Chapter 1

The woman beside me was still fast asleep.

Her features were relaxed, and the corners of her lips slightly curved upward, as if she were having a wonderful dream.

I forced a bitter smile.

Well, with the man who currently held her heart waiting for her in her dreams, how could it be anything but sweet?

I closed my eyes, but the sting behind them refused to go away.

I raised a hand and roughly wiped my face before turning my back to her. However, my uneven breathing must have disturbed her, because she stirred awake beside me.

My wife, Jade Smith, blinked sleepily and instinctively moved closer, slipping an arm around my waist from behind.

"What's wrong?"

She propped herself up slightly and brushed her fingers against the redness at the corners of my eyes. Her voice was still husky with sleep.

"Why are you crying? Did you have a nightmare?"

I stared into the darkness of the room, my throat tightening before I managed a quiet reply.

"Yeah.

"I dreamed you were cheating on me."

The arm around my waist went noticeably stiff for a moment. However, she quickly relaxed, her tone returning to normal as she teased me.

"What's gotten into your head?

"Any woman in the world might cheat, but not me. I'm a Steve Hoffman loyalist, through and through."

I said nothing. I could only feel the bitter irony of her words.

A ‘Steve Hoffman loyalist’? What a beautiful thing to say.

However, in her own dreams, she had already promised herself to another man.

When I remained silent, Jade seemed a little uncomfortable. She cleared her throat, then deliberately put on a playful smile.

"Why don't you guess what I was dreaming about?"

My throat felt dry.

"What?"

She lowered her gaze to me, her eyes softening with affection.

"I dreamed about when we first got married.

"I was so happy to marry you back then. I was so excited that I barely slept the night before our wedding."

It felt as if something had slammed hard into my chest. I turned my face away, but I could not stop my eyes from reddening.

Jade, you liar! I'm not the man in your dreams anymore.

I could not bear to listen to her performance any longer.

"Go back to sleep," I murmured. "It's late."

Jade seemed relieved. She kissed my eyelids and closed her eyes again.

I stayed awake, staring at the window as the sky slowly grew pale. I did not sleep a wink all night.

The next morning, she acted as if nothing had happened.

After washing up, she came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist, just as she always did. In a lazy, affectionate voice, she began listing what she wanted to eat.

"I feel like having some creamy mushroom soup today.

"And how about meatloaf and Caesar salad?" She buried her face in the crook of my neck, acting as spoiled as always. "Is that okay, honey?

"You're the best cook in the world.

"Every time I open my lunchbox at noon, Walter, my assistant, practically drools over my food."

My fingers froze. A wave of nausea churned in my stomach.

Jade had always had a weak stomach. During the early years of building her business, she was so busy that she often forgot to eat. Eventually, the irregular meals caught up with her, leaving her with lasting stomach problems.

To help her recover, I had quit my job and become a full-time househusband.

For the past five years, I had gotten up at six every morning to prepare the lunch she took to work.

However, it was only last night that I discovered the truth.

It all started a year ago, when an intern named Luis Rogers casually remarked, "Ms. Smith, your husband's cooking is amazing."

From that day on, every single lunch I lovingly prepared ended up in his stomach.

Jade had worried that Luis might feel embarrassed about accepting her food, so she started swapping lunches with him instead.

In exchange, she ate his cheap fried chicken, greasy pizza, half-cold convenience store sandwiches, or whatever spicy pasta he happened to take away from the nearby restaurant.

She would eat until her stomach hurt, all while smiling at Luis and saying, "I actually love fast food.

"My husband at home is such a nag. He even tries to control what I eat. Your food is so much better."

I sneered inwardly.

Of course his food tasted better. Who knew how much oil, salt, seasoning, and artificial flavoring went into those dishes? No wonder they were so tasty.

I slowly pulled myself out of her embrace.

"I don't feel like cooking today."

Jade froze.

I lowered my eyes and added, "I'm not feeling very well."

In the past, whenever I told her I felt unwell, she would panic. She would insist on taking me straight to the hospital and having me examined from head to toe.

However, this time, she paused for barely two seconds before pressing herself against my back again. Her words sounded like a request, but there was an unmistakable edge of insistence in her voice.

"It's just one meal.

"You've been doing this for years. You've gotten so good at it that it hardly takes any time.

"Steve, could you please just keep it up for me today?"

When I realized she was not going to let it go, I had no choice but to head into the kitchen.

The soup bubbled gently in the pot, sending its rich aroma through the room. I stared at the vegetables on the cutting board, remembering something Luis had muttered in her dream the night before.

"Ms. Smith, I'm allergic to peanuts. I can't eat these snacks."

After a long hesitation, I picked up a small handful of crushed peanuts and stirred them into the meatloaf sauce. They disappeared without a trace.

Once breakfast was ready, Jade took the insulated lunch bag from me and rose onto her tiptoes to kiss me.

"Good boy. I'll spend some time with you tonight."

With that, she grabbed the lunch bag and headed out.

The lock clicked behind her, and the house fell completely silent.

I stood there for a long time before finally making my way to the sofa.

I spent the entire morning doing nothing but sitting there, my phone clutched in my hand as I waited for a call that might never come.

Even though the first two dreams had already come true, a tiny part of me still clung to the hope that I had been wrong.

If no call came, it would mean at least Jade had eaten the food I made for her.

However, if...

A little after noon, my phone suddenly began to vibrate.

I stared at the name on the screen.

It was Jade.

My heart sank a little further with every passing second.

Sure enough, the moment I answered, I heard her voice, tight with barely restrained anger.

"Steve, what did you put in the food today?"