I Exposed My Cheating Husband & His Mistress

I'd sponsored a girl for three years, and she finally got into college.

As the semester neared, she said she wanted to thank me in person.

I agreed without a second thought.

But when she laid eyes on my handsome, wealthy husband, the one who seemed to collect rent from an entire apartment building, greed immediately clouded her mind.

She was desperate to live the easy life of a landlady, hoping she could be just like me.

But she didn't know the truth: that apartment building was mine.

It had nothing to do with my husband at all.

[Erika, I got my acceptance letter! I'm going to a college in New York. Thank you for everything you've done for me these three years. I'll study hard from now on, and I won't let you down.]

My phone buzzed.

I looked down and saw the messages from Victoria, the girl I'd been sponsoring.

I opened the photo of her acceptance letter and felt a surge of joy.

It wasn't a top-tier university, but it would let her escape the poor small town she'd grown up in.

I'd sponsored Victoria for three years.

We'd met her three years ago when my husband and I went to a remote town for a charity research trip.

She'd just finished junior high then, but her patriarchal parents were already arranging a marriage for her, planning to marry her off to a wealthy businessman from a neighboring town.

They said the family couldn't afford her high school tuition, so she might as well marry for money to treat her sickly younger brother and buy him a house.

My heart ached for this girl who craved nothing but an education.

I decided on the spot to sponsor her through high school, and even promised to cover all her college living expenses if she got in.

Luckily, she was hardworking enough to fight her way to a better future.

As I sighed with emotion, another message popped up from Victoria.

[Erika, can I stay at your place for a while? School starts in over a month, and I want to get a summer job to lighten your load a little.]

Seeing how thoughtful she seemed, I agreed without a second thought.

I lived in New York too, so it would do her good to come early to adapt to the city and earn a little pocket money.

The day Victoria arrived was the same day I had to collect rent from my tenants.

I was swamped, so I told my husband Dave to handle it all for me.

Later, I drove to the airport to pick her up.

Three years had passed, and Victoria had grown a lot, still thin, with sun-kissed skin and the shyness of a teenage girl.

She sat in the passenger seat, staring curiously at the skyscrapers outside the window, then suddenly asked, "Erika, why didn't Dave come with you to pick me up?"

"He's busy with something at home," I explained.

At my words, Victoria looked clearly disappointed and muttered under her breath, "What could be more important than picking me up..."

I thought she was just being playful and smiled to comfort her, "We'll be home soon. He's cooking for us."

She forced a faint smile and asked again, "Erika, what do you do for work? I've always wondered."

"I haven't had a steady job since we got married; I've had some health issues," I told her honestly.

To my surprise, she frowned and said in a sarcastic tone, "So Dave bought you your car and your house? All of it? You're always telling me to be an independent woman, but you can't even do it yourself. It's a little funny, isn't it?"

Her words left me speechless.

I almost told her the truth-that I made money from rent and writing online novels, more than Dave ever did-but I'd never liked showing off my wealth, so I just said casually, "My husband and I both earn money. We pool it all together."

We'd just pulled up to the apartment building.

I parked the car and was about to get out when I heard her scoff, "Erika, just admit you don't make any money. Being a housewife isn't a crime. But it's a bit much that you dress well and drive a nice car when you have no income at all. You tell me to be independent, but you leech off your husband. Isn't that the definition of a hypocrite?"

When my face darkened, she added pretentiously, "I don't mean to say you're a bad person. I just think it's a little contradictory."

She patted my shoulder, her voice laced with superiority, "Don't worry, though. I'll never be like you, living off a man."

I was furious and snapped back coldly, "Whether I make money or not is none of your business. Even if I had no income, I've paid every penny of your tuition and living expenses for three years, not a cent less. What's with your attitude right now? I see no reason to sponsor your college education anymore. A person who doesn't know the basics of respect isn't worth educating, no matter how talented they were."

My words shut her up.

She hung her head like a frightened little animal and said nothing.

I felt a little regret for speaking so harshly and was about to comfort her when she suddenly pushed the car door open and ran out.

She'd seen Dave, standing at the entrance of the apartment building.

Before I could react, I watched her fling herself into Dave's arms and cry, "Dave, Erika was so mean to me. She even made me cry!"

Dave's face flared with awkwardness as he gently pried her off him.

"Victoria, what's going on?"

"Victoria straightened up, dabbing at her cheeks to brush away non-existent tears, her voice thick with feigned woe.

"Erika's mad at me for no reason. She said she'll stop sponsoring my college, send me back to my hometown to marry, and even sell me to that wealthy businessman for cash."

"Dave shot me a reproachful glare, his tone sharp with blame.

"Honey, is this true? How could you say such things to her? She's just a kid."

"A bitter, humorless laugh escaped me, my expression darkening in an instant.

"I never said a word of that. But if she keeps lying, I'll make her worst nightmare come true."

"I fixed Victoria with a piercing, unblinking stare, every syllable cutting like shards of ice.

"Victoria, say what you just told him. To my face."

My gaze cowed her completely.

She scurried behind Dave, stammering as she backtracked in a panic.

"I... I must have misheard. Erika said she wouldn't cover my college living expenses anymore, and I let my imagination run wild."

I loathe liars more than anything in the world.

I stepped forward in one sharp move, yanking her out from behind Dave's shield, and a small, startled shriek tore from her lips.

"Mishearing is no excuse for spreading lies," I said flatly, my voice cold.

"When you do wrong, you apologize. It's the most basic decency there is."

Victoria bit her lip tight, refusing to speak, her eyes locked stubbornly on Dave as if begging him to rescue her.

"Dave, do I really have to apologize for something so trivial?"

My fists clenched at my sides, my nails digging into my palms to hold back the urge to strike her.

Seeing how incensed I was, Dave shot Victoria an urgent, warning look.

"Victoria, you were in the wrong. Apologize to my wife. Now."

Victoria mumbled an apology, her voice dripping with resentment, barely audible.

"Sorry, Erika."

"I'm not joking around," I held her gaze unflinchingly, my tone unyielding.

"I never asked for anything in return for helping you, but respect is non-negotiable. If you can't even manage that, we're finished. Don't contact me again. I never thought the girl I sponsored would be so utterly ungrateful and disrespectful."

"The cold, unforgiving look in my eyes made her burst into real tears, her eyes red and puffy as she turned to Dave.

"Dave, I didn't mean it. Please tell Erika to forgive me. I really know I messed up. No one ever taught me how to act, and my parents don't care about me at all. I just said the wrong thing by accident."

Dave immediately stepped in as a peacemaker, tugging me aside in a hurry.

"Honey, she's just a kid who's had a rough life. Don't argue with her. Her sharp tongue's probably just her way of protecting herself."

I thought of the little girl we'd met three years ago, huddled in a cold corner, begging us for a chance to go to school.

I forced the raging anger down my throat and said nothing more.

But after just a few hours in her company, I knew for certain.

This Victoria was nothing like the innocent, desperate girl I'd chosen to sponsor all those years ago.

That night, I dared not let her stay in my house, afraid she'd cook up more tricks behind my back.

But it was nearly midnight, and it wasn't safe for a young girl to stay in a hotel alone in New York.

So I put her up in the empty apartment next door-a quiet way to keep her at arm's length.

We didn't share a roof, but Victoria started showing up at my house more and more often, like she owned the place.

She'd appear right on cue at dinnertime every single day, and never once mentioned the summer job she'd rambled on about coming to New York for.

One day, I was in my room going over a rental contract, pen in hand, when I heard Dave and her talking in the living room, their voices drifting through the half-open door.

Victoria asked tentatively, her voice soft and syrupy.

"Where's Erika?"

"She's not feeling well. Took some medicine and is resting," Dave replied.

Convinced I was asleep and couldn't hear a thing, Victoria let her guard down completely, her voice thick with fake, tearful vulnerability.

"Dave, am I a bother to you and Erika? She won't even let me stay at your place-she clearly doesn't see me like a little sister. Maybe I should just pack my bags and leave."

Dave laughed awkwardly, flustered by her act.

"No, of course not. My wife and I are both really glad you're here."

Victoria's fake tears vanished in the blink of an eye, her voice brightening with unbridled admiration and awe.

"Dave, I heard you talking about collecting rent yesterday! What rent? Is this entire apartment building yours? You're incredible-so handsome, and you're such a good provider!"

Dave scratched the back of his head, clearly flattered by the praise, a silly smile tugging at his lips.

"It's just this one building, nothing much. I invested all my savings from work over the years into it. I only make twenty or thirty grand a month in rent, just enough to get by. Nothing impressive at all."

I had to bite my lip so hard I tasted metal to keep from laughing out loud in my room.

That apartment building was my wedding dowry from my parents, a gift they'd given me long before I met Dave.

He hadn't spent a single penny on it, yet here he was, taking all the credit like it was his life's work.

I told myself men just liked to save face, that a little harmless boasting was normal.

I let it slide, not thinking much of it at the time.

Victoria's voice rose with excitement.

"Twenty or thirty grand a month is just getting by? Dave, you're way too humble! No wonder Erika's always so generous; she's got you to take care of her!"

Dave sighed heavily, his tone dripping with unwarranted complaint.

"Truth is, my wife spends money like water. I've told her off a hundred times, but she never listens to a word I say."

"Ugh, Erika really is going too far!"

Victoria agreed at once, her voice sharp with disdain, like she'd been waiting to say it.

"I asked her for a Herms bag for my birthday, and she just tossed me a cheap Coach to get rid of me. She's got all these fancy bags and never uses them-they just sit there collecting dust. What a total waste."

She then shifted gears smoothly, sowing discord with every word that left her mouth.

"Dave, your clothes aren't even that nice, either. Why is Erika so stingy with you? A man as amazing as you deserves a wife who spoils you, who really appreciates you. It's almost one in the afternoon, and she's still asleep in bed, leaving you to handle everything by yourself. It's so unfair. She doesn't even have a job, and she's this lazy. I'd never be like that. I'd cherish you with all my heart, Dave."

Her voice grew more and more breathless, more and more eager, like she was pouring her entire soul into the act.

"If I had a husband like you, I'd treat you like a king. I'd be the perfect wife and give you lots of kids. I'd do anything to make you happy."

Dave sighed in agreement, a note of deep regret in his voice, like he'd been wronged his whole life.

"My wife's great in a lot of ways, but she hasn't given me a child in our four years of marriage. That's all I've ever wanted, y'know?"

I heard the scrape of a chair on the hardwood floor, the soft rustle of fabric, and then the unmistakable sound of her arm wrapping around Dave's.

"Dave, I studied so hard all these years, and it was all for you," she purred, her voice deliberately soft and syrupy, thick with fake affection that made my skin crawl.

"Three years ago, you told me to study hard and chase my dreams. Those words have been stuck in my head ever since, pushing me to be better, to be good enough for you. You're the light that pulled me out of the dark, the reason I'm here today! I'd do anything for you, Dave. Anything you ask of me."