He Made Me Pay Half the Rent, While Giving Her Every Penny of His Bonus Chapter 04

He Made Me Pay Half the Rent, While Giving Her Every Penny of His Bonus Chapter 04

Lost in a fever dream, I saw my father was still alive. He sat in the rocking chair in our old house, peeling an orange for me.

He said, “Willow, the greatest regret of my life was raising you too well. So well that you would rather suffer losses yourself than ever hurt anyone else.”

When I woke up, the pillow beneath my head was soaked with tears. Outside the window, dawn had not yet broken.

Julian still had not come home. I picked up my phone. At three in the morning, Vivian had posted on Instagram. The photo showed two hands clasped together.

The caption read: [Thank you for staying with me to watch the sunrise.]

I turned off the screen and went into the study. In five years of marriage, everything that belonged to Julian had been kept here. I had never looked through it before.

When I opened the drawer, the first thing I saw were photos. Obscene photos. Vivian, completely naked, sitting on Julian’s abs. Vivian wearing lingerie, lying on the bed in our marital home.

My hands trembled as I took pictures of the evidence. At the very bottom of the drawer was an old document envelope. The envelope’s paper had turned brittle and yellow.

I opened it. Inside was a traffic accident report. The date was the day before my father’s funeral.

On the day my father died, I had been out of town on a business trip. Julian told me that my father had run a red light and crashed into a guardrail. He said my father died instantly.

By the time I rushed back, my father had already been buried. Mrs. Howard held my hands and cried, telling me to accept my loss. I cried until I fainted several times.

Julian handled the entire funeral. At the time, I had been grateful that he helped me through everything. But now, a cold unease crept into my chest.

I looked down at the report again. Under the section labeled “responsible party,” there was a name. Vivian Stewart. Vivian had been the one who killed my father.

My fingers trembled as I kept flipping through the envelope. At the very bottom was another sheet of paper. A letter of settlement.

Julian had signed it as the victim’s son-in-law. The reason stated: [The responsible party is a young woman with a promising future. Her life should not be ruined over this.]

I went straight to the traffic police station. Only one young officer was on duty at the night window.

I handed him the copy. “I want to review the original case file for the accident three years ago. The victim was Carl Lawrence.”

He glanced at the paper and frowned. “That case is already closed.”

I begged him again and again as the victim’s family member. Little by little, from the officer’s explanation, the truth of the past five years finally came together.

That day, my father had not been driving. He had been crossing the street on a green light. Vivian, plastered at the wheel, plowed into him, hurling him through the air.

Julian had not only hidden the truth from me. He had personally signed the settlement agreement in my name. He had forgiven the woman who killed my father.

While I was staying in the funeral hall, keeping vigil beside my father’s body, Julian had been texting Vivian. Comforting her. Telling her not to be afraid.

By the time I rushed to the hospital after receiving the call, my father’s body had already been cremated. There was no chance left for an autopsy.

The officer let out a deep sigh, shaking his head.

“The impact broke three of his ribs. His spleen ruptured. He had intracranial bleeding. He died before the ambulance even arrived.”

“I honestly don’t understand how the family could sign a settlement agreement like that. It’s incredibly disrespectful to the deceased.”

The officer kept talking, but my heart had already sunk into darkness. I walked out of the station in a daze. Then I ran straight into Vivian. Her face went pale when she saw me.

“Julian,” she said in panic, “I told you she must have found out. Otherwise why would she come to the traffic station?”

Julian stared at me sharply. There was no pretense left in his expression now.

“Willow,” he said slowly, “you found out, didn’t you?”

I didn’t answer. My gaze moved coldly between the two of them.

“Julian, my father treated you so well. And you helped the woman who killed him. Vivian, I treated you as my best friend. My father even paid your college debt.”

“And this is how you repay us?”

Vivian froze for a moment. Then she suddenly broke into a wide smile.

“Repay you? Willow, you have no idea how much I hate that self-righteous look on your face. Always acting grateful. Always pretending to be kind to me.”

“I wanted to destroy everything you had. Let me tell you the truth. Julian and I have been together since college.”

“All these years, every time I watched you walking around like an idiot, completely fooled, I almost burst out laughing.”

My entire body shook with rage. I raised my hand to slap her. Before my hand could land, a sharp pain exploded in my abdomen. I was kicked hard and sent flying backward.

Julian stepped forward immediately, shielding Vivian behind him.

“Since you’ve figured it out,” he said coldly, “you’re not walking away from this.”

Vivian rushed forward and shoved me violently. I fell straight into the ocean. Just before the seawater flooded my nose and mouth, I heard Julian’s voice comforting her.

“Don’t be afraid, Vivian. I’ll cooperate with the police. I’ll make sure her death looks reasonable.”

The next day, Julian reported me missing. He pleaded desperately with the officers.

“Officer, please help me. My wife, Willow, disappeared yesterday. She’s battling severe depression and delusions. Her mental state is very unstable.”

“I’m really worried about her. Please help me find her.”

Vivian stood beside him, livestreaming the entire scene. Tears streaked across her face.

“It’s our fault for not taking better care of her. That’s why she ran off alone. If anyone sees her, please contact us immediately.”

The chat in the livestream filled with people comforting them. At that moment, a police officer walked over and glanced at Julian in confusion.

“Your wife came to the station yesterday to give a statement. She didn’t tell you?”