Unable to take it anymore, I upload a photo of my husband, Johann Garner, holding hands with his secretary, Eva Ford, to the company's group chat.

A long while later, Johann finally replies, "It's just something we do when we're working together. Those who are vile in nature will always view things differently from others."

Messages from his colleagues begin flooding the group chat immediately. They all discuss whether or not I'm delusional.

But I'm the only one who knows just how skilled Johann is at manipulating others as an expert manipulator.

After muting the group chat, I look down at the ring Johann has slipped onto my finger when he first proposed to me.

When exactly can I escape from the prison he has built around me?

Even the colleagues at work, whose names I barely knew, were secretly mocking me in the work group chat.

After my best friend, Peggy Turner, learned about the incident, she surprisingly refused to take my side and instead harshly rebuked me.

"You should be thanking your lucky stars that you even married someone as good as Johann, Nancy Castro! Don't you know that you're being an ingrate and a bastard by doing this to him?

"If I were you, I'd immediately fall to my knees and beg him for forgiveness without a second thought! You're going to regret this sooner or later!"

At this point, my husband, Johann Garner, was just sitting by the side, silently enjoying my public disgrace and downfall. He seemed to really enjoy watching me getting attacked by everyone, judging from the faint smile playing on his lips.

Everything was within his control, after all.

In everyone else's eyes, he was always known as the mature, stable, gentle, and considerate businessman, who was also very successful and thus the dream husband of every woman who ever met him.

However, it wasn't until after I married him that I realized how much of a serial gaslighter he really was.

When in front of outsiders, he would behave in a very refined and polite manner, winning their praises left and right. However, when I was his only audience, he would verbally and emotionally abuse me relentlessly.

He especially loved pushing my usually silent self to the limit, watching me struggle against his suppression.

And when he finally provoked me into lashing out at him, losing control of my emotions, he would then tell all of my friends and family how unreasonable I was, so that they would all condemn me like I was some heinous criminal or something.

Each time, I would fall for his manipulative gaslighting and end up apologizing to him, begging him for forgiveness. He would then feign tolerance with an air of superiority and say, "See? I'm the only one who can put up with you because I love you so much."

Over the next few years, everyone thought that I was the ungrateful, unreasonable ingrate in this marriage.

Even if I had evidence of Johann's affair with his secretary, Eva Ford, he still managed to turn the tide against me and make everything out to be my fault instead.

I read the smears and insults thrown at me in the work group chat and felt my hands trembling. Then, I left the chat, feeling my heart fill with despair.

My brain felt as though it was about to explode at any time. It was such a complete mess and gave me a headache.

Later that night, the door to our home was suddenly flung open, and Johann stormed in, reeking of alcohol.

He sat on the couch, his leg crossed over the other, while staring at me with anger and disdain in his eyes.

"How dare you refuse to answer any of my calls! You're getting bolder and bolder now, aren't you? Who do you think you are to treat me like this?"

He kept pouring more alcohol into his glass while glaring daggers at me like he was staring at a disobedient toy.

"So you sent the photos. Don't you think it's about time you stopped? A good girl knows when to stop."

His leisurely tone and provocative gaze were like those of someone telling off a misbehaving little puppy.

The old me would probably have immediately dropped to the floor and begged for his forgiveness when faced with such a condescending attitude from him. However, this time, I felt a deep resolve within me. I wanted to see how far I could push him.

I scoffed coldly and said, "And what if I don't? What can you do to me, then?"

Johann grabbed me and slammed me hard against the couch, pinning me down. He was so strong that I couldn't fight him off.

"Trying to negotiate with me, are you? Why don't you look at yourself in the mirror first?"

Come to think of it, I never really asked him for a lot anyway.

I had always put up with his insults at home, hoping that I could exchange them for his love and a warm home for me.

However, he refused to give any of that to me. He was much more protective of Eva because he loved her.

I checked social media and immediately saw Eva's latest Instagram story.

The photo showed Johann and her thoroughly enjoying themselves at an expensive steakhouse in a five-star hotel. The table was adorned with flowers, lit candles, and a variety of other items.

It was simply too jarring, and I laughed self-deprecatingly at that.

As expected, he was only coming home so late because he was busy having dinner with Eva.

When Johann was finally done with his romantic getaway, he came back home and trampled all over my self-esteem like he was disciplining a mere dog.

Was I just their afterthought after all?

I flung my phone onto the couch in a rage. "I hate secondhand men who've been defiled by other women!"

This was the first time I had said such harsh words to him.

Unexpectedly, Johann frowned at once as anger lit up in his fiery eyes. He grabbed my chin tightly and slapped me hard on the cheek just a split second later. He slapped me so hard that my vision blacked out for a moment.

"Nancy Castro! I am the one paying for your food and your lodging! How dare you yell at me like that! Who the hell do you think you are?"

I got a huge fright and struggled to escape his constraints.

However, right after that, he began his carrot-and-stick tactic as always.

He lightly rubbed his wrist against my slapped face, his gesture like a pitiful act of consolation after the fright.

"It was all because you were behaving out of line that I had to treat you like this. Do you understand now that you must be a good girl and listen to me?"

Faced with his terrible, disgusting act, I dug my nails into my palms and forced myself to remain calm no matter what.

I gradually realized that I couldn't continue acting weak like this anymore.

When I woke up the next morning, I realized someone had requested to follow my private account on social media, and the request came from a profile I wasn't quite familiar with.

I tapped into the follow request message. It read, "Nancy, it's me, Cedric York."

I froze for a moment when I saw the name on the screen. Memories of my college days immediately flooded my mind.

Cedric was my senior in the same course I was taking when we were still in college. We even used to be in the student council together, working as a team.

At that time, everyone could already tell that he had a crush on me and was very partial to favoring me, getting concerned about me, and taking care of and protecting me on campus.

However, back then, I had been hung up on Johann instead.

After graduating, I lost contact with Cedric, and shortly after, I married Johann.

I thought that I had finally found my happiness and my forever home, but I never thought that I had only just taken the first step toward my fall into such a dark, painful abyss.

I had only just accepted his follow request when Cedric suddenly video-called me on Instagram.

His familiar, yet slightly foreign voice immediately came through.

"Nancy! I heard that Johann had been treating you really badly! Are you okay?"

He spoke as if he had been keeping in touch with me all these years, getting straight to the point about my situation.

I said nothing and just stared at his face, suddenly feeling a wave of nostalgia washing over me as I longed for our college days again.

He seemed to notice the cuts and bruises left on my face after getting into a fight with Johann, and I detected a flicker of anger and heartache in his eyes for a moment.

He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Wait for me to come back, Nancy."

Just then, Johann suddenly emerged from the bathroom, with droplets of water still dripping down his body. He approached me.

I couldn't help but take a few steps backward and hide the phone behind my back.

"If I remember correctly, it's our… wedding anniversary today, isn't it?"

Johann seemed to grin ever so slightly as he spoke to me, his tone filled with mockery and sarcasm.

He then turned, grabbed a box from the closet, and threw it onto the bed like he was just tossing charity coins into a beggar's bowl.

"See this? It's the bag you wanted. I'm right, aren't I?"

Just as I was about to open the box, Johann said, "I'm going to be busy with a huge project, and I won't have any time to keep you company. Just tell me whatever you want."

Then, he caressed my neck like he was comforting a mere pet, his movements thick with mockery and degradation. Yet, just a split second later, he suddenly gripped my neck with force, hurting me like he was trying to strangle me.

"There really is nothing going on between Eva and me. Our relationship is strictly that of employer and employee. She's nothing more than just my secretary, so stop being so petty and jealous.

"Do you understand me?"

Johann's cold words pierced into my heart like a knife.

He was so oppressive toward me that tears immediately welled up in my eyes, and I couldn't do anything but nod obediently at his words.

I was worried that I would suffer even more if I angered him any further.

Just then, his phone rang loudly.

He glanced at the caller ID and hurriedly went over to answer the call. His tone was filled with tenderness and concern as he said, "Eva? What's the matter? Why are you calling me?"

Eva's saccharinely sweet voice came through the phone and into my ears.

"Mr. Garner, I think I'm feeling a little unwell because I've been working a little too much. Can you come over and bring me to the hospital?"

"Wait at home for me. I'll be there at once," Johann said, hurrying out of the house without even properly hanging up.

Just before he left, he paused at the door and turned around to bark his orders at me.

"Go make some chicken stew and send it over to Eva's apartment at night. I don't want her to be hungry after she's back from the hospital."

…

I wanted to divorce Johann and free myself from him. And these thoughts lingered on my mind for a very long time.

A short while after he left, I went alone to Eva's apartment using the address Johann had sent me afterward.

I slowed down my tense breathing and walked into the apartment building.

Just as I stepped into the building, I saw Johann walking into the elevator with Eva in his arms. Their intimate actions felt like sharp knives against my heart.

I hid in a corner, raised my phone, turned on the camera, and aimed it at them before pressing record.

Eva was playfully twirling Johann's tie in her fingers, her actions seductive and provocative.

"Surely Nancy wouldn't mind that I keep taking up all of your time, Mr. Garner?"

A look of disgust appeared in Johann's eyes as he replied, "Stop bringing up that woman's name when we're together. You're ruining the mood."

Eva just chuckled and said, "That's right. This is our 'working hours' after all…"

The elevator doors slowly slid to a close, and the sound of the doors clinking against each other felt like the strike of the gavel as the judge read out my verdict to me.

Although I'd already made up my mind about divorcing him, I still felt hurt when witnessing their intimate actions together.

I forcefully suppressed the wave of nausea and despair that welled up inside of me. I made sure I had everything recorded on my phone, as I would need it as evidence in my divorce proceedings against him.

Then, I stumbled away, fleeing the heartbreaking scene as quickly as I could.

I didn't even notice when the tears had started flowing down my cheeks.

Whilst drowning in confusion and helplessness, I decided to call the only person who could save me now. He was like my lifeline as I clutched desperately at straws.

"Cedric, I've been stupid. I should have listened to you a long time ago.

"The worst decision I'd ever made in my life was marrying Johann."

Just one second later, a familiar silhouette suddenly appeared right in front of me.

I was stunned for a moment. When I looked up at him, I was immediately filled with even more confusion.

Cedric?

He looked frantic as his eyes glimmered with concern for me.

Before I could return to my senses, he had pulled me into his arms without hesitation and hugged me tightly, sighing through his nose like he felt sorry for me.

I could feel the warmth in his embrace, and all of a sudden, the unease and anxiety that had been running rampant in my heart found solace.

Then he gently held my wrist and gave me a firm yet tender look. He didn't say another word as he pulled me toward Eva's apartment.

I knocked lightly on Eva's door.

The door slowly opened, and Johann appeared at the door. He looked surprised to see me. Meanwhile, Eva was sitting on the couch in the living room, her clothes in a disarray.

The tension in the air rose.

"Nancy?"

Johann obviously didn't expect me to be here at this moment. There was a fluster in his voice as he began to defend himself.

"I can explain, Nancy…"

He seemed in a great hurry to explain things to me, trying to salvage the situation.

However, before he could say another word, Cedric, who'd just been standing behind me, stepped forward and slapped Johann hard across the face.

The slap was swift and decisive, and a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes as he said, "Watch carefully, Johann Garner."

Cedric then grabbed my wrist and continued, "I am now taking your wife away."