I swear to the heavens, I wasn't laughing!
I rubbed my eyes hard and looked in the mirror again. There was nothing strange or eerie about my laugh.
It was just a foolish, big face, full of horror, which matched my current circumstances perfectly.
Could it be that I had seen things earlier?
My brother came over and patted me on the shoulder, "Don't space out. Just a moment ago, you were saying that your sister-in-law definitely wasn't that kind of person and that I was making a fuss over nothing. You should go explain yourself."
I came to my senses and turned to see Austin frantically giving me signals, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
That's when I felt embarrassed and walked over to Olivia with difficulty.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have listened to Austin's nonsense. I was probably just too concerned about you. Deep down, I know better than anyone that you're not that kind of person."
Julie scoffed coldly from the side.
Olivia bit her lip, her eyes brimming with tears. "Never mind, let's not dwell on it. You must be tired from rushing back from so far away."
I felt a pang of regret and gave her a light hug, but my heart felt hollow.
I was the one who had been suspecting Olivia of being unfaithful, despite a lack of evidence, while Austin had always believed in her upright character.
The truth is, I was the one who had been suspecting her.
I suspected that Olivia was having an affair, but I couldn't find any proof.
I had tried to probe her many times, but couldn't catch her in the act. So, I came up with a 'brilliant plan.'
I pretended to go on a business trip, and then asked Austin, who works at the same company as Olivia, to keep an eye on her. People tend to let their guard down and slip up when they're relaxed.
That way, I'd have a chance to get solid proof of her cheating.
Austin is an old friend of mine. He had been living abroad for many years and only recently returned to China, joining Olivia's company's tech department not long ago.
At that time, I had already started suspecting Olivia.
Since they didn't know each other before, I didn't let Austin know about our relationship. I asked him to help me keep tabs on Olivia's every move at the office.
I wanted to start by investigating Olivia's relationships with her colleagues first, since they are the ones who interact with her the most every day.
Austin stared at me for a while, and quickly told me that he didn't think Olivia was that kind of person.
"I feel like my sister-in-law is quite simple-minded. She's well-liked at the company, and both her superiors and colleagues trust her," he said.
"What does that prove? She's always been good at socializing, which makes it easier for her male colleagues to take advantage of her, doesn't it?" I dismissed his point.
Austin pondered seriously for a moment. "You can't really say that though. Your sister-in-law has a strong sense of boundaries. More importantly, she's almost completely down-to-earth. I haven't seen any career woman as plain as her since I came back to the country. It just doesn't seem like her."
I was a bit surprised by Austin's assessment of her. It had only been a few days, and Olivia had already built such a good image in the mind of this stranger.
I was annoyed, but I couldn't pinpoint why.
I asked Austin to keep observing her for a while longer, and I told him my plan.
"While I'm 'on a business trip,' please keep a close eye on her for me, thanks bro."
Austin was resigned but agreed to help me.
This time, he got back to me quickly.
On the phone, he solemnly told me that Olivia had changed completely since I left on my "business trip".
She started wearing makeup.
Every day, she went to work with a radiant energy, always in a great mood, sometimes even sitting there with a smile on her face.
Her entire demeanor was not that of a housewife left alone at home.
Rather, she seemed like a lovesick young girl in her late twenties.
Finally, Austin told me to brace myself, saying he had seen a man come to pick up Olivia after work. He followed them, and saw with his own eyes the two of them entering our residential complex.
I rushed over to "catch them in the act," only to find out that the "man" Austin mentioned was actually Julie, a tall, lanky woman standing at one meter eighty.
