Don't Get Caught By Your Husband! (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
A dark room, even at midday, with no sunlight entering.
A small voice echoed between the two women seated facing each other.
“Huhuh… So that husband of mine, that bastard, had another affair with a maid again…”
The middle-aged woman, wearing a hat adorned with an elaborate veil, pulled a white handkerchief from her bag.
She raised the handkerchief, blew her nose loudly once, then looked at the woman seated before her.
“The world doesn’t know his true nature. Outside, he’s seen as the kindest, most respected scholar—no one would believe a word I say, would they?”
“…….”
“He’s actually a repulsive pervert consumed by vile lust! Everyone’s being fooled… Huhuh! Just how many times has this happened now…”
The grief-stricken middle-aged woman couldn’t hold back her tears.
“What am I supposed to do now…? And what about my children, who know nothing of this? Tell me!”
“…….”
Across from the woman who kept shedding tears, Belladonna sat perfectly still in her chair, like a figure in a painting.
Gazing downward, lost in thought, she appeared at once deeply troubled—and yet, as if entirely detached from the woman before her, as though in another world altogether.
“…Saintess?”
The middle-aged woman, having fully wiped her tears, called out to Belladonna once more.
Clutching her white handkerchief tightly, she looked at Belladonna with pleading eyes.
“…….”
After a few seconds of silence, Belladonna lifted her eyes to meet the woman’s gaze.
Slowly, she curved her lips into a smile so radiant it nearly hurt to look at, and gazed warmly at the middle-aged woman.
“…….”
“Ah…!”
Immediately, a ray of light seemed to fill the face of the middle-aged woman as she met Belladonna’s gentle smile.
Covering her mouth with both hands, she sighed as though suddenly enlightened.
“…I understand now! You’re telling me I can do this myself—that I’m not as weak as I thought… I’m not!”
She then began to speak, stumbling over her words.
“You’re absolutely right, Saintess…! Living with that piece of trash of a husband is worse than living alone. No—actually, I’m not alone at all, because I have my two children!”
“…….”
“I’ll go submit divorce papers right this moment! And I’ll shout straight in his face—I won’t tear myself apart anymore!”
Soon after, the middle-aged woman, her tears now dried, abruptly stood up.
“Thank you, Saintess! You always grant me clarity.”
With a face full of emotion, she bowed deeply toward the Saintess before her.
Belladonna simply gazed at her, offering only a silent smile.
The middle-aged woman, her eyes still glistening, looked at Belladonna one last time before slowly turning and leaving the confessional.
“Well then, I’ll be off now, Saintess! To sever all ties with that damned man I can’t even bear calling my husband.”
Her expression as she exited the room was completely different from when she’d entered—unburdened and refreshingly free.
As she opened the heavy confessional door, a line of people stood waiting ahead of her, their faces hidden beneath large hats.
They watched the middle-aged woman walk out with cool composure, their eyes betraying a flicker of envy before quickly schooling their expressions and clearing their throats.
The next person in line—a large man—promptly opened the confessional door and stepped inside.
Impatient as ever, he barely managed to sit in the chair opposite Belladonna before bursting out,
“Saintess…! Please listen to me! I’m absolutely going mad with frustration…!”
Soon after, yet another heavy secret filled the room.
[This is the timeline separator]“The last Saintess of Astanya, who traded her voice for sacred power.”
“The Smile of Astanya.”
“The Living Portrait of Astanya.”
All were titles referring to her—devoted expressions of reverence and unwavering faith from her followers.
Yet among the small minority of Eleanor Empire citizens who did not believe in gods, she was spoken of quite differently.
“The Pope’s puppet.”
“The ill-fated daughter, robbed of her voice and dragged into her adoptive father’s political schemes.”
“The nobility’s emotional trash bin.”
Whatever people called her, Belladonna herself had never cared.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say she simply didn’t care at all—
That is, until just half a year ago.
Having finished her daily duties, Belladonna returned to her private chamber deep inside the Papal Palace and collapsed carelessly onto her spacious bed.
She buried her face in the soft pillow, lying face-down, and quietly exhaled.
“…….”
Today’s confessions had been especially heavy and dizzying.
The story of a woman whose much younger maid her husband had now seduced for the fifth time.
The tale of a businessman who stole his friend’s idea and struck it rich.
The confession of a heartless elder brother who secretly swallowed up his father’s entire inheritance.
Even the admission of a noblewoman who’d suddenly become pregnant with her lover’s child…
The people of the Eleanor Empire always poured out to her their most difficult secrets—the truths they couldn’t speak of before others.
This was partly because she was the Pope’s sole adopted daughter, a man whose authority rivaled that of the Emperor himself, and because she possessed admirable character and integrity. But the more precise reason was this:
It was due to their firm belief in the Saintess, chosen by the divine.
Those blessed overnight with overwhelming holy power—seemingly through the grace of the gods—found themselves unable, for some reason, to act in ways that harmed others.
Since revealing someone’s secrets was, in essence, causing harm, the Saintess could never share the truths others wished to keep hidden.
People longed to spill the stories that tormented them to just anyone—yet dreaded being discovered by anyone at all. And for such people, Belladonna was an escape.
Even without offering specific answers or directly solving their problems, people found comfort merely by unburdening their secrets to her; some even found their own solutions and left the confessional feeling relieved.
“Are the people of the Eleanor Empire strange, or is the world just like this? How can they live carrying such terrifying secrets?”
Belladonna, who had been curled up on the bed, shifted restlessly before abruptly sitting upright.
She scanned the room carefully once more, thoroughly confirming she was alone.
After listening closely to ensure no maids were passing through the corridor, she let out a deep sigh and finally spoke.
“…Ugh, I thought my ears were actually going to bleed.”
Of all days, she had to get stuck with unusually talkative penitents today.
Stretching her neck from side to side, she scowled with all her might.
“Just sitting still and listening to other people’s secrets is seriously exhausting…”
Most of the time, when she actually paid attention to their stories, she simply couldn’t relate.
Partly because she cared so little about others that their tales felt boring…
Today, too, she had sat there half-lost in unrelated thoughts. When boredom grew too intense, she’d quietly count the hexagonal patterns on the floor.
Somehow, without her doing anything, the tedious confession would end—and as if suddenly enchanted, people would cry out, claiming sudden enlightenment, then thank her and leave, all because she’d given them a faint, slightly awkward smile out of vague embarrassment.
Even though she hadn’t actually done a single thing.
“How much longer do I have to keep up this farce…?”
Belladonna lay back, staring blankly up at the ceiling, blinking slowly.
She recalled the people before her—those who wept or raged as they spoke.
“…….”
Perhaps the real Belladonna Saintess would have genuinely cared for each of them, listened with true empathy, offered wise counsel, and shared heartfelt solutions.
If someone were suffering, she might even have performed miracles, using her holy power to heal them.
That is, if she were the *real* Belladonna Saintess.
She closed her slowly blinking eyes completely and remembered this very time, half a year ago.
[This is the timeline separator]“…What is this?”
The moment she opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling and bed.
When she slowly looked down at her limbs, moving awkwardly and strangely.
And finally, when she staggered toward a mirror and saw a face that looked hauntingly familiar.
Belladonna was so shocked she forgot even to scream.
“You—you’re the Saintess…?”
Eyes shimmering like blue gemstones, silver hair gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight, and features so strikingly defined that anyone would lose their breath at first glance.
The figure in the mirror was unmistakably the Saintess Belladonna. Though she’d only glimpsed her from afar a few times, such beauty was impossible to forget.
Slowly, she raised both hands and gently touched her pale, round face.
“Is this a dream…? My skin feels incredibly soft…”
So then… I really *was* that nameless girl born to an impoverished farmer, who spent nearly twenty years in hardship only to die pointlessly from some unknown fever…
“…Then why the hell am I waking up as the Saintess?!”
Belladonna’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the plush carpet covering the floor.
With long fingers, she absentmindedly clawed at the innocent carpet and muttered dazedly,
“Besides… I can actually speak…”
The Saintess Belladonna she knew—the real Saintess—had suddenly gained holy power as a very young child after suffering from a mysterious illness in the convent.
However, as the price for that power, she had permanently lost her voice and hadn’t spoken a single word since.
Despite her breathtaking, sacred appearance, her mysterious, sorrowful silence—coupled with her unmatched holy power—had earned her the people’s deep trust and adoration, making her the true Saintess of this age.
“…Then why can I speak so clearly right now? Huh? Saintess? What’s going on here?”
Belladonna murmured.
“Also, I don’t seem to have any holy power at all… I can’t feel anything…”
She looked down at her empty hands.
After sitting still for a while, her breathing began to quicken.
Unable to process this sudden reality, she fell backward and fainted dead away.
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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Chapter Comments (2)
Belladonna is thrilled to see the sea, but she’s also surprised by her husband Escalion’s attitude towards her. The story unfolds, revealing different facets of their personalities.- Without Belladonna realizing it, she’s slowly forming fond memories with Escalion, but doubt lingers. The painting of the two of them is leaving a lasting impression on her.
Inline Comments (2)
Should she try to find the poor farmer’s daughter she had been in her previous l
Urghhhh why keep talking about your real body in third person and keep emphasis that you are poor previously
Why were the people of this world so full of secrets?
Aren’t you originally born in the same world? Also all people has their own secrets 🙄
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