CHAPTER 1: CHAPTER 1: REVENGE

Three years into their marriage, tonight was the first time Serena Jennings opened Caleb Lockwood’s study computer.

If it weren’t for an urgent document she needed to send over, she might never have seen the spreadsheet before her eyes in her lifetime.

All the folders on Caleb Lockwood’s computer were named in Chinese characters, and just by glancing, it was clear they were company projects.

But there was one exception, named with just two letters:

CS.

Out of sheer curiosity, Serena double-clicked this folder.

There was only one Excel spreadsheet inside, titled—

Revenge.

Serena came from a single-parent family, and her mother was hospitalized. In terms of circumstances, marrying the heir of the listed Lockwood Group was indeed out of her league.

Her encounter with Caleb Lockwood was like a soap opera, and what followed also resembled one.

Back then, when Caleb had a car accident, the driver fled the scene, and it was she who carried him to the hospital, saving his life.

Then one day, out of the blue, Caleb showed up at the entrance of her university.

That day was Valentine’s Day, and Caleb gifted her a bouquet of nine hundred and ninety-nine pink roses, confessing his love to her.

That year, the price of flowers had skyrocketed, even more so during the festival. Such a bouquet would cost at least tens of thousands, causing a sensation throughout the campus.

Serena cherished that bouquet, placing it beside her bed, resulting in a hospital stay.

Serena was allergic to pollen.

However, she never told Caleb, so every time they met, Caleb would give her a bouquet of pink roses.

Even before graduating from university, Serena married Caleb and became a housewife.

Caleb was busy with work and needed a woman who could manage the household wholeheartedly.

Her mother-in-law also said that Caleb had stomach problems, and eating homemade food was healthier. After all, a helper could never replace a wife, whose duty was to manage the household, support her husband, and raise children, etc.

During the day, Serena cooked, did laundry, and took care of household chores. At night, she accompanied Caleb in marital life.

Their interactions were minimal.

The spreadsheet before her seemed like a window into understanding Caleb, and as Serena opened it, photo after photo popped up.

The spreadsheet had only two columns, with minimal text, filled entirely with photos.

The top of the left column bore the file’s name: CS.

No matter how many times Serena looked, she couldn’t guess which two words this stood for.

Fortunately, the letters on the right were easy to guess—

SJ—

Serena Jennings.

Her hand, holding the mouse, lightly trembled.

Both columns recorded time and attached photos.

In the CS column, the photos all featured the same girl.

The first photo showed a large bouquet of vibrant pink roses, at least nine hundred and ninety-nine, at the girl’s feet; the second seemed to flaunt the sparkling diamond necklace around her neck, with her arms still holding a bouquet of pink roses; the third had her smiling brightly with an Hermes bag in her hands, with a bouquet of pink roses on the dining table.

With the pink roses in sight, Serena looked at the right column.

All the photos were of herself.

The first photo also had a large bouquet of pink roses in front of Serena, identical to those with the girl on the left.

The second, an identical diamond necklace, with pink roses.

The third, an identical Hermes bag, with pink roses.

The fourth, fifth, sixth...

Until the girl in the left photo held the pink roses, with a pink diamond ring on her left ring finger. On the same day, Caleb proposed to Serena with a pink diamond ring on the pink roses, and that spreadsheet finally ended.

Serena quietly shut down the computer, seemingly understanding something.

She always thought that Caleb loved pink roses, which was why he always gifted them to her.

Even though Caleb had never worn or used anything pink, at that time, she still felt she had discovered a little secret of Caleb’s unknown to others, which excited her for days.

Turns out...

The one who loved pink roses was the girl in the spreadsheet.

Serena couldn’t sleep the entire night.

Caleb didn’t come home tonight, as he had to stay up all night discussing a project with Meridia, but he assured her that it wouldn’t affect their hospital visit tomorrow.

Serena had been experiencing a dull pain in her lower abdomen these past few days, and Caleb had arranged an appointment with a specialist, set for nine in the morning.

Actually, tonight’s discovery didn’t prove anything.

Even if Caleb pursued her back then to take revenge on another woman, that was all before marriage.

After marriage, Caleb wasn’t particularly nice to her, but he wasn’t unkind either, providing her with household and pocket money every month on time.

On holidays or birthdays, he would take the initiative to give her gifts; this year’s birthday, she received a Burberry pink outfit, even though she disliked pink the most.

As the president of the Lockwood Group, he was always surrounded by other women, yet Caleb had been married to her for three years and never once got embroiled in any scandal.

Only once did a marketing account post a photo of him with a popular young actress, but Caleb urgently did PR to clarify, forcing the marketing account to deactivate overnight.

Serena tossed and turned restlessly, trying to convince herself not to overthink.

Caleb wasn’t cheating, it’s just that he might not love her as much as she imagined.

Her mother often told her before that marriage is often a compromise; if you marry someone you love, you must cherish that marriage even more.

Serena treasured her marriage dearly.

She loved Caleb.

From the age of thirteen, she loved him for ten whole years.

But Caleb never knew, even now.

Serena picked up her phone and unlocked a private album with a password, an album she hadn’t opened since she got married.

The album contained only one photo, seemingly taken in a cafeteria, albeit with a somewhat oppressive environment and lighting, bringing to mind a prison.

The main character in the photo was a young girl, visibly in her teens, with metal braces on her teeth and hair curled in a granny grey wave.

No one would recognize this little girl as Serena at first glance, but everyone would surely recognize the spirited young man in the background corner as Caleb.

It was the only photo Serena had with Caleb—

If it could even be considered a photo together.

Serena fell asleep as dawn approached, only to be awakened by her alarm clock less than three hours later.

With panda eyes, she stood by the City Central Hospital entrance waiting for Caleb; the early spring morning wind was still chilly, making her nose run.

At 8:59, Serena received a WeChat message from Caleb:

A company emergency project requires me to go on a business trip to Meridia, can’t accompany you, just go in by yourself, I’ve already informed the specialist, I’ll be home tonight.

Serena wrapped her coat tighter and entered the hospital herself, leaving with an ultrasound report in hand.

It stated she had been pregnant for two months, but with a threatened miscarriage.

This was Serena’s first pregnancy, her first child with Caleb.

Serena touched her stomach, her face beaming with joy.

The doctor said the threatened miscarriage wasn’t very serious, but she still needed to take care of herself and the baby.

She took out her phone, wanting to share the news with Caleb.

The dial tone echoed, filling Serena with both excitement and nerves.

Caleb... should be happy, right?

Before last night, Serena didn’t even need to ponder this question.

Finally, the call connected.

"Hey darling, I..."

"I’m in a meeting, don’t bother me if it’s nothing urgent."

The call ended immediately, leaving only the busy tone ringing in Serena’s ear.

The cold wind left her heart feeling empty, and as she lowered her phone, a news alert popped up—