Who Is The Outsider

I was Vania Horton, and I was a principled person.

Nelson Preston was an extremely shameless jerk.

Katherine Snider was the person who ruined my marriage.

My husband cheated on me, and in my fury, I decided to get to the bottom of it. But what I discovered shocked me. The so-called mistress wasn't a mistress at all.

...

1

"Come on, darling. You must be tired now. Sit down and take a break."

Nelson grinned as he ushered me into the passenger seat.

The reason Nelson was so caring towards me was that I was carrying his child.

Unlike him, I felt unmoved at all by his care.

The reason for this was that, in my eyes, he was already no longer my husband.

...

We met during our sophomore year.

It was a Sunday, and my bicycle broke down halfway, so I had to park it at a bike station and rush to catch the subway back to school.

Even though it was a top-tier university, it was stipulated that students return by ten at night or face a penalty on credits.

I cared so much about my credits that I would do anything to avoid a penalty on credits.

Nelson was standing at the entrance, waiting for the subway to arrive.

I still remembered what he wore that day, a white sports shirt and gray sweatpants. He radiated youthful vigor. His looks were good and caught my eye immediately.

Unconsciously, I found myself standing next to him.

When the subway arrived, the crowd pushed us together, and my head bumped hard against his chest.

"Sorry, sir."

The carriage was packed, with all sorts of smells mingling, and I instinctively felt sick.

Within minutes, I bumped into him several more times. Nelson, perhaps a bit pained by the collisions, pursed his lips and said, "You can go over there. That corner is empty."

Following his guidance, I moved to the corner, still close to him.

"Thank you."

I felt my face flush, and even my voice carried a hint of shyness.

That was our first encounter.

The second time, it was the same subway and packed carriage.

This time, Nelson proactively approached me.

"Nice to see you again. What's your name? Are you a student?"

I was at a loss, staring at this sunny boy, and answered all his questions softly.

We friended each other on Facebook and began chatting intimately.

Back then, we were both naive and clueless about love.

Nelson was quite clumsy.

He would take advice online on what gifts to send to girls, so I received a lot of chocolates and stuffed toys.

But I didn't like chocolate. It was too fattening.

Still, I thought Nelson was a good person. Despite his clumsiness, he was genuinely kind. He would run across several blocks just to buy my favorite sandwich.

He would make me feel better with all his might when I had cramps, sing to me, tell jokes, and gently lull me to sleep at night...

In short, everything he did made me fall for this handsome guy.

We dated passionately for two years in college, and during that time, he became even more considerate. Even my roommates said we were being extremely lovey-dovey.

Six months after graduation, we got married.

Our married life was blissful, and Nelson didn't turn into a typical TV drama husband who changes after marriage. He treated me the same as when we were dating.

But after I got pregnant, I suddenly noticed something different about Nelson.

He started having irregular hours.

He used to come home right after work, but now he returned very late.

"Why are you coming back so late?" I asked.

Nelson came over, ignoring my anger, and smiled gently.

"Well, my dear, you're pregnant now. I need to earn more to support you both."

This reason was flawless. I stared blankly as Nelson returned to the bedroom and collapsed on the bed, seemingly exhausted from work.

Yet, I still suspected Nelson was hiding something from me.

2

I discovered Nelson's infidelity one day while doing laundry.

Before tossing clothes into the washing machine, I routinely checked the pockets to ensure nothing important was left inside.

When I was checking Nelson's trousers, I found a small item in his pocket.

A condom.

It felt like a bolt from the blue.

Nelson and I never used such a thing.

He had always assured me that given his salary and family background, he could easily support five or six children, so there was no need for them.

But why would he have such a thing?

An idea I couldn't suppress emerged in my mind.

My husband, whom I loved for years, had cheated on me.

I didn't want to believe it. Honestly, if any woman were in my situation, she wouldn't suspect Nelson of cheating at first.

But I was different. Based on my knowledge of him, there was a twenty percent chance he had slept with another woman.

I kept this to myself, growing suspicious of Nelson.

His hours remained irregular. He left for work at six in the morning, though his work started at nine, and returned around ten at night, despite finishing at six.

"Did you work overtime again?"

I tried to keep my voice calm.

"Yeah, those new interns are really a handful, always making mistakes. The manager asked me to work extra hours and teach them."

Nelson's voice sounded weary, and it seemed that he was genuinely tired from overtime.

I didn't buy his words, forcing a stilted smile. "It's so unfair. Your manager should let the interns learn from their mistakes instead of wasting your time."

"It's okay. I'm a seasoned employee. It's what I should do."

Nelson soon fell asleep, his loud snores filled the room.

Apart from the condom, everything seemed flawless, but I couldn't shake off that thought in my mind.

In the middle of the night, I suddenly woke up.

I had a dream related to what had been bothering me. In my dream, Nelson and a woman whose face I couldn't see clearly kicked me out and took my child away.

"Ding-dong."

It was a notification sound.

I picked up my phone, but there was no message. If it wasn't from mine, it must be Nelson's.

I tiptoed out of bed, went to the other side, and picked up Nelson's phone, unlocking it smoothly.

I saw the message.

It was from someone named Katherine Snider, and it read, "Darling, are you available now?"

I felt my blood freeze as if I were standing in heavily falling snow.

The previous chat history was gone, likely deleted by Nelson to prevent me from seeing it.

I exited the application and put down Nelson's phone.

That message was like a dagger that pierced my heart.

The next day, Nelson left as usual, and I quietly got up and followed him.

He drove into an old neighborhood.

I wanted to follow him, but the security guard stopped me.

"Which building do you live in? I haven't seen you before."

The guard, though elderly, was surprisingly dutiful and had a good memory.

I anxiously watched Nelson's car drive in.

"Sir, I'm the sister of the owner of that car that just went in. I was using the restroom, and my brother forgot me."

"Well, Nelson is so forgetful. His memory is not even as sharp as mine."

"Sir, you know him?"

If even a guard knew Nelson, it meant he had been here many times.

"Of course I know him." The guard lit a cigarette and chuckled, "Your brother is really nice, often bringing things to Dr. Snider. But he is also clueless. He should bring valuable gifts instead of roses."

I didn't hear the rest of his words.

I returned home in a daze, looking at the home Nelson and I shared, and the wedding photo on the wall.

In it, we were smiling happily.

Suddenly, I felt it so ironic.

Here I was, pregnant with Nelson's child, while he was out with another woman, enjoying himself.