On the train home for the holidays, I found myself seated next to a college student. A stray glance at her phone’s lock screen caught my eye. The young woman held up her phone, beaming. “This is my boyfriend. Isn’t he handsome? He’s a senior executive at a publicly traded company. And he’s completely devoted to me.” I stared at the man in the sharp suit on her screen, rubbing my eyes in disbelief. Why did he look exactly like my husband? Just then, the girl’s phone rang. A blissful expression on her face, she answered on speaker. My husband’s voice filled the space between us. “Hey, babe. Call me when you get in. I’ll come pick you up from the station.” 1 Hearing the voice on the phone, the girl cooed playfully. “You should be thinking about what you’re going to say when you meet my parents.” “Oh, I have to go. We’re pulling into the station soon.” We had chatted a bit on the way, and I knew she was getting off at the same stop as me. So, this was what my husband, Adam, meant by a “business trip”? I sat there, stunned, until the girl hung up and looked at me. Only then did I snap back to reality. Her eyes were shining, phone in hand, an irrepressible mix of pride and joy on her face. “Honestly, I don’t know what to do with him. He’s six years older than me, but he’s so clingy.” “I’m just going home for the break, and he was so worried he actually moved his client meeting to Crestwood.” My mind was reeling, but a part of me still couldn't believe it. After we got married, Adam was constantly praised by my family and friends. They all said he was a rare gem. Not just handsome, but with a wonderful personality—gentle, considerate, and deeply in love with me. He never flirted with other women. In fact, you could count the number of female contacts in his phone on two hands. He’d even offer me his phone from time to time, telling me to check it whenever I wanted. I had always trusted Adam completely. Our relationship had always been stable. This was our third year of marriage. A few days ago, he had apologized, saying something urgent had come up at work and he had to go on a business trip. He wouldn’t be able to come home with me for the holidays this year. I never imagined something so coincidental would happen, that I would run into this girl. I studied her expression and ventured a question. “You look so young. Are you still in college? How did you meet your boyfriend?” The moment I asked, she couldn't help but spill everything. “My boyfriend? Well, he’s sort of an alum of my university. He came back to give a speech as a distinguished graduate.” “I thought he was so handsome then. After the conference, I just went up and asked for his number.” “I can’t believe we actually started dating!” Seeing the flicker of doubt in my eyes, she seemed a bit defensive. She opened her phone’s photo gallery to an album titled “Ava & Adam’s Love Diary.” “See? My boyfriend is really handsome. I’m not lying.” The girl, Ava, showed me the pictures one by one. There they were at a fancy restaurant, Adam leaning on his hand, a doting smile on his face as he looked at the camera. At an amusement park, they were wearing matching outfits, looking incredibly sweet in a photo taken by a passerby. The photos were time-stamped. I mentally cross-referenced them with my own memories. On most of those days, Adam had told me he was working late, busy with work, or had a business dinner, and wouldn’t be home. My hands started to tremble. The color drained from my face. Ava frowned, looking at me with concern. “Are you okay, ma’am? You look really pale.” I forced a stiff smile, my eyes fixed on her. “How long have you two been together?” Ava swiped to a relationship-tracking app on her phone. It clearly displayed “520 Days.” She lifted her chin, showing it to me. “Today is day 520! That’s why my boyfriend is picking me up, so we can celebrate our anniversary.” I looked at Ava’s ecstatic face. Even though my heart was breaking, I didn’t expose the truth. After all, she was probably just as clueless as I had been. I took out my phone, opened my chat with Adam, and my fingers trembled as I typed a single line. “What are you doing?” 2 Adam replied almost instantly. “Just finished with a client. Heading back to the hotel.” A second later, a photo arrived. It was a picture of Adam in a car. He always did this—whenever I asked, he’d send me his location and a photo in real-time. But because I trusted him so much, I rarely ever examined the pictures he sent. This time, however, looking at the familiar streetscape in the car’s rearview mirror, I was certain. That was Crestwood, the city where I grew up. If I hadn't happened to run into Ava on this train, I might have gone my whole life without ever discovering Adam’s affair. I put my phone away, only to see Ava looking at me thoughtfully. My phone had a privacy screen, so she couldn’t have seen the picture of Adam. The next moment, Ava smiled and held up her phone. “Ma’am, are you also going back to Crestwood for the holidays? We should exchange numbers.” “I really enjoyed talking with you on this trip.” Being called “ma’am” repeatedly was starting to get on my nerves. I was only six years older than her. But I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to bicker with a young girl over something so trivial. I added her on my messaging app. I needed to talk to Adam before I decided what to do next. As for Ava, she was probably an unwitting participant. I didn’t want to cause her any more pain than necessary. When the train arrived, Ava grabbed her pink suitcase and bounced out of the station. I followed at a slower pace, swiping my ID to exit. Adam was waiting just outside. When she saw him, Ava let out a joyful cry and threw herself into his arms. They hugged tightly, then shared a kiss. “I missed you so much! We haven’t seen each other in two days!” Adam stroked her head affectionately. “You missed me this much after only two days?” I stood there quietly, watching their intimate display. Adam’s eyes were fixed on Ava; he didn’t even notice me standing just a few feet away. He picked up her suitcase with one hand and took her hand with the other. “Let’s go. I’ll take you out to eat.” The hand that usually wore a diamond wedding band was now bare, with only a faint red mark where the ring used to be. When I got home, my mom had already made dinner. “Adam didn’t come back with you? Is he busy with work?” she asked, her usual refrain. I mumbled a noncommittal “mm-hmm,” not wanting to tell her about Adam’s affair. It was the holidays. I didn’t want to turn the house into a war zone. But I couldn't tolerate Adam’s betrayal. After dinner, I checked my phone. Adam had sent me a message twenty minutes earlier. “Back at the hotel, about to get some rest. Are you home yet, honey?” “Here’s a picture of my hotel room.” He sent several photos. There wasn't a single trace of anyone else in them. But when I opened Ava’s newly updated social media feed, it was a completely different story. In her picture, Ava was wearing a flimsy nightgown, nestled in Adam’s arms. Adam, fresh from a shower, had a towel wrapped around his waist. “Home, but staying at a hotel with my boyfriend. Probably won’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning, haha.” She had posted it just a few minutes ago. I picked up my phone and started a video call with Adam. It rang for a long time before being abruptly disconnected. My face expressionless, I hit the call button again. This time, it was disconnected almost immediately. I don’t know if it was the fifth or sixth time I tried, but the call finally connected. On the screen, Adam was shirtless, his chest rising and falling with his breath, a clear sign he had just been engaged in some strenuous activity. He was panting, a slightly unnatural smile on his face. “What’s up, honey? I was sleeping, I didn’t hear the phone.” “Sleeping this early?” I asked, my voice flat. “The client meeting today was exhausting.” Adam faked a yawn. “Honey, I’m really tired. If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to sleep.” I didn’t say anything, but I didn’t hang up either. From the other side of the call, I heard the faint, almost imperceptible sound of a plastic wrapper being torn open. Adam’s expression on the screen suddenly changed. He let out a soft gasp. He lifted the phone higher, a flicker of arousal he himself didn't seem to notice in his eyes. “Honey,” Adam’s voice had grown hoarse, clearly suppressing something. “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.” I watched the beads of sweat form on his forehead, his eyes darting downwards every so often. He was clearly impatient. I gave a faint smile, my voice calm. “Okay. You get back to it, then.”
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