A week before our wedding, Jason left on a last-minute business trip. When he returned, he pulled me close and said, "You've put on weight." I forced a smile. "Did you hold someone thinner?" He stiffened, kissed me to silence me, then showered as usual. Everything seemed normal. But it wasn’t. In 13 years together, he’d never called me fat. I checked his phone—nothing. Later, he hugged me, chuckling. "Mad over a joke? You just feel different." I stayed quiet. The next morning, I called my parents: "Jason’s cheating. Wedding’s off." 1 My parents urged me to investigate further. So I drove straight to Jason’s office. It was a Saturday, but he'd claimed he had to work, bailing on a date he'd promised me for weeks. I pulled out my phone, about to call him, but saw he'd already sent a message. We both had two social media accounts, one for work and one for personal stuff. We usually chatted on Flare, where we'd maintained a 4,000-day streak. Jason's message seemed normal enough: "Hey babe, have you had lunch yet?" I stared at the screen, momentarily confused. Jason had always hated flashy things. When I'd begged him to use cute chat bubbles with me, he'd refused, calling them childish. But now, his messages were appearing in pink bunny-themed bubbles. I sent back a question mark. He read it instantly. When he replied, the chat bubble was back to the boring default. "Flare must be glitching," he wrote. "What was that bubble just now? I have no idea." No idea? I pursed my lips and did a quick search. I found countless videos of couples showing off their matching "lovey-dovey bunny" chat themes. The truth hit me like a ton of bricks. My fiancé was sharing a couple's chat theme with another girl. I clicked on the "newest" tab for the theme. Ten minutes ago, an account called "SweetBunnyCake" had posted a screenshot of a conversation. It was just a bunch of sappy questions, like "Do you love me?" But the problem was the person on the other end of that conversation. The profile picture was unmistakably Jason. It was a candid shot I’d taken of him peeling shrimp for me. My breathing quickened. It felt like a terrible secret was about to surface. I clicked on SweetBunnyCake's profile and saw a series of "A Day in the Life of a CEO's Girl" vlogs, none of which had any views. I understood everything. Just then, Jason forwarded me her account, his voice message urgent. "Babe, don't ignore me. I admit, I changed the chat bubble. It was to help a new assistant with a social media campaign to attract new talent." "She's just a kid, fresh out of college, full of ideas. She said young people love this kind of content and that it would be great for recruiting." I didn't reply. I got out of my car, walked into the building, and took the elevator to the top floor. I wanted to see for myself what kind of "young person" thought creating a couple's social media account with her boss was a good way to recruit. 2 I expected an empty office, but to my surprise, everyone was actually working. I let out a small sigh of relief. At least Jason hadn't lied about that. But then, my heart leaped into my throat. My eyes were fixed on the closed blinds of his office window. Jason hated closing his blinds. In all the years since he'd taken over the company, he had never once pulled them down. Not even when I came to visit. He never minded the staff seeing how affectionate we were. So why were they closed now? What was he hiding? I started towards his office, but a senior employee quickly stepped in my way, her smile stiff. "Mrs. Sterling! What a surprise to see you here today." "I heard you two are getting married this weekend. I thought you'd be busy with wedding preparations!" Before I'd taken my leave to plan the wedding, everyone in the office knew how strict I was. No one would have dared to approach me so casually. My face went cold. I shoved her aside and pushed open the office door. Jason came out to greet me, a smile on his face as he wrapped an arm around my waist. "I sent you a message and you didn't reply. Were you planning a surprise?" I ignored him, my gaze landing on the girl standing primly by his desk. She was the epitome of the "pale, young, and skinny" aesthetic. Definitely thinner than me. She noticed me looking and gave a small, polite nod. "Hello, Mrs. Sterling." But in that one glance, I saw undisguised provocation and malice. I pushed Jason's arm off me and slowly walked over to the girl, tilting her chin up with my finger. "What's your name?" She didn't look at me. Instead, she shot a pleading look at Jason and said nothing. I laughed. "I was on leave when you were hired, so you probably don't know. I'm the one who calls the shots in this company. As the majority shareholder, don't I have the right to ask an employee for her name?" My voice was dripping with arrogance. The girl's eyes immediately filled with tears, as if she were the victim. Jason rushed over, pulling my hand away and stepping between us. "Her name is Laura," he said, his tone laced with accusation. "She's my new assistant. She's just a kid, she doesn't know any better. Why are you being so hostile?" I looked up into his slightly displeased eyes and smirked. "What, are you feeling sorry for her?" Jason's face darkened. "Mia! This is the office! You've always been so professional. Why are you throwing a tantrum now? Do you enjoy making a scene?" In thirteen years, it was the first time Jason had ever yelled at me for my personality. In the past, plenty of people had found me arrogant and overbearing. But Jason had always defended me. "Mia comes from a family that gives her the right to be arrogant," he would tell them. "Besides, if you don't provoke her, she won't lose her temper with you. Maybe you should look at yourselves." But now, he was siding with a new assistant, without even knowing the full story. I shook my head. "No. I don't enjoy it at all." With that, I pushed past him and held my phone up to Laura's face, the Flare app open. "Laura, is it? Explain this to me. I wasn't aware my fiancé had a 'CEO's girl' in his office." 3 Laura's tears started to fall, but her eyes remained fixed on Jason, as if waiting for him to defend her. He just stared at me, silent. She was just a kid, after all. She covered her face and ran out of the office. The gawking employees quickly averted their eyes. I scoffed and looked around the office, noticing several changes. The award-winning painting I'd done in high school, which used to hang on the wall, had been replaced by Laura's profile picture from her Flare account. The tea set on his desk was gone, replaced by a bubble tea station. Jason didn't even drink bubble tea. Even the high-end sofa I'd picked out was now covered in a creamy white teddy bear slipcover. The clues had been there all along. Jason followed my gaze, his face still grim. He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the company. In the car, he was silent, running red light after red light on the way home. The second we were through the door, he threw me over his shoulder, ignoring my struggles, and tossed me onto the bed. His kisses were frantic and rough. I fought back, my eyes red with tears, and kneed him hard. "Jason, are you insane?" He grunted in pain but quickly pinned my legs down. "I think you're the one who's insane, Mia! Are you really picking a fight with a kid?" "What, feeling insecure before the wedding? Fine, I'll give you some security!" He ripped my clothes. I stopped struggling, looking at him calmly. "Is this your way of compensating for cheating?" Just one sentence, and he went limp. Jason finally let me go and went out to the balcony to smoke. One cigarette after another. He didn't come back in for a long time. I changed my clothes and went out to join him. I picked up his pack of cigarettes and paused. Jason had started smoking at eighteen. For seven years, he'd only ever smoked one brand—the one I'd bought him for the first time. Right before his trip, he'd been begging me to buy him more. "All the other guys' wives buy them cigarettes. You should too, babe." The new cartons were still in transit, but now he was smoking a brand of blueberry-flavored cigarettes popular with female smokers. I pulled one out, lit it, and took a deep drag. It was sweet. It was the blueberry flavor Jason hated most. When the pack was empty, Jason finally turned to me, his eyes pleading. "Stop it, babe. Can you just stop?" "I know you have cold feet, but we've known each other for thirteen years. You know me better than anyone. How could I possibly cheat on you?" "Laura really is just an assistant. I swear." "If you don't like her, I'll fire her right now. I'll delete the account. Is that what you want?" I looked down, my eyelashes trembling, at the glowing embers in the twilight. My throat felt tight. "This business trip... did you go alone?" Jason didn't hesitate. "Yes." "You can check. I was the only one who checked into the hotel." Since he'd said that, there was no point in checking. After a long pause, I slowly nodded. "Fine. I don't want to see Laura tomorrow." Laura was fired the next day. I heard she cried so much her eyes were swollen shut. I didn't think Jason had physically cheated on me. He had probably just strayed for a couple of days in our seven-year relationship. With the wedding so close, I couldn't bring myself to break up with him over a minor lapse in judgment. I couldn't bear it. After that, life seemed to go back to normal. Jason's cologne was still the one I'd chosen for him. The office was back to the way it was. He'd even unfollowed someone on Flare, and our 4,000-day streak continued. I thought it was over. Until the day before the wedding, when the manager of one of our branch offices called me. "Ms. Monroe, Mr. Sterling sent a girl over a few days ago. She's not doing any work, but her salary is incredibly high. The other employees are really unhappy. Mr. Sterling isn't answering his phone, so I had to call you." 4 The manager sent me a copy of the company's payroll for Laura, which Jason had approved for a full year in advance. Thirty thousand a month, plus a twenty-thousand-dollar bonus. And her job? She was just an intern, filing papers. Then, the manager sent a few photos of a Maserati, along with a list of employees assigned to the company's luxury apartments—the ones reserved for top talent. Laura's name was on the list. And the Maserati... it was the birthday present Jason had given me two years ago. I remembered it perfectly. My heart felt like it had been lifted up gently, only to be smashed to the ground, shattering into a million pieces. The pain was so intense I could barely breathe. The manager's messages kept coming, complaining about how Laura had been there for five days and had already gotten into fights with five different employees, all of whom Jason had fired the next day. I never in my life imagined that Jason, the man who loved me more than life itself, would be keeping a mistress. Right under my nose. I sat in silence for a long time, then wiped the cold tears from my face and replied, "Sue her. I didn't hire her, so all salary and bonuses are to be reclaimed. Don't worry about the rest." After confirming everything with the manager, my parents called. "Sweetheart, we've been thinking. If you think he's cheating, there must be a reason. Let's just cancel the wedding! We can deal with the fallout with his family later!" I cleared my throat, trying to sound normal. "It's fine. I was overthinking it. The wedding is still on. See you tomorrow, Mom and Dad." I don't know how long I sat there after that. It was dark when I finally went home. Jason was on his phone, about to call me. He smiled when he saw me. "There you are. Tomorrow's the big day. Let's celebrate a little early." I looked at the feast on the table and forced a smile. "Okay." Jason seemed genuinely happy. He had a few extra glasses of wine, his face flushed. "I can't believe we're getting married tomorrow," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I've waited for so long. It feels like a dream." "We grew up together, went to the same college... We've never been apart, and we never will be." "So, are you tired of me?" I interrupted his sentimental speech, giving him one last chance to be honest. Jason paused, seeming to sober up a bit. But then he shook his head, his voice firm and serious. "No. Marrying you and growing old with you... that's been my dream since I first saw you when I was twelve. I love you, Mia." His words were so touching, my nose started to burn and my eyes welled up with tears. It was true. He'd been chasing me since he was twelve. We got together at eighteen. And now, at twenty-five, we were about to get married. We'd been together for half my life. I had believed we would never be apart. But the truth was a slap in the face. A little detour in our long-term relationship... I couldn't stomach it. I smiled, downed my glass of wine, and stood up, not responding to his declaration of love. "You've had too much to drink. You should get some sleep. Good night." Tradition dictated that we sleep apart the night before the wedding, but Jason didn't want to leave, so we just slept in separate rooms. As I closed my bedroom door, I heard the click of a lighter. I didn't sleep a wink. The next morning, after getting my makeup done, we went to the wedding venue. It was everything I'd ever dreamed of—a sprawling lawn, a crowd of cheerful guests. The only thing missing was a genuinely happy couple. Laura was sitting in the audience, her eyes fixed on Jason and me. He didn't spare her a single glance. The officiant was going through the motions. The moment the wedding march began, the large screen that was supposed to be showing our engagement photos went black. The guests all turned to look. A second later, the room erupted in gasps. The screen lit up with a slideshow of intimate, couple-like photos of Jason and Laura from his business trip. There were screenshots of their chats, filled with "hubby" and "wifey." There was security footage of them being affectionate in his office. And there was a photo from the night before, of Jason sneaking out to kiss a crying Laura under a streetlight. "Jason! I entrusted my daughter to you, and this is how you treat her—"
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