Chapter 1
That day, my son was playing with my phone and accidentally clicked on a website. A video ad popped up. I quickly snatched the phone to close it, but to my shock, the man in the video was my husband.
In the video, he was holding a woman.
*****
The video was blurry. It seemed like someone had secretly filmed it and then edited it before it leaked.
I never imagined that the man I had been married to for five years could cheat on me.
No wonder he had never touched me after we had a child.
No wonder he was always busy with work and rarely came home.
So he had already cheated on me.
I sat on the couch, unable to calm down. My chest felt like it was stuffed with a crate of explosives—smothered, ready to detonate at any moment.
"Mom? Hug me." At that moment, my son, Tommy, sensed my mood and suddenly pressed a wet little kiss against my cheek.
A warmth spread through my chest as I scooped him onto my lap.
"Mom, what's wrong?" he said.
"I'm fine," I said.
My throat tightened, and I almost cried.
"Mom, is Dad coming home today?" Tommy asked.
Was he coming home? I didn't know.
"He should maybe. Let's wait for him together, okay?" I replied.
Even though my mind was a storm, I kept a smile for Tommy.
No matter what, I needed the truth. I couldn't jump to conclusions.
Maybe the video wasn't really him. Maybe they just looked similar.
I didn't know why, but I kept finding excuses for David Stone.
And yet, deep down, I had a faint suspicion of the truth.
In the five years of our marriage, he had touched me only a handful of times. After we had a child, we never had sex again.
I had quit my job to take care of our child and became a full-time housewife.
He ran a small company, and his career was steadily rising.
To outsiders, he was the perfect husband, and we were the ideal, loving couple.
But he always came home late and frequently had business dinners.
Now I realized I had been too isolated from the outside world all these years. I knew too little.
That night, David finally came home.
After putting Tommy to bed and finishing his routine, David lay down.
When I entered the bedroom, he was reading a book.
I walked over, leaned against his shoulder, and whispered, "Darling, was today tiring?"
"Not really," he replied, flipping the page, his tone distant.
I paused, then reached out and pulled the book from his hands. "It's too dark, don't read anymore."
David frowned. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
I leaned close to him, almost touching his nose, and softened my voice. "I'm wearing a new perfume today."
Back in the first year of our relationship, whenever I said this, he always got the hint and would reply, "Then let me smell it."
But today, a flicker of surprise passed through David's eyes, quickly masked by a polite indifference. "What perfume?"
"It's Neroli and Darjeeling—Bvlgari."
"New?" His tone was mechanical.
He seemed thoughtful, as if something had crossed his mind. "Is the new Bvlgari perfume popular?"
David had never cared about this before.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips as I leaned in again, pressing against his chest. "Darling, it's late. Shall we go to sleep?"
David froze, caught off guard. Then he quickly composed himself and turned off the light. "I'm a little tired tonight."
Before I could say anything, he turned his back and pulled the covers over himself.
A heavy stone dropped in my chest.
Finally, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I asked the question. "Do you have a mistress?"
"No." David cut me off, his voice ice-cold.
"Then why do you always come home late? What are you doing out there?" I couldn't help but push, my voice growing louder.
"I told you, I'm busy with work. Emily Shaw, stop making unreasonable accusations," he snapped.
"Unreasonable? David, in all these years, you've barely touched me. Don't you realize that? How many couples live like this?" I said.
David's impatience flared. "If you're not satisfied, I can move out."
He said it and walked to the study. As he turned, I clearly saw the contempt in his eyes.
That night, I didn't sleep a wink.
The next morning, David was already gone. His suitcase was gone, too.
I wiped the exhaustion from my eyes, sent Tommy to preschool, and then went to David's company.