Chapter 7 — My Alibi

You heard it just now, my husband said my emotions have been unstable recently. I will not hide it from you any longer; I discovered their abnormal relationship, and I was consumed by rage, wanting nothing more than an outlet for my fury. I know I was wrong.

The traffic police officer stared at me for a moment, his gaze gradually shifting from interrogation to deep sympathy.

You smashed the traffic light, a fine of two hundred yuan, is that unreasonable?

I looked at him in astonishment.

No detention anymore?

He switched off his law enforcement body camera.

I will consider it as a moment of agitation when your emotional state was unstable.

But I did it intentionally.

He let out a long sigh.

Next time you encounter such a situation, find an empty place and scream a few times, but do not destroy public property.

I lowered my head in shame and softly murmured a thank you. When I stepped out of the traffic police detachment, night had already fallen. The streetlights cast my shadow long, lonely, and bitterly cold. Yet, my heart felt remarkably steady. Finally, I had brought the truth into the light, even if through the most wretched means. My phone rang; it was my mother.

Vivian, mother saw the news, that school bus belonged to your kindergarten, right? You were not the driver who caused the accident, were you?

Living through a second lifetime, hearing my mother voice once more made the bridge of my nose sting with suppressed tears.

Mother, it was not me. It was a teacher from our kindergarten, and the police have already detained her.

My mother clearly let out a sigh of relief.

Oh heavens, then as the principal you have to step forward and handle things, right? Can you manage it? Where is your husband? Is he by your side? With such a massive incident, the two of you need to discuss it together.

I let out a gentle sigh.

Mother, he has been detained as well.

My mother froze, her voice changing instantly.

How could that be? Why would they detain him?

I recounted the entire sequence of events to her. My mother was so furious on the other end of the line that she cursed Chen Xiao from head to toe. After raging for a while, her voice choked up.

Vivian, you have suffered so much, and mother had no idea... Just wait, your father and I will come right over to back you up.

At midnight, the moment I returned home, the doorbell rang. Opening the door, I found my parents, separated from me by two lifetimes. My mother eyes were swollen red like bruised peaches, and she pulled me tightly into her arms.

Vivian, my daughter, mother is late...

I collapsed against her shoulder, and the tears I had held back finally spilled over. My father stood beside her, his eye sockets similarly red. He patted my shoulder without a word. But I knew that as long as he was there, he was my immovable pillar of support. Once inside, I said, Mother, I want a divorce. My mother gritted her teeth and declared, Divorce, absolutely divorce. Are we keeping this trash of a man to celebrate the new year with? Tomorrow I will go with you to find a lawyer, and I will make sure he leaves without a single sheet of paper to his name. The following day, I filed for property division with the court, even earlier than Chen Xiao had done in my previous life. Chen Xiao and Liao Qingqing also hired lawyers, agreeing to compensation, and Liao Qingqing was willing to bear criminal responsibility. However, they wanted me to sign a settlement letter promising not to pursue charges regarding their evidence fabrication and frame-up against me. I refused. The lawyer warned that if I did not sign the settlement letter, Chen Xiao penalty would be harsher, potentially facing over three years in prison. He urged me to show mercy and settle for the sake of our past marriage. Settle? I let out a cold laugh.

Past marriage? When he pushed me toward my death, did he ever consider these four words?

The lawyer left empty-handed. Three months later, the verdict was delivered. Liao Qingqing was sentenced to life imprisonment, which could be considered a severe punishment. Alongside a civil compensation of three million seven hundred thousand yuan, an amount she could never pay off even if she bankrupted herself. In this lifetime, it was her parents turn to sell their house to pay off her debts while enduring the scorn of internet users. Because of evidence fabrication, malicious accusation, and multiple combined offenses, Chen Xiao was sentenced to five years in prison. On the day of the sentencing, he stood in the defendant dock, his hair disheveled, stubble covering his face, his eyes devoid of any lingering ambition from the past. Before the court bailiffs escorted him away, he turned his head to look at me, his voice carrying a plea I had never heard before.

Vivian, five years will pass quickly, can you wait for me?

I am ruined, I only have you left, you cannot abandon me...

I smiled.

Wait for you?

I looked at him calmly, my voice not loud, but every word clear and distinct.

Chen Xiao, if the person going to prison today were me, would you have waited for me?

His mouth opened.

I...

You would not. The divorce papers will be sent to you shortly; I wish you a pleasant life in prison.

With that, I turned and walked out of the courtroom. Behind me echoed his hoarse, desperate roar.

Vivian, wife, I was wrong, please forgive me, do not leave me behind.

Lin Vivian, you cannot treat me this way...

I did not look back, striding out of the courthouse. The warm, pleasant sunlight fell upon my shoulders. I raised my head to look at the sky, feeling for the very first time how effortless breathing could be. There was no more despair or terror from my past life, no more betrayal from Chen Xiao and scheming from Liao Qingqing. From this moment onward, my life was a smooth, wide-open road. And as for certain people, they would ultimately have to spend the rest of their lives paying the price for their own mistakes.