Chapter 1

After my wife was assaulted, she became emotionally unstable and lost her appetite.

Even when I put aside work to focus entirely on her, she would only tell me to get lost.

Until one drunken night, my wife sent another woman to my bed.

"This way, neither of us can blame the other," she said.

I could only swallow my hurt feelings.

Little did I know, beneath this incident lay another layer of truth I was unaware of...

The hangover headache made me reach for my phone on the nightstand to check the time.

Then a hand helped me grab the phone. Someone was standing by the bed, staring at me ominously with bloodshot eyes, like a predator spotting prey and waiting to strike.

"Honey, you're awake?" It was my wife.

I rubbed my head. "Lily, what's wrong with your eyes? Didn't you sleep?"

Lily didn't answer. Instead, she picked up the phone and made a call.

"Hello, I'd like to report a rape."

Lily's words shocked me.

Just a month ago, Lily herself had been assaulted. Although the perpetrator had been arrested, that night's events had become a thorn in Lily's heart.

In the weeks since coming home, Lily had seen countless therapists. But any mention of keywords related to that night would instantly send her into a frenzy, smashing things and cursing.

She'd accuse us of rubbing salt in her wounds, of not letting her move on.

Eventually, Lily's mental state became erratic and jumpy.

If she saw me standing close to any other woman, she would immediately rush over and slap me hard.

"I knew you were disgusted by me. I knew it. I've been watching you for a long time. You want to divorce me and be with her, don't you?"

"I'm telling you, if I hadn't gone to bring you an umbrella, I never would have met him. None of this would have happened."

She was right. I bore some responsibility for what happened.

That day, I had worked overtime at the office until 10 PM. When I went downstairs, I realized it was raining.

I tried to get a ride, but the Uber queue was over 50 people long. I tried to buy an umbrella, but several stores said they were sold out and only had plastic bags left.

I declined the bags.

So I asked Lily to come pick me up.

But before she arrived, I got a call from the police saying my wife had been dragged into an alley and assaulted. She was extremely distraught.

In my rush, I ended up going to the police station with a black garbage bag over my head.

So in this state, when Lily suddenly and uncharacteristically uttered the word "rape," I naturally couldn't understand.

"Lily, what are you talking about?"

Lily ignored me and continued, "Shisen Road, Linxue Garden, Building 2, Unit 304. The rapist..." Lily glanced at me. "Marcus Wilson."