When I came to, Meir called me.

“Joelle, what’s going on?”

“I was busy earlier when you called.”

His voice was as gentle as ever, showing no sign of anything unusual. This gentleness, in this moment, felt like a stab straight to my heart. I swallowed the discomfort.

“What... what are you up to?”

“I’m on a business trip. It’s been a hectic day. Met with two clients, but I took your advice and didn’t drink.”

This is how he usually treats me. Wherever he goes on a business trip, wherever he stays, whomever he meets—it’s all reported to me in detail. Everyone says the famous Mr. Nguyen, who has seen countless beauties, only bows to me.

I touched my now-empty abdomen, feeling tears like ice sliding down my cheeks.

“Joelle, why are you quiet? Are you feeling down?”

“No.”

I wiped away the tears. “Just wanted to check in. Don’t worry, focus on your trip.”

After hanging up, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I covered my face and began to cry.

Just then, my phone pinged with a new message. It was from Lucille Stone on WhatsApp.

“1997043 is my TikTok handle, where you’ll find everything about your husband's business trip.”

1997043 was Meir’s birthday.

I composed myself and searched for the TikTok account. She had just uploaded a new video.

The video showed her and Meir at a street food stall, enjoying pulled pork. She held up her phone while Meir fed her, thoughtfully made her a warm coffee, and gently said, “Your period is coming soon, so eat less of this stuff.”

She laughed, carefree and bold.

“Who’d have thought the usually aloof Mr. Nguyen remembers a woman’s cycle?”

At that point, I turned off my phone, gripping it tightly, my whole body trembling. It was as if she was flaunting before me, bragging that she loved my husband.

Have you ever seen Meir like this?

Lucille sent me another message on WhatsApp, with a touch of smugness.

"You always keep him on a tight schedule, making sure he goes to bed early and wakes up early, not to mention those health smoothies he drinks. He's only truly at ease when he's with me."

I had indeed never seen this side of Meir.

He was usually a workaholic, rarely making time for shopping or trips with me. Because of this, his health had declined, prompting me to encourage the smoothies and a disciplined routine.

I still hadn't responded to Lucille. Meir and I had been married for ten years. I wanted him to tell me about this himself.

I texted him: "Call me when you have a chance for a video chat."

And then, I waited and waited for his call.

Evening came; after Erin, the nurse, did her rounds and turned off the lights, I was still waiting for the call.

Scrolling through Lucille's Instagram, I saw she'd posted again. There was a photo of a man and woman in bed, just their shoulders visible under the covers.

"He's so considerate. Even when we travel, he brings his own bedding from home," she wrote as the caption.

The comments were filled with admiration:

"I'm so envious of the love between you and your boyfriend."

"Guys like him are hard to come by. My boyfriend just sleeps all the time when we're out!"

"Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness."

I clicked on her profile and saw her popularity had skyrocketed after posting a video of her and Meir at St. Peter's Basilica, garnering numerous likes and followers.

In the video, Meir, who was usually so precise and polished, was kneeling under the cathedral, praying for her. Everyone thought he was amazing and admired Lucille.

But they didn’t know this man was my husband.

While he was praying for someone else, I was in the operating room, halfway to the grave.

That night, I was tossing and turning, unable to get any sleep.

As dawn broke, Meir still hadn’t called. Back in college, we were carefree, often setting off on impulsive trips. We faced so much together, and back then, he truly loved me. But now, it seems he’s tired of the daily grind, caught up in life's routines and the demands of being a parent.

That's okay. I'll let him go.

But before I do, I've decided to leave him with a parting gift.

I’ve been carefully saving every post Lucille Stone shared on Facebook. I know Meir still loves me because there hasn't been any real issue with our marriage. He's just seeking some excitement, acting like everything is perfectly normal between us.

But I'm not going to let him have it both ways.

When he comes back, I'll turn those Facebook screenshots and my candid photos into a collage. I want him to see exactly what I've been dealing with while he's been away.