Chapter 1

My wife, Joanna, is a yoga fanatic.

She spends hours every week at a private studio, claiming she needs the extra stretching.

Every time she came home from a session, she would bring me a small gift.

I always thought those gifts were tokens of her love for me.

That was until I caught her wrapped in the arms of her personal instructor.

I watched them lose themselves in a moment of heat right there in the locker room.

I realized then that all my devotion had been for nothing.

1.

That night, Joanna handed me her hundredth gift.

I stared at the fitness tracker in her hand, my heart heavy.

"Didn't you just give me one of these?" I asked, my voice sounding raspy.

She paused for a second before shoving it into my palm.

"This is the newest model, babe. I thought it looked great, so you have to wear it."

She noticed my strange expression and quickly tried to change the subject.

"Gosh, today's workout was so exhausting. I'm going to go take a shower, okay?"

Without waiting for an answer, she hurried toward the bathroom.

As I turned away, the bathroom door swung open again.

She rushed out to grab her phone from her bag, giving me a nervous smile.

"I want to watch my show while I soak. It helps me relax."

As she pulled the phone out, a pair of black lace underwear tumbled from her bag.

It was the same pair she had been wearing when she left this morning.

I caught a glimpse of a suspicious damp stain on the fabric.

Her face turned pale instantly.

"Oh, that... my yoga leggings have a built-in lining, so I... I took those off," she stammered.

I looked her in the eye and said, "I believe you."

She let out a long breath and gave me a seductive smile before leaning in.

"You're the best, Gavin."

I subtly shifted my body to avoid her hug.

"Go take your shower," I said flatly.

She stood there stunned for a moment, then disappeared back into the bathroom.

Once the door clicked shut, my hands began to shake.

My nails dug into my palms until I drew blood, the stinging pain ground me.

It was almost funny.

If my surgery hadn't been canceled at the last minute, I never would have seen her betrayal.

I wouldn't have known that every gift she gave me was just a way to ease her guilt.

I pulled out my phone and opened a video file I had saved earlier.

In the video, a man and a woman were tangled together, their breathing heavy and desperate.

"Am I better than your husband?" the man whispered.

After a brief silence, I heard Joanna's familiar voice.

"Of course you are. He doesn't even come close... now hurry up!"

My throat tightened, and I bit my lip until I tasted the copper of blood.

I watched the video with cold eyes before encrypting it and uploading it to my cloud backup.

Once it was safe, I hit the delete button on my phone.

A while later, Joanna walked out of the bathroom wearing a piece of lingerie she rarely touched.

"Let's go to bed, Gavin," she whispered.

I forced a tight smile. "I'm a bit tired tonight."

A flash of relief crossed her eyes, though she tried to hide it.

She grabbed my arm and pouted playfully.

"Are you keeping secrets from me? Are you doing something behind my back?"

She reached for my phone with a fake laugh. "Come on, let me see your messages."

She used to check my phone all the time.

I used to think her possessiveness was a sign of how much she loved me.

But tonight, it felt like a knife twisting in my gut.

I handed the phone over without a word, acting as submissive as I always had.

She went through everything, checking my deleted messages and call logs.

Finally satisfied, she kissed my cheek. "Good boy."

I pulled my arm away and rubbed my forehead.

"Go ahead and sleep. I have some paperwork to finish for a surgery tomorrow morning."

"Okay, don't stay up too late," she said.

I watched her walk into the bedroom, my gaze turning icy the moment she was gone.

I went into the study and opened my laptop.

An email had been sitting in my inbox for weeks―an invitation from Doctors Without Borders.

I clicked the link and officially accepted the mission.