Chapter 3 — My Husband and My Best Friend

Every single roar was accompanied by his agonized screams. Yun Chen’s face stiffened, and her entire body trembled uncontrollably. She cast a frantic glance behind her, then collapsed limply to the floor. Even so, she desperately clawed at the ground, trying to crawl away. In the span of a mere half hour, the triumphant complacency that had once graced her features had completely vanished, leaving behind only raw terror. It was the primal fear of death. Hotel staff quickly rushed to the scene. I pointed a trembling finger toward the inner room.

Murder... There has been a murder!

Yet no one dared to touch Xiao Xu, who was now covered from head to foot in blood. The security guards could only form a cautious perimeter around him. The dagger slipped from his grasp, clattering onto the floor. His bloodshot, murderous eyes locked onto Yun Chen. At that moment, Yun Chen was wearing only a black slip dress, curling herself into a tight ball as she shrank back, utterly terrified to meet his gaze.

Why?

Pain contorted Xiao Xu’s face, twisting his features into a grimace of agony. Yun Chen raised her head with a trembling shiver.

It was him... He forced me into this.

Damn it, I have eyes! It was clear as day that you were straddling him!

Wasn’t it the exact same thing last time? I should never have trusted you!

Did you actively seduce that other man too? And only when you found out he had no money did you deliberately use me to deal with him?

Xiao Xu’s emotional state was hovering on the precipice of collapse, deterring anyone present from stepping forward. Suddenly consumed by rage, he lunged forward, grabbed Yun Chen by the throat, and hoisted her bodily off the ground.

He is your best friend’s husband, yet you had the audacity to do something this vile.

Yun Chen! You have ruined everything! You’ve ruined it all!

Sir, please calm down!

Urged on repeatedly by the hotel manager, a security guard finally managed to choke out those words. Xiao Xu loosened his grip slightly, casting a desolate look at the guard.

Calm down? How in the hell do you expect me to calm down?

Do you even know who this woman is? She is my wife!

She was always crying out that she loved me the most, forcing me to work three jobs every day just so she could live a life of luxury and ease.

And what was the result? She mounted another man with more enthusiasm than anyone else.

His gaze was so terrifyingly devoid of sanity that the security guard dared not offer another word of persuasion. Regaining a shred of her composure, Yun Chen suddenly pointed a shaky finger straight at me.

It was her! Everything was Jiang Yi’s doing! She plotted this whole thing!

I gasped in shock. When Xiao Xu’s fierce gaze snapped onto me, the hairs all over my body stood on end.

Xiao Yun, what possible scheme could I have hatched against you?

Lin Xun is my husband. You were the one who claimed you were drunk and begged us to take you along.

I only asked Xiao Xu to come and take you home. I simply didn’t want to get a divorce from Lin Xun. I just loved him far too much.

You... Surely you don’t expect me to believe I could have forced you to buy clothes like these, or compelled you to wear them just to seduce my husband? What on earth would I stand to gain from that?

I pinched my thigh hard, letting hot tears instantly stream down my face. Then, looking back at Xiao Xu, my voice shook with feigned terror:

I genuinely didn’t know what else to do. If I had known it would come to this, I never would have called you here.

Xiao Yun always told me that you would listen to her no matter what, and that while you had brute physical strength, you were simple-minded.

Last time, you nearly killed someone on her account. You must have loved her deeply, didn't you? Please don’t be like this; she was just terribly infatuated with Lin Xun.

Jiang Yi, shut your mouth!

Panicked, Yun Chen scrambled forward to grab onto Xiao Xu’s arm.

Husband, you are the only one I truly love, I swear it!

Xiao Xu remained silent, fixing her with a dark, unfathomable stare that chilled the bone.

It’s the truth! Husband, I was wrong, I know I was wrong.

It was Jiang Yi! She was always whispering praises of Lin Xun right in front of me. Wasn’t she doing that on purpose?

I’m a victim in all of this too! She set me up!

Hearing the distant howl of police sirens echoing from outside, a profound sorrow washed over me. I wondered how Lin Xun was holding up. As soon as the police stepped inside, Yun Chen bolted toward them.

Him! He’s a murderer!

Yun Chen pointed a trembling hand at Xiao Xu. There was not a shred of love left in her eyes, only unadulterated fear. Xiao Xu finally realized with crushing clarity that she had never truly loved him at all. His eyes dimmed into an abyss of utter despair. He offered no resistance whatsoever as the officers moved in to apprehend him. The police entered the inner room, emerging moments later with grim expressions. My legs turned to jelly, and I slumped heavily onto the floor.

Officer, how is my husband?

Let the paramedics handle the scene first. Right now, his condition looks critical.

The police officer looked down at me with a heavy gaze full of sympathy. Tears flowed in unbroken streams down my cheeks. I forced myself to recall every painful, harrowing memory I possessed to ensure my grief appeared genuine. Once the ambulance arrived, Lin Xun was rushed to the hospital and wheeled straight into the intensive care unit. I waited outside the doors for four agonizing hours. When the doctor finally emerged, exhaustion weighed heavily across his face.

The patient’s condition has stabilized for now, but due to massive blood loss and a prolonged delay in treatment, there is a very high probability that he will never wake up again.

I thanked the doctor quietly before stepping into the sterile hospital room. Lin Xun lay completely motionless on the bed, his complexion ashen and devoid of life. Walking slowly to his side, I took his cold hand in mine, tracing the faint indentation where his wedding ring used to sit, and gently caressed it. For the past six months, he had stubbornly refused to wear it anymore.