When I discovered that my boyfriend, Joe, was being secretly filmed with hidden surveillance cameras, I immediately called the police.
The culprit turned out to be his secretary, Lisa. The news spread quickly within the company.
Unable to withstand the company's gossip, Lisa left a suicide note and jumped off a building.
Every line in the suicide note was seemingly filled with deep love for Joe. People were brought to tears by it, but Joe didn't even glance at the note before throwing it straight into the trash.
Later on, Joe and I got married and he successfully inherited his family's business, becoming an influential figure in the city. Our wedding proceeded as planned.
After our wedding, Joe forced me to put on Lisa's clothes, wear a mask that he had specifically commissioned to resemble Lisa's face, and then tormented me night after night.
"What wrong did Lisa do? She was just too in love with me, so much so that she couldn't extricate herself. What's wrong with loving someone?"
Only then did I realize that he had fallen in love with his female secretary long ago.
"Joe, you..."
"Shut up."
"Now, I'll let you experience first hand what Lisa went through."
My mouth was instantly covered with duct tape by Joe and he drove me up to the top of a mountain.
I was brutally dragged out of the car by him, and then he ripped off the tape from my mouth.
"Help! Help... help..."
"Go ahead and scream. Even if you lose your voice, there's no one here to hear you. Ha-ha..."
He's crazy, Joe must have gone insane. Fearfully insane, he intends to kill me.
"You must be terrified, aren't you? In a moment, I'm going to push you off here. Lisa must have been scared too."
The next second, his gaze suddenly became focused, full of disgust and disdain for me, as well as slowly building hatred.
"It's all your fault, why are you meddling in things, why did you call the police? It was you. You were the one who caused Lisa's death."
"What did she do wrong? She just loved me too much, wanted to know everything about me too eagerly."
"What's wrong with loving someone?"
"You deserve to die. You were the one who killed her, you have to pay with your life."
Next thing I knew, I was pushed off from the mountain top.
Ding dong-
Woken up by the doorbell, I realized that I was just dreaming. I dreamt about my past life.
I rubbed my temples with both hands, trying to clear my mind a bit, and then put on clothes to answer the door.
"Hannah, why wasn't anyone answering your phone? I called you several times and couldn't get through, so I came over."
"Mrs. Griffin, I'm sorry, I probably silenced it, I was asleep and didn't hear it."
"Did you come over so late because of an emergency? Please come in and have a seat."
"No, Hannah, I came to ask for your help. Recently, Joe's mental health doesn't seem well, he's always drinking at home, can you go to see him? Right now, you're the only one whose words he'll listen to."
"Joe hasn't slept for several days now. I heard he's being hounded by a female secretary who just won't leave him alone. She knows too many company secrets."
I silently scoffed to myself. Really now? Then I replied very earnestly.
"Alright, I'll go to him right away. Just wait for me, I need to change my clothes and then we can go together."
Shortly after, I changed my clothes and accompanied Joe's mother to the Griffin family.
They say Joe has been locking himself in his room and has not come out.
I went upstairs and knocked on his door.
Upon seeing me, Joe looked pitiful and seemed like he was asking for a comforting hug.
"Hannah."
A grown man shedding tears in front of me. If I were living in the past life, I would have instantly felt sorry for him.
"Do you know? My female secretary has been stalking me crazily. Everywhere I go, she follows. I can't shake her off because she knows too many company secrets. There isn't a company without skeletons in the closet, so I'm afraid I can't fire her, afraid she'll seek revenge."
"But now, she's rampantly chasing after me, constantly sending me gifts and stalking me. She's relentlessly pursuing me."
"Oh, is that so? What kind of gifts has she sent you?"
I feigned curiosity in my question.
"How should I know? As soon as I realize it’s from her, I throw everything into the trash."
Really now, straight into the trash? In my previous lifetime, I remember all the things Lisa gave him, including all the things she used, wound up in the storage room of his villa's attic. It was full of his memories and mementos of Lisa.
"Given this, I believe we should perhaps call the police..."
"No, absolutely not."
I had barely finished speaking when Joe nervously interrupted me.
I feigned a look of confusion.
"Why not? Wouldn't it be better to let the police handle it?"
"Eric already reported it, but the police couldn't do much because no substantial harm was caused. It was left for us to educate and communicate. Moreover, she knows some dirty secrets about the company. I'm afraid if she goes desperate, she would spill the beans and destroy me and the company."
Surprisingly, I had once sincerely believed his mediocre performance in my previous lifetime and even thought it was for the sake of the company and Joe. I foolishly chose to believe in his plans.
Seeing me silent, Joe suddenly embraced me tightly in his arms. "Hannah, I'm sorry for making you worried. Rest assured, I will figure out a way to handle the situation with Lisa. I just hope you don't misinterpret it. Whatever happens, always believe in me. In this lifetime, I only love you and only you can be my wife."
After hearing that, I found this man truly disgusting, but I still pretended to be moved.
"That's okay. We have been through so much together, I will always trust you."
He softly patted my back, pulling me closer into his embrace, and whispered, "Hannah, I'll always treat you well. We will get better and better."
A promise of always treating me well had been Joe's vow since we were kids. We were childhood sweethearts. He was adopted by my family as a child. I was born into an ordinary family, while Joe came from a complicated and powerful family. For his safe upbringing, he was sent to live in our house. When he grew up, he returned to his family.
He always used to tell me that he would marry me when we grow up. He always wanted me to be his wife, and not interested in anyone else.
I foolishly believed that I would always have a happily ever after with my childhood sweetheart. But life's realities brought me down to earth.
After Joe went back to his family, he started working in his father's company. Due to his diligence and effort, he quickly took up his father's position and became the president of a subsidiary company.
Ever since Joe assumed the position of CEO, beauties started to flock around him willingly. Among them was Lisa, who was Joe's secretary at the time.
The two of them worked together day in and out, which led to feelings developing over time. Joe had several secretaries, but Lisa was different. Besides scheduling Joe's work, she also took care of his daily life.
At first, Lisa vied for Joe's attention by ensuring she appeared frequently in his line of sight at the office. Eventually, she confessed her love to Joe outright. Seeing that Joe didn't reject her, she grew ecstatic and began to remain inseparable from Joe at work and in daily life.
When Joe finished work, she would personally drive him home. During this period, even Joe's chauffeur was consistently idle. Lisa excused her actions as business trips with Joe to meet clients and took the opportunity to drive him home at the same time.
After dropping off Joe, Lisa would park her car at a short distance and watch the light in Joe's room. Sometimes, she even spent the whole night in her car, waiting to pick Joe up for work the next day.
One clear morning, I brought breakfast, wanting to surprise Joe. To my shock, I spotted a deep hickey on Joe's neck and we had a major argument because of it. Joe, who seemed utterly wronged, claimed he had no idea how it had happened.
Upon investigation, I found out that Lisa had used a duplicate key, snuck into Joe's house while he was drunk and unconscious, and secretly spent the night in his bed. She slipped out quietly before he woke up.
After learning the truth, I felt that Joe was innocent and apologized to him, intending to call the police next. Joe stopped me, claiming he would handle it and that scandals about personal life should not go public.
After Joe left for work, I hired professionals to change the locks at home. I also had the house thoroughly inspected, only to find out there were over a dozen surveillance cameras installed, even five or six in the bedroom. Horrified, I called the police without telling Joe.
When the police arrived, they eventually traced the plot back to the person behind it all—Lisa.
Later, this matter became widely known. Lisa could no longer face working at the company, and ultimately chose to commit suicide by jumping from the top floor of the company building. She left one last message in her Moment: In the next life, let's meet earlier and stay together forever. My love for you will last forever and ever.
The moment Joe heard of Lisa's suicide jump, he stood motionless for a long time.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" I intentionally called out to him.
Awakened from his trance, I caught a glimpse of a tear in his eye. Then he laughed suddenly, albeit somewhat unnaturally.
"It's just so sudden, I am just too surprised, too happy. I don't have to worry about her harassing me anymore. I finally feel relieved.”
Eventually, Joe and I got married smoothly. Fortune tellers all say that I bring good luck to my husband. Indeed, after our marriage, Joe's career skyrocketed. He made the branch company grow bigger, almost comparable to the headquarters. You should know that in the large Griffin family, the ones who will eventually be chosen to take over the president's position at the headquarters are those with the best skills. The achievements of Joe made him a successful candidate.
Joe became busier and busier, while I, since our marriage, started to be a stay-at-home wife under his sweet talk.
One day, while looking for something, I accidentally opened the attic storage room, and was shocked by what I saw.
The storage room was packed with possessions that Lisa used to own, along with meticulously wrapped gift boxes she had given to Joe. Their intimate photos were plastered all over the walls. It seemed like they had been to many places together.
At that moment, I was frozen in place, unable to believe what I was seeing.
Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and fiercely gripped my neck. Then a voice, like that of a demon, whispered into my ear:
"It seems like you have found out eventually."
Choked and gasping for breath, I struggled with all my strength.
"It's all your fault, you are the one who caused the death of Lisa."
After that, he dismissed all the servants at home, assigned bodyguards to watch over me 24/7. Not to protect me, but to prevent me from escaping.
He confiscated my cellphone, cutting off all means of contact with the outside world.
Since then, he forced me to wear Lisa's clothes and continued to torment me night after night.
The man who once promised to love and protect me for the rest of his life, at this moment, became a devil.
Until the first anniversary of Lisa's death, he forced me to kneel before her memorial tablet, held my head down, and compelled me to apologize to her.
My forehead bled from the harsh kowtowing. At that moment, I sincerely wished for death.
"How does it feel? Very painful, right? Lisa must have also felt the same kind of pain."
"It's all because of you, you're the reason she's dead."
"Don't be afraid, later, I'll send you to accompany my dear Lisa."
Joe gripped my hair, yanking my head up.
My head ached terribly, and before I could react, I was dragged into a car parked at the door.
Joe drove me to the top of a mountain.
"Go, go and make amends to Lisa."
Upon saying this, Joe shoved me off the mountain.
I met my end filled with fear and helplessness.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back to the moment when I discovered the secret affair between Joe and Lisa.
Given that destiny has bestowed upon me a second chance at life, I could not possibly let this adulterous couple off the hook again.
In the evening, I was packing my bags at home, telling Joe that I was going for a business trip. I have my own job - an editor at a magazine company.
In my previous life, I had been deceived by Joe into quitting my job and becoming a full-time housewife. In this life, there is no way I will become a housewife again.
When Joe saw me off at the door, he was reluctant to part.
"What's so important about work that you're this busy, and even have to leave on a business trip, leaving no time to accompany me?"
Joe murmured softly into my ear.
"Be good, when I return from my business trip, I'll surely spend time with you," I pretended to gently console this man.
Joe offered to drive me to the airport, but I refused.
"No need, the company has arranged for a driver. You should go home early and rest,"
I pointed to the business car parked not far away and walked towards it. After Joe saw me off, he watched the car drive away and then turned to go into the house.
From the rear-view mirror, I saw him making a phone call the moment he entered the house.
I asked the driver to go back first. I could drive myself.
In actual fact, my business trip was tomorrow. Leaving a day early naturally had a purpose.
I drove the car to a corner and stopped. From this position, I could clearly see everything inside the villa.
Just as I expected, not long after, I saw a woman in a red dress and a baseball cap confidently walk into the villa.
Despite her disguise, I instantly recognized her—it was Lisa.
They had been together, just as I'd suspected.
I parked the car near the villa and patiently waited at the door. When I estimated the time to be right, I went straight home with my keys.
I headed upstairs and opened the bedroom door.
Surprisingly, there was no one there.
Sounds of water pouring in the bathroom reached my ears.
"Joe, are you in there?"
I tried to open the bathroom door, but it was locked from the inside. I knocked on the door and called out repeatedly, yet received no response.
Pretending to be anxious, I blurted out, "I hope nothing bad has happened to Joe. Has he fainted inside? Maybe I should call the police."
No sooner had I finished speaking than the door flew open. Joe, wrapped in a bath towel, emerged, hurriedly closing the bathroom door behind her.
Seeing me return unexpectedly, Joe was clearly nervy.
A fleeting hint of unease crossed his eyes, but it was soon replaced with a mask of composure.
"Why are you back so soon? Is something wrong? Weren't you supposed to be on a business trip?"
"I realized halfway that I lost my ID card, I'm going to go back and look for it."
"Why can't an adult like you wear a bathrobe properly?" I reached out to help Joe adjust his robe. Obviously, he was so nervous earlier that he rushed out without dressing properly.
I could plainly see the prominent kiss marks on his neck. No guesswork needed — I knew exactly what the pair of lovebirds had been doing in there. These marks were glaring, like a challenge thrown my way.
I pretended not to see, unwilling to accept the challenge.
By now, I could almost envision Lisa's smug face hidden in the bathroom; she probably thought she successfully snatched my husband.
Unfortunately, he's just a scumbag.
"I heard you calling me and came out in a rush. That's why I didn't dress properly."
"Do you remember where you left your ID?" Joe was trying to get me out of the bathroom with his grip.
I languidly sat on the bed, shaking my head at him helplessly, as if clueless.
"I don't know either."
Joe seemed more worried than me at this point.
"What do we do now? If we can't find it, we might miss the flight."
I also played the helpless card.
"Could it be in the car? Wait for me, I'll get dressed and help you look."
Joe quickly grabbed a set of clothes from the wardrobe and briskly retreated into the bathroom, again locking the door behind him.
I watched the restless figure in the bathroom and my eyes gradually grew colder.
After about ten minutes, Joe finally came out of the restroom. And once again, he anxiously closed the door tight.
I playfully said, "What's the matter? Is there a woman hidden in the bathroom? You closed it so tightly."
Joe was obviously startled by my question, his face instantly turned pale. He yelled out nervously, "How could I possibly hide a woman!"
His own loud voice startled him. Presumably, he was too nervous and immediately started to explain.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Aside from you, who else could be a woman in this room? I just took a shower and the floor is all wet, there's also steam inside. I'm worried if the humidity is too high, the steam will come out."
"I was only joking, you don't have to be so nervous."
After hearing my words, he finally relaxed.
"Hannah, only you are in my heart, I love only you. Rest assured, only you can be my one and only wife."
What sweet nothings from a scumbag.
However, I wasn't ready to expose this pair of adulterers yet, so I had to continue acting.
"I know, I've always believed in you," I said while cuddling into Joe's arms, acting the part of a delicate wife.
If I didn't believe, how could I have had a secret love affair with you in my past life for more than a decade, unannounced? Just to allow you to focus single-heartedly on your career, I became a full-time housewife at home, giving you the opportunity to flirt with your female secretary.
Also, because I believed you, I was duped by your lies, and finally after we got married, I was imprisoned by you, and even spectacularly died at your hands.
All of this, wasn't it all because I trusted you too much in my past life?
"Alright, let's go look for your ID first."
Joe rushed to lead me out.
I knew, he wasn't in a hurry to find my ID, but he was eager to get me out of this bedroom.
As he pulled me along, we neared the door, I glanced back at the bathroom. Vaguely, I could sense from there, a pair of eyes belonging to Lisa glaring at me, filled with defiance.
Joe led me to the underground garage, rifling around in the car, but to no avail. My ID was not to be found.
"Hannah, think again, where could it be?"
I looked at Joe, a blank and ignorant expression on my face, "I don't know, I really don't know."
"Right. It might be at the office."
I suggested that Joe should check my workplace.
Joe drove to my office while I told him I would check at my own company too. Then, I drove straight home.
Prior to my marriage with Joe, I had my own cozy hideaway. Occasionally, I would reside there for several days.
Once home, I switched off my phone and went to sleep directly, sleeping soundly into the daylight.
The next morning, when I woke up and switched on my phone, I saw dozens of missed calls from Joe. Judging from the time of the missed calls, I presumed he had been up all night.
I tried to return his calls, but his line was continuously busy. It seemed like he had blocked me.
However, I didn't care. Because in this second life, I knew he was a jerk and getting upset over him was not worth it.
I cleaned up and got out of bed, then drove to work at the magazine company.
While I was engrossed in writing my manuscript, I heard a mournful moan from a colleague who was idling around during work hours.
"Oh my god, the entrepreneur that I admire so much has encountered a setback."
"What's going on? Why did the people I admire so much experience a downfall? Am I jinxed?"
The colleague was muttering to herself next to me.
"Do you think, given your situation, that our boss will experience the same downfall and go bankrupt? We will all lose our jobs then."
My colleague still looks upset, "I thought the people I admire were already powerful enough, so why did they face such a downfall? These are the rising young entrepreneurs in recent years."
"Who?"
If it was about a celebrity, I wouldn't have shown much interest. But a world entrepreneur? I couldn't help but ask.
"Who else could it be? It's Joe. But you may not know her."
Hearing the name Joe, I couldn't help but sneer.
"Uh huh."
I silently opened Twitter, checked today's hot search, and at the fifth place on the hot search list was:
#Mr. Griffin's midnight rendezvous with girlfriend#
Below was a video clip of two people arguing intensely at the door of Joe's villa. The person filming the video was too far away to hear specifics. Then suddenly, the two embraced and started kissing, which lasted for a full ten minutes.
After reading the comments below, I saw that those who were infatuated with Joe feel upset. Their idol now has a partner, and there were also people requesting a statement.
There were even fans who started quarrelling directly in the comment section.
After watching for a while, I found it rather amusing. I couldn't help but laugh and closed Twitter.
After all, the person being photographed wasn't me; it seems to have nothing to do with me.
After work, I went home and pretended to know nothing.
As soon as I entered the door, Joe came forward and hugged me.
"Hannah, where did you go last night? I have been looking for you all night, I was worried."
Upon hearing this, I really wanted to vomit. Does his definition of "looking for me all night" equate to messing around with his female secretary at the doorstep? Truly shameless.
However, following his script, I must continue playing along.
"I'm sorry, I found my identity card when I came home yesterday, but missed my flight and hence didn't go on the business trip. Because it was too late, I was tired and fell asleep at home, and my phone ran out of battery and shut down."
"I'm sorry to have worried you."
He believes I am unaware that he had blocked my number last night.
"As long as you are okay, I was worried sick about you and couldn't sleep all night."
Joe put up an extremely concerned facade. This version of him made me feel especially disgusted.
"Is that so? Did anything happen?" I can follow up on his comments.
But to my surprise, he ended up twisting the truth and told me about what happened last night.
"Yesterday, I went to my company to find your ID card, and happened to meet Maggie downstairs in the office. She helped me look for your ID in the office but we couldn't find it. I wanted to call you but couldn't get through. I was anxious and frustrated at the office, so I had a drink. Maggie was worried about me driving under the influence, so she took me home. When I got home and still couldn't reach you, I was very anxious, so I vented at Maggie. To my surprise, she even started crying after I scolded her. I comforted her a bit, and then she confessed her feelings to me and even forced a kiss on me."
"It was all my fault. I had a few drinks, and my reactions were slow. I didn't push her away in time, and just my luck, the paparazzi snapped a photo."
After listening to his twisted tale, I truly thought this man was disgusting.
"It’s not a big deal. Why didn't you let Maggie help you clarify the incident?" I said, pretending not to care.
"It’s useless. She won't come out and clarify. She says this will tarnish her reputation in the future, and unless she marries me, she fears no man will want her. So, I dismissed her first thing this morning to avoid her harassing me later."
Joe, you're truly disgusting, and deserve to rot in hell.
Joe's company is quite big, so I know he has five secretaries. I also know Maggie is a very hard-working girl. Her mother has been bedridden for many years, and she needs to work to pay for her treatment. Joe only paid her a salary of 500 a month. I spoke to Joe about this, and he increased her salary by 3,000. Maggie has always been diligent and meticulous in her work.
To put this big mess on this young girl's head, it's really disgusting and cruel.
"What should we do now?" I furrowed my brow, my face full of worry.
"I have a plan."
Joe held my hand.
"It's very simple. Just cooperate with me and believe me."
"Mhm" I nodded, my eyes filled with trust in Joe.
After I got back home, I tried calling Maggie, but no one picked up.
She must be very upset, not wanting to pay attention to us.
I sighed, felt very sorry for Maggie. After all, in the previous life, she was not fired by the company. But in this life, because I had changed the situation, she was dismissed.
Unable to connect to Maggie, I asked someone to transfer some money to her salary card as a way to express my apology. At least, this amount of money could temporarily cover the daily medical expenses of her mother.
After doing all these, I finally regained my consciousness, and my heart didn't feel as heavy anymore. I returned to my room, lay down to rest, and opened Twitter casually.
Sure enough, as I expected, Joe had issued a public statement on Twitter – the woman last night was me. He made our relationship public.
I couldn't help laughing. In the previous life, he concealed my identity as his fiancée because of Lisa. But in this life, in order to protect Lisa's woman, he took the initiative to disclose our relationship.
How ironic indeed!
But I must admit, this PR tactic was quite effective.
Joe quickly followed up with a thousand-word letter of love confession for me. The words were filled with love. If I didn't know through my previous life that it was he who took my life, I would really think that he genuinely loved me.
Very soon, my identity was revealed by netizens.
However, due to my good reputation, I was finally blessed and admired by netizens.
The stock of Joe's company soared as a result.
Joe's grandpa, Nick, was very happy and actively invited me and Joe to visit him.
With great joy, Joe took me to the old mansion. Nick was very satisfied with me and thought highly of Joe, intending to hand over the position to him. This made Joe very happy.
Seeing Joe's uncontrollable excitement, I gently curled my lip.
"The game has just begun, the higher you climb now, the more you'll know how terrible it is to tumble down later."
The next day, the door of the villa was knocked.
Lisa was standing at the door holding a large bouquet of lilies.
"Hannah, hello. I'm Joe's secretary. It was Joe who asked me to bring you flowers."
Holding the flowers in one hand, Lisa was using her other hand to roll the scarf around her neck, so that it was clearly visible.
I glanced at the scarf. It was something I had knit for Joe when I was in college, staying up all night for one week. At that time, Joe was so moved that he cherished it and did not let anyone else touch the scarf. But now, it was casually thrown around another woman's neck.
I simply smiled without saying a word.
Lisa seemed to understand my glance and began to explain nervously.
"Hannah, don't get me wrong, Joe said it was cold outside, so he lent me this scarf. You see, men's scarves are too long and this one keeps falling down, it's too big."
"Forget it, I won't wear it. It's not that cold."
Saying this, Lisa removed the scarf from her neck.
The hickey on her neck was clearly visible.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, she started stuttering:
She quickly used one hand to cover it.
"I am so embarrassed, Hannah. Please don't misunderstand. This has nothing to do with Joe, it was all done by my boyfriend. This was not right, but he insists, claiming it proves how much he loves me."
How can the hickeys on her neck be covered by one hand? Seems like the two of them had quite an intense night.
This is a stark provocation.
Seems like this woman can no longer contain herself and is preparing to seize my position.
