At our high school reunion, Rosalind, the former prom queen, posed a question to the women at our table. “After ten years of marriage, what would you do if you found out your husband was cheating?” Most of the women immediately said, “Divorce him!” Then, Rosalind’s gaze fell on me. I laughed and declared, “The only way I’m leaving my marriage is in a black dress.” Everyone chuckled at my dark humor, but Rosalind’s face went pale, a strange look clouding her eyes. … Seven days earlier, Rosalind had called me to organize this reunion. It had been nearly twenty years since we’d graduated, and the thought of seeing everyone again filled me with a giddy excitement. I have a problem: when I get excited, I can’t sleep. The first night, I tossed and turned, unable to settle down. My husband, Eason, drowsily wrapped an arm around me. “What’s wrong, honey?” “Rosalind is planning a high school reunion. I’m just too excited to sleep.” “You’re silly,” he murmured, gently patting my back like he was soothing our daughter. “Let’s count sheep together.” Under his calming touch, I finally drifted off. It’s no exaggeration to say that my husband was the gentlest, most understanding man in the world. Which is why, at the reunion, when Rosalind asked her question and I made my bold declaration, I felt completely secure. “The only way I’m leaving my marriage is in a black dress.” Everyone laughed. Everyone except Rosalind. I thought it was just a bit of party chatter. I had absolute faith in Eason. But for the rest of the night, I felt Rosalind’s eyes on me. Whenever I tried to meet her gaze, she would quickly look away. Later, I cornered her in the restroom. “Rosalind, we’ve known each other for years. If you have something to say, just say it.” She forced a laugh and denied anything was wrong, but I saw right through it. “Spit it out.” Her eyes met mine, her expression deadly serious. “You have to promise me you’ll stay calm.” A knot of dread tightened in my stomach, but I took a deep breath and nodded. Rosalind took out her phone and opened her photo gallery. The world exploded. It was like a landmine had gone off in my head. There were dozens of photos of Eason with different women. I’m not the jealous type; a simple group photo wouldn't have bothered me. But these were different. The way he held them, the intimate poses—more intimate than any he ever struck with me—and the look in his eyes… it was pure, unadulterated lust. “These… who are…?” Seeing my confusion, Rosalind swiped to another picture with a bitter smile. “Look at this one.” It was a photo of her and Eason. Together. Rage erupted in my chest. The mistress was flaunting it right in my face. “He told me he was single!” Rosalind said quickly. “That bastard lied to me!” “Why should I believe you?” She showed me their chat history. It was a nauseating mix of sappy declarations, explicit flirtation, and financial transactions. “He said he was unattached. He took over a hundred thousand dollars from me, and I was living in a fantasy, dreaming of marrying him and having his kids. Then, one day, Sienna sent me a picture of his family—a picture of him with you—and I realized it was all a lie.” “Sienna? Who’s Sienna?” My head was spinning. “Another woman he scammed.” Anger, confusion… I hadn’t even processed Rosalind, and now there was a Sienna. I left the reunion without saying goodbye. I had to go home. I had to confront Eason. What had he been doing behind my back? How many women were there? Rosalind chased after me. “Cathy, don’t do anything reckless!” Reckless? If she weren’t an old classmate, I would have slapped her across the face. “Cathy!” She grabbed my arm. I violently shook her off. “Get your hands off me! Don’t you dare touch me!” Rosalind’s eyes immediately filled with tears. Playing the victim now, you hypocrite? I spat on the ground and jumped into a taxi, leaving her standing there. As the cab sped away, my mind raced. How should I confront him? How could I possibly unleash the hurricane of fury building inside me? Then, my phone rang. It was Eason. How dare that monster call me? I answered, ready to scream, but a soft voice came through the speaker. “Mommy, when are you coming home? I miss you.” My throat tightened, and tears burned my eyes. After ten years of marriage, I had finally been blessed with my daughter. My five-year-old Lily was my entire world. If I blew up my marriage, what would happen to her? If Eason was prepared for this, he could easily fight me for custody and win. My own words from earlier echoed in my mind. The only way I’m leaving my marriage is in a black dress. I swallowed the tears, my resolve hardening into something cold and sharp. I wouldn’t let Eason just walk away. For a monster like him, the only destination was hell. When I got home, Eason was as attentive as ever. He had my slippers ready and was drawing me a bath. On any other day, I would have melted and rewarded him with a kiss. Now, the sight of him made me want to vomit. He was a beautiful facade hiding a rotten core. “Honey, did you have too much to drink?” he asked, noticing my expression. He didn’t suspect a thing. To him, my forthright personality had always been as transparent as glass. His ability to be a philanderer on the streets and a saint in the home proved he was light-years ahead of me in the art of deception. No woman who discovers her husband’s betrayal can remain calm. It’s impossible. But what could I do? The only thing I could do was force myself to think clearly. I had already lost so much. I couldn’t afford to lose everything. I played along with his assumption, pretending to be drunk. I stumbled into the bathroom and made loud retching noises, letting the tears I’d been holding back finally stream down my face. “I need to shower,” I mumbled, pushing him out and locking the door. I turned on the water and sobbed until I was empty. Later, I curled up in bed with Lily and held her until she fell asleep. Eason quietly opened the door, tucked us in, and left as silently as he came. Everything had happened so fast. One moment, I was certain he was cheating. The next, seeing his familiar tenderness, a sliver of doubt crept in. Could the photos be fake? Rosalind and I hadn't seen each other in over a decade. Why would she go to the trouble of organizing a reunion just to tell me she was sleeping with my husband? It felt like she had another motive. Was she trying to drive me away so she could take my place? It was certainly possible. Rosalind called again, saying she wanted to talk. “I don’t want to talk,” I said coldly. “If you think you can destroy my marriage with a few photos, you’ve picked the wrong person.” There was a long silence before she hung up. I sneered. Did she think her pretty face gave her a license to do whatever she wanted? Beauty is not a substitute for brains. But she didn’t give up. The next day, she showed up at my office. “Cathy!” she said, pulling me into her car before I could protest. “What the hell do you want?” I snapped. “Is wrecking my family some kind of game to you?” She didn’t say a word, just drove. We ended up in a part of town I’d never been to, a place throbbing with neon lights and pulsing music. Since getting married and especially since having Lily, my world had shrunk to a simple triangle: the office, home, and her preschool. I believed a married woman’s place was as a devoted wife and mother. Rosalind, clearly a regular here, led me to a discreet corner booth. “There’s going to be a show,” she said. “I need you to watch it, and I need you to stay calm.” It was a show, all right. I watched with my own eyes as Eason walked in with another woman, his hands all over her, their every move oozing with a practiced intimacy. “That’s Sienna,” Rosalind whispered, her eyes fixed on my face. “As far as we can tell, besides you, his wife, he has two other girlfriends: me and her.” Watching Eason’s sleazy performance, my mind flashed back to the gentle, caring man at home. The confusion was overwhelming. Should I believe Rosalind, or should I believe Eason was innocent? Ultimately, the three of us sat down together. Me, Cathy, Eason’s wife and a senior manager at a private firm. Rosalind, the owner of a chain of beauty salons, scammed out of her heart, her body, and her money. And Sienna, a wealthy heiress with two private hospitals in her family, who had suffered the same fate as Rosalind. The silence was thick with tension. Rosalind asked me again what I planned to do. As Eason’s legal wife, if I chose to forgive him, they would both walk away and let me try to save my marriage. “We were classmates, Cathy,” Rosalind said earnestly. “I want what’s best for you. Otherwise, I would have never told you any of this.” A bitter taste filled my mouth. My marriage needed a third party to salvage it. “We can back off,” Sienna said, her voice sharp. “But can you guarantee that bastard will change his ways and become a faithful husband?” Who could guarantee that? No one. And even if I saved this marriage, could I ever truly trust him again? Could I sleep next to a man whose body and soul were so thoroughly tainted? I couldn’t. But if I chose divorce, what would I be left with? The company I worked for—the company I had poured my heart and soul into for a decade—was legally registered under his aunt’s name. Eason was the silent owner. I had worked tirelessly, thinking I was building our future, only to realize he had planned this from the start, leaving me with nothing. Our house was in both our names, but what good was half a house? A divorce would leave me unemployed and homeless; Eason had the capital to easily buy out my half. Worst of all, I could lose Lily, the daughter I nearly died to bring into this world. A divorce would leave me with absolutely nothing. I sat in silence, the weight of my failure crushing me. Rosalind and Sienna were smart; they understood my predicament. Rosalind gently took my hand. “Cathy, don’t worry. We’re going to teach that bastard a lesson. Together.” My demand wasn’t greedy. I just wanted what was rightfully mine: a share of the profits I had generated for the company over the past ten years. Sienna scoffed. “Is that all? If it were me, I’d take back ten times what he stole.” I managed a weak smile. That was the difference between being married and just dating. For them, a breakup was the end of it. For me, I had Lily to consider. I couldn’t afford to burn everything to the ground and risk losing her in the process. They say three women are a drama waiting to happen. Our little play was about to begin. The company’s legal owner was Eason’s aunt. That meant in a divorce, I had no claim to it. But I had made that company millions, and I wasn’t walking away empty-handed. As the de facto boss, I knew every corner of the business, especially its finances. The first step was to not arouse Eason’s suspicion. So, I had Rosalind make an anonymous tip to the tax authorities, reporting the company for tax evasion. Soon enough, the auditors showed up.
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