99 Pearls of Betrayal
Daisy Swift · Completed · 5.9k Words
Introduction
He was accustomed to using extravagant pearls to atone for his transgressions, yet on the day of my mother’s funeral, he chose to vacation with his mistress while plotting to take from me the ancestral home my mother left behind.
When the hundredth pearl arrived, I presented him with the divorce papers. The pain of my miscarriage still lingered, as he offered me a rare black pearl to "atone"; moments later, he was liking his mistress's posts.
He believed pearls could purchase my love, unaware that each bead counted down the moments of our marriage.
In the end, what does it matter if he risked everything to protect me?
I shall never turn back.
Chapter 1
Just as I was about to toss the miscarriage care instructions into the trash, Augustus Williams walked in.
Three days ago, he claimed to be handling urgent business, but in reality, he was accompanying another woman. To save her father from a commercial fraud case, he had used all his connections.
After resolving her father's situation, Augustus even took her on a vacation.
I was emotionally devastated at the time, and as a result, I miscarried.
After returning from the hospital, I stared at the medical documents and the pearl necklace that Augustus had gifted me.
Then I started eating ice cream.
Augustus walked over and took the ice cream container from my hands. "Darling, shall I prepare something delightful for you to eat?"
He pulled out a velvet box from his suit pocket and handed it to me. "I brought you something. I went through a lot of trouble to get this."
Inside was a black pearl. Rare. Expensive. Probably worth over ten million dollars.
He wasn't lying. This kind of natural pearl from eight thousand feet deep was indeed hard to come by. He must have used all his connections.
If he had given this to me before we got married, I would have thrown myself into his arms.
But at this moment, I couldn't even pretend to be moved. I didn't want to try.
He crouched in front of me, trying to get my attention.
"Are you angry? Because I missed... that ceremony?" He didn't dare say the word "memorial service."
"It doesn't matter, mother is at peace now." I replied.
Before marriage, I had only made one unbreakable promise with Augustus: no matter what happened, he had to be by my side when my mother passed away.
What my mother worried about most when she was alive was that I would be abandoned by a man when I needed support the most.
And he broke it. For another woman.
When I called him, he said he had urgent business to handle.
I stood alone at my mother's grave and learned through Instagram that Augustus wasn't handling business.
He was with Evangeline that day, paying a heavy price to save her father.
That's when I lost my child.
"That was your mother's memorial service? I'm sorry, baby, I completely forgot."
He looked surprised. It didn't seem fake.
He knelt on one knee, held my hand, trying to ease the tension. "Let me make it up to you. I'll order you a necklace—a better one. Made with blood pearls, worth thirty million."
Every time Augustus made a mistake, he would repeat the same routine—apologize, play the perfect husband, then throw money at the problem.
For three years, I had never seen him raise his voice.
In other people's eyes, he was the dream husband.
However, I knew very well how empty this marriage was.
I was about to say I wanted a divorce.
He smiled and patted my head, like treating a child. "I'll heat up some chicken soup for you. Think about what you want—a pearl necklace, or a house."
He walked into the kitchen.
His phone was buzzing on the sofa.
I picked it up.
Evangeline had sent a message: "Augustus, thank you for saving my family! I had the most perfect three days."
My heart sank. I opened her Instagram.
Her latest post was a silhouette photo of her and Augustus by the river.
She was taking a selfie facing the camera, with the caption "Grateful for those who stand by me in the darkest moments."
My hands started trembling. I scrolled through her timeline.
For the past three days, every post they made was related to this "rescue mission."
"He's here—I don't have to face this alone anymore!"
"God, my most reliable person has such a warm smile!"
"POV: A girl and her guardian angel!"
Augustus had liked almost every single one of her posts.
But then I saw her latest story - a photo of the black pearl I had just received.
"Ugh, pearls again? His wife has such tacky taste."
That was the only one Augustus didn't like.
The phone buzzed again.
"Augustus, I've been feeling down since you left. Can you come over tonight?"
I frowned.
He called from the kitchen: "Baby, the soup's almost ready!"
I installed the pre-prepared spyware on his phone and eliminated any traces. Then, I returned the phone to its original place.
Augustus came out with a bowl of Campbell's canned soup, glanced at his phone, and smiled awkwardly.
Then he put on a serious expression. "Something urgent came up at work. I need to go back to the office."
I slowly stirred the soup. "If you're going to pull an all-nighter, just sleep at the office."
"Okay."
He looked relieved. Before leaving, he even brought me a blanket.
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