Autumn is a second spring

91. Anger

Shelly gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. 

The moment she had driven far enough from the Dechaphatthanakun mansion, her carefully maintained facade of sorrow and vulnerability crumbled. 

Her chest heaved as suppressed anger clawed its way to the surface. She slammed her palm against the wheel with a loud, reverberating thud, a scream tearing from her throat.

"Why?!" she yelled, her voice trembling with rage. "Why the hell does he treat me like this?!"

Her thoughts spiraled, chaotic and venomous. Art's defiance, his blatant disrespect, played on a loop in her mind. The sting of his words was bad enough, but his unwavering loyalty to Earth made her blood boil. 

"I am his Mae! How could he side with others over me!?" Her lips curled into a snarl as she muttered under her breath.

"That vixen!" she spat, gripping the wheel tighter. "That conniving, manipulative witch. Seducing my husband, poisoning my son against me. A pair of disgusting faggots, both of them."

Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her tirade. She snatched it up with a huff, her irritation momentarily redirected at the interruption. 

It was a message from the man she had hired to tail Earth. Her brow furrowed as she opened it, her scowl deepening with every swipe of her finger.

The photos revealed Earth and Kao seated together at an elegant café, pouring over what appeared to be wedding plans. Her jaw clenched as she took in their smiling faces, their postures radiating ease and intimacy. 

Jane had told her about the extravagant wedding Kao was planning for Earth—something Shelly could never have imagined during her brief marriage to him.

Her chest tightened with jealousy as she recalled her own wedding, if it could even be called that. 

A simple ceremony attended by only a handful of family members, with no fanfare, no lavish decorations, and certainly no wedding gown. 

Kao had treated it like an inconvenience rather than a milestone, barely acknowledging her presence.

Swiping to the next photo, she saw the way Kao's eyes lingered on Earth, filled with a tenderness she had never received. 

A venomous bitterness churned in her gut as she swiped further. Older photos appeared: the two of them during their Paris trip, looking every bit the picture-perfect couple. 

The Eiffel Tower loomed in the background of one photo, Kao wrapping a scarf around Earth's neck with a playful smile.

Her teeth ground together as the memories of her own time with Kao bubbled to the surface.

"He never even took me out of the country," she hissed, gripping her phone as though it were the source of her rage. "Not once. Not even a honeymoon."

The photos were a stark contrast to the life she had once imagined for herself. She had given up so much to secure her place in the Dechaphatthanakun family. 

She had schemed, plotted, even stooped as low as drugging Kao to ensure she got pregnant. Her plan had worked—she had forced the family's hand into arranging the marriage.

But Kao had never truly been hers. He had been distant throughout her pregnancy, absent both physically and emotionally. 

Not that she had particularly cared at the time; all she wanted was access to the family's wealth. Yet now, seeing Earth treated like royalty, she couldn't ignore the gaping disparity.

Her nails dug into her palms as her mind replayed her sacrifices. She had borne Kao's child, endured a grueling pregnancy that left her with stretch marks, hair loss, and a changed body. All of it had been for nothing. 

When Kao caught her in an affair, he had thrown her out with nothing—no alimony, no second chances. He had snatched back everything that she had brought for herself during their marriage, leaving her penniless as their divorce was finalized. 

"If he had treated me like this," she growled, staring daggers at the photos, "I wouldn't have needed to look elsewhere. It is his fault. All of this is his fault."

Her phone rang suddenly, startling her out of her thoughts. She looked at the screen, her irritation flaring anew as she saw the caller ID: Cap.

Cap was the man she had been seeing for a while. The car she was driving, the dress she wore, everything was brought by this man.

She sighed heavily, forcing herself to pick up the call.

"Where are you, darling?" Cap's cheerful voice greeted her.

She softened her tone, masking her frustration with a sugary sweetness. "I am on my way to your place now."

"Perfect!" Cap said, his excitement evident. "I booked us a table at Fahsiam to celebrate our six-month anniversary. Can you believe it? I had to make the reservation months in advance!"

Shelly rolled her eyes, biting back a scoff. Fahsiam. She remembered the days when she could dine there on a whim, no reservations required. It had been her playground when she was married to Kao, a mere footnote in her life of indulgence. Now, it was an event to be commemorated.

"That sounds amazing," she said, her voice dripping with false enthusiasm.

"I knew you would love it!" Cap exclaimed, clearly pleased. "I can't wait to see you tonight. I love you."

Her lips curled into a smug smile, her ego momentarily soothed.

"I love you too," she replied lightly, ending the call and tossing the phone into her bag.

As the silence settled in the car once more, her thoughts returned to the photos. She clenched the steering wheel, her face twisting with anger.

"If Kao had just obeyed me," she muttered bitterly, "if he had just listened to me the way Cap does... everything would have been different. I would still be the mistress of the Dechaphatthanakun family. Everything that Earth has—it should have been mine!"

Her foot pressed harder on the accelerator as her anger bubbled over again. 

Cap was a useful backup plan, but he could never replace what she had lost. He was wealthy, yes, but nowhere near Kao's level of power and influence. And worst of all, he lacked the prestige of the Dechaphatthanakun name.

Cap's blind devotion was the only thing that kept her interested. He was like a dog, eager to please, obedient to her every whim. She barked, and he jumped. She commanded, and he obeyed. It was how she had wanted Kao to be, how she believed all men should be.

She let out a frustrated growl, slamming her hand against the steering wheel again. Her chest heaved as she tried to steady her breathing, but the fury remained, simmering just below the surface.

Starting the car, Shelly gripped the wheel tightly, her knuckles pale. Her lips curled into a sneer as she muttered under her breath.

"Earth and Kao... you will get what is coming to you. Just wait. I will see to it that you two have a good wedding"

With that, she sped off, leaving a trail of resentment and bitterness in her wake.