Chapter 21
After breakfast, Jan, who''d promised to spend the day at home with me, received a call. He told me
there was some urgent business he needed to handle at the office, assuring me he''d be back soon,
then hurried off.
Oddly, hearing the word ''office'' from his lips left me deep in thought.
Jan, who''d promised to return soon, didn''te back untilte at night, when I heard his car drive
into the yard.
To my surprise, he came straight back to my room. As soon as he walked in, I was hit by the strong
smell of alcohol.
He leaned over me for a moment, then headed to the bathroom for a shower. Emerging damp, he
burrowed under the covers and was soon snoring loudly.
I opened my eyes and nced at him. He was turned away from me, lying far away. His familiar
silhouette seemed to be growing more distant, just like our physical distance on the bed.
I deliberately rolled over dramatically, causing the bed to shake. Facing his back, I softly called out to
him, but there was no response. He must have had quite a few drinks tonight.
I wondered what he was thinking, returning to my room again. Was he trying to avert suspicion after
But I couldn''t let this golden opportunity slip.
I quietly got out of bed, locked the door, and after observing his steady snores for a while, I mustered
up the courage to slowly walk over to his side of the bed and find his phone, and I put it on silent.
The phone was locked, so I quietly picked up his hand, unlocked the phone, returned to my side of the
bed, and began scrolling through his phone records.
In order to save time and out of fear he might wake up at any moment, I sent every call log, contact,
frequently interacted chat history, group chats, and messages directly to my new phone without
bothering to assess their value.
I checked his remote surveince app on his phone, but there weren''t many records, mostly of me
sleeping on the bed. Perhaps he''d be numb to these images, so he didn''t check the surveince
often.
There were only a few pictures of our children in his album, nothing worth noting.
And there were no revealing transactions in his PayPal ount.
After saving what I needed, I returned the phone to its original spot, but something felt off.
It was too clean. No signs of anything unusual.
I looked at Jan one more time, then quietly left the room and headed to the study.
Still no luck finding the key. Disappointed, I returned to the room and climbed back into bed.
The next day, Jan told me he had to go to Amethyst Acres to discuss a contract and would return
the following day.
I was secretly thrilled - fortune was on my side. But on the surface, I feigned reluctance, "Can''t you
"Honey, business is tough these days andpetition is fierce! I can''t avoid it, I''ll have to entertain their
manager tonight, have a few drinks, and who knows when I''ll be done? If I rush back, it''ll be midnight
by the time I get home and it''ll disturb your rest! Instead, I''ll visit other ces tomorrow!" Jan
offers better deals!"
"Haven''t thosepanies at Amethyst Acres always been working with us?" I asked. I was familiar
with the situation at Amethyst Acres, given that I''did the groundwork there.
"Sweetheart, you''ve been out of the market for a while. It''s a dog-eat-dog world out there, and our profit
margins are getting thinner!" He vented to me.
I didn''t respond, but suddenly asked him, "Honey, I can''t seem to find my phone. I need to call my
parents. I miss them."
"Let''s call them when I''m back! I don''t have time today, and I don''t want you to say something that
might worry them. After all, you haven''t called them for a while!" Then he got up and said, "I''m in a
rush, you get some rest! Just wait for me at home!"
Knowing he was stalling, I didn''t press further and let him leave. Once he was gone, I quickly
messaged Catherine, asking her to make arrangements for me to visit the hospital.
Catherine immediately replied, "Ok, I''ll get right on it! Wait for my message!"
Ten minutester, she texted, "All set, you can leave whenever you''re ready!"