She Called It Gaming, I Called It Cheating

My birthday party ended without its supposed hostess, and I hurried back home.I wasn't surprised to find my wife, Nova Quill, sprawled on the couch in a new black slip dress, drenched in sweat. She'd obviously just gone through an intense boss fight in the game.The first thing out of her mouth when she saw me wasn't an apology for missing the party, but a rave review of the game."Honey, the game Luke developed is really amazing. Why don't you put in more money so he can add new features?"I set the divorce papers I'd prepared down on the coffee table. "Nova, I want a divorce."Nova stared at me in shock. After a moment, she calmed down, her sweat-slicked body shifting as she tried to cling to me. "Honey, are you mad because I've been holed up in the game room and ignoring you? But I've been helping you test the project your company invested in. Shouldn't you be happy that the game's this good?"I stepped back so I wouldn't have to touch her filthy body. I said icily, "Sign the

Nova's eyes widened, her face all wounded while her tone was anything but. "What's that supposed to mean, Landon? Are you hinting that I cheated on you? I've been home all day; I never even stepped outside. The security cameras can prove it."Soon, Nova's best friend, Candace Green, barged into my house with Luke, her cousin, in tow. When she saw how upset Nova was, her temper flared. She stormed up and slapped me across the face, cursing me out."Can you even call yourself a man, Landon? You're the one who's been busy with work and neglecting Nova, and now you've got the nerve to blame her for playing games and neglecting you? Apologize to her right now, or I swear I won't let you off!"Luke rushed straight to Nova's side, wrapping an arm tightly around her shoulders to comfort her. "Candace and I came right over the second we heard Landon wanted a divorce. Don't worry. With us here, he's not laying a finger on you."He looked up and glared at me, his voice threatening. "If you da

Seeing that I was dead set on releasing the horror game to the public, Nova visibly panicked. She rushed over, grabbed my hand tightly, and looked at me with eyes that reddened instantly."Landon, I was wrong. I shouldn't have missed your birthday because I was gaming, and I shouldn't have gone online and trashed you in a fit of anger."It's all my fault. I just wanted our studio's game to make you a lot of money, so I got impatient. I promise I'll make more time for you from now on."The game isn't fully polished yet. If we rush to launch it now, the reviews and later sales will definitely suffer. I'm begging you, please don't release it yet. Please?"Luke also forced himself to come over and talk me down. "Alright, alright. Seeing as Nova still loves you so much, we can just write off what you did to me as long as you don't release the game. Just make sure you treat her well from now on."When Nova looked up at me, her eyes were full of a fragile, pitiful softness. It was the ex

When Nova didn't get a response from me, she rushed into the crowd, looking heartbroken as she used her own body to shield Luke from the beating."Don't you dare hit him, or I'll sue you all for assault once we're back in the real world!" she cried.The players couldn't care less."There's nothing about that in the game rules.""Mrs. Hale, you're about to inherit all of Landon's assets. Don't tell me you're jealous of a few in-game rewards."Instinctively, Nova reached up to cover the ID above her head. Only then did she realize that she and Luke were the only ones whose IDs were fully exposed. She ground her teeth and shot a vicious glare up at me.Then, she quickly slipped back into her usual act of fragile innocence. She said, "To tell all of you the truth, the reason this game hasn't gone live yet is that there's a bug in the final boss reward. If some deadly trap pops out and hurts someone, it'll ruin Hale Corporation's reputation."I'll make sure all of you get your proper

The players who'd had a blast spectating the drama in the horror game quickly took it online and blew it up.I separately released the video from the game room where I'd gotten into a full-on fight with Luke. Anyone who wasn't blind could see he was the one who'd thrown the first punch. I'd only hit back, and that was how he'd ended up injured.Then, there was Nova and her crew, all of them being vicious and unforgiving when they had the upper hand. The looks on their faces were downright hideous.Before long, people finally understood why I'd insisted on a divorce. Public opinion shifted, and everyone started siding with me out of sympathy.Helen and Stuart refused to give up, though. They came over to talk me down."Nova knows she messed up. She promised us she'll keep her distance from Luke from now on," Stuart said."Look at how big this has blown up," Helen added. "Everyone's saying you got cuckolded—how awful does that sound? You should hurry up and clear Nova's name. Tell