Chapter 3

I came home early the next morning, exhausted.

To my surprise, there was a perfectly prepared breakfast on the table.

Next to it was a note.

"Don't be mad anymore. I'll come home early tonight to have dinner with you."

She had drawn a little smiley face at the bottom.

I knew that smiley face all too well.

When we first started dating, her mysophobia made her constantly reject my touch. She would always write me little apology notes, and she always drew that same smile.

Just then, a notification pinged on Nina's tablet.

I didn't want to look, but the pings kept coming, one after another.

Annoyed, I walked over to turn the sound off.

The tablet was unlocked, displaying a forum thread.

The title was: What happens to couples who have been together for too long?

The replies were full of people sharing their own stories of stale relationships.

Someone had asked Nina directly: So, would you ever consider cheating?

Nina's reply, posted just three minutes ago, was right there on the screen: Well, everyone needs a little excitement, right?

I stared at those words. "A little excitement."

Seven years. Was that all we were now? Was our entire relationship boiled down to those three cheap words?