When I got home, I turned on the dictaphone.

Kayden called the girl.

"Wait for me at the college gate."

"Oh my god! Now?"

He put it on speaker and I heard her exclaim in joy.

He smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'll be there in a while."

"Didn't you say we wouldn't meet today? Why are you here all of a sudden?"

"It's Valentine's Day. After thinking about it, I still can't bear to let you spend it alone."

She said excitedly, "Slow down! I'll get up and put on makeup now!"

"Okay. It's going to rain. Remember to bring an umbrella."

After a while, there was a knock on the window.

"Take a back seat," he said.

She got in the car.

"Well, I still don't deserve to sit in the passenger seat." She was a little annoyed.

He said, "One of my wife's friends is a traffic police officer. I gotta be more careful."

"Your wife."

"Carrie Clark."

Kayden read her name word by word, and his tone was a little cold.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Please punish me."

Her voice sounded pitiful.

"Take off your clothes then."

He lit a cigarette and said casually.

"Wh-what?" she was caught off guard.

"Huh? Didn't you say you wanted me to punish you?"

……

When they were having sex, she asked, "Do you love me?"

"If I don't love you, why did I come to you in the middle of the night?"

"I love you too," she said, sobbing.

I sat in the living room and listened to the recording over and over again.

The dictaphone had long run out of battery. I continued to press the switch mechanically until sunset.

I took a week off from the company and went back to my hometown.

"Divorce? What are you thinking about?"

Before I could finish my words, my mother shouted.

"Aren't you always against our marriage?"

"I was indeed! Now Kayden is no longer poor before. Your brother needs his money to buy a house when he gets married. Don't make any trouble at this critical moment!"

"Mom, he cheated on me with a female college student."

"Men do cheat. He's under so much pressure at work. We should give him some space to relax himself."

"He still loves you, so you should try your best to give him a child. After that, you can quit your job and be a housewife at home!"

I looked at my younger brother and asked, "Do you think so too?"

"Leah, Bella will come and spend New Year's Eve with us. You can just turn a blind eye to his cheating. Anyway, he never wants to divorce you."

I had doted on him since I was a child. Looking at him now, I couldn't say anything.

My mother was exasperated at my complaint.

"I'm such a smart person. How could I have such a stupid daughter like you?"

"When Kayden was poor, you decided to be with him. Now that he has made a name for himself, you want to divorce him?"

"Do you think you're still young? You had a miscarriage! Do you think you can find a second husband as rich as Kayden?"

In the end, she threw the things I had brought back out of the door.

"You're a married woman. You can't go back to my home so often!"

"Go home and make Kayden happy! Try your best to give him a son, and no one can take him from you!"

I walked down the street with a bag of fruits and my suitcase.

The sun was scorching hot, but my body was cold.

Kayden sent me a message asking me why I was not at home.

I didn't reply.

Soon, I received a call from him.

"Leah, why didn't you reply to my message?"

"I went back to my mother's place and I didn't see any messages."

"Did something happen to her?"

"No, I'm a little tired at work, so I'll stay there for a few days."

He could tell from my voice that something was wrong and asked with concern, "Did your mother scold you again?"

"Yeah, she did."

"Go back to New York. I'll pick you up at the station," he said decisively. "Let's go to the barbecue joint on Carder Rd for dinner tonight."

I had wanted to go to that joint for a long time, but I didn't have the time.

"Don't take your mother's words to heart. You still have me. Our lives are more important than anything else."

It sounded so familiar.

When I was at my most difficult time, he had said the same thing to me.

I didn't reply. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

"You silly, are you crying? I'll buy you a ticket now. Hurry home."

"Sure."

Before I got out of the station, I saw Kayden in the crowd.

He stood tall with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his phone. From time to time, he looked toward the station exit.

"Leah!"

Seeing me, he held my hand gently and took me into his arms.

"I didn't go with you. You must be upset."

I looked up into his eyes. He looked like he was really sorry.

At that moment, I wondered if I could really pretend that nothing had happened.

He earned a high annual salary, so he was able to give me a good life.

We had gone through thick and thin together, so even though he cheated on me, he didn't show any disdain.

If he didn't want to have sex with me, I'd do IVF and give him a lovely child.

When he got tired of that girl and grew more mature, he would return to me and become a good husband and father.

This seemed to be my best solution.

On the way to the barbecue joint, Kayden received a call.

I could tell from his face that something was wrong and asked him, "What's wrong?"

He hesitated for a moment.

"Something's come up in the company. Forget it, I promised to eat Japanese food with you. I told them I'm not going."

My fingernails sank into my palm.

"It's okay. Work is more important. I have a weak stomach these days. Let's eat next time."

"But..."

"No, just put me down in the square ahead. I'll walk around by myself."

"Okay, you go shopping then. You can buy whatever you want. I'll pay for it."

"Okay."

I got out of the car at the intersection and watched his car leave.

I knew it was Carrie's birthday today.

They had mentioned it in their chat.

Kayden said that he wanted to go home on Valentine's Day and wouldn't stay with her. He would make it up to her on her birthday in a few days.

An hour later, he sent me a message.

"I'm at the office and ready to work."

I thought for a long time and replied, "Don't stress yourself out."

In the evening, I clicked on Carrie's home page.

She posted a status update.

In the photo, she closed her eyes, put her palms together, and made a wish in front of the cake.

Kayden's figure was reflected on the glass behind her.

The other photo was taken in the hotel.

The lights were erotic, and the round bed was covered with petals.

The romantic hotel was in the Southern District of New York.

I went home to get the marriage certificate and took a taxi to the hotel.

Standing downstairs, I took out my mobile phone and dialed 911.

"Hello, police? I'd like to report a case. My husband paid for sex with a prostitute."