The Client with My Husband's Belt

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I'm a professional organizer, and I'd just accepted an urgent job at a high-end apartment.

A woman with flushed cheeks opened the door, reeking of sweet perfume.

Oh, I'm so sorry, I haven't had time to tidy up yet

I smiled and nodded, following her inside.

The decor and furniture layout were almost identical to my own home.

I was just marveling at how this client and I shared the same taste when the heavy scent of sex from the bedroom hit me.

The sheets were tangled, with obvious stainsclearly, they'd had intense sex recently.

The woman leaned against the doorframe, looking bashful:

"My husband has such a strong sex drive. We went at it all night yesterday. Don't be shocked."

I nodded:

"That's normal. My husband and I have been through the same thing."

Then, while organizing the back of the closet, I pulled out a belt.

My expression froze instantly.

This was a belt I'd handmade a year ago, one of a kind in the world.

It was the gift I'd given my husband for our anniversary.

I'd made this belt at Nathan's specific requesthe wanted something unique as a gift.

The patterns on it were designs Nathan had drawn himself, which I'd then sewn on stitch by stitch.

He'd said it symbolized our ten years of love.

But not long after, Nathan had guiltily told me the belt had gone missing.

I'd thought he was just careless and made him a new one.

"Mrs. Wilson, is there something wrong with this belt? You've been staring at it for a while."

Leah had appeared behind me at some point, pulling me from my thoughts.

I clenched my fists, suppressing my emotions, forcing out a smile:

"This belt hasn't been used in so long, the color's gotten dull."

Leah glanced at the belt dismissively, then said as if remembering something amusing:

"His wife made this belt for him by hand. I coaxed him a bit and he gave it to me"

Leah waved her hand, gesturing for me to take the belt and throw it away.

I packed the belt into my bag and continued organizing her things.

When I opened the nightstand drawer, I found over a dozen boxes of condoms neatly arranged inside.

Because Nathan was allergic to latex, he could only use this one expensive specialty brand.

And this specialty brand was something I had a factory friend produce exclusively for me.

No one but me had access to purchase these.

So all of these had been stolen from our home by Nathan, one by one.

The thought of my husband having sex with another woman on this bed made acid rise in my stomach, churning constantly.

What should have been a two-hour job, I dragged out to five hours due to my scattered attention.

Leah looked at the closet I'd organized so neatly and praised me enthusiastically:

"My husband loves this kind of meticulous organization. He says his wife at home is rigid, but she's definitely good at housework."

"Looking at you, you're no worse than her."

Leah looked up and saw my shocked expression, then smiled knowingly:

"I'm his mistress. It's pretty common these days, isn't it?"

I hadn't expected her question. My throat felt like it had a fishbone stuck in it.

Seeing I didn't respond, Leah didn't feel awkward and continued her monologue:

"His wife is domineering. At home, he always feels like a controlled child. Only with me can he experience real masculine conquest."

Leah's words triggered my memories.

Because of my work, I kept our home meticulously organized too.

What he wore to work each day, from his suit down to his socksI managed everything.

I just wanted him to leave looking perfect, but in his eyes, this had become a form of control.

Suddenly, the smart lock chimed cheerfully.

Leah jumped up excitedly and rushed to the entrance:

"It must be him! He got away from that witch so early today!"

I stood in the shadows, watching Nathan push through the door.

He wore the suit I'd ironed smooth for him that morning, carrying a bouquet of bright red roses.

The gentle smile I knew so well hung on his face.

But that smile hadn't stayed there more than a few seconds before his peripheral vision caught my figure.

"Iris?"

The air was silent for a full half minute.

The panic in Nathan's eyes flashed for only an instant before he forcibly suppressed it.

He slowly unbuttoned his suit jacket and walked toward me.

"Didn't you promise me you'd let your employees take jobs? Why are you still taking appointments yourself? Are you tired?"

His tone was so natural, as if he were just asking about a trivial matter.

I watched him quietly.

Nathan's eyes flickered away, then he explained:

"I'm just taking care of her like a sister, don't overthink it."

I asked back:

"Taking care of a sister requires bringing her roses?"

"That's just politeness."

He was still making excuses, so I pulled out that belt that symbolized our ridiculous love.

Nathan's pupils contracted when he saw the belt.

He was silent for a while, realizing he couldn't talk his way out:

"Iris, in front of you, I'm always that poor boy who needed your support, who needed you working three jobs to support me."

"But Leah is different. Without me, she'd starve. She needs me."

"You can understand that, right?"

I understood him too well.

When we'd just graduated from college, inexperienced Nathan couldn't find work. His pride wouldn't let him do dirty, exhausting jobs.

I'd nodded understandingly, then went out and found three jobs to support him for over half a year.

Later, when his career took off and he needed a presentable wife, I'd nodded understandingly and transitioned from hands-on organizing to managing employees behind the scenes.

I'd thought no one understood him better than I did.

Never imagining I could no longer understand the boy who once loved me desperately.

Leah's eyes darted between the two of us.

She immediately grasped the situation, and seeing Nathan's somewhat guilty expression, a sharp edge flashed in her eyes.

At some point, my eyes had filled with tears.

Seeing my tears, a trace of guilt crossed Nathan's eyes. But before he could speak, a sharp scream interrupted him.

"Nathan! I'm bleeding!!!"

Nathan rushed out almost reflexively. He didn't even look back at me, swaying unsteadily.

He gently checked Leah's injuryjust a finger scratched by the sofa, with a tiny bit of blood.

Leah cried pitifully, truly worthy of sympathy.

"Nathan, it hurts so much!"

Watching Leah act coy and seek affection, I could understand why Nathan was so bewitched by her.

After all, after being cared for by me for so long, the novelty of someone needing his care outweighed our ten years together.

I raised my hand and wiped the tears from my eyes.

I took a garbage bag from my toolbox.

Calmly, I packed everything Nathan had stolen from home into the garbage bag.

Including the specialty condoms, and that utterly ridiculous belt.

Then I put on my most professional smile and looked at Leah:

"Ms. Martinez, I've finished organizing your home. Thank you for your support."

"I'll take care of this useless garbage for you. No need to thank me."

I shook the garbage bag in my hand, my peripheral vision catching that Nathan was now wearing the new belt I'd made for him.

I grabbed the scissors and snipped his belt right off with one cut.

I pulled his belt free.

"This garbageI'll throw it away too."

Some garbage needs to be cleared out promptly, including people.

I ignored Nathan's furious shouting behind me and walked past them out of this foul-smelling house.

I felt a bit dazed when I got home.

Everything in the house was arranged by my own hands.

I opened the closet, looking at each neatly ironed suit.

Before, I would have been satisfied with my work.

Now I grabbed scissors and cut each suit to shreds.

This home no longer needed to be organized.

I called Dylan, the company's finance manager.

I had him send me all the company's accounts from recent years.

Because of my wealthy family background, my parents had never approved of my marriage to Nathan.

They'd looked down on him as a poor boy without proper family background to match mine.

But it was this poor boy I'd been willing to sever ties with my family to follow.

My head felt fuzzy. I touched my foreheadburning hot.

Made sense. After a busy day plus emotional upheaval, it would be strange not to have a fever.

I forced myself to take fever medicine before lying down on the bed.

At ten that night, Nathan came home.

Seeing the house somewhat messy, he couldn't help but click his tongue.

Normally, I would clean up before going to bed.

Nathan opened the bedroom door and found me with a bright red face from fever.

His tone carried rare urgency:

"Iris? How did you get such a high fever? Did you take medicine?"

He knelt by the bed without even removing his suit jacket, checking my condition.

Seeing me delirious with fever, he got up to make warm milk, then carefully wrung out a towel and folded it on my forehead to reduce the fever.

I struggled to open my eyes. The concern in his eyes seemed ready to overflow.

This made me feel disoriented.

Watching his busy figure, it was as if he were still the Nathan who only loved me deeply.

I remembered when I'd been sick beforehe'd abandoned the finals of an entrepreneurship competition without hesitation, carrying me all the way to the emergency room.

His startup project had been highly regarded by the judges. If he'd participated in the finals, there was a strong chance a major company would have invested directly.

But because of me, he'd given it up.

So I felt somewhat guilty toward him.

That's why when Nathan was at his wit's end, I'd swallowed my pride and begged my parents to help him.

That's how we got the Nathan of today.

A phone ringtone interrupted my thoughts.

Nathan answered without hesitation.

I heard Leah's voice:

"Nathan, I got my period. It hurts so much without you rubbing my stomach."

Nathan quickly lowered his voice to soothe Leah on the other end:

"Don't worry, I'll be right there."

As soon as he hung up, he moved to leave, but then remembered I was still lying weakly in bed.

He hesitated for a few seconds, then with trembling hands tucked the blanket around me.

"I'll be back soon."

Not a single explanation before he left.

He didn't come back all night.

I woke up the next morning, the fever still stubbornly refusing to break.

The room was dead silent. I opened my phonenot a single message.

I forced myself through my physical exhaustion, got up, and collected everything belonging to Nathan as garbage to throw away.

Suddenly I got a call from the police. I answered with some confusion:

"Mrs. Wilson, someone has reported that you stole from them. Please come to the station to cooperate with the investigation."

I had a bad feeling, but with a clear conscience, I quickly changed into casual clothes and left.

At the station, I saw Leah.

The police brought Leah and me to the interview room for detailed questioning.

"Ms. Martinez called to report that you stole her diamond ring when you went to organize their home yesterday. Is this true?"

My pupils contracted as I stared at Leah in shock.

But Leah looked at me with a pitiful expression:

"Mrs. Wilson, please give it back! That's my family's heirloom diamond ring, worth a hundred thousand dollars!"

I turned to explain my professional nature to the police:

"I've done this work for so many years. I wouldn't lack such basic professional ethics. And yesterday when I was organizing, Leah was watching me the entire time."

The police looked at Leah.

Leah immediately played innocent:

"I was watching, but if you used some sleight of hand to steal it, I wouldn't see that!"

I was about to continue defending myself when Nathan pushed through the door.

He saw my pale face and knew my fever hadn't broken. He was about to walk toward me when Leah stopped him.

Seeing Nathan, Leah acted like she'd seen her savior and immediately pulled Nathan into her camp.

"My husband can testify too!"

"Yesterday she angrily cut my husband's belt, said it was garbage, and took it away! How can someone so emotional have any professionalism?"

Nathan met the police's questioning gaze, hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Yes, my wife's diamond ring is indeed missing."

In this moment, my heart turned completely cold.

Leah raised her face toward me triumphantly:

"Mrs. Wilson, I won't make things difficult for you. Just compensate me for the original price and we can settle this privately."

So this was Leah's plan all alongto extort money from me.

I didn't cry or make a scene refusing to comply as Leah expected.

Instead, I pulled out a card and handed it over.

"The money in this card should be enough for your ring."

Nathan and Leah froze in place.

One hadn't expected me to comply so readily.

The other hadn't expected me to have so much money.

Nathan's throat tightened:

"Where did you get so much money?"

In his view, my work was just tidying up houses for othersno different from a housekeeper in his eyes.

How could a maid possibly have a hundred thousand in savings?

And Leah had wanted to see me cry and make a scene when I couldn't produce the money, but I'd compromised so easily.

Leah hesitantly accepted my card.

I curved my lips in a smile.

After all, my money wasn't so easy to take.

Then Nathan's phone rang.

"Mr. Reed! This is badWilson Group suddenly withdrew all funding. Our project has stopped due to lack of money!"

"Now we've delayed the timeline, and our partners are all demanding to terminate contracts!"

Nathan was overwhelmed by call after call.

I pulled a termination letter from my pocket and threw it right in Nathan's face.

After reading what was on it, Nathan stared at me with shocked, disbelieving eyes.