Chapter 1

Ethan Harper’s office called to ask about him. That was when I learned that he had been skipping work.

He left for breakfast before dawn.

He was not answering his phone, so I rushed back home.

A few elderly women were sunbathing downstairs. They covered their mouths and snickered when they saw me.

This was not the first time. I stopped in my tracks as I felt my heart sink.

Their gazes shifted between me and the breakfast shop.

The shop was usually bustling, but today, its doors were shut tight.

Mildred, one of the ladies, hesitated for a moment before gesturing for me to come close.

She leaned in and whispered, “You should go check around the back.”

My anxious heart sank even further.

I walked around and peeked through the open window. Two naked people lay together with their backs to the window.

I recognized Ethan when I saw his pale back.

I felt a strong urge to kick down the door, but I held back. Instead, I snapped two pictures of them together with trembling hands.

Grace Bowen opened her eyes slightly. Her hair was messy as she met my gaze.

She looked unbothered.

She simply smiled and wrapped her arms around Ethan’s neck.

I left the shop feeling numb all over and weakly made my way back home.

I sat in the living room for a long time. I was struggling to regain my composure. Amid the anger, all I could feel was sadness.

Even someone like Ethan had learned to cheat.

My phone buzzed with a message. I opened it and saw that an unknown number had sent me a couple of videos via WhatsApp.

To my surprise, they were footage captured by a home surveillance camera.

In the video, Ethan happily hugged Grace.

He said, “My old hag of a wife is like an NPC. Whenever I get close to her, she just gives me chores to do.”

Grace laughed as she snuggled into his arms and said, “If you have to do everything yourself, why would you even need a wife?”

“Exactly! She’s never happy. Even when I’m just eating, she tells me not to chew so loudly.”

Grace giggled and said, “The louder you chew, the happier I am.”

“I only chew loudly because the food is so good. She must be crazy!”

I clenched my grip on my phone. I wished I could reach through the screen and slap him hard!

...

Ethan did not return until noon. He was shocked when he opened the door and saw me.

He stammered, “You… didn’t go to work?”

I stared at him and said, “Your office called. They said you skipped work.”

When he turned away and avoided my gaze, I knew Grace had not told him that I had caught them red-handed at the breakfast shop.

He slowly changed into his house slippers while still avoiding my gaze.

“I was just late, okay? I came back to change, and I am heading to work right after. It’s only been half a day.”

He claimed that on his way to work, he was drenched by water from a sprinkler truck. He even showed me his phone, which was wet.

“Like I’d skip work on purpose!” he added.

He tried to justify it, but he still avoided my gaze.

He got even more embarrassed when he saw that I did not respond. He scratched his head and walked to the bedroom.

His clothes were indeed wet. That meant that he had already planned how to deceive me before returning.

I glanced around the house. It was filled with everything I bought over the years, from large appliances to small pots and pans.

What was Ethan’s role in this house, anyway?

He came back out in clean clothes. Then, he put his slippers back on and lit a cigarette.

His round belly was obvious under his shirt. His hair was in clumps and looked greasy.

He sprawled out on the couch. His feet stretched toward me. He bounced his leg while blissfully exhaling clouds of smoke.

Without thinking twice, I slapped his leg away and said, “Quit shaking your leg!”