Chapter 5720

Elaine lived her life with fierce determination and unwavering confidence. Yet, beneath her strong exterior, she harbored deep insecurities and a sensitivity that consumed her. She was afraid of being judged and rejected by others, and her greatest source of self-doubt stemmed from Matilda. During their school days, Matilda stood out from the crowd, drawing attention wherever she went. Being close to Elaine, she often attracted the attention of boys who had ulterior motives. They only sought Elaine's company in order to get closer to Matilda. Coming from a poor rural family, Elaine always felt inferior in Matilda's presence. But this sense of inferiority fueled her determination to surpass her. Elaine believed that the ultimate victory in her life would be stealing Jacob away from Matilda. She believed that by doing so, she could finally face Matilda as a triumphant winner. However, after marrying Jacob, Elaine was subjected to constant mockery and ridicule from Jacob's grandmother. She was labeled as a conniving woman who used her body to climb the social ladder. Jacob's grandmother even went as far as to say that Elaine wasn't even worthy of comparing to Matilda's toenails. Over the years, Matilda became a sensitive and painful subject for Elaine. Now, with the sudden realization that Matilda had returned to Aurous Hill without her knowledge, Elaine's sensitive side was immediately triggered. The overwhelming sense of inferiority ignited a fiery anger within her. What made matters worse was the fact that her husband had been aware of Matilda's return but had kept it a secret from her. And so, she lost control. Elaine didn't care about the consequences as she swung her arms wildly, attacking Jacob on the highway. In that moment, the highway became irrelevant. She fought without any technique or restraint, fueled solely by her rage and desperation. Jacob couldn't believe that Elaine would actually assault him on the highway. In order to avoid an accident, he abruptly hit the brakes and brought the car to a stop in the fast lane. He dodged Elaine's flailing hands and shouted, "Wife, please calm down! We're on the highway, you're risking your life!" Elaine's eyes were bloodshot, her teeth gritted as she responded, "Risking my life? What does life even mean to me? You've betrayed me with Matilda, so what's the point of my life anymore? Let's both die! Let the car crash and kill us!" Jacob couldn't believe that Elaine, who had always threatened to fight him, was actually serious. He pleaded desperately, "Oh, wife! I really didn't do anything with her!" At that moment, the sound of urgent braking came from behind. A small car desperately slowed down and swerved around their car from the right side. The driver rolled down the window and cursed, "What the hell are you doing? Why did you stop on the highway?!" Still consumed by rage, Elaine rolled down her window and shouted angrily at the driver, "I don't want to live anymore! Why the hell did you brake? Why didn't you just crash into us and kill us?!" The driver was taken aback, never having encountered someone like Elaine before. Instinctively, he responded, "If my car hit yours? If you die, I might die too..." Elaine immediately replied, "Perfect! Let's switch then. You drive this car and crash into us, okay? Or we can get out of the car and let you crash into us. I'm already tired of living. If you don't crash into me today, I'll make sure to sell this car and use the money to hire someone to kill you!" The driver, who had seen all sorts of things, had never encountered someone as ruthless as Elaine. Scared and trembling, he apologized, "I'm sorry, Auntie. It was my impulsive behavior. You're driving a Rolls-Royce, and I'm driving a Honda Civic. Those red stickers on my car only cost fifty each. You don't need to stoop down to my level... It's all my fault, please don't take it to heart... I have a family to support, I really can't afford to offend someone like you. Please spare me..." Elaine looked at the driver's nervous and panicked appearance, knowing that her aggressive tactics had once again succeeded. She didn't want to waste her time arguing with a stranger, so she simply scolded him, "Just get lost!" The driver, feeling pardoned, quickly said, "I'm leaving, I'm leaving!" With that, he stepped on the gas pedal and slowly drove away. Once the driver was gone, Elaine immediately refocused her attention on Jacob. She slammed her fist on the dashboard and angrily shouted, "Jacob, you better tell me the truth! When did Matilda come back?!" Jacob found himself both shocked and frightened, his voice trembling as he tried to explain, "I... I truly had no idea... I simply encountered her at the University for the Elderly, where she was a professor, and realized she was back. When did she return? I swear, I had no knowledge of it whatsoever!" "You're lying!" Elaine snapped through clenched teeth, her frustration evident. "Matilda has been absent for so many years, yet she didn't even reach out to you when she returned to Aurous Hill?"

With a guilty conscience, Jacob continued to fabricate his story, "I'm telling you the truth. Our meeting was entirely coincidental at the University for the Elderly. And as I mentioned before, she has a partner and they're on the brink of marriage. There's nothing between her and me!" Furrowing her brow, Elaine retreated into her thoughts for a moment. Then, as if struck by sudden realization, she exclaimed, "I've got it!" Pointing an accusatory finger at Jacob, she seethed, "Throughout all the years we've been together, you've initiated divorce proceedings against me twice. Once when I lost all my money in a card game, and the other when I got caught up in a pyramid scheme and ended up in jail." As she recounted their tumultuous history, Elaine's voice turned cold and analytical, "Let's set aside the card game incident for now. It was admittedly my fault. But the MLM debacle caused me so much suffering. You were ready to divorce me the moment I was released. Since then, we've been sleeping in separate rooms, living more like strangers than a married couple. Tell me the truth, did Matilda return during the period I was incarcerated?" Caught off guard, Jacob felt a sudden surge of fear, his body breaking out into a cold sweat. Jacob's face turned pale with fear. He never expected Elaine to connect the dots in this way. He couldn't help but wonder, "Is this still Elaine? Does she possess such strong analytical abilities?" However, Jacob didn't dare to disclose the timing, so he fibbed, his voice strained, "Darling, it's not as you think... During that period, Charlie and I were tirelessly searching Aurous Hill to find you. I had no opportunity to meet anyone else! If you doubt me, ask Charlie yourself when you arrive at the airport!" Jacob was certain that Charlie would support his deception. After all, he had accompanied him when they went to welcome Matilda. Charlie knew the situation and would keep the secret safe. Unexpectedly, Elaine didn't buy into his words this time. She retorted icily, "Why should I ask you? If I have questions, I'll ask Matilda! Isn't she about to get married? Fine! On her wedding day, I'll go there in person and confront her about trying to seduce my husband, Jacob!" Jacob paled with dread! If Elaine disrupted Matilda and Mr. Riley's wedding, with Matilda's son and possibly some old classmates present, wouldn't their secret be exposed instantly? Furthermore, if Elaine indeed caused a scene at the wedding, she would have no dignity left to stay in Aurous Hill thereafter. Terrified, Jacob could only implore, "Please, my dear, trust me this time! Let's not say anything, let's just focus on the fact that they're getting married. There's no possibility between Matilda and me! Just by looking at that, you can see I'm innocent!" Elaine's anger flared, "If Matilda returned during my time in jail, it's been ages! What could have happened in all that time? Just because she's getting married now doesn't absolve her of any past involvement with you! Maybe you two got together while I was detained, and when you wanted a divorce, she moved on and married someone else!" Jacob's heart trembled in fear: "Is Elaine channeling Sherlock Holmes? Is this the case solved?" Seeing Jacob's silence, Elaine's suspicions deepened. She erupted in fury, clawing at Jacob while hurling insults, "Alright! Your silence confirms it, doesn't it? Jacob, you heartless scoundrel! While I was suffering at the hands of your mother and Wendy in jail, with my legs broken, you were out there, having an affair with Matilda! Look, I'll tear your face apart and gouge out your eyes!" With that, Elaine descended into a frenzy, assaulting Jacob relentlessly. Jacob felt searing pain across his face. Desperate, he contemplated fleeing the car when suddenly, a siren blared behind them. Then, a voice over the loudspeaker barked, "What's that vehicle doing, blocking the highway?! Pull over to the emergency lane immediately!" Hearing the approaching police, Jacob wasted no time. Whether it was a traffic officer or a civilian, he flung open the car door and bolted. When he saw a police car closing in, he dashed toward it, wailing for help, "Officer, please help!" The traffic police swiftly halted in front of him, advancing to inquire, "What's the matter?!" Jacob sobbed, "My wife wants to gouge out my eyes..." "Wife?" The traffic officer frowned instinctively, "Did you two stop and brawl on the highway?" Jacob whimpered, "She attacked me, but I didn't retaliate..." Meanwhile, Elaine also emerged from the car, rushing to the traffic police, "Officer, don't believe his lies! He cheated on his ex-lover and cheated on me! I'll fight him!" The traffic policeman, torn between exasperation and amusement, sternly stated, "You both seem to treat the highway like your home. If you don't value your lives, others won't either!" Then, turning to Jacob, he instructed, "Bring the car keys here. Our colleagues will escort you to the police station. Follow our car and accept the consequences!"