I Met His Lover in the Jewelry Store
The night before, she clung to the hem of my clothes, her big eyes shining brightly: Mom, I want a blessing token necklace engraved with a little tiger. My teacher said tigers protect children.
I rubbed the top of her soft head and promised to take her to the jewelry store downtown first thing in the morning.
As dawn broke, Nancy came running in her pink pinafore dress, her little leather shoes tapping loudly on the floor: "Mom, Mom, let's get going quickly!"
I smiled as I smoothed her collar, lifted her small backpack holding the water bottle, and took her hand as we stepped out the door.
The early autumn breeze was gentle, cool against my face.
Nancy bounced along, counting the plane trees by the roadside like a joyful little sparrow.
When we arrived by taxi in front of the jewelry store, she pointed at the ornaments in the display window and whispered excitedly, "Mom, look! That one is glowing!"
I held her hand as we stepped inside. The clerk, dressed in a navy uniform, greeted us immediately with a warm smile: "Hello, may I help you find something today?"
Nancy stood on tiptoe and pointed to the top shelf of the counter: "I want that blessing token necklace with the little tiger on it!"
The clerk followed her gaze, bent down, and took out the blessing token necklace engraved with a tiger pattern, placing it on a white velvet tray. "You have a good eye, young lady. This is our new release and very popular."
The blessing token necklace shone brilliantly; the tiger's pattern was so finely detailed that I could clearly see its whiskers. I picked it up, holding it in my palm; it felt heavy and solid. I thought to take a photo to show Calvin Luke.
Just as I took out my phone, before I could open the camera, a hand painted with deep wine-red nail polish suddenly swept across and — smack — knocked my phone from my hand.
The phone fell onto the marble floor, the screen instantly cracking like a spiderweb. The lock screen wallpaper—a family photo of Calvin Luke, Nancy, and me—was shattered and fragmented by the cracks.
Immediately after, that same hand snatched the blessing token necklace from the tray and shook it between her fingertips.
Her sharp voice pierced my ears: "What kind of shabby paupers are you, to even dare touch something my husband ordered?"
I bent down to pick up my phone; my fingertips touched the cold glass screen, and a surge of anger rose inside me. "Ma'am, are you sure you have the right person? This is the birthday gift my daughter just picked out; the saleswoman just showed it to us."
The woman wore an off-white silk dress, her hair styled in big waves, and a limited-edition bag hung from her shoulder.
She sized me and Nancy up and down, her gaze as sharp as ice. "I think you're just here freeloading—using someone else's custom-made jewelry for photos, trying to pose as a wealthy lady on social media?"
Nancy was startled by her tone and slipped behind me, her small hand clutching my clothes tightly, her voice trembling with tears: "Mom, I'm scared..."
I shielded my daughter behind me and met the woman's gaze steadily: "Please give us back the blessing token necklace. Let's talk it through—there's no need to be this harsh with a child."
But the woman acted as if she hadn't heard. She pulled out her phone and dialed, her voice suddenly soft and tearful: "Calvin, I ran into two people at the jewelry store. They're trying to snatch away the blessing token necklace you ordered for me and bully me... Can you come quickly, please?"
The name "Calvin" hit me like thunder, making my head spin.
Calvin Luke, my husband of seven years, the sole chief executive of Luke Group.
How could he be this stranger's "husband"?
The woman hung up and smugly shook her phone. "My husband is coming soon. When he arrives, let's see how you get kicked out of this store!"
Nancy held my hand, tears falling harder. "Mom, let's go home. I don't want the blessing token necklace anymore..."
I crouched down, gently wiping her tears with my fingertip, my voice soft. "Nancy, don't be afraid. Mom is here. No one can bully us. The blessing token necklace is yours, and we won't give it to anyone else."
When the woman saw Nancy crying, she not only showed no sympathy but laughed even more cruelly: "So young and already playing the pity card, just like your mother—growing up, you'll be nothing but a vixen who steals from others!"
Those words ignited my fury completely. I stood up, my eyes as cold as ice: "Watch your mouth! Don't say such terrible things to my child!"
"What? Did I say something wrong?" The woman stepped forward and reached out to grab Nancy's hair. "Today, I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of your mother, you little bastard!"
I yanked her hand away, but lost control of my strength, causing her to stagger back two steps.
She hadn't expected me to fight back. After freezing for two seconds, she slammed her bag on the floor, rolled up her sleeves, and lunged at me: "You still dare hit me?"
Only then did I notice a live streaming rig set up in the northwest corner of the store. The screen showed "National Festival Jewelry Special Live Broadcast," and the camera was focused right on us.
"That woman in the white dress is so shameless—snatching things and yelling at the child as soon as she came in!"
"Bringing a child to snatch things in a luxury store—it's truly disgraceful. If that were my kid, I'd be utterly embarrassed."
Nancy looked up at the comments on the screen, tears streaming even harder. She whispered softly to the camera, "I didn't steal anything! That was a birthday gift from Mom to me..."
I quickly covered the camera with my hand and pulled Nancy into my arms. "Nancy, be good, don't pay attention to them. They don't know what's going on."
The woman saw some people defending her in the comments and straightened her back even more.
"See? Everyone knows you're frauds! When my husband comes, not only will you have to return the blessing token necklace, but you'll also have to compensate me for the emotional distress you caused!"
Holding Nancy in my arms, I took a deep breath to quell my anger. "Fine, then we'll wait for your husband to come and find out who he really is, and if he truly ordered this blessing token necklace for you."
The woman pulled out her phone to send a message, then crossed her legs and sat on the nearby sofa, occasionally casting sidelong glances at me as if she were watching a joke unfold.
I looked down to check Nancy's clothes, afraid she might have been hurt during the earlier tugging. When my fingers touched her small hand, I could still feel her faint trembling.
My heart ached with pain and regret—I shouldn't have brought her here, exposing her to such humiliation.
About fifteen minutes later, the woman suddenly stood up and waved toward the door. "Calvin! I'm here!"
I followed her gaze and saw Calvin Luke walking briskly in, dressed in a deep gray tailored suit and carrying a black briefcase.
His hair was combed meticulously, and his face wore its usual calm expression, but the moment he saw the woman, his eyes softened instantly, as gentle as water.
The woman threw herself into his arms, crying in a coaxing voice, "Calvin, you finally came! They just snatched my blessing token necklace and cursed at me."
Calvin Luke patted her back, his voice so gentle it seemed to drip with warmth: "It's alright, it's alright, I'm here. No one will bully you."
His gaze swept over, and when he saw Nancy and me, his pupils suddenly contracted, the smile on his face instantly froze as if crystallized.
Nancy was in my arms; seeing Calvin Luke, her tears immediately stopped. She whispered, "Father..."
Calvin Luke's body trembled; he suddenly pushed the woman in his arms away and hurried toward us, his voice frantic: "Fiona, Nancy, what are you doing here?"
I held Nancy close and stepped back, avoiding his outstretched hand. "Shouldn't that be the question I ask you? Mr. Luke, this lady says you're her husband, and this blessing token necklace was specially ordered by you for her."
The woman froze for a moment, then hurried over and grabbed Calvin Luke's arm, her voice urgent.
"Calvin, you have to tell them! You are my husband, and this blessing token necklace was ordered by you for me!"
Calvin Luke's face flushed red and then paled; he looked at me, his lips moving. "Fiona, listen to me—it's not what you think. Vivian and I don’t have an affair."
"Vivian?" I repeated the name, feeling as if a needle had pricked my heart. "So, you two are close? Close enough that she calls you 'husband,' close enough that you're buying her a blessing token necklace?"
Vivian Lincoln immediately glared at me like a cat guarding her food. "I'm Calvin's special assistant! We've been together for almost a year! Calvin said that once he divorces you, he'll marry me!"
The word 'divorce' hit me like a hammer, making my head ring.
Married for seven years, every morning before leaving, Calvin Luke would hug me and say, "Honey, I'll bring you something delicious when I come back."
In the evening, he would sit with Nancy, reading picture books and imitating the sounds of the little animals to make her laugh.
How could a person like that have been with another woman behind my back for an entire year, all while planning a divorce?
I looked down at Nancy; her eyes were full of confusion, her little brows knitted together, probably not yet understanding what 'divorce' means.
Calvin Luke said sternly to Vivian Lincoln, "Don't talk nonsense! When have I ever said I wanted a divorce? Say that again, and I'll fire you!"
Vivian Lincoln was flustered too. Rolling up her sleeves, she revealed the silver bracelet on her wrist. "You clearly said it! You even gave me these matching bracelets! You said they were tokens of our commitment!"
When I saw that bracelet, a cold shiver ran through my veins.
Last year, on our wedding anniversary, Calvin mysteriously told me he had ordered a pair of couple bracelets.
He said that when the bracelets arrived, we would each wear one, never take them off, as a constant reminder of each other.
Later, he claimed the bracelets were lost in transit, and I comforted him, saying, “It's okay”
Only now do I realize—they were never lost; he had given them to someone else.
Vivian seemed to sense my suspicion and shook her wrist with a triumphant smile: “This is the one Calvin specially ordered for me! He says he loves only me!”
Calvin Luke's face turned as white as paper. He opened his mouth but couldn't say a word, forced to helplessly watch the light in my eyes flicker and fade away.
The live stream comments had already erupted, with the audience exceeding two million.
"My God! The chief executive caught cheating with his assistant! And he lied to his wife, saying the bracelet was lost. How despicable!"
"I felt sorry for the woman in the white dress just now, but now it seems she's the mistress! What nerve!"
"That little girl is so pitiful. Her father was having an affair with another woman right in front of her. She must have been terrified..."
Nancy lay curled in my arms, her little hands clutching tightly around my neck as she whispered, "Mother, why did father hold that woman? Does he not love me anymore?"
My tears finally fell, dripping onto Nancy's hair. I wiped them away, my voice trembling as I said, "No, father just made a mistake. It's not that he doesn't love you."
In truth, I didn't even know whether those words were meant to comfort Nancy or to deceive myself.
Calvin Luke watched me cry, growing even more panicked. He tried to come forward and hold me, but I dodged away. "Calvin Luke, don't touch me."
"Fiona, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have lied to you. I promise I won't contact her again. Please forgive me, okay?"
Hearing this, Vivian suddenly jumped to her feet, her voice urgent. "Calvin! How can you say that? We truly love each other! Didn't you say you wanted to spend your life with me?"
She stepped forward and grabbed Calvin Luke's arm, only to be harshly shaken off. "Stop it! There's no way between you and me! It's Fiona I love, not you!"
Vivian Lincoln's face went instantly pale. She looked at me, her eyes filled with hatred: "It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, I would have been with Calvin long ago!"
Suddenly, she rushed at me, trying to strike me while shouting, "I'm going to kill you!"
I held Nancy and tried to dodge, but couldn't avoid her nails scratching my cheek, leaving a burning red welt.
Nancy screamed in fright, slipped down from my arms, and stood in front of me: "You're not allowed to hit my mother! You're a bad person!"
Vivian was furious at Nancy's attitude. She reached out to push Nancy away. "You little bastard, how dare you boss me around! Just wait and see!"
Calvin's eyes were sharp and his movements quick. He grabbed Vivian's arm. "Are you crazy? Don't touch Nancy!"
Vivian struggled against his grip, shouting, "Calvin! You're actually defending this little bastard? Have you forgotten our child? Have you forgotten you said our child would be the heir to the Luke Group?"
"Child?"
I suddenly looked up at Vivian. She proudly touched her belly, a triumphant smile lighting her face. "That's right—I'm pregnant. It's his child, and I've been carrying for over two months now."
Calvin Luke's face drained of color. He stared at Vivian's belly, his eyes wide with shock and panic. "You... you're pregnant? How come I didn't know?"
"I intended to tell you days later, but it seems I have no choice now."
Vivian looked at me with a taunting edge. "Fiona Scott, if you're wise, you'll get a divorce from Calvin soon. Otherwise, once my child is born, you and your daughter will be kicked out of the Luke family. The Luke family doesn't need useless women who only bear daughters!"
I felt a chill all over, as if I'd fallen into an ice cellar.
In the second year of our marriage, after I gave birth to Nancy, Calvin Luke held me and said, "Fiona, thank you. Nancy is adorable. I love our daughter. From now on, Nancy will be our only child. I don't want you to suffer through another pregnancy."
Later, he even took the initiative to suggest getting a vasectomy, saying that way I wouldn't have to worry about any accidental pregnancies and could focus on doing what I love.
At the time, I was deeply moved, convinced I had married the right man. Now I know all those words were carefully crafted lies.
Not only did he refuse to get a vasectomy, but he also let another woman carry his child—and even planned for that child to inherit the Luke Group.
Nancy held my hand tightly and whispered, "Mom, I'm scared. Can we go home? I don't want the blessing token necklace anymore. I don't want to see Dad either..."
My heart felt as if it were being sliced by a knife. I picked up Nancy and said to Calvin Luke, "Calvin, we need to get a divorce."
Calvin Luke suddenly looked up, panic swimming in his eyes. "Fiona, don't! We can talk this through. I'll sever ties with Vivian completely. I'll make her terminate the pregnancy. We can go back to how things were, okay?"
I sneered bitterly, tears falling even harder. "Calvin Luke, do you really think we can go back to how things were? When you betrayed me, when you were with Vivian Lincoln, you should have known this day would come!"
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