Chapter 2

Leon knew that saying anything further would be totally futile, and if he dared to argue, it would only escalate the matter further.

Because the fact of the matter was that Mr. Cooper, his manager, was a tyrant and a bully. So, any plea that Leon made was only going to fall on deaf ears. 

However, he could not force himself to walk towards his desk, his legs refused to cooperate with him. This is when the doctor’s words echoed in his mind, urging him to get to the clinic as soon as possible… 

"The results indicate that you have lung cancer… in the advanced stages… you may not have much time left… at most, three months…"

He couldn't accept this, and so, gathering every ounce of courage left in his body, Leon stepped forward just as Mr. Cooper was about to enter his office.

"Mr. Cooper! Please don't take this the wrong way, but I really need to be somewhere urgently." 

Leon began to speak, and despite the fear in his heart, he didn't stop until he had completed what he wanted to say. 

"I promise, I'll be back as soon as possible and show you all the proofs—"

Before he could finish, Leon felt a sharp sting on his cheek. He staggered, eyes wide with shock. 

Mr. Cooper had slapped him.

"Shameless!" Mr. Cooper shouted, his eyes wide with fury as his anger reached its peak. 

"You know what, let me grant you a favor— from today, you are free to leave your desk as often as you want, talk to whomever and spend hours in the bathroom! In fact, you don't need to come to the office at all! Tell me, what do you think about this? Should I do it, huh?"

Leon stood quaking, his frustration and helplessness making him tremble, along with the extra effort of keeping his fist pinned to his sides… he didn't want to do anything rash.

In Leon's eyes, he wasn't doing anything wrong, either. It was his right as a worker to use the bathroom, or ask for a day off if necessary– especially in the case of a medical emergency. 

And yet, his cheek was still warm at the place where Mr. Cooper had slapped him. Although it didn't hurt physically, his dignity had definitely taken a hit. 

The humiliation and injustice of all this was making him want to storm out of there, matter how badly needed this job.

On the other hand, Mr. Cooper was very pleased to see him standing there quietly, with his eyes downcast. Feeling like he had finally made Leon speechless, Mr. Cooper laughed arrogantly.

The harsh sound grated on Leon’s nerves, and Cooper declared;

"Yes, that's what I thought! So you have finally realized the consequences of your actions! Now, get back to your desk without a single word."

Leon's nails were digging into his palms, his hands were practically itching to punch this man. With a final glare, Mr. Cooper turned and walked away, leaving Leon seething.

He slumped on his chair, having reached the end of his patience now. Leon slammed his fist on the table, wanting to vent his frustration. However, he only ended up shaking the poor wooden desk, making the employee sitting on the other side of his cubicle state at him with annoyance and curiosity.

Leon shook his head as he leaned back with his fist pressed against his chin, thinking of what to do next. Even though he couldn't see the way clearly, he knew one thing for sure: he couldn’t afford to listen to his boss' words.

Leon wasn't a newbie in the corporate world; and he knew well enough that nobody from his manager or superiors cared that he needed to visit the doctor, or he might die soon. 

In fact, even if he died, they would simply hire another worker to replace him, and become another cog in the machine. 

Hence, he couldn't wait for their permission, he had to get to the hospital anyhow. And right now, the only possible option was for him to sneak out.

"I'm just gonna get some water…"

He announced to no one in particular, before heading towards the break room. He glanced around to make sure that no one was watching, then quietly changed his direction towards the stairs.

The door to the emergency staircase opened into the parking lot, and as soon as he stepped outside, Leon noticed Mr Cooper driving out of the office compound in his red car. 

A wave of relief washed over him; with his boss gone, no one would know he wasn’t working overtime. And tomorrow, he would hand in his work without his boss having any clue. 

With the perfect plan in mind, Leon quickened his pace and made his way to the bus stop, checking his watch anxiously.

Leon finally managed to unlock the door to his home despite his shaking hands, feeling a sense of urgency. He was greeted by the sound of the television dramas blaring in the living room, although no one was there to watch it. 

The noise of running water drifted out from the bathroom. His wife, Addie, must be showering. 

This struck him as unusual, why would she be showering in the afternoon? But Leon brushed it aside, he didn't have time for this right now.

He just needed to get his bank card and leave, he would explain everything to her later. This is when he remembered– yes, he had put it with the other documents, inside his wardrobe! 

Leon walked through the messy living room, heading straight for the bedroom. As he pushed open the door, the first thing that greeted him was his wife's perfume.

It was a floral and sweet scent that he was completely unfamiliar with… but then, he saw her.

There she was, Addie, his wife… 

She was propped up on the bed on one elbow, wearing a white and pink babydoll lingerie that clung to her curves and barely left anything to the imagination. The sheer fabric showed off the outline of her body, and the hem of the babydoll barely brushed the tops of her thighs.

Thin spaghetti straps rested on her shoulders, with her tousled hair falling over her shoulder. 

The bed… their marital bed was completely disheveled. The pillows were scattered and the silky sheets were bunched up, one corner hanging off the mattress, as if someone had been rolling around in them.

Leon's jaw dropped as his gaze flicked to the bedside table, where a bottle of champagne was kept with two glasses beside it, one of them half-full.

Leon felt a knot tighten in his stomach as he froze in his place, unable to digest this. Meanwhile, Addie had her back towards the door and started to speak as she heard the sound of a door opening. 

“Oh, you’re so slow…"

She complained, but it was clear from her strained voice that she wasn't upset. Rather, she was saying this with a pout, trying to sound cute and charming. 

“Don't you know, I have been waiting for you for so long? Looks like you don't wanna–”

The rest of Addie's words got stuck in her throat as soon as she turned around and found Leon standing there. Her sultry gaze suddenly became shocked, and she screamed out loud. 

Leon's face was pale, his body trembling. At that moment, the sound of water running in the bathroom stopped abruptly. 

A man, naked except for a bath towel tied loosely around his waist, sauntered out with a smug look on his face, as if he was walking on the red carpet. 

He didn’t notice Leon standing there, instead, he was busy admiring himself in the mirror on the wall opposite the bed.

“Sweetie, why are you shouting? Don’t be in such a hurry,” the man said with a dirty tone, smirking as he ran a hand through his wet hair. 

“Tonight, you are all mine! And as a surprise gift, I just made sure your husband will be working overtime at the office. Nobody is gonna disturb us until midnight, we still have a long night ahead of us…"

The man chuckled to himself, clearly pleased with his cleverness. But as he raised his head, his eyes locked with Leon’s. The smirk faded, replaced by a look of shock as he saw Leon’s eyes glaring at him with pure, unadulterated rage.

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