My Husband Stole My Face Masks to Please His Mistress, But Those Are Life-Shortening Masks

2

That night at eleven, there was a bang at the door.

Julian Sterling burst in with Coco Kane, his face livid.

"Vera Thorne! Get out here!"

"I traced the IP address for that curse in the video comments! It was you!"

I stood frozen, a cup of herbal tea in my hand, startled to see them.

The cup dropped to the floor, shattering and sending shards flying.

Coco Kane stood behind him, half her face wrapped in gauze, her eyes swollen like peaches.

I stood there, stunned.

'The image of those strange, witch-like eyes flashed before me again.'

Julian Sterling slammed his phone onto the coffee table and rounded on me.

"Look what you've done! Do you have any idea she almost died tonight?!"

"She was taking a shower when her vision went black. She collapsed, and half her face slammed into the corner of the bathroom counter. She needed more than a dozen stitches! The doctor said if it had been just one centimeter over, she would have lost an eye!"

His voice trembled as he berated me.

I could tell that Julian Sterling was terrified of losing her.

'A pang of pain shot through my heart at the thought.'

But I quickly suppressed my feelings, my brow furrowing.

"And this is my fault?"

"Are you sure it wasn't low blood sugar?"

At my words, Coco Kane started crying even harder, her shoulders hitching with sobs.

Julian Sterling pointed at me.

"Don't give me that bullshit!"

"There's nothing wrong with her, her physical was clean! Her blood sugar is perfectly normal! It's all because of your stupid curse!"

"That box of face masks was just sitting there. What's wrong with using them as a work reward for the staff?"

"What right do you have to curse her?"

"She's just a twenty-year-old girl! If something had really happened to her, could you have taken responsibility for that?!"

I looked at him coldly, my heart turning to ash.

In three years of marriage, he'd never once lost his temper.

I loved his calm, steady demeanor, his thoughtful and considerate nature.

It was only today that I learned he had a temper, too—one that appeared when his boundaries were crossed.

'Too bad his boundary wasn't me.'

Coco Kane, still reeling from her "near-death experience," wouldn't stop crying. Even her tears reeked of feigned innocence.

She tugged on Julian Sterling's sleeve.

"It's okay, President Sterling. Please don't fight with your family over this."

"Please, don't let your wife hold a grudge against me. I'm just a regular employee; I can't handle any more drama."

Her words only fanned the flames of Julian Sterling's anger.

He gently comforted Coco.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

When he turned back to me, every trace of gentleness vanished from his face.

"You will apologize to Coco. Right now."

I stared into his furious eyes, my nails digging into my palms.

When I didn't answer, his expression soured, and he glared at me.

"Apologize."

I looked at him icily.

'He was standing before me, trying to force me to yield, all for another woman.'

'He was wiping away her tears with a tenderness I had never seen before.'

'That very button on his shirt was my birthday gift to him last year.'

'And now, it was stained with Coco Kane's blood-red lipstick.'

I suddenly wanted to laugh.

"Julian Sterling, you want *me* to apologize? Have you lost your goddamn mind?"

"You stole from me."

"You cheated on me behind my back."

"If anyone should be apologizing here, it's the two of you, isn't it?"

Julian Sterling pressed on relentlessly.

"There you go, overthinking things again, aren't you?"

"We just have a normal working relationship! That picture you saw online? He was just tying his shoe! I should have known a person with a filthy mind would see filth everywhere!"

"Hurry up and apologize. Know what's good for you!"

Coco Kane clung tightly to his arm from behind.

Though tears still stained her cheeks, her eyes flashed with unconcealable triumph.

I took a deep breath.

"Julian Sterling, come here."

The moment he leaned in, I slapped him across the face with the divorce papers.

"Sign it!"