Just because Ethan said he was tired of eating out, I quit my job to become a stay-at-home wife, pouring my heart into making him three square meals a day. I started filming the process and posting it online, slowly building a decent following as a food vlogger. But today, scrolling through the sea of glowing compliments, one comment stopped my heart: Stop fooling yourself, honey. He looks like he’s about to puke every time he takes a bite. I checked her IP address. She’s in the same city. My stomach dropped. 1 In the second year of my marriage to Ethan, I got pregnant. Looking at the two pink lines on the test, it was hard to imagine a tiny new life was already inside me. I planned to film a short video to capture the blissful moment he found out he was going to be a dad. As a food influencer, naturally, I had to use food to break the news. I had just finished preparing the meal when I heard Ethan open the front door. I rushed over, setting his slippers down for him. "Welcome home! Come see what delicious things I made you." Ethan rubbed the top of my head fondly, handing me a fresh bouquet of flowers. "Thanks, babe. You shouldn't have." In the two years we’d been married, he was consistent. Every single day on his way home from work, he brought me flowers. My followers always called him "husband goals." Handsome, talented, devoted, and an absolute romantic. Ethan took off his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and stared at the setting on the table. It was a kids' meal—chicken nuggets shaped like stars and smiley-face fries. He looked confused. "Why the happy meal today?" I couldn't hide the smile in my eyes as I rested my chin on my hands, sitting across from him. "Guess." Ethan paused. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. "...I'm going to be a dad?" "Yes!" I handed him the pregnancy test. Tears immediately welled up in my eyes. Ethan got up excitedly, scooped me into his arms, and spun me around. "This is amazing! I’m going to be a dad!" He cupped my face and kissed me several times, his joy uncontained. I uploaded the video later, and the congratulations from fans poured in instantly. ——So sweet! Seeing Lily and her husband so happy makes me believe in love again! ——Lily White! You just cured my fear of commitment! ——Ugh, Ethan is so hot, Lily is so beautiful, that baby is going to be genetically blessed! Scrolling through the thousands of congratulatory comments, my face muscles ached from smiling so much. Until I hit that one comment in the middle of the crowd: Stop fooling yourself, honey. He looks like he’s about to puke every time he takes a bite. In my years as a food vlogger, I’ve had haters. At worst, they’d say my plating looked better than it tasted. But this comment was distinctly malicious. I clicked on her profile. It was just human interest stuff, mostly humanizing inexpensive makeup brands. Looks like a college student. Since she was just a kid, I decided she didn't know any better and wasn't going to obsess over it. I was about to exit when I saw a photo of Ethan lecturing. The caption read: Professor Ethan is looking hot again today! Praying I don’t fail his finals this time! My heart stuttered. I looked up at Ethan, who was sitting at his desk, reading. Focused and calm. I brushed the intrusive, filthy thought out of my mind. What was wrong with me? 2 Ethan worked at a university not far from our house. He usually ate every meal at home. I would time it perfectly so that hot food was ready the moment he walked through the door. Around lunchtime, he texted me saying something came up at school and he wouldn't be able to make it home for lunch. This happened occasionally, but after seeing that student’s comment, a strange anxiety began to gnaw at me. I prepared dinner and uploaded the video I had just edited. Then, compelled by something dark, I clicked back into that college student’s profile. She had just posted a new video. In the video, she was spinning under the cherry blossom trees on campus, looking back at the camera and smiling—playful and vibrant. It was a normal, sharing-style video, but right before it ended, I heard Ethan’s voice. With trembling hands, I replayed the video, dragging it to the very end. "Okay, got it." Ha. It was really him. At that moment, the only person I could think of was Joanna. She’s been my best friend for over a decade—the typical "boss babe" type. She thinks far more rationally than I do. Not long after I called, Joanna was at my door, immediately pulling me into a hug. "Don't panic. I’m here." Joanna scrolled through the girl’s profile and had someone run a quick background check. Natasha. Freshman. Barely eighteen. English major. Ethan’s student. Eighteen. So young. When I was eighteen, Ethan had declared, right in front of our teachers, that our love was free. Back then, I really thought eighteen was forever. 3 When Ethan got home, dinner was already cold. He walked in, changed his shoes, and handed me a spray of cherry blossoms. "Sorry, Lily. Traffic was a nightmare. Look, the cherry blossoms on campus are blooming. I snagged a few for you. Pretty, right?" I smiled as I took the branches. "Beautiful. Natasha likes cherry blossoms too, doesn't she?" Ethan paused while taking off his coat, but quickly recovered. He smiled faintly at me. "Who?" I played Natasha’s video for him. He looked perfectly calm through the first part, right until he heard his own voice. "Oh, she’s one of my students. I was just passing through the campus garden today, and she asked me to help her film this short clip." Good. I had anticipated that answer. I pointed to Natasha’s comment. "If it’s just a teacher-student relationship, does she need to have this much malice toward me?" "She’s always been a bit theatrical and crazy. Just ignore her." Still not admitting it. I smiled, looking up at this man who was both familiar and strange. My heart slowly sank. "I called your Dean today. He said there was no lunchtime meeting. You lied to me." Ethan froze, then stepped forward to hug me. "I know you’ve been anxious and paranoid lately because of the pregnancy, and I understand..." I pushed him away. "Don't give me that crap!" Ethan’s expression instantly changed. His eyes turned red as he stared at me. "I’ve been with you for ten years, Lily. You’d rather believe a total stranger over me?" Looking at his red eyes, I got confused. My voice softened subconsciously. "The Dean had no reason to lie to me, though..." "He wasn't on campus today. The meeting was called last minute and he wasn't notified. He wasn't lying to you, he just didn't know." Seeing me calm down, Ethan walked over and hugged me. "Lily, you are the only person I have ever loved in my life. You have to believe that." I hugged Ethan and cried. For a moment, I really thought I was going to lose him. Just as I was finally calming down, the algorithm pushed another update from Natasha. Ten minutes ago, she posted a photo of her fresh manicure. The key detail was the bracelet on her wrist. Ethan had the exact same one. Motherf**ker. I was going to lose my mind. 4 Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones making me irritable and paranoid, but my emotions were spinning out of control. While Ethan was in the shower, I tore through the house looking for that bracelet. I found the handwritten card it came with in a box. ——Thank you for caring, Professor Ethan. I promise to work hard! ~ Your student, Natasha. Back then, he had said it was a gift from a student. At the time, I was actually happy for him. Thinking he had just become a full professor and already had students giving him gifts, meant he had to be a great teacher. I took a photo of the bracelet and searched for it online. It was part of a couples' set. Great. So, how long had this been going on? Ethan came out of the shower, hugged me from behind, and kissed my neck. "What are you looking at? Time for bed..." Forcing back my immediate disgust, I turned around and slammed the bracelet against his chest. "Natasha sent this couples’ bracelet, didn't she? Why aren't you wearing it?" Ethan’s face darkened. "Lily, I thought we were past this? There is nothing between Natasha and me." I grabbed his phone. "Fine. Then call her right now." "Will you stop making a scene?" This was Ethan. We had been together for ten years, and he had never raised his voice at me. But now, the irritation on his face froze me. Without a word, I walked into the bedroom and grabbed my purse. I couldn't stand to be in this house for another minute. He grabbed me. "Lily, listen to me..." I didn't know if it was the hormones or if my heart was just completely broken, but I was gasping for air, unable to catch my breath. Ethan panicked, immediately pulling me into his arms. "Lily, calm down..." I fought with everything I had to break free, but suddenly, I felt a sharp pain followed by a warm rush down my legs. I looked down. Crimson blood was tracing a path down my legs and pooling on the hardwood floor. Terrified, I grabbed Ethan’s arm, my mind a blank slate of panic. "Baby... the baby..." My legs went weak, and the world went black. 5 When I woke up, the smell of antiseptic filled my nose. Ethan was sitting by the hospital bed, his face covered in fresh stubble, his eyes bloodshot. Seeing me wake up, he excitedly grabbed my hand. "You’re awake. I’ll go get the nurse." I yanked my hand away. "The baby?" The light in his eyes vanished. "We... we can have another one. Just focus on getting better. I’ll take care of everything." I bit my lower lip, the tears streaming down my face without warning. The hospital door burst open, and Joanna stormed in, infuriated. She walked straight up to Ethan and slapped him hard across the face. "You son of a bitch! How dare you show your face here? You don't deserve her!" Ethan didn't fight back. "I’m sorry. I failed to protect Lily." Joanna crossed her arms. "Nice deflection. If it wasn't for your affair with that student, Lily wouldn't be lying here!" "I am saying this one last time. I did not have an affair." Ethan looked at me. "Lily, yes, Natasha had feelings for me, but it was entirely one-sided. I never responded to it." When I didn't say anything, Ethan knelt by the bed, his expression sincere. "Lily, her class with me is over. I will never have anything to do with her again." "Just get out. I don't want to see you right now." Ethan frowned slightly, picking up the pitcher from the nightstand. "I’ll go get you some water." Joanna tucked the blankets around me, her heart breaking. "Look at yourself. I’m dying inside seeing you like this. You and Ethan? It’s over. You have to divorce him!" "Joanna, thank you." I grabbed her hand. "I just lost a child. If I have to deal with a divorce right now, I don't think I can handle it." "Babe, you have me. I’ll be right here with you." I shook my head. "We’ll see. There’s no concrete proof of an affair. I just need time." Joanna sighed. "You are too naive." 6 After I was discharged, Ethan insisted I stop cooking. He even hired a home health aide to take care of me while I recovered. "Lily, Maria is a certified aide. Whatever you need, just ask her." Maria was only a few years older than me, but she looked very mature. She smiled and came over to touch my hand. "Oh honey, your hands are freezing. I’m going to make you some chicken soup to warm you up." Ethan nodded, satisfied, and checked his watch. "I have to head to campus. Call me if you need anything." I don't know why, but I didn't like Maria from the first moment I saw her. I figured it was just my depression from the miscarriage talking, so I didn't think too much of it. But I soon realized something was off. Maria’s clothing around the house was getting increasingly revealing. At first, it was just short shorts and tank tops. Then off-the-shoulder dresses. Now, she was practically wearing lingerie. "Maria, is it hard to do house chores in that outfit?" "Not at all. You have no idea how hot it gets in the kitchen. I’m sweating every time I cook for you." If it was just around me, I wouldn't have said anything. But I noticed she was always lingering around Ethan’s study, wearing tiny dresses and bending over to "mop" the floor, or bending over his desk to wipe it down right in front of him. The straw that broke the camel's back was when I got up in the middle of the night to get some water and saw Maria, wrapped only in a towel, walking out of the study. And Ethan didn't seem to think anything was wrong. "Maria just finished her shower and saw I was still in the study, so she brought me a glass of milk. That’s it." "She couldn't put clothes on before bringing you milk? Or is she trying to audition for the role of the new wife?" Ethan put his book down. "Okay, Lily. I’ll remind her tomorrow. I need to prepare my lesson. Go back to bed." After that, things seemed calm for a while. The final explosion came when I caught her smelling Ethan’s underwear. My entire worldview shattered. I rushed forward and grabbed her. "What are you doing? Are you sick in the head?!" Maria quickly dropped Ethan’s boxers, a look of panic crossing her face. Ethan heard the commotion and came out. "What’s wrong?" "She was just! Smelling your underwear!" Ethan looked confused, but Maria immediately put on a performance of a wronged victim. "Mr. Ethan, I didn't. I was just checking which clothes needed washing. I didn't expect Mrs. Lily to grab your... boxers... and say..." Wow. Somehow, she managed to make it sound like I was the bully. I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "Do you not fear God with those lies?" Ethan frowned and pulled me aside. "Lily White, I know you don't like Maria, but you don't have to slander her like this." It had been a long time since he called me by my full name. That only happened when he was genuinely furious. I stared at Ethan. He felt like a complete stranger. "Ethan, do you even know what you’re saying?" I locked eyes with him, emphasizing every word. "Tell her to get out right now. Either she goes, or I do." "It’s the middle of the night. Where is she supposed to go?" "Fine. I’m leaving."
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