Chapter 15: Betrayal
The mirror beside her was already somewhat blurred, its frame chipped. It reflected her face—tired yet resilient.
She had no proper dressing table, and those exquisite cosmetics were unattainable luxuries.
Daphne Finney was not indifferent to beauty, but the burdens of life left her no time for such external adornments.
Then her eyes fell upon the shoe cabinet by the door, a sight that always left her with a sense of helplessness.
The cabinet was packed with her brother-in-law’s collection of formal leather shoes—sleek black business shoes and slightly casual brown ones—an array of polished elegance.
Yet, her space was squeezed into near nonexistence, let alone a spot for any alluring high heels.
She could only wear her worn-out flats and stand quietly in the corner for the occasional event.
Oh, she did have one pair of heels, a gift from her sister on her eighteenth birthday.
But just yesterday, while running after a bus, the heel snapped.
Living such a simple and frugal life never really bothered Daphne Finney.
In her heart, she harbored one firm dream—to save up and buy a place of her own, a true home where she wouldn’t feel unwelcome or at risk of being thrown out.
Looking at the suitcase that couldn’t even hold all her belongings, a flicker of hesitation flashed in her eyes.
Then, she picked up the bank card and farewell letter from the table and put them back away.
That bank card contained the savings she had painstakingly accumulated over the years. It wasn’t much, but every cent represented her hard work.
As for the farewell letter, every word carried guilt and longing for her sister. She had initially thought that if she left quietly, her sister might understand her struggles upon reading it.
But then she hesitated. What if her brother-in-law found it first instead of her sister? He might never let her see it.
Worse still, knowing her sister’s sensitive and kind nature, she might mistakenly believe Daphne was planning something drastic. That would be terrible.
Daphne instinctively looked up at the clock on the wall.
The hour hand slowly pointed to 4:30, and the sky was growing dim outside.
She knew her sister would be back soon, groceries in hand. Meanwhile, her mind was in turmoil over how to tell her sister that, just this morning, she had recklessly married a stranger.
It had all happened so suddenly, like a dream, leaving her still dazed.
As she stood there, torn with indecision, voices outside the door shattered the silence.
“Darling, today is my birthday. Don’t forget what you promised me.”
A sultry, coquettish voice purred outside, as seductive as a nightingale’s song, slipping through the door’s crevice, tinged with anticipation.
Daphne’s heart clenched. She instinctively reached for the door handle, about to pull it open, when she heard a voice all too familiar.
“Relax, Judy, baby. I’ve had your gift prepared since this morning.”
“Now go upstairs, take a nice bath, and wait for me in bed. Who knows? By the time you’ve slipped into your stockings, I might already be there.”
His voice had an unmistakable hunger, an eagerness that betrayed his impatience for the impending rendezvous.
“Alright then. Kiss me now. Press me against the wall and kiss me.”
Daphne’s hand, resting on the door panel, recoiled as if electrocuted. Her heart pounded wildly, her mind buzzing.
That woman’s voice was not her sister’s!
Her sister’s voice was always gentle yet weary, laced with concern for family. But this voice—sultry, flirtatious—belonged to a stranger.
Judy.
She had heard that name before.
Her brother-in-law had mentioned her once, saying she worked in his company’s finance department.
His eyes had an odd glint at the time, but Daphne had thought nothing of it.
But now, listening to the intimate exchange outside the door, recalling his past behaviors, the truth dawned on her.
From his words, Judy’s apartment was upstairs in the same building.
Daphne’s mind flashed back to when her brother-in-law had purchased this apartment complex.
He had boasted to her sister about buying all four floors and claimed he was renting the upper units to college students to help with household expenses.
Her sister, always kind and trusting, had accepted his explanation without question, even thinking it was good to support young people.
But now, the truth was clear.
There was no college student upstairs—just his mistress!
Rage surged within Daphne as she thought of her sister’s undeserved loyalty and suffering.
She wasted no time, quickly bending down and carefully dragging her suitcase back into her room, keeping quiet not to alert the pair outside.
Then, she hurried to her sister’s room, stepping lightly, wincing at the faint creak of the floorboards beneath her feet.
Once inside, she went straight to her brother-in-law’s bedside table, took a deep breath, and pulled open the drawer.
As expected, there was a delicate jewelry box inside.
She flipped it open and found a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, its radiant shimmer in the dim light silently proclaiming its exorbitant price.
Daphne’s heart tightened. She knew this must be the birthday gift for that woman.
Hah! No way was she going to let those scumbags have it so quickly!
With shaking hands, she snatched the necklace from the box and stuffed it into her pocket.
But after taking it, she realized she had nothing to replace it with. If her brother-in-law returned to find the necklace missing, he would surely suspect something, and her sister might suffer even more.
In her desperation, her eyes landed on a pack of condoms in the drawer.
An idea struck her.
She tore one open with trembling fingers, poked tiny holes in it with a needle, then filled it with water before draining it completely.
Her heart pounded wildly throughout the process, and her ears stayed attuned to the noises outside.
Once done, she hastily placed the “doctored” condom inside the jewelry box, exhaled sharply, and scurried back to her room.
Closing the door behind her as quietly as possible, she pressed her back against it, holding her breath, ears straining for any sound.
Silence.
For now, at least.