Chapter 1

My name is Alan Reed. I'm 30 years old, and I run a media company that's not huge but makes stable profits.

Three years into marriage, at an age where most people start putting on weight, I haven't grown a beer belly. In fact, I'm living even better than when I was single.

The reason is simple: I have an amazing wife, Melody.

Melody is a senior executive at a top-tier venture capital firm in the country, managing hundreds of millions of dollars.

At work, she's decisive and sharp, but at home, she's a super supportive wife who is always considerate of my feelings and is gentle and understanding.

Since we got married, our careers have been on the rise, and our lives are harmonious and beautiful. You could say we're living the dream.

But I never imagined that this stability of mine would be a thorn in someone's side.

That person is Jeremy Collins, my "good friend" from college, my coursemate and my roommate for four years.

Jeremy, even back in college, was a bit of a looker and changed girlfriends faster than he changed sneakers.

After graduation, while everyone else was struggling in the real world, he always maintained this facade of a "playboy" and "free spirit".

He didn't have a proper job and claimed to be working in "private equity and crypto".

At gatherings, he loved to show up in flashy, flamboyant streetwear, sporting a Rolex Submariner (which was possibly fake), giving advice on everything.

For the past six months, every time we had a friends' gathering, Jeremy would make snide remarks about me, as if his mouth was dipped in poison.

"Oh, Mr. Reed is a protected species now, isn't he? He has to report to his wife three days in advance just to come out for a drink. Alan, I'm telling you as a brother, what's the difference between you and a simp nowadays? You get married and lose every bit of freedom. Your wife's got you on too tight of a leash. If a man doesn't have some pocket money of his own to have fun outside, can he even be called a man?"

Whenever he'd get drunk at the table and spew his venom, the other guys like Michael and Shane could only awkwardly try to smooth things over.

I, remembering our college friendship and knowing he'd always been a blabbermouth, never really took it to heart. I'd usually just smile it off.

"Melody does it for my own good. Having someone who cares about me is a blessing."

"Nonsense! She's just being a control freak!" Jeremy took a hard drag from his cigarette, a look of disdain all over his face. "Just you wait, Alan, that woman will drain you dry sooner or later."

I originally thought he was just a typical late-stage chauvinist who couldn't stand seeing other couples happy.

It wasn't until a certain evening last month that I truly saw the vicious side hidden beneath his friendly mask.

That day, we were drinking at a chill bar. I realized I had left my custom lighter in Jeremy's car.

He was pretty drunk, so he casually tossed me his car keys and told me to get it myself.