When The Ride Ended

When I stepped out of the elevator, I happened to see the news that Lauren Geller had won the championship.A few hours earlier, Sean Tanner’s private account had posted an update:[Accompanying my friend to the peak. Our love has reached a new height!]The attached picture was of a deliberately blurred gold medal and a pair of interlocked hands.I recognized at once that the smaller hand belonged to Lauren.I felt nothing because the finalized divorce agreement was already sitting in my bag.When I entered the apartment, several road bikes were parked in the entryway.I walked around them and realized that not only had Lauren returned, but Sean and two other teammates were there as well.The laughter stopped the moment they saw me. Lauren frowned at me.“Where did you go? You didn’t answer your phone. Didn’t I say I was coming back?”I kicked off my cycling shoes and slipped into my slippers. “I went to the gym.”“You should have told me anyway. I called twice.”She tu

“Owen? Are you awake?”My phone showed 1 a.m., and Lauren was quietly calling me from outside the door.I didn’t respond. Assuming I was asleep, she turned toward the sofa.I pulled out my phone and checked the surveillance app.In the living room, Sean had wrapped his arms around Lauren. She bent down to kiss him, and they collapsed onto the sofa.They were like two wild dogs. Absolutely disgusting.After my cat, Nugget, had a bout of indigestion six months ago, I installed a hidden camera in the living room to keep an eye on him.Lauren never liked hearing about trivial things, so I hadn’t told her.Two months ago, I had casually reviewed the footage and discovered her kissing Sean in our home, on the very rug I had personally chosen.I hadn’t slept a wink that night. I traced the timeline of their relationship.Three months. They had been doing all this behind my back while I went out for groceries, cooked, or delivered their bikes for cleaning.I felt no sadnes

Lauren returned to the shop after more than a month.This time, she brought Sean and a few teammates, all clad in tight cycling gear with helmets, drawing every eye.In the past month, my little shop had exploded in business, even making a feature on a local news channel.After all, I had once been one of the country’s top bakers. Seven years ago, when I returned home for love, the entire baking community had sighed in regret.Many of my students had cried and swore they would kick my wife to the curb.Not long after opening, industry insiders recognized me. My shop quickly gained fame, with lines forming day and night.I had trained a few apprentices, and now, with a little free time, I often stayed in the shop experimenting with recipes.When Sean saw me, he laughed loudly.“Look, I know you’re still reeling from what happened with Lauren, but you didn’t need to open a shop on her training route. “Do you think hovering around her every day will make her change her mind?

The scandal over renowned road cyclist Lauren Geller taking performance-enhancing drugs spread like wildfire.Overnight, the cycling club terminated her contract, and all her commercial partnerships demanded compensation for breach.I received a call from Wanda while rowing with Kendra on the little river in the botanical garden.“I’m so grateful to you. Without your guidance, I wouldn’t have claimed this championship,” Wanda’s voice trembled with excitement over the phone.I smiled faintly.“It was nothing. Those materials were ones I accumulated over time. You have talent, so it’s not as if my work went to waste.”The training plans I had once customized for Lauren had received praise from the cycling club’s professional staff.Back when we divorced, I had repurposed all of them for Wanda.Sean’s private account was updated constantly with Lauren’s indulgences in food, drink, and leisure. She neither trained nor restrained herself; a decline in her results was inevitable.