Her Second Sun novel

Scrolling through my phone during lunch break, a trending topic suddenly popped up.
Is it wrong to fall in love with a married man?
The moment I clicked in, the flood of comments almost overflowed the screen.
Some scolded the questioner for twisted values, saying destroying someone else's family is unforgivable.
Others argued that feelings can't be controlled, and the real fault lies with the cheating husband.
Arguments erupted repeatedly until a long comment was pushed to the top.
The comment said she was once an intern, who received a lot of care from the boss and his wife when she first started working.
The boss's wife was gentle and kind, like an older sister to her.
To be with the boss, she plotted to make his wife slip up badly at work.
The boss's wife got fired by the company, and the boss got dragged into it too.
In the end, she naturally ended up by the boss's side, living a blissful life now.
The pride and arrogance dripping between the lines stabbed into my eyes like a razor-sharp needle.
My fingers clutching the phone went pale, eyes locked on the comment signedVictoria Lowell.
That nameI thought I'd long buried it in the wreckage of time.
But right now, it burns with malice, dragging me straight back to that rainy summer three years ago.
Three years ago, I was still the head of planning at HT Group, and Ryan Sterling was my husband and the company's project director.
That day, Ryan came home from work, followed by a timid young girl.
"Stella, this is the new intern Victoria Lowell. She's assigned to our departmentplease look after her."
Victoria wore faded white canvas shoes, had her hair tied in a low ponytail, and smiled with innocent freshness.
"Hello, Ms. Xavier. I'm looking forward to working with you."
Her eyes were as pure as a mountain spring, instantly putting me at ease.
At that time, Ryan Sterling and I had been married for just two years, and I was at the peak of my career, always busy beyond measure.
Victoria Lowell's presence was like a breath of fresh air, bringing some much-needed vitality to my dull life.
She was sweet, always calling out, "Stella, Stella," and every morning she'd bring me a cup of hot soy milk.
Whenever I worked overtime, she would quietly stay behind with me, helping to organize files and print materials.
She'd share funny stories from school with me and genuinely listen to my workplace troubles.
It wasn't long before we became inseparable best friends who shared everything.
I treated her like a real little sister, teaching her work skills without holding anything back, even giving her the spare key to my place so she could help look after the plants now and then.
I told her about my love story with Ryan Sterlinghow we went from the college campus to the workplace, and how hard it had been all the way.
She always listened with rapt attention, her eyes swimming with envy.
"Stella, you and Mr. Sterling are truly made for each other. I want a boyfriend like that someday."
Back then, I foolishly believed it.
Looking back now, everything was a warning from the start.
Victoria always loved wearing clothes like mine and using the same perfume.
She would subtly pry for details about how Ryan and I got along, even deliberately mimicking my tone and habits.
Once, at a company dinner, she got drunk, clinging to Ryan's arm and refusing to let go, mumbling "Ryan" under her breath.
At the time, I felt a little uneasy, but Ryan Sterling said she was young and naive, so I didn't think much of it.
Now I realize, it wasn't naivety at allit was outright provocation.

The turning point came with a critical project.
The company was bidding on a major event planning proposal, which I was fully in charge of, with Victoria Lowell assisting me as my assistant.
I pulled countless all-nighters for that proposal, sharpening every detailfrom the creative concept to execution.
The day before submission, I sent the final version to Victoria, asking her to print and bind it so we could take it straight to the bidding meeting the next day.
She patted her chest and swore, "Stella, don't worry, there's absolutely no problem."
But it was that very "absolutely no problem" that destroyed everything for me.
At the bidding meeting, just as I confidently presented the proposal, I realized the core data in the PPT was completely wrong.
The clients in the audience frowned, and the company leaders' faces grew darker and darker.
My mind went blank, and I stood there on stage, utterly helpless.
Ryan Sterling sat right beside me; he didn't look at me, just clenched his fists tightly, his face ghostly pale.
That bidding, we lost without a doubt.
Right after returning to the company, an emergency meeting was called.
The air in the meeting room was so heavy you could barely breathe.
The boss slammed his fist on the table, furious. He said this project was crucial to the company. Now we had lost the order and tarnished the company's reputation.
I tried to explain that all the data had been accurate before submission, but no one believed me.
Then Victoria suddenly stood up, tears brimming, and said, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault."
I froze for a moment and stared at her.
She hung her head, voice trembling, "After Stella sent me the proposal, I found a problem with the data and rushed to tell her."
"But Stella said there wasn't enough time, so I should print it according to the original version first. She said she would find a way to cover for it later."
"I hesitated a lot back then, but Stella was the supervisor, so I didn't dare to disobey her..."
Her words felt like a poisoned knife, stabbing sharply into my heart.
I suddenly stood up, pointing at her: "You're lying! When did I ever say something like that?"
"Stella, how could you do this?" Victoria cried even harder. "I know you're under pressure, but you can't just push the blame onto me."
She pulled up the chat history, and there it washer reminding me the Data was wrong, and me replying, "Don't worry about it, just do what I said."
I stared at those chat records, my whole body turning ice cold.
Those records were forged, but I couldn't come up with any proof to disprove them.
Because we communicated so often, mostly verbally, there were hardly any written records.
Ryan Sterling sat there, not uttering a word from start to finish.
He just stared at me coldly, his eyes filled with disappointment and suspicion.
At that moment, I felt completely crushed.
In the end, the company fired me, accusing me of "serious negligence that caused major losses."
Ryan Sterling, as the project leader, was also demoted.
The moment I stepped out of the company gate, a light rain started falling.
The cold rain hit my face, but I didn't feel a thing.
I grabbed my phone to call Ryan Sterling, only to find he'd already blocked me.
Back home, the empty house felt completely lifeless.
Ryan Sterling never came back.
For the next few days, he stayed out all night.
I sent him messages, but they disappeared without a trace.
I went to the company to find him, but the security guard stopped me at the door, saying Ryan had ordered I wasn't allowed inside.
I wandered the streets aimlessly, like a lost soul cast aside by the world.
Just when I thought things could still be saved, an unexpected discovery shattered me completely.

That day, I was cleaning the room, intending to donate some of Ryan Sterling's old clothes.
When I opened the bottom drawer of the wardrobe, a woman's scarf that wasn't mine slipped out.
I had seen it around Victoria Lowell's neck before.
Holding the scarf, my fingers trembled uncontrollably.
I forced myself to stay calm and began searching the room.
In the study drawer, I found a concert ticket dated last Saturday the exact day Ryan said he was working late at the company.
The ticket stub was already torn off, and next to it was a photo of them together.
In the photo, Ryan Sterling had his arm around Victoria Lowell, both of them smiling so brightly.
The background showed the concert stage, ablaze with dazzling lights.
So his so-called "overtime" was actually taking another woman to a concert.
So their relationship had long since become something more than just ordinary.
I sat on the floor, staring at that photo, tears silently streaming down my cheeks.
All those little details I'd overlooked before now flooded clearly into my mind.
Ryan Sterling's increasingly frequent late nights, the faint scent of unfamiliar perfume on him, his phone always glued to his side with a new password set...
Everything points to one cruel truth.
That night, Ryan Sterling finally came home.
He saw me sitting in the living room, froze for a moment, then a look of impatience crossed his face.
"Why are you still here?" His voice was cold.
I placed the scarf and photo in front of him, my voice hoarse: "How do you explain these?"
Ryan Sterling's expression flickered, then settled back into calm.
"Stella, it's not what you think."
"Then what is it?" I stared at him, my eyes bloodshot: "How long have you been with her?"
"Victoria and I are just colleagues. That day was a company team-building event; we all went to a concert together." He tried to defend himself.
"Do colleagues hug in photos? Do colleagues leave scarves at home?" I stood up, emotions raw, and pointed at his nose. "Ryan, how long are you going to keep lying to me?"
His face darkened completely; the act was over.
"Yes, Victoria and I are together." He said, "But all thisyou pushed me into it."
"I pushed you?" I couldn't believe my ears. "How did I push you?"
"Just look at you nowhysterical and completely unreasonable." He frowned.
"You weren't like this before. You were gentle, sensible. But now? You only bring me trouble."
"Victoria is different. She's sensible, caring, always there to comfort and support me when I need it most."
His words were like sharp knives, slowly carving into my heart.
I looked at this manso familiar yet so strangeand suddenly felt ridiculous.
I gave so much to this family, and in the end, this is all I get.
"Ryan," I laughed, tears streaming down my face, "you truly disgust me."
"What did you say?" He suddenly stood up, eyes blazing with fury as he stared at me.
"I said you're disgusting!" I raised my voice.
"You've been blinded by that woman. She framed me, and not only do you not believe me, you're involved with her. How can you face me?"
"Enough!" he yelled angrily. "Stop spreading lies! Victoria's not that kind of person."
"What kind of person she really is, you'll find out someday." I said wearily.
"We have nothing left to say." He grabbed his coat. "I'm never coming back to this home again."
He walked to the door, hesitated for a moment, then didn't look back.
"If you're smart, just ask for a divorce yourself."

The door slammed shut with a bang, cutting off two worlds.
I collapsed onto the sofa, feeling like every ounce of strength was drained from me.
In the days that followed, I descended into endless pain and despair.
Lost my job, my marriage shattered, betrayed simultaneously by my best friend and the man I loved most.
I felt like a small blade of grass, battered by wild storms and rain, barely holding on.
I started suffering from insomnia and lost my appetite; within just a few days, I lost more than ten pounds.
One time, while shopping at the supermarket, I saw Ryan Sterling and Victoria Lowell holding hands, laughing as they picked out items together.
Victoria was nestled in his arms, her face beaming with a happy smile.
And Ryan, the way he looked at her was full of doting affectiona tenderness I had never seen before.
I quickly hid behind a shelf, watching them, my heart aching as if it were being torn apart.
Later, I heard that during the company's team-building event, they openly showed their affection in front of everyone without holding back.
Victoria Lowell showed up at all sorts of occasions as "Mr. Sterling's girlfriend."
Everyone knew they were together.
Only I was left in the dark, looking like a fool.
Just when I thought life couldn't get any worse, Victoria came knocking at my door.
That afternoon, the doorbell rang out of nowhere.
I opened the door to find Victoria standing there, dressed in a designer dress, her makeup impeccable.
She clutched a luxury handbag, a triumphant smile lighting up her face.
"Stella, long time no see." Her tone was teasingly casual.
I didn't let her in, just stared at her coldly. "What do you want?"
"I'm here to tell you that Ryan and I are together." She leaned against the doorframe, her posture relaxed and lazy.
"We went to a concert together. He even took me to the seasidehe said he's never been this happy before."
She flaunted it on purpose, every word stabbing right into my heart like a needle.
"He said he's been fed up with you for ages, fed up with you who only knows how to work, fed up with your dull, unchanging life."
"Stella, you know what? Ryan likes gentle, caring womennot someone as overbearing and boring as you."
"I was the one who tampered with the project data." She suddenly switched tone, a smug smile spreading across her face.
"I want to ruin your reputation and wipe you out of Ryan's life."
"Why are you doing this?" My voice trembled as tears welled up in my eyes.
"Why?" She sneered, "Because I'm jealous of you."
"I'm jealous that you have a good job, jealous that you have an amazing husband, jealous that you have everything I want."
"From the moment I first saw you with Ryan, I vowed I would steal him away and take everything you have."
"Now, I've done it." She smiled even brighter. "Stella, be smartjust get a divorce from Ryan. Stop holding him back."
Then she pulled a Divorce Agreement from her bag and pressed it into my hands.
"Ryan has already signed it. Now it's just waiting on you."
I stared at the divorce agreement, then looked at the woman before me with that twisted expression.
Suddenly, everything felt so clear.
A man like this, a so-called friend like thatthey don't deserve my tears or heartbreak.
I grabbed the divorce agreement and pen, then signed my name without a second thought.
"Stella, you..." Victoria Lowell clearly didn't expect me to be so decisive and froze in surprise.
"Take it and get lost." I said coldly, my voice completely steady and emotionless.
Victoria Lowell's face shifted, taking the Divorce Agreement before storming off in frustration.

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