Chapter 1 The Last Threshold

The moment she got the message, Talia called me. "Tobias, you're mistaken. Caelum just had a drop in blood sugar. I was only helping him stand."

"Is that so?" I countered calmly. "You're really generous with your help, aren't you?"

"Tobias, wait for me in the car. I'll be right there."

I hung up and got in the car, closing my eyes to rest.

Before long, she returned. One side of her face was flushed, and there was a faint trace of blood at the corner of her mouth—probably from when Caelum bit her during that forced kiss.

"You've got blood on your mouth," I said, handing her a tissue.

Talia checked her reflection in the mirror and forced a smile. "Must've bumped into something earlier."

It wasn't the first time she had lied to me. Every time she felt guilty, she smiled like that.

I watched her act, returning it with a quiet smile. "Did you bump into Caelum's teeth?"

Her face stiffened, and then a flicker of anger crept in. "Tobias, don't be so petty. I already told you—Caelum suddenly had low blood sugar, and I just helped him, that's all. It's not what you think."

I didn’t respond. Just closed my eyes again and rested.

When we got home, Talia went straight for the shower.

Just then, her phone buzzed on the table. A message popped up from Caelum—it was a hotel location.

I glanced at it and left the phone untouched.

Her passcode used to be my birthday, but ever since she started flirting with that new intern at work, the code stopped working.

I pulled a few strings and had the intern dismissed. After that, something in Talia's attitude toward me shifted. It was subtle, but enough to notice.

I hadn't expected that the intern would barely be out the door before her old flame came waltzing in. Figures. When it came to lying and cheating, it was never just once.

Suddenly, I just felt… exhausted.

I dozed off for a bit on the couch, and when I opened my eyes, Talia had come out of the bathroom in her nightgown.

The moment she saw the phone, she froze for half a second—then shot a suspicious glance my way and asked warily, "Why are you still up this late?"

"Just tired. Took a short nap."

As she saw how composed I was, the tension in her shoulders eased.

She unlocked her phone, and the moment her eyes landed on Caelum's message, the corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly. "Tobias, there's something urgent at the office—I need to head over."

"Sure."

She seemed unsure, so she came over and added, "There's an issue with the production schedule. I have to go check it personally." As she spoke, she was already heading into the closet to change.

When she came back out and saw me still sitting motionless on the couch, she slowly walked over. "Tobias, get some rest, okay? I'll call you once I get to the office."

I rubbed my eyes, feeling exhausted—not just from the day, but from the entire charade. I had no idea how much longer I'd have to keep playing along.

I stood, picked up her trench coat from the couch, and handed it to her. "It's chilly tonight. Put something on."

Talia looked at me, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. It took her a few seconds to reach out and take the coat.

"Tobias…" She suddenly grabbed my hand, her expression softening. "Wait for me at home, okay?"

She looked like she wanted to say more, but I cut her off. "Alright, go on now."

I draped the coat over her shoulders and adjusted the collar carefully, just like I always did whenever I saw her off.

But I knew that from the moment she stepped out that door tonight, our marriage was over.