STIGMA

On July 14th, Chinese Valentine's Day

Set against the background of the night sky, the street lamps and neon signs all blended into a blur, lighting up the whole city.

It was drizzling. A thin woman in a white dress walked swiftly on the quiet street, carrying an umbrella over her head.

A faint smile flashed across Mandy Zhou's face. She looked at the cake in her right hand and smiled in relief.

Today was the third anniversary of her relationship with her boyfriend, Daniel Zhao. Daniel was the first boyfriend she'd ever had, and she loved him a lot. They had always celebrated their anniversary together, but today, Daniel was too busy with work to spend time with Mandy. Undeterred by this, Mandy had spent the whole afternoon making a cake at home so that she could surprise Daniel with it.

At Elegance Residential Quarters

Mandy Zhou opened the door and flicked on the light switch. The familiar scene of Daniel's living room came into view. She gingerly set the cake down on the coffee table in an attempt to preserve her hard work until Daniel got to see it.

When Mandy thought of the fact that they had been together for three years, a happy smile appeared on her lips. She took off her slippers and turned around to sneak into Daniel's bedroom to surprise him.

Suddenly, Mandy heard a gasp, and the smile on her face disappeared; she was sure that the sound had come from a woman. Heart racing, she stood rooted to the spot and listened carefully. A second later, she heard a moan from a man.

The sounds were definitely coming from inside Daniel's bedroom. Stunned and feeling as if her feet were filled with lead, Mandy stood facing the door with her eyes wide open. Her faced turned red, then pale.

She recognized the man's voice, of course.

She shook her head, thinking maybe she had just been imagining things, but the sounds still lingered in the air. She didn't know if she should burst into the room to catch Daniel in the act.

Meanwhile, inside the room, two bodies were intertwined with each other.

"Daniel, when will you break up with her?" Celine Liu asked softly as she wrapped her arms around Daniel's neck.

"Baby, once everything goes according to plan, I'll break up with her," Daniel replied, pinching Celine's slender waist.

"Humph, I've done everything I was supposed to do, but you haven't made your decision yet. Tell me, are you still in love with her?" Celine Liu frowned, becoming jealous all of a sudden.

Most men couldn't resist the temptation of a coquettish woman, especially when they were in bed with them. Daniel didn't want to do anything to make Celine angry at this crucial moment, so he immediately coaxed her. "How is that even possible? Honey, you are the most important person in my heart. Look, I even left her to accompany you on Valentine's day. So what do you think?"

"What if she finds out what we're doing here?" Celine's alluring voice was like a sharp knife stabbing into Mandy's heart.

"What we're doing here? So what if she finds out? I've wanted to get rid of that woman for a long time. She always acts so pure and aloof. I have no interest in her. Who can stand that kind of woman?" Daniel snorted.

Obviously, Daniel's tone was full of unhappiness. Hearing his words, Mandy finally realized the kind of person he really was. The fury burning in her heart seemed to be extinguished in an instant.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. Then, she quickly turned the doorknob without any hesitation.

With a click, the door opened, revealing the sight of Celine riding her boyfriend.

As soon as Daniel and Celine heard the door open, they abruptly stopped what they were doing.

Daniel was petrified the moment he saw Mandy. All the excitement he had been feeling dissipated into thin air.

Celine calmly got off Daniel and looked defiantly into Mandy's eyes as if she was Daniel's real girlfriend.

"Daniel Zhao, I think you owe me an explanation!"

Mandy said, gritting her teeth and trying her best to hold back her tears. In the three years they had been together, she had never thought that there was a problem between them, not even when they had been separated from each other for a year.

A long-distance relationship was the toughest test of trust between couples. However, it had never even occurred to Mandy that the person she trusted the most could betray her.