I kept waiting for Yue Ran to come home.
One hour passed, then two, and eventually three. I tried calling her several more times, but her phone remained switched off.
As midnight approached, I could no longer sit still. I paced around the living room, checking the time every few minutes while my mind filled with increasingly disturbing thoughts.
Where was she?
Why hadn't she contacted me?
And why had Yue Ning sounded so nervous when I called her?
I tried to push those thoughts aside, reminding myself that Yue Ran had promised she would be late. Perhaps she had simply been caught up in something important.
But I couldn't shake the uneasiness in my heart.
Finally, just as the clock struck midnight, I heard the sound of the front door opening.
I immediately turned around.
Yue Ran walked inside, looking somewhat tired. The moment I saw her, the anxiety I had been holding back for hours erupted.
"Where have you been?" I asked, approaching her. "Why are you only coming home now? I've been waiting for you for hours!"
She looked at me in surprise.
"Yiluo, I—"
"And why was your phone switched off? Do you have any idea how worried I was? I called you so many times, but I couldn't reach you at all!"
Yue Ran lowered her eyes for a moment before answering.
"My phone... the battery died."
"Then why didn't you borrow someone else's phone to contact me?"
She hesitated.
"I was busy talking to Yue Ning. I didn't realize it had gotten so late."
I stared at her, trying to read her expression.
"Is that all? You were just talking to Yue Ning?"
"Yes," she replied, but her voice sounded strangely hesitant.
I frowned.
"Then why did Yue Ning sound so nervous when I called her? She told me you had already gone home, but you didn't return until midnight."
Yue Ran's expression changed slightly.
For a brief moment, she seemed unable to find the right words. Her lips parted as though she wanted to explain something, but she only stammered.
"I... well, that's because..."
She stopped and looked away.
My heart began to pound.
Yue Ran had always been composed and confident. Even when facing difficult situations, she rarely struggled to explain herself.
Yet now, standing right in front of me, she seemed unable to give me a straightforward answer.
I swallowed hard, trying to suppress the growing suspicion in my mind.
Yue Ran looked at me nervously, her fingers unconsciously twisting the strap of her handbag.
"I... I was stuck in traffic," she finally answered. "There was an accident on the road, and the traffic was terrible. I couldn't get through for a long time."
I frowned. "An accident?"
"Y-Yes!" She nodded quickly. "There were so many cars, and everything was backed up. I couldn't do anything except wait."
"Then why didn't you call me to let me know?"
"I was going to!" she replied hurriedly. "I really was, Yiluo. But when I took out my phone, I realized the battery had run out. It switched off before I could call you."
She spoke faster with every sentence, occasionally stumbling over her words.
"My phone ran out of battery, and I... I didn't realize how late it had gotten. By the time I noticed, it was already too late. I'm sorry I made you worry."
I stared at her.
Something about her behavior felt strange. Yue Ran had always been composed, even under pressure. Yet now, she could barely look me in the eye. Her fingers fidgeted nervously, and she seemed to struggle to put her explanation together.
"Yue Ran," I said slowly, "why are you so nervous?"
"I'm not nervous!" she answered immediately.
Her response came so quickly that I couldn't help narrowing my eyes.
"I-I'm just tired," she added, lowering her head. "It's been a long day, and I really want to rest."
She then tried to walk past me toward the bedroom.
I remained where I was, watching her retreating figure.
The explanation sounded reasonable enough. Traffic accidents happened, and phone batteries died. There was nothing particularly suspicious about either of those things.
But her reaction...
The way she stammered, the way she avoided my gaze, and how quickly she tried to end the conversation all left me feeling uneasy.
I clenched my hands, remembering what I had witnessed at the Duan family villa.
Yi Luoli.
Yue Ning.
Duan Wuqin.
Those images had haunted me since that night, and now Yue Ran's strange behavior was making it increasingly difficult to calm my mind.
I wanted to believe my wife. I truly did.
But as I watched her disappear into the bedroom without saying another word, I couldn't stop one troubling question from creeping into my thoughts.
Was she really telling me the truth?
I followed Yue Ran into our bedroom, unable to shake the uneasy feeling in my chest.
When she turned to look at me, I noticed the fear in her eyes. She seemed worried that I might discover something she was trying to hide.
Because I had been so anxious earlier, I hadn't paid much attention to her appearance when she first came home. But now, under the bedroom lights, I finally noticed the details I had overlooked. The source of this chapter is g.com.
Her clothes were slightly wrinkled, and there were faint patches of sweat on the fabric. A few strands of her long black hair clung to her forehead, and she looked more flustered than someone who had merely spent hours stuck in traffic.
My suspicions grew stronger.
Had she really been caught in an accident-related traffic jam, or had something else happened?
I stared at her, trying to find an answer in her expression.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Yue Ran asked nervously.
"Like what?"
"Like... like you're suspicious of me."
I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I glanced at her clothes before meeting her eyes again.
"Yue Ran, where exactly were you after you left the Duan family villa?"
Her fingers tightened around her handbag.
"I already told you. I was stuck in traffic because of an accident."
"Then why do you look so nervous?"
"I'm not nervous, Yiluo. I'm just tired."
She turned away and placed her handbag on the dressing table, avoiding my gaze.
I took a step closer.
"Did you meet anyone else today?"
Her movements suddenly stopped.
For a brief moment, she stood completely still before turning back toward me.
"Why are you asking me that?"
"Can't I ask my own wife about her day?"
"Of course you can!" she replied hastily. "I just don't understand why you're asking so many questions."
Her voice trembled slightly toward the end.
I clenched my jaw, struggling to keep my emotions under control. I wanted to trust her, but everything that had happened over the past few days kept coming back to haunt me.
Yi Luoli with Duan Wuqin.
Yue Ning with Duan Wuqin.
And now Yue Ran, standing before me with wrinkled, sweat-dampened clothes and an explanation that seemed to change every time I questioned her.
I took a deep breath.
"Yue Ran, look at me and answer honestly. Did something happen at the Duan family villa today?"
She stared at me, her face growing pale.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about."
Her answer was barely audible.
I looked into her eyes, searching for the woman I had trusted for so many years.
For the first time, I found myself wondering whether the truth I feared was already standing right in front of me.