Chapter 4

Tristan's thoughts left Leticia dumbstruck. She couldn't snap out of her shock for a long time after that. As soon as she returned to her room, she stared at her reflection in the mirror while mentally asking herself if what had happened just now was real. Perhaps she was hearing things. How could Tristan harbor such thoughts in the first place? Yeah, she must be hearing things. That was what Leticia kept telling herself over and over again. Over the next few days, Chelsea would leave the house with Tristan at the same time. They'd come home together as well. Since Chelsea was working in Tristan's company, it was normal for her to hitch a ride with him to and from work. But whenever Leticia spotted them walking together, she'd feel as though someone was strangling her. The pressure was so immense that she could barely breathe. In order to reassure Leticia, Tristan often kept his distance from Chelsea at home. The way he treated Chelsea was icy too. It was unknown whether or not Chelsea was doing this on purpose, but she'd often show up whenever Tristan and Leticia were having a private moment together. When Tristan watched a movie with Leticia, Chelsea would purposely sit next to them with a bowl of popcorn in hand. If Tristan and Leticia were having a candlelit dinner at a restaurant, Chelsea would show up at the same venue "purely by coincidence". When Tristan and Leticia watched the fireworks on the rooftop, Chelsea was present with a camera in hand too. Her reason was that she could take photos of the couple to immortalize the beautiful moment. Tristan could have chased Chelsea away during those times. Instead, he just smiled and let her stay. Leticia felt exhausted, to say the least. She didn't want to become a paranoid wife who constantly doubted her husband. But whenever she saw Tristan and Chelsea exchanging suggestive looks with each other, she was so upset that she could barely utter a word. One night, Leticia suddenly developed a high fever. She huddled beneath her covers, feeling as though her body was on fire. Her skin was practically searing from the heat. Tristan was extremely anxious, to say the least. He kept using ice packs to help lower Leticia's body temperature. He'd also pick her up and feed her fever medication once every ten minutes. Leticia was delirious from the fever. She reflexively dodged the glass that was moved to her lips by turning her head away. Although she was being difficult, Tristan wasn't impatient in the slightest. Instead, he continued to speak to her gently. "Letty, be good now. If you take your meds, you'll feel a lot better." As Leticia lay on Tristan's chest and listened to his strong heartbeat, she managed to crack her eyes open with difficulty. That was when she made eye contact with Tristan's loving eyes. "Come, now. Take the meds before going to bed. I'll be here with you." Leticia managed to open her mouth and swallow the medication Tristan personally fed to her. Only then did she lie back down on the bed. Tristan took her hand firmly, his thumb stroking the back of her hand comfortingly. The room was quiet. However, Leticia soon heard Tristan's thoughts. [Hurry up and fall asleep, Letty. Chels told me she just got into a car accident. I still don't know what the situation is on her side. I need to leave as soon as possible.] Leticia stared at Tristan in disbelief. She happened to catch sight of him pulling out his phone and responding to a text message with his back facing her. The worry and nervousness in his stance were palpable, yet these emotions were meant for another person. Leticia's eyes began burning up uncontrollably. She hurriedly closed her eyes, not wanting Tristan to notice how red her eyes were. A moment later, Tristan approached her before he called out to her a few times softly. Upon noting the lack of response, he let out a sigh of relief. After that, he left the room hurriedly. Leticia felt heartbroken at that moment. Her eyes snapped open in a fit of despair. Tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably. Her phone, which was laid next to her pillow, lit up all of a sudden. She sat up on the bed to swipe on the screen. It was a text message from Chelsea. "Leticia, if you check Tristan's phone right now, you'll see something surprising." Leticia turned around to look at Tristan's phone, which was left behind on the table. Uneasiness began surging into her heart. She knew very well that Chelsea was definitely setting her up for this scheme, yet she still reached for Tristan's phone and unlocked it. The passcode on Tristan's phone had always been Leticia's birthday. That was how she could unlock it so easily. Her private chat with Tristan was pinned at the top of the list on WhatsApp. His profile picture was a photo of them. Her photo was the common background for all available chat groups as well. But Chelsea's name stood out from everything else on one particular private chat. Leticia hesitated for a long time. Finally, she tapped into Tristan and Chelsea's private chat with a trembling finger. Thus, she took the first step in uncovering the truth.