Chapter 1

Late that night, my next-door neighbor accidentally cast his screen to my living room TV.

A high-definition video popped up, showing him tangled intimately in bed with a woman.

I sighed at the sheer recklessness of the younger generation and reached for the remote to disconnect.

Suddenly, my head began to buzz.

On the screen, a distinct, faint birthmark caught my eye on the woman’s lower back.

It was identical to the one on my wife.

1

The miscast video was abruptly shut off from the other side.

After fiddling with the Bluetooth settings for a few minutes, I finally connected my TV to the gaming tournament stream.

The match was reaching its climax, but my excitement had completely vanished.

Half an hour later, the muffled sound of running water came from the neighbor’s bathroom.

My thoughts were a chaotic mess.

That familiar birthmark remained burned into my mind.

I unlocked my phone and opened my pinned chat.

There was a Live Photo that my wife, Rosalie, had sent earlier to check in.

“Declan, I miss you so much! My training conference wraps up tomorrow evening, and I will be straight home!”

“Make sure you go to bed early after watching your stream tonight~”

In the moving picture, she was sitting in a hotel conference room with her colleagues.

I shook my head, feeling guilty for letting my paranoia get the best of me.

I texted her to take care of herself, then closed the app.

The next day was Saturday, and I slept all the way until four in the afternoon.

When I woke up, I was startled to find Rosalie already bustling around the living room.

“Why are you back so early?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.

Rosalie walked over, handing me a sleek gift box.

She smiled warmly at me. “Did you forget?”

“Today is our fifth wedding anniversary.”

“I booked a table at our favorite spot and wanted to come home early to celebrate with you.”

Her training seminar in Pittsburgh was several hundred miles away.

She had driven for hours through heavy traffic just to make it home in time for our special day.

My heart softened instantly.

“You should have called me to pick you up instead of exhausting yourself on the road.”

She set her purse down, trotted over, and affectionately nuzzled my cheek.

She planted a soft kiss on my lips before grabbing a fresh change of clothes.

“I know, but you are the best husband ever!”

“Open your present and see if you like it. It is one of a kind!”

I opened the box to find a limited-edition pro gaming jersey I had been eyeing for months.

I nodded with a faint smile and carefully placed it into the display cabinet.

Looking at the glass shelves, I saw they were filled with all the thoughtful gifts she had given me over the years.

We had dated for five years and had been married for five.

Throughout those ten years, her devotion to me had always seemed beyond question.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

I opened the door and found myself face-to-face with my new neighbor.

He was wearing an athletic jersey, looking completely different from the lustful figure in the video from the previous night.

Noticing my brief hesitation, he offered a polite nod.

“Sorry to bother you, man. I live right next door.”

“My shirt blew off my drying rack and landed on your balcony. Mind if I grab it?”

I nodded and stepped aside to let him through.

My eyes lingered on the garment he retrieved, a strange chill running down my spine.

He seemed completely oblivious as he walked back toward the door.

“My girlfriend was over watching the playoffs with me last night.”

“Things got a little wild, and the clothes ended up flying everywhere.”

With a casual chuckle, he handed me a bakery box filled with artisan pecan fudge from Pittsburgh.

I did not refuse. I accepted it and quietly shut the door.

Back in the living room, I stared at my anniversary gift in deep silence.

What a coincidence. A one-of-a-kind jersey.

Did my neighbor just happen to own the exact same limited-edition piece?