Chapter 2

I glanced over at Elsie’s tense face and gave a faint smile. “No. Why? Did something come up today?”

“N-No, I was just checking if my friends texted me. If not, it’s nothing.”

She scrolled through her phone on her own. The smile never left her lips.

I held back from asking who Aaron was and instead reminded her of something else. “The food’s getting cold. Let’s eat first.” We still have to go to my parents’ place to pay them a visit. I’ve already prepared everything. We can leave right after.”

She was stunned for a moment. “Why do we still have to go? Didn’t we already visit before New Year's?”

She had never liked interacting with my family. Over the years, I had gone home less and less because of her.

This time, I did not budge. “We haven’t spent the holidays with them in five years. It won’t be right if we skip it again.”

Her expression darkened, but she did not argue. She just lowered her head and ate in silence.

Suddenly, I felt exhausted. To be with her, I had nearly cut ties with my family. Yet she never once tried to share the burden with me. She only ever pushed all the difficulties onto me to deal with.

Caught between them, I felt like I could barely breathe anymore. I was not going to give in this time.

Even after we got in the car, Elsie ignored me, glued to her phone. Halfway into the trip, she suddenly spoke up. “Pull over. I’m getting out.”

I frowned and stopped the car by the side of the road. “What’s wrong? Why do you suddenly want to get out?”

She unbuckled her seatbelt and said in a cold voice, “I’m going to my friend’s place. You can go back by yourself!”

That was how it always went. She would pull this same move, waiting for me to soothe her. Only after I coaxed her into a better mood would she agree to come back with me.

However, I did not this time. I only asked her one last question, “Are you really going to do this?”

She was startled for a moment. Back then, I would have rushed to soothe her right away, but not this time. That only made her angrier. “Yes. This is exactly what I’m going to do. If you want to go back, go by yourself. I’m not going back.”

I nodded, said nothing, and drove off.

She did not expect me to actually leave her there. She immediately erupted into a string of furious curses.

“You bastard! Leaving your wife on the roadside during the holidays. Are you even a man?!”

I ignored her. Was this not what she wanted? I was just doing exactly as she said.

For some reason, I did not go far. I parked a short distance away and watched her make a call.

Not long after, a car pulled up in front of her. A man with bleached hair got out. Their body language was unmistakably intimate. They got into the car together, and I followed behind.

About ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of a hotel. They got out hand in hand.

I calmly took out my camera and snapped photos, then followed them all the way to their room. As I stared at the gold-plated room number on the door, I suddenly lost the courage to knock. From inside came the muffled, suggestive sounds of a man and a woman.

I knew exactly what was happening. My wife was in the room with another man.

However, I also knew that the moment I opened that door, our marriage would be over. The evidence I had was not enough yet. I wanted her to leave with nothing, not a single cent.

Hence, I stayed outside, listening in silence throughout the night. I did not leave until dawn, just before they came out.