and I am just helping her."
I suddenly stood up, my fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
He probably didn't expect me to get serious. He stepped back half a pace but still put up a tough front: "You dare hit me? If you do, Viola won’t forgive you!"
That sentence completely set me off.
I punched him right in the eye socket; he yelped in pain but clawed at the corner of my mouth in return.
Blood dripped from the corner of my mouth, but I ignored it and turned toward the kitchen—there was a freshly sharpened kitchen knife.
When Jason Luke saw me holding the kitchen knife, he was terrified out of his mind.
He scrambled toward the door, almost crawling; before leaving, he shouted, "Mike Lincoln, just wait! I want to see how you explain this to Viola Scott tomorrow!"
The door slammed shut with a bang, and the room immediately fell silent.
I put the kitchen knife back in the kitchen, leaned against the doorframe, and stared at the wedding photo on the living room wall.
In the photo, Viola Scott wore a white wedding dress, holding my arm and smiling so sweetly.
At that time, she hadn't yet entered the Entertainment Industry, and she said she just wanted to live a peaceful and stable life with me.
How did it come to this?
I sat on the sofa and took my very first cigarette.
The smoke made me cough, but no tears fell.
I was probably so utterly disappointed that I didn't even have the strength to be sad.
As the morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, Viola Scott came out of the bedroom.
She had changed into a clean dress, and when she saw the cigarette butt in my hand, her brows immediately furrowed: "Mike Lincoln, didn't I tell you not to smoke? Are you just ignoring me?"
I looked up at her but said nothing.
She probably thought I was still upset about last night, so she came over and tugged my arm: "I wasn't exactly lying to you last night. I really was out having dinner with my close friends."
"It was after dinner that Jason Luke suggested we pretend to be together to catch attention. Since I had just won an award and I need more popularity, I agreed."
She paused, a hopeful tone in her voice: "Jason just launched his business; he needs online popularity, and I need people’s attention. Isn't that a win-win?"
"Just send a lawyer's letter today saying it's purely a rumor. He will give an apology and that’s it."
After saying that, she picked up her bag by the entrance and walked away.
From beginning to end, she never asked about the wound at the corner of my mouth, nor did she mention Jason Luke visiting last night.
I watched her silhouette disappear at the doorway and sighed deeply.
I stood up and packed my things—a few clothes, a copy of the Civil Code, and the Plum Blossom Watch left by my parents.
Dragging my suitcase across the floor made a long, drawn-out sound, as if saying goodbye to this home.
When I arrived at the law firm, my colleagues all gave me strange looks.
They probably saw last night's trending search, too.
I didn't say a word and walked straight into the office to print out the divorce agreement.
As soon as I put the agreement into the drawer, I called a meeting with several partners.
"I plan to transfer my shares to you," I said, seeing their surprised faces. "The paperwork is ready, and we can sign it today."
Ms. Lee frowned and asked, "Is this because of Viola Scott? Think it over—you've spent five years building this law firm."
I shook my head. "It has nothing to do with her. I just want a change of environment."
At noon, Viola Scott's call came through.
As soon as I answered, her shouting came through: "Mike Lincoln, are you out of your mind? Why did you hit Jason Luke?"
"Today is his birthday, and you deliberately humiliated him in front of his friends, didn't you?"
"You better come over and apologize to him, or I will never forgive you!"
I touched the wound at the corner of my mouth; it was still swollen.
She didn't see it last night, didn't ask this morning, and now only cares if Jason Luke lost face.
How much I matter to her compared to Jason Luke is apparently so clear.
"I'm not going." I said calmly.
There was a pause on the other end, then Viola Scott's voice grew even harsher: "Mike Lincoln, don't push your luck!"
"I'm telling you, if you don't apologize, we're not done!"
I hung up immediately and put my phone on silent.
In the afternoon, I went to the hotel where Jason Luke was holding his birthday party.
At the entrance to the luxurious private room of the five-star hotel, two bodyguards in black suits stood guard, their eyes full of suspicion when they saw me.
I gave them Jason Luke's name, and only then did they let me in.
Pushing the door open, the room was noisy.
Jason Luke sat at the head of the table, a large bruise around his right eye, yet he was grinning triumphantly.
His friends all stopped talking when they saw me, giving me strange looks.
Viola Scott saw me, immediately stood up, pointed at my nose, and shouted, "Mike Lincoln, you dare show up? Apologize to Jason Luke right now!"
"He kindly gave me a ride home yesterday, and you—you just hit him without a reason."
"You're a lawyer! Don't you know hitting someone is illegal? If it weren't for Jason Luke's generosity, you would have been arrested last night!"
Jason Luke insincerely tugged at Viola Scott, "Don't make things difficult for Lawyer Lincoln; I'm at fault too."
As he spoke, he raised his wine glass, and the watch on his wrist caught my eye.
It was a Plum Blossom Watch, with a small plum blossom engraved on its face—a keepsake from my parents. On our wedding day, I had personally fastened it around Viola's wrist.
"Why do you have this watch?" I stepped forward, my voice trembling slightly.
Jason Luke smugly lifted his wrist. "This was a birthday gift from Viola."
Those around him immediately chimed in, "This watch is a limited edition, worth over a million even ten years ago!"
"Viola Scott is so generous, casually giving away a gift worth over a million!"
These words stabbed into my ears like needles.
I remembered last year on my birthday, Viola forgot, then made up for it with a small cake, saying, "I've been so busy, don't take it personally."
This year, she didn't even mention a cake—just said, "I have to promote the new drama, no time to celebrate."
And then she turned around and gave my parents' heirloom as birthday gifts to another man.
I looked at Viola Scott; a flash of embarrassment crossed her face, then she frowned again: "This watch is mine now, and I can give it to whoever I want."
"Stop fixating on this small matter, just apologize to Jason Luke."
"If news of you hitting someone gets out and damages my reputation, will you take responsibility?"
She kept on, calling me petty, immature, and saying I don't support her career.
I suddenly found it ridiculous and cut her off: "This watch used to mean more to me than my life. When we got married, you said you'd cherish it—so is this how you cherish it?"
"Giving my parents' belongings to others, Viola Scott, you really are generous."
Viola Scott's face instantly flushed red, probably because I had struck a nerve.
She raised her hand and slapped my face, shouting, "Mike Lincoln, you bastard! How dare you speak to me like that!"
She used to act like this when angry, and I never would dodge.
But this time, I reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Her wrist was slender, and when I applied force, she cried out in pain.
"Give me back the watch," I said, looking into her eyes, word by word, "From now on, it's over between us."
Viola staggered two steps when I pushed her away, nearly falling.
Jason quickly caught her, then turned to glare at me: "Mike, you've gone too far! It's just a watch—is it really necessary to treat Viola like this?"
He said this while reaching to remove the watch from his wrist, "I'll give it back to you, so don't make things hard for her."
I stared at the watch in his hand, waiting for him to hand it over.
But as soon as his grip loosened, the watch dropped to the ground with a "smack."
The watch face shattered instantly, its inner parts scattering all over the floor.
Jason feigned surprise, mouth agape: "Oops, slipped out of my hand."
He crouched down, picked up the broken watch, and said with a mocking tone, "Why is this watch so fragile? Could it be a fake?"
"Lawyer Lincoln, did you really propose to Viola Scott with a fake watch back then?"
I stared at the shattered watch on the ground, and suddenly my parents' faces appeared before my eyes.
When they left, they handed me the watch and said, "Wearing this is like having us by your side."
Now, the watch is broken into pieces.
Rage surged through my chest like molten lava.
I lunged forward, grabbed Jason Luke's collar, and slammed him against the wall.
His friends saw what was happening and immediately surrounded me; someone even kicked me from behind.
In the chaos, Viola rushed over and wrapped her arms around my waist: "Stop fighting! Mike Lincoln, let go!"
She held me so tightly I couldn't move at all; I could only watch helplessly as Jason Luke's fist struck my face.
At that moment, the door to the private room was pushed open.
Several people in police uniforms entered, frowning as they scanned the room: "Who called the police?"
Jason Luke's face instantly turned pale; he quickly released me and smiled apologetically: "Officer, it's a misunderstanding, just friends drinking too much and fooling around."
Viola Scott quickly let go of me and helped Jason Luke explain, "My husband is causing trouble after drinking. I'll take him away now, so there's no need to trouble you."
The lead police officer ignored her and said in a firm voice, "Take them all away."
Viola Scott panicked, stepped forward, and raised her voice: "I'm Viola Scott! I just won Best Actress! Taking me to the police station will ruin my reputation!"
She turned to glare at me, her tone full of threat: "You better tell the officers we were just joking!"
I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and looked at her: "I'm the one who called the police."
"You wanted to catch attention with Jason Luke, right? I'll make it happen for you."
Viola Scott's face turned instantly pale.
I pulled the divorce agreement out of my pocket and threw it at her. "This is the divorce agreement, and I've already signed it."
"A divorce will get you as much attention as you want, right?"
She stood frozen, the divorce agreement slipping from her hands to the floor.
Jason Luke and his friends were stunned too, probably didn't expect me to do this.
On the way to the police station, Viola sat beside me, hesitant to speak.
She tried to speak several times, but seeing my cold expression, she swallowed the words back down.
I knew what she wanted to say—nothing more than asking me to drop the case, not to make a scene, not to damage her reputation.
At the Police Station, the officers took Jason Luke and the others in for questioning.
Viola Scott followed me, constantly nagging, "Mike Lincoln, are you crazy? It's just a watch! Is it really worth calling the police over?"
"Hurry up and tell the police we can settle this privately."
I ignored her and found a chair to sit down.
Before long, the interrogation room door opened.
The lead police officer stepped forward and said to Viola Scott, "We detained Jason Luke not because of a fight."
"His 'Star Paparazzi' account has long been spreading false rumors and slandering others, violating cybersecurity law, so he must be detained for seven days."
The officer paused, a warning in his eyes: "Miss Scott, you're a public figure; it's better to stay grounded. You can’t use rumors and scandals to catch attention."
"Take a look at the trending searches."
Viola quickly took out her phone, her fingers trembling badly.
I leaned in for a look; the Trending Search was full of topics about her and Jason Luke, with the comment section flooded with criticism.
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