Chapter 161

At first, my expression twisted with anger, but then I calmed down. Things were unfolding exactly as I had expected.

Just yesterday, Jared swore there was nothing between them. He lied.

I was no fool. I planned to pretend ignorance for now and reveal the truth when the time was right.

“Victoria, what are you looking at?” Melissa waved her hand in front of my face.

I snapped out of it. I decided to keep this to myself for now and watch how things played out.

“Nothing, just work stuff,” I said, putting my phone away and chatting with Melissa a little longer.

Melissa suddenly looked at me with concern. “Victoria, I told you last time to hold off on divorce and try to win Jared’s favor first, but I heard about a case recently that scared me.”

I looked up at her. “What case?”

Melissa lowered her head, clearly saddened by the story. “A middle-aged woman got beaten by her husband because she wouldn’t divorce. At court, she found out he had transferred assets and left her with over 300 thousand dollars in debt.”

I felt sad as well. “Women are so powerless in marriage. If her husband is a bastard, she’s got to save herself.”

“That’s not my main point,” Melissa looked up at me, worried. “When I talked about this case with colleagues, some of the men said once a man falls for another woman, he sees his ex-wife as an obstacle. They don’t just want a divorce. They might even want to harm their wives. To prove how much they love their mistresses, men could go as far as killing their wives.”

My heart tightened sharply. I wondered if any man could really be that cruel.

People said that when a man hit it big, the first thing he did was dump his wife. It was like a blind guy who suddenly got his sight back and threw away the cane he had used for years.

“Are you worried that if I refuse to divorce, Jared might hurt me?” I was grateful Melissa was willing to discuss this. We all liked to bring positive energy to those around us, but only true friends warned us of lurking dangers.

Melissa shook her head. “Not necessarily, but there’s always a chance. Jared doesn’t seem like that kind of man, and he wouldn’t be stingy with money. After all, he’s not just some regular guy struggling to get by.”

“Thanks for telling me all this. I’ll think it over.” I nodded and went to settle the bill.

Melissa invited me to visit a nearby attraction next time, and I agreed.

On the way home, I felt all mixed up inside. What Melissa said really hit me hard. If a guy cheated just for sex, he would usually come back. However, if he had fallen for someone else, things would be more complicated.

I wasn’t sure if Jared loved Tracy or if it was just physical, but either way, she was pregnant, and the baby was definitely his. That was enough leverage for me to push him into divorce and get my share.

I wondered if Tracy would abort the child again this time, just to please Yvonne.

A vicious thought struck me. In my previous life, Tracy had an abortion without Jared knowing, leaving him both guilty and heartbroken, and he had compensated her handsomely.

Yvonne believed Tracy was a good person and did whatever she said, seeing her as a mom.

This time, I planned to stop her from aborting and make Jared stay by her side. I wanted to see if Yvonne would still trust her.

I had already made up my mind. Yvonne was still young, but when she grew up, she would realize what she had lost. By that time, I wouldn't be anymore.