Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. After the fourth notification chime from the phone on the bed, I glanced towards the bathroom. He was still in the shower. I’ve never been one to check his phone, and he rarely touched mine. Mutual respect, and our relationship was, well, harmonious enough. I was debating whether I should check if it was something important when the phone dinged again. He never told me his passcode, but I’d paid attention once after he asked to borrow money from me, saying he and a friend were investing in some project. I unlocked his phone using the code I remembered. He hadn’t saved the sender’s name, but the profile picture was clearly a woman. 5 unread messages. The last one was just an animated emoji. A really bad feeling started creeping up inside me for no reason. In the end, curiosity won out, and I tapped into the chat. I wasn't prepared. The messages hit me like a ton of bricks. A woman’s intuition really is scarily accurate. She wrote: "Leo, Leo, thinking of you again today" "Thanks for the Chanel, I love it so much" "My man has such good taste" "Can you come over for dinner tomorrow night? I'll make your favorite spicy shrimp pasta" Followed by a flirty little emoji. Leo is my husband. But it wasn’t hard to figure out from her words that their relationship was… something else entirely. My temples started throbbing. I couldn't help but question why he really needed that money he borrowed. Leo and I met on a blind date, actually. At first glance, he seemed really honest, almost endearingly awkward. Decent family background, both parents worked in education. I figured a kid raised in that kind of environment couldn't be too bad. So, we decided to give it a shot. I wouldn’t say I loved him, or even liked him that much. Maybe it was just that we both felt we were at that age where you’re supposed to get married. Both our parents were pushing us, and we didn't exactly hate looking at each other, so we just kind of… settled down together. Sure, there was sex but no real love, but we’d still shared a bed for a year. To say I didn't feel anything, wasn't upset at all – that would be a lie. But after the initial hurt, the thought that he might have slept with another woman just made my stomach churn with disgust. I had no idea when it started. Was he just incredibly slick, or was I just incredibly dense? After I calmed down a bit, I deleted the chat thread. Faced with cheating, I figured I had two options: divorce or swallow my pride and live with it. I am definitely not the kind of woman with the magnanimity to choose the latter. The thought alone made me sick. Just then, Leo walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Still damp, he smiled warmly at me, moving in to hug and kiss me, calling me "Honey." Looking at his face, I instinctively turned my head away. Right on cue, the phone dinged again. I used the moment to push his arm away. He just chuckled and reached for his phone. Didn’t even have to guess who that message was from. He stood up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him unlock the screen. The phone's reflection turned white – he was probably in his messaging app. Then, I saw him holding the phone with both hands, thumbs flying. He must be texting her back! Seeing the hint of a smile playing on his lips, I abruptly sat up in bed. He jumped, startled, and quickly locked his phone screen, looking at me with a flicker of panic. When he saw I was just getting out of bed to put on my slippers, he quickly masked it with an exaggerated look of surprise. "You scared me, jumping up like that." I gave a tight-lipped half-smile, ignored him, and headed straight for the bathroom. I closed and locked the bathroom door. Turning the shower on full blast, I just stood underneath the water. Suddenly, all the hurt, anger, and regret I’d been holding back just poured out of my eyes. All this time together, I never once thought Leo would cheat. Thinking back on everything, all the little moments, I finally realized just how calculating he really was. No wonder he always had to go stay overnight at his parents' place now and then. He knew I didn’t get along with his mother and wouldn't ask questions. No wonder the money he earned rarely covered household expenses and was never enough. No wonder he got those weird, blocked numbers calling him sometimes. If I hadn’t looked at his phone today, God knows how much longer I would have stayed completely in the dark. We don't have kids. Even if we did, this marriage is over. I have to divorce him. Once I calmed down. I sat on the toilet lid for a long time, thinking about how to handle this. Maybe because I was taking too long, Leo suddenly appeared at the bathroom door and jiggled the handle. "Honey, you fall in or something? And you locked the door? You never lock the door." I swallowed hard, forcing my voice back to normal. "My stomach hurts a little. I'll be out in a bit. You go ahead and sleep." "Is your stomach okay?" "Yeah, it's fine. I'll feel better after a minute." 2 The next day. It happened to be Saturday. At lunch, halfway through his meal, he suddenly looked up at me. "Oh, hey, Honey. How about we go visit Mom and Dad later? We haven't been over in two weeks." He knew I wouldn't go. He was just asking to keep up appearances. I matched his casual tone. "You go ahead. I can't make it, I have a class this afternoon." He put on a fake look of disappointment. "Oh, really? Okay then, guess I'll have to go by myself." Usually, I’d feel a little guilty about not going with him to see his parents. Looking back now, it’s just laughable. He finished speaking and thoughtfully put a chicken leg on my plate, telling me to eat up. Looking at his hypocritical face right then just made me want to vomit. After lunch, he changed into a nice outfit. Before leaving, he even went to my vanity and spritzed himself with my perfume a few times. These were all details I’d never paid attention to before. As I slowly cleared the table, I teased him, "Getting all dressed up like that... Anyone who didn't know better would think you were going on a date with some young girl, not visiting your parents." My words hit their mark. His body, turned slightly away from me, visibly tensed for a second before he quickly regained his composure. He replied smoothly, "With a wife as beautiful as you, how could any other woman possibly catch my eye?" I just smiled silently. Classic man-speak. He was juggling two women and still managing it effortlessly. Around 9 PM that evening, I deliberately sent Leo a text asking what he was doing. He replied within seconds. "Watching TV with Mom and Dad." Then he sent a picture – the screen of his parents' LCD TV, currently playing something. At that moment. I suddenly found it kind of funny. He actually went to the trouble of saving various photos on his phone just to fool me. I remembered all the times I’d casually asked what he was up to, and he'd immediately send a picture to prove it, just so I wouldn't suspect anything. And now, I knew exactly what he was doing. He was with another woman. And me? I scrolled through our chat history, looking at all the pictures he’d sent before. My eyes stung, my nose tingled. Turns out, I was so easy to fool. I initiated a video call to his mother. She must have been surprised; in a year of marriage, I’d never video-called her. She probably thought something serious had happened because she picked up instantly. "Sarah? Is everything okay?" "Hi, Mom. Nothing serious. Leo mentioned tomorrow's Sunday, and we were out shopping today, so we picked up some vitamins and things for you and Dad. We were thinking of bringing them over tomorrow." "Oh, that's nice! What time are you coming? Is there anything special you want to eat? I can go grocery shopping in the morning." Maybe there was still a tiny shred of hope left in my heart because when she said that, a sharp pain shot through me. He definitely wasn't home. I mumbled a few more pleasantries to his mom and quickly ended the call. I didn't confront him. 3 The next day at noon. Carrying a few boxes of supplements and clothes I’d bought for his parents, I drove over to their house alone. When I got inside, his mother looked around, not seeing her son. "Mom, Leo had an important project meeting come up last minute. He might not be able to make it today." "Oh, that's okay, that's okay. Work comes first for young people." The dining table was laden with a huge, elaborate meal. His father came out of his study and warmly invited me to eat. His mother, however, took the bags from me and started muttering, "You shouldn't have… why buy so much stuff? Such a waste of money. My son works hard for his money." I just smiled and didn't respond. After all, this was probably the last time I’d be showing any filial piety towards them. His dad shot his mom a look. "That's enough." During the meal, his mother brought up the grandchild topic again. I was immensely grateful that my period had just started yesterday; there was no way I was having a baby with this man. Then came the usual comparisons – so-and-so's daughter-in-law had a grandson, so-and-so's daughter had a granddaughter, you two aren't young anymore, have one soon while we're still young enough to help, it'll be easier for you, blah blah blah… This was exactly why I hated coming over here. But this time, I just smiled and nodded along to whatever she said. After eating, I didn't clear the dishes. I just sat down on the living room sofa and sent Leo a text. "What delicious things did Mom and Dad make for lunch today?" Predictably. Leo sent another picture. It was their dining table, their dishes, but the food was completely different from what I had just eaten. I washed my hands and basically just got up and left. I couldn't care less what his mother would say about me behind my back anymore. Just then, my phone buzzed twice. Messages from Leo. He wrote, "Look, quite a feast, right?" "Too bad you couldn't make it. Mom and Dad kept asking about you. We should really come back together next time we have a chance." Seeing messages like that, my gut reaction was to just turn off the phone screen. Back in my car. I called Leo. "Leo, I just got notified last minute. I have to go to the next city over for a two-day business trip. Leaving right away. You should just have dinner at your parents' place!" Leo let out an "Ahhh," his tone full of feigned disappointment. "Since when do dance teachers need to go on business trips?" I sneered inwardly. If I don't go on a "trip," how else can I create an opportunity for you two? "Going to headquarters for a meeting. Might check out the night market there too." "Okay then... Be careful traveling alone." "Yeah, I know." Night slowly fell. I parked my car not far from our apartment building. I sat alone in the car for over five hours. Then. Leo appeared at the entrance. But about six feet behind him, another woman followed slowly, petite and slender, glancing around nervously as she walked. Only after they were inside the building did she hurry to catch up, linking her arm through Leo's. The sight of them leaning against each other from behind was blindingly painful. I'd barely "left," and he couldn't wait to bring her home. He definitely didn't expect that I'd already installed tiny wireless cameras in the house. I never thought Leo and I would reach this point. I opened my laptop. The feed from the living room and master bedroom appeared on the screen. Just then, my phone rang. It was Leo. I stared at the monitor; they hadn't entered the apartment yet. I answered. Leo's slightly concerned voice came through. "Honey, did you make it to the city?" He knew I wouldn't lie about something like that, so this call was just to confirm I wasn't home. I scoffed silently. "Yeah, I'm here." He was probably too preoccupied to notice the difference in my tone. Sure enough, the next second, I heard the sound of a key turning in the lock through the phone. He quickly mumbled a few words and hung up. And then. The two of them appeared on my laptop screen. Up close, the woman was even more alluring and seductive than I'd imagined. Not stunningly beautiful, perhaps, but there was something about her that clearly drew Leo in. The moment they were inside, they clung to each other desperately, tumbling from the sofa to the floor, then from the floor to the master bedroom. On our marriage bed, I’d never seen Leo so unrestrained, so wild. He looked like a stranger right now. Like some beast hidden deep inside him had suddenly been unleashed. In the heat of the moment, the woman wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice husky and intimate. "Leo, Leo, what am I to you?" Leo, breathing heavily, answered, "You're my true love." "And her?" "She's just... responsibility." It was absurd. Just yesterday, for a whole year, I had no idea Leo had this side to him. He held her tightly, continuing, "Being with her… I feel nothing. If my parents hadn't disapproved of us back then, I never would have married a woman I didn't love at all." Leo's words hit me like a physical blow. So, I was the shameful third party wedged between them. And all this time he had to pretend to love me so much. Turns out, being with me was the real act. Watching them fall into a deep sleep on the screen, I suddenly realized it was already two in the morning.
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