On Valentine’s Day, my husband—not one for sentiment—did his usual: ordered custom roses for every employee at his company. The Cole Group was trending again, praised as the city’s most romantic corporation. Then a post from Adrian’s young assistant appeared: a photo of her company bouquet with parted petals revealing a sapphire ring inside—the same unique piece I was outbid on at auction for $750k. Scrolling further, I found more posts: boba with a $5,200 transfer captioned “first boba of autumn,” ice cream with a “30-day tropical getaway” voucher. Comments gushed about how amazing the company was. I knew Adrian bought treats for the office—but since when did they include cash and vacations? Her latest photo showed a man across from her, cropped except for his dark blue tie—the same one I’d picked for Adrian that morning. I paused and called him: “Working late tonight?” 1. After he confirmed, I drove straight to the company building. I rarely checked up on Adrian. I hardly ever came to his office. We'd been married for seven years. I'd been with him since he started from nothing, building his empire until he became a titan of the business world. Everyone knew I was the center of his universe. But for the past six months, his behavior had mirrored every single red flag I’d seen on those cheesy online relationship blogs. It was enough to plant a seed of doubt. Pushing down a wave of anxiety, I unlocked the main office doors. The moment I flipped on the lights, I was greeted by the sight of Adrian on one knee, holding a bouquet, his eyes filled with a deep, adoring warmth. “My love, I've been waiting for you.” “How did you…” Before I could finish, he rose smoothly and pulled me into his arms, resting his chin affectionately on my shoulder. “If my wife checking up on me means I get a surprise visit, I’d wish you’d do it every night. Then I could see you every day.” He leaned in close. “I love you. Happy Valentine’s Day.” Looking into his earnest eyes, I felt my heart flutter. The suspicion that had been gnawing at me began to fade. He dropped his work for the night, and we drove home together. Later, after he’d tucked me into bed, Adrian took his laptop to the living room to finish up some work. I had just closed my eyes when my phone, which I'd left on his nightstand, began vibrating nonstop. I picked it up. A string of messages from an avatar of a cute cartoon animal. No name saved, but the chat was pinned to the top of his message list. 【Mr. Cole, leaving me all alone at the restaurant on Valentine's Day? How ungentlemanly! As punishment, you have to have dinner with me every night for the next week!】 【Hmph. By the way, how did my little script for winning over your wife work out? You big blockhead. If only you had half my brains~】 It was Adrian’s phone. He never set a passcode. I recognized the avatar. It belonged to Chloe Su, an intern at his company. For a moment, my blood ran cold. The air left my lungs. It hit me then. Adrian was never the type to say such sweet, romantic things. They say a man who’s cheating suddenly becomes overly affectionate at home, trying to wash away the guilt with loving words. The thought surfaced in my mind, and I felt a wave of nausea as I scrolled up, my fingers trembling. 【Mr. Cole, was my boba the only one with brown sugar? Thank you, my cramps are all gone now~】 【OMG how did you know I love strawberry ice cream?! You stocked a whole fridge with it for me! You’re literally the ice cream fairy, I worship you!!】 I scrolled back six months. Every single day was filled with Chloe’s bubbly chatter, sharing her favorite songs, foods, and thoughts. And Adrian, though his replies were cool and brief, responded to every single one. The last chat I’d had with him was on our anniversary. His only message was to tell me he was working late. The chat log with her seemed endless. My heart felt like it was plummeting into a bottomless abyss. Suddenly, a new message popped up. It was a voice note from Chloe, her tone sweet and docile, with a slight, choked sob. “Mr. Cole… I didn’t want you to leave. If I were just a little more selfish, would you have stayed with me tonight?… Today is the anniversary of my mother’s death. Everyone else is so happy. Everyone but me.” This time, Adrian’s reply was almost instantaneous, synced from his laptop to the phone in my hand: 【Send me your location.】 At the same moment, I heard the sharp snap of a laptop closing in the living room. Adrian pushed the bedroom door open, his movements rushed. “Clara, something urgent came up at the office. I have to go. Oh, and I’ll be working late all next week, so don’t wait up for me for dinner.” He grabbed his phone and jacket, turning to leave. “Adrian,” I called out, my voice shaking slightly. “Can you… not go tonight?” He cut me off, his tone impatient. “Come on, don’t be childish. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done. Be good.” Throughout our marriage, Adrian had always put me first. He could always sense the slightest shift in my mood. If he had just looked, really looked, he would have seen the moonlight glinting off the tears welling in my eyes. But he never gave me a second glance. Outside, a storm began to brew, the rumble of thunder echoing in the distance. I sat in silence for a long time before opening a family group chat that had been dormant for years. I typed a single message: 【I want to come home.】 2. The message sent my relatives into a frenzy of concern. My aunt, always the sharpest, sensed something was wrong immediately. 【Clara, sweetie, is that bastard hurting you? Tell your aunt, and I'll make him pay!】 I hesitated for a moment before typing back. 【Aunt Diana, I need you to run a background check on someone for me.】 The information came back quickly. “Her name is Chloe Winston. She was a scholarship student Adrian sponsored while she was at a university in Northwood. After graduating, she started as an intern at The Cole Group.” “The whole industry is buzzing about it. They say she’s Adrian’s little pet project. No one dares to push a drink on her at business dinners. Any company that gives her a hard time finds itself facing bankruptcy.” My aunt was seething on the other end of the line, but I remained silent. A year ago, Adrian had started taking monthly business trips to Northwood, regular as clockwork. Each time he returned, he’d bring me little trinkets, things a much younger woman would like. I thought my stoic husband was finally learning to be romantic. Now I see it differently. The signs of his affair were there all along. I was just too busy trusting him to see them. A dull ache throbbed in my chest. I needed to know what kind of person had captivated him so completely. When I arrived at the office, he was in a meeting. I pushed open the door to his private office and found a young woman sitting in his chair, humming to herself as she decorated his workspace. She was… ordinary. Hair pulled back in a high ponytail. If there was anything captivating about her, it was the vibrant, youthful energy she radiated. His expensive, minimalist leather chair and polished desk were covered in pink heart-shaped stickers. Fluffy plush toys were everywhere. Tucked among them was a handwritten card with playful lettering: 【No slacking off! I’m watching you~】 Adrian was a man of strict boundaries, almost obsessively so. I’d once seen him fire an employee on the spot for touching something on his desk without permission. Yet these stickers were already yellowing and peeling at the edges. They had clearly been there for a long time. My expression darkened. Chloe saw me and shot to her feet, a flash of panic in her eyes. “Everyone else out there is working,” I said, my voice cold and clear. “Who gave you permission to play office decorator on company time? Does this company pay you to do nothing?” By now, a small crowd of curious employees had gathered by the door. Chloe’s eyes immediately welled with tears. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Cole. I’ll fix it right away…” Her voice cracked. Just then, Adrian appeared, drawn by the commotion. He stepped between us, blocking my view of her. “She’s just a kid, Clara. She doesn’t know any better. It’s not worth getting upset over.” Then he turned to Chloe, his tone sharp. “What are you still standing here for? Can’t you see you’ve upset Mrs. Cole?” At his words, a tear finally broke free and streamed down Chloe’s cheek. She turned and ran from the room. Adrian’s expression didn’t change. He reached out to stroke my hair, his voice soft and placating. “Don’t worry about it, my love. She’s just a bit playful. I’ll have a word with her.” I stepped back, avoiding his touch. “Adrian,” I said, enunciating each word, deliberately challenging him. “Negligence of duty is grounds for termination, according to company policy.” His face stiffened, his eyes growing cold. “She’s just an intern, trying to make it on her own in this city. You want to fire her over something this trivial? That’s against policy.” “An intern who was promoted three times in three months to become the CEO’s executive assistant? Is that policy? What do you think our employees who have been here for five years think of that?” I retorted with a bitter laugh. “I am the General Manager of this company. I have the authority to fire any employee who breaks the rules.” “Clara Kinnear,” Adrian suddenly barked, his voice dangerously low. “Have you had enough!?” The force of it stunned me into silence. He rarely used my full name. In seven years of marriage, this was the first time. And he did it for another woman.
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