Chapter 1

My wife, Janelle, had her own personal luxury sales rep.

Every time she shopped with him, she bought me a watch on the side.

I used to think it was a sweet gesture of love.

That was until I got off work early to pick her up at the mall.

I caught her flirting shamelessly with that young salesman.

I even watched them walk into a hotel together, hand in hand.

Janelle didn't come home until three in the morning.

And in her hand was the hundredth watch she had bought for me.

1.

At three in the morning, Janelle finally deigned to return.

When she saw me sitting in the dark on the couch, the lingering glow of her secret indulgence turned into instant guilt.

"Honey, why are you still awake?"

"Something came up at the office and I had to work late. I forgot to call you."

I let out a soft chuckle.

Her lazy, rehearsed excuse made a cold shiver run straight through my chest.

I clenched my fists inside my sleeves, keeping my face completely blank as I muttered a quiet, "Okay."

Janelle looked surprised by my reaction.

Normally, if she told me she worked late, I would have rushed over with warm tea and soothing words.

Now, I just stared at her with vacant eyes.

She quickly pulled out a designer gift box like a prized trophy and handed it to me.

"Look, baby. I picked out this brand-new watch just for you."

Looking at the emerald-green dial inside, I suddenly realized that the last few watches she gave me all had green faces.

I looked up into her eyes, my tone eerily calm.

"Have you developed an obsession with the color green lately?"

Janelle froze for a few seconds before forcing a nervous laugh.

"Green represents health and life. I just want you to stay healthy, that's all."

Afraid I might ask more, she wrapped her arms around my neck from behind.

Just as she opened her mouth to whisper something sweet, I sneezed twice in violent succession.

I was severely allergic to lilies, and even a trace of the scent made my nose burn.

A flicker of panic flashed across her eyes, and she immediately stammered an excuse.

"My assistant was wearing a lily-scented perfume today. It must have rubbed off on my clothes."

I swallowed the bitter coldness rising in my throat and pushed her away.

"Go take a shower first."

Relieved, Janelle tossed her phone onto the side table and slipped into the bathroom.

I stared at the glowing black screen.

After a few moments of hesitation, I picked it up.

Her lock screen passcode had always been my birthday.

It still was.

I scrolled through her usual apps and found nothing suspicious.

Just as I was about to set it down, I remembered her phone had a dual-system profile feature.

I navigated to the hidden interface and stared at the password prompt.

On a hunch, I typed in the date she had gifted me the very first watch.

Within seconds, the screen unlocked to a completely different home layout.

My breath caught, and a sharp, tearing pain ripped through my chest.

The wallpaper was a photo of Janelle passionately making out with that young salesman.

I gripped the phone so hard my knuckles turned white, fighting to swallow the burning rage inside.

I opened her private messaging app.

There was only a single contact on the list, saved under the nickname: "Obedient & Wild."

The chat log was filled with vulgar, explicit messages.

There were even intimate videos of them together in bed.

I pulled out my own phone and took clear photos of all the incriminating chats and evidence.

Before the sound of running water stopped in the bathroom, I restored her phone and placed it back exactly where she left it.

I grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the drawer and walked out onto the balcony.

When Janelle finished washing up and saw the glowing ember between my fingers, her eyes widened.

"I thought you quit smoking?"

I took one last slow drag before exhaling a thick plume of gray smoke.

"If we're not planning for a baby, there's no need to quit."

Janelle paused in surprise, and then a radiant, relieved smile spread across her face.

"Babe, you finally came to your senses? Our careers are taking off right now. It really isn't the right time for kids."

She had never wanted children.

When she accidentally got pregnant once before, she went behind my back to secretly terminate it.

Back then, I had confronted her with tears of rage, demanding to know why.

She had lain in the hospital bed, sobbing with red eyes, asking if I just viewed her as an incubator and why she had no right to control her own body.

The second I saw her tears, I had surrendered completely, apologizing on bended knee.

Only yesterday did I find out the truth from her secret chat log.

She hadn't ended that pregnancy for her bodily autonomy. She had done it simply to please that other man.

Looking at the beaming woman standing in front of me, I said quietly, "Yeah. No kids."

Since I was already leaving, why did it matter anymore?