After the Love Faded, He Pnicked

After he got down from a plane from a business trip, my husband, who always claimed he did not like sweets, indulged in a “couple’s half-price milk tea” with his newly hired secretary. The secretary even put on a concerned front, apologizing to me and saying she hoped I wouldn’t mind.

My husband shielded her without missing a beat. He even accused me of being petty and overly sensitive.

However, I did not argue or make a scene. Instead, I simply handed the hotel room key cards to the secretary with a friendly smile. “Why would I mind? You two like sharing, right? Here, you can take the couple’s suite, too.”

——

The moment I said those words, my husband, Leo Lombard frowned with a worried expression, then looked at me with an icy gaze and snapped, "Julie Andrew! You have to stop throwing tantrums. You have crossed the line."

However, his secretary, Evelyn Sanders, hurried over. She pretended to be flustered as she tried to return the room card to me. "Miss Julie, this is not like you think! The reason I agreed to split the milk tea with Leo was because I was struggling financially and used to be frugal. This was all my fault and I’m willing to apologize to you. Please don't be angry with Leo."

Despite her words, her hand which was holding the key card, had her knuckles turned white due to the strength she used to hold it. It was obvious she did not have any intention to return the key card.

I stepped back and looked at Evelyn with disgust then said, "You can drop the act. It's quite pointless, you know. I've already known about your relationship."

Hearing my words, Leo's anger flared up. As he crushed the plastic cup in his hand making it give out a loud crinkling sound.

Then I directed my eyes to the straw at the milk tea cup. It was still stained with the lipstick mark, that was left by Evelyn.

The fact that Leo had always claimed that he had germaphobia made these whole things ridiculous. I remembered one time he had reprimanded me harshly just because I used his cup to drink a glass of water.

I would never forget the way he looked at me that day, as if he was looking at trash. He even smashed the cup into pieces right in front of me.

"Julie, can’t you understand basic hygiene? Do you have any idea how many germs are in a person’s mouth?” he had said. He looked coldly at me. “Who gave you permission to use my cup? What if you passed some kind of virus to me?”

He then ordered me to pick up the shattered cup with my bare hands When my hand got pierced and the blood kept flowing out, he did not care. Instead, he claimed that it was a lesson for me.

Yet, just now, he drank his milk tea after Evelyn had taken a sip, on top of that he even used the same straw that had her lipstick marks and drank several mouthfuls without hesitation. He acted so naturally as he should, exactly like the real couple did.

This was so laughable. Apparently, I was a carrier of bacteria, while Evelyn's saliva somehow had antiseptic properties.

I sighed silently. The truth was the difference between love and lack of it was really obvious.

Seeing that I was unfazed and had openly confronted them, Leo scowled. “Julie, you should know that Evelyn and I have an innocent and proper relationship. If you have any complaints about it, just blame me directly. Don’t make things difficult for her.”

“After all, she is a young woman with her reputation to consider. How is she supposed to face others after being falsely accused?”

Hearing his words, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Now he was concerned about Evelyn’s reputation? Where was this concern before he acted like that before?

In fact, Leo had never openly acknowledged our relationship at work. He said it would “cause problems.” He even insisted that I address him respectfully as “Mr. Lombard,” just like any other employee.