Chapter 10 — My Husband Brought His Ex Home

I never thought I would call the police.

I never thought I would preserve the evidence.

I never thought his mother would shove my late mother’s earrings into Xiao Hui’s handbag.

My words drained every drop of color from his face, leaving it a sickly, ashen gray.

We were husband and wife once, after all.

I looked straight at him and said, Therefore, I am affording you this final shred of dignity.

Clear out tomorrow.

The day after tomorrow, we will discuss the divorce.

His eyes were bloodshot.

What if I refuse to leave?

I met his gaze with absolute calmness.

Then I will apply for a personal safety protection order, change the locks, and file for divorce through the courts.

Go ahead and try me.

He clenched his fists so tightly they trembled, but in the end, he did not dare to block my path again. It was already nearly two o'clock in the morning by the time I reached the residential complex. The estate manager was waiting for me personally at the entrance. He informed me that all visitor access authorizations not directly initiated by me had been frozen, and he had already contacted a locksmith to replace all the door locks first thing tomorrow morning. When I suggested we change the temporary passcode for tonight, the manager nodded and accompanied me upstairs. As the elevator reached the eighteenth floor and the doors slid open, my footsteps abruptly halted. Someone was standing right outside my front door. It was not Hao. It was my father. He wore an old jacket, carrying a thermal food container in his hand, his eyes red and swollen as he looked at me.

Xia.

I saw the photo you sent.

Did those people bully you?

Before I could utter a word, a faint rustling sound suddenly drifted from the stairwell behind us. The manager immediately swept his flashlight beam across the dark space. A flash of white fabric emerged from the gap in the fire escape door. Xiao Hui was still here.

10

The beam of the manager’s flashlight cut through the gloom, and the figure in the stairwell instantly shrank back. My father set the thermal container down on the ground, his first instinct to step protectively in front of me. His voice dropped into a stern register.

Who is there?

Xiao Hui slowly stepped out from behind the door. Her face was still streaked with tears, her white dress rumpled and creased. She no longer held the dog in her arms; she only wore that small handbag. When she caught sight of my father, panic flickered across her face.

Sir, I am not a bad person.

My father did not even look at her. He turned his head back to me.

Is this her?

I nodded.

Hao’s first love.

The color drained entirely from my father’s face. It was not a pallor born of fear, but of a cold, towering rage. He glared at Xiao Hui.

Why on earth were you skulking around my daughter’s doorway in the middle of the night?

Xiao Hui instantly shifted her tearful gaze to me.

Xia, I just wanted to apologize to you.

There was such a profound misunderstanding at the police station.

I was afraid you would actually hire a lawyer tomorrow, so I wanted to come and explain everything directly.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

And your way of explaining was to skulk in the stairwell?

Xiao Hui bit her lip.

I was afraid you wouldn't be willing to see me.

The estate manager frowned deeply.

Miss, your visitor privileges have already been revoked.

How on earth did you get up here?

Xiao Hui avoided his gaze.

I just slipped into the elevator behind someone else a moment ago.

The manager’s expression darkened instantly.

You tailgated a resident into the building?

This is a severe violation of our residential management regulations.

Panic surged in Xiao Hui’s voice.

I didn't mean any harm.

I honestly just wanted to retrieve my luggage.

I looked down at her empty hands.

Your luggage is at the police station.

You have come to the wrong place.

Her face stiffened. Finally, my father could no longer contain his fury.

Young woman, did your parents never teach you any manners?

When a person is married and has established a household, you do not slither into the cracks of their doorway.

Tears welled up instantly in Xiao Hui’s eyes.

Sir, you cannot speak to me like that.

A Hao and I have been friends for many years.

When I returned to the country, I truly had nowhere else to go.

I had no idea Xia would take it this hard.

My father let out a harsh, furious laugh.

She took it hard?

This apartment was purchased by me for my daughter. I never consented to let you through this door, I never consented to let your dog trample her floors, and I never consented to let your hands rifle through her drawers.

And now you claim she took it hard?

Her face flicked between shades of crimson and white under his verbal lash. Suddenly, with a dull thud, she sank to her knees. The manager jumped in surprise. My father froze as well. Kneeling on the cold floor, Xiao Hui wept so violently that her shoulders shook uncontrollably.

Xia, I am begging you.

I won't stay at your place anymore.

I won't take anything of yours either.

Can you please just drop the charges against Lan Chi?

She is elderly, and she was truly only acting out of pity for me.

I looked down at her with icy detachment.

Did you come here tonight to plead on behalf of Lan Chi?

She raised her head to look at me, her eyes brimming with water.

A Hao is completely falling apart right now.

You two were husband and wife, after all.

If you push him this far, he won't be able to bear it.

My father whipped his head around to look at me. In that single instant, he seemed to fully comprehend the depth of how this family had mistreated me. The red in his eyes deepened into a fierce glare.

Xia, tell me the truth.

Has Hao always treated you like this?

Before I could answer, a crisp chime echoed through the hallway. The elevator doors slid open. Hao bolted out from inside. Seeing Xiao Hui kneeling on the ground, and then catching sight of my father, he froze completely in his tracks.

Father.

My father looked at him with chilling coldness.

Do not call me father.