Page 3 of At midnight, I received my husband’s affair bill

The police station entrance was packed with cars.

I had just parked when I saw Bruce walking out from inside.

He wore his crisp police uniform, his posture still upright, but his face was unusually grim.

When he spotted me, his brow furrowed instantly. He strode over quickly, yanked open the car door, and slid into the passenger seat.

"Juliet, what the hell are you trying to do?" He kept his voice low, barely containing his fury. "Do you have to make such a scene?"

I stared directly at him. "Bruce, I just want to hear the truth. What exactly is your relationship with Lucy?"

He turned away, avoiding my gaze. "I already told youshe's someone I'm helping out."

"Helping her out in a hotel room?" I laughed coldly. "Bruce, do you think I'm stupid?"

He whipped his head around to glare at me, his eyes sharp as knives. "Juliet! Do you have to push me like this?"

Just then, a slender figure approached usLucy.

She clutched a thermal lunch container tightly in her hands, her white dress swaying gently in the breeze.

Seeing us sitting in the car, her face went deathly pale, and her eyes quickly reddened.

"Bruce," she called out timidly, "I brought you lunch. I didn't expect Mrs. Gilbert to be here too."

Bruce jerked as if burned, shoving the car door open and rushing over in a few quick steps, instinctively positioning himself protectively in front of her.

The movement was too natural, as if it had been carved into his very bones, and it stabbed at my heart.

"Who told you to come?" His tone was reproachful, yet couldn't hide a trace of tenderness. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me in the office?"

"I was worried you wouldn't have time to eat." Lucy kept her head down, mumbling. The bracelet on her wrist slid down to her forearm with the movement, catching my eye perfectly.

I pushed open the car door, my heels clicking crisply against the concrete.

As I approached them, Bruce subtly pulled Lucy another half-step behind him.

That small gesture completely ignited the rage burning in my chest.

"Bruce, you're protecting her?" I laughed, my voice cold as ice. "In your heart, who exactly is your wife?"

"Juliet, stop being unreasonable!" His face darkened so much it looked ready to drip water. "Lucy's still youngdon't scare her!"

"I'm scaring her?" I pointed at Lucy's wrist, my voice suddenly rising. "Then tell me what she's wearing! I braided that bracelet myself! I gave it to you hoping it would keep you safe. And now? You've given it to another woman and taken her to a hotel?"

The surrounding officers turned to look, some stopping to whisper among themselves.

Bruce's face flushed red, veins bulging at his temples. "Juliet! We'll discuss this at home! This is my workplace!"

"Are you scared?" I stepped closer, staring hard into his eyes. "Then why weren't you scared when you took her to that hotel? Why weren't you scared when you brought her home to sleep in our marriage bed? Bruce, when you did those things wearing this uniform, you should have known this day would come!"

"Mrs. Gilbert, please stop," Lucy suddenly burst into tears, gripping Bruce's arm tightly as she trembled. "It's all my fault. You shouldn't blame Bruce. I was the one who initiated ithe rejected me many times."

"You initiated it?" I acted like I'd heard the joke of the century, pulling out my phone and opening the surveillance video, shoving it right in her face. "You initiated holding hands with him in that white dress as you walked into the elevator? Wearing my bracelet while waiting for him in the hotel? Lucy, didn't your parents teach you what shame means?"

She shuddered all over, tears streaming down like broken pearls. Suddenly she clutched her stomach and crouched down. "Ah! My stomach hurts so much!"

Bruce's expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he bent down to help her up. "Lucy! What's wrong?"

"Don't touch her!" I shouted sternly. "Bruce, look carefully! She's acting!"

"Are you insane?" He roared, the disgust in his eyes stabbing at me like knives. "She's pregnant! If something happens to her, I'll never forgive you!"

The word "pregnant" struck my heart like a sledgehammer.

I staggered back a step, staring in disbelief at her slightly rounded belly.

So they had already gone this far.

Looking at the two of them, I suddenly laughed through my tears. "Bruce, you got your 'help case' pregnant. How dedicated of you."

Lucy cried even harder in his arms, sobbing as she said, "Let's go. I don't want to make Mrs. Gilbert sad. Mrs. Gilbert, we truly love each other. Please, I'm begging you to let us be together."

"True love?" I laughed until tears came, raising my hand to point at the police station sign. "Your true love is built on lies and betrayal? Your love tramples on someone else's marriage? Lucy, let me tell you somethingas long as I'm Bruce's legal wife, you'll always be nothing but a homewrecker who can't show her face in public!"

"Enough!" Bruce suddenly swept Lucy up in his arms, turning to look at me coldly, all warmth gone from his eyes. "Juliet, this is my final warningdon't push me."

"I'm forcing you?" I stared at his retreating figure as he carried Lucy away, my voice trembling. "Bruce, you forced me first! What did I force you to do? Force you not to cheat? Force you not to lie?

When you trampled my trust, my love, and our five-year marriage into the dirt, you should have realized I'm not someone who can be bullied! You're a cop, Bruce! You broke the law knowing better!"

I suddenly grabbed his wrist, my fingertips touching nothing but bare skin.

The bracelet I had woven for him with my own hands was long gone.

"Where's my bracelet?" I asked.

He froze, his voice stiff. "Lost it during a mission."

"Lost it?" I stared directly into his eyes, asking word by word, "Then what's that on Lucy's wrist?"

Bruce's face went pale instantly.

He opened his mouth as if to explain, but ultimately said nothing, roughly shaking off my hand and walking away without looking back.

The streetlight stretched his silhouette carrying Lucy into a long shadow, like a dull knife repeatedly cutting through my heart.

I watched helplessly as they got into the police car, watched the red and blue lights flash as they pierced through the street corner and sped away.

The next second, I crouched on the ground, unable to hold on any longer, and broke down sobbing.

The surrounding chatter surged like a tide, but I could no longer hear anything.

The man who once vowed to protect me for life had ultimately torn me apart in the cruelest way, leaving me shattered in memories.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

It was a message from Lainey: [I just found out Bruce has been paying Lucy's rent all along. She also has a new car registered under her name, with Bruce as the payer. Do you want me to send this evidence directly to Internal Affairs?]

So he gave her more than just affectionhe gave her a home.

And I, his legitimate wife, felt like an intruder, excluded from our own marriage.

I wiped away my tears and forcefully typed a few words on the screen: [Send it.]

I thought, Bruce, since you're heartless, don't blame me for being ruthless.

What you owe me, I'll collect bit by bit, with interest.

I found an experienced divorce attorney, Athena Harvey.

After reviewing the materials I provided, she frowned deeply. "Mrs. Martin, Mr. Gilbert's behavior constitutes adultery. You have every right to demand a larger share of assets, even leave him with nothing."

She adjusted her glasses, her tone calm. "But there's one issuehis paycheck and most assets are under your name, so there's actually limited property he can transfer..."

"I don't care about the money." I interrupted her, my voice calm yet sharp. "I want him ruined."

Athena paused, then nodded. "That's possible. But we need more concrete evidence, like intimate photos or recordings."

I suddenly remembered the smart camera at home.

Bruce had insisted on installing it last Christmas, saying he was worried about my safety living alone.

The camera was connected to both our phones.

I had never paid attention to it, but now it might become the most lethal weapon.

I immediately went home and logged into the cloud to retrieve the footage.

Sure enough, there was a payoff.

Half a month ago, Bruce had brought Lucy home.

In the video, Lucy was wearing my pajamas, wandering around the living room with a flippant expression.

Bruce wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing her neck with disgusting intimacy.

"Bruce, so this is your home? It's so much better than my rental apartment." Lucy's voice carried a coquettish tone.

"Do you like it? This will be your home too from now on." He chuckled softly. "Once I divorce Juliet, I'll transfer the house to you."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "Bruce, you're so good to me!"

"Of course." He pinched her cheek, his tone tender enough to break my heart. "My little baby deserves the best."

I laughed bitterly to myself. My little baby?

Those words were once my exclusive endearment. Now, he had casually given them to someone else.

The video continued playing. They entangled on the sofa, their laughter intimate, then walked embraced into the bedroom Bruce and I shared.

I bit my lip so hard that the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, barely preventing myself from vomiting on the spot.

So they had long ago turned my home into their affair venue, right under my nose.

I silently downloaded the video and sent it to Athena.

"Is this enough?" I asked.

After watching it, her expression grew grave. "It's enough. Mrs. Martin, are you sure you want to do this? This will completely destroy him."

"I'm sure." I answered without a moment's hesitation.

Since he dared to betray me, he should face the consequences.