After the New Year, some of my husband's former students are back to visit him. So, my husband, Isaac Cooper, treats them to dinner.

They greet us warmly, but when they first see me, there is a hint of surprise in their eyes.

In the private room, Isaac takes my hand.

Everyone starts teasing us. "Mr. and Mrs. Cooper are so loving. I'm so jealous!"

I lower my head shyly and excuse myself to the restroom, only to overhear two of his students chatting.

"I was startled just now. I thought Mr. Cooper's wife would be Lilith Walker."

"But Mrs. Cooper looks so much like her. When she walked in, I almost mistook her for Lilith."

I freeze on the spot.

I know Lilith is Isaac's ex-girlfriend, but I have never seen her in person.

Cold water runs over my hands. As I look at my carefully made-up face in the mirror, I suddenly feel a wave of nausea.

I returned to my seat while the students continued clinking glasses and exchanging toasts. Isaac Cooper had turned slightly to the side, listening as the man next to him began a toast.

As I looked at his profile, my thoughts drifted uncontrollably back into the past.

Isaac had always been particular, especially when it came to how I dressed. From the moment we started dating, he gradually took over most of my wardrobe.

Whether I preferred minimalist outfits or comfortable sportswear, he always insisted on dressing me in the same carefully selected styles. He chose elegant dresses paired with knit cardigans, plain cashmere coats in solid tones, and a variety of small, delicate pearl accessories.

Earlier that day, I had planned to wear a black designer jacket, but he had frowned and selected the white dress I was now wearing instead. I had assumed it was simply his personal preference, yet after hearing that conversation earlier, everything now felt strangely unsettling.

The way the students looked at me seemed off, as if there was something unspoken behind their smiles. Each time they addressed me as "Mrs. Cooper", it felt like it carried an additional layer of meaning.

Suddenly, a deep cello note echoed through the noisy private room as the background music transitioned to something softer.

A female student then exclaimed, "Isn't this Lilith's favorite? We used to play it in the lab every day. I practically have it memorized."

My heart tightened at once, and I instinctively turned to look at Isaac.

He showed no unusual reaction. Instead, he picked up a piece of deboned fish and placed it into my bowl, saying gently, "You said you haven't had much of an appetite lately. Eat a bit more."

I smiled and accepted it.

A few hours later, I managed to get through the meal, all the while burdened by a heavy, oppressive mood.

Isaac drove and habitually turned on the car's audio system.

He freed his right hand to hold mine, brushing his thumb lightly over the back of my hand. "It must have been exhausting for you to deal with those kids today.

As his hand warmed mine, I sat quietly, watching the scenery blur past the window.

After a pop song ended, the system automatically switched to the next track. The moment the intro began, my heart seemed to stop beating.

It was the same light music the female student had brought up earlier, Lilith's favorite. The car display showed it belonged to Isaac's most frequently played playlist.

At the first note, his grip on my hand tightened. He immediately tapped the screen several times and switched to another track.

"I gave a colleague a ride a couple of days ago. He picked it randomly, and I forgot to delete it."

I noticed the tension in his jaw but remained silent, giving only a soft hum in acknowledgment.

Still, that fleeting melody and his forced excuse were enough to erase whatever warmth was left in my heart, leaving it ice-cold.

The next day was the weekend. Isaac had to work overtime on a project at school, so he left early in the morning, leaving me home alone.

Back when we first bought this place, it was meant to make his commute more convenient. We chose it as our marital home, and the layout had been designed entirely around what was considered appealing to a woman. However, I had never been fond of overly feminine things.

During the renovation, Isaac had persuaded me time and again, insisting that this kind of design created a warmer, more homey atmosphere. Because I loved him, I gave in completely.

Looking back now, the one who truly liked this style seemed to be someone else. In this home, I wore clothes in Lilith's style, lived in a house styled for Lilith, and listened to music that Lilith preferred.

I sat on the couch for a very long time, until the sun began to set and the room dimmed. By the time my tears had dried, my heart had somehow settled into an unexpected calm.

I picked up my phone and called the person in charge at the company, Mr. Dylan Harper. "Mr. Harper, is the transfer position you mentioned before still available? I have decided to accept the transfer and apply to stay in the company-provided apartment."

Mr. Harper sounded a little surprised, but he quickly agreed. "The apartment has been vacant. It will take three days to clean and prepare it. You can report there directly in three days."

"Alright. Thank you, Mr. Harper," I replied.

…

In the evening, Isaac returned carrying a cake box.

"I stood in line today just to get you the blueberry cheesecake you like. By the way, my birthday is in a couple of days. How do you want to celebrate it this year?"

I lowered my gaze to the neatly wrapped box. I didn't like cheesecake, and I had never liked it. I had mentioned it to him once, but he seemed to have forgotten immediately and still brought it home from time to time.

He would watch me force down a bite, then respond with a satisfied smile.

I didn't take the box. As I met his expectant gaze, I asked flatly, "Isaac, do you love me?"

Isaac hesitated briefly, then chuckled. He reached out and ruffled my hair.

"Silly goose, what are you thinking in that head of yours? Of course I love you. If I didn't love you, who else would I love?"

I pressed my lips together into a faint smile and said nothing more.

The cake was placed in the refrigerator, and Isaac didn't seem concerned about whether I ate it. He turned and went into the bathroom.

I walked into the study to gather the documents for my resignation handover. Isaac's laptop sat on the desk, and its screen was still on, with chatting app open.

I had no intention of checking his private messages, but the steady stream of notifications caught my eye. The group chat was titled "Lilith Fan Club".

"Lilith's flight lands tomorrow. The day after, we'll use Mr. Cooper's birthday as an excuse to throw her a welcome party!"

"The place is already set up. It's filled with Lilith's favorite white bellflowers. She'll definitely be moved to tears!"

"Hey, what about Mrs. Cooper?"

"We're throwing a welcome party for Lilith. What's there to worry about?"

The most recent reply came from Isaac.

"I'll be there later. Keep things low-key. Don't startle her."

The "her" he referred to was obviously not me.

As I thought back to the moment earlier when Isaac had asked how I wanted to celebrate his birthday, a dull soreness welled up in my eyes, yet no tears followed.

It seemed the surprise had already been arranged well in advance. I felt like an outsider, as though there was nothing left for me to prepare. I averted my gaze, pretended I had seen nothing, and stepped out of the study.

Isaac's birthday came, and I attended the celebration.

The company-provided apartment wasn't ready yet, and I had no intention of telling him about the transfer to the branch office.

I had considered divorce, but I didn't know how to bring it up. In the end, I decided to accompany him for one last birthday, as a final gesture to the years we had shared as husband and wife.

This time, I wore a black long dress of my own choosing.

When Isaac saw me, he frowned slightly. "Iris, why are you wearing this? You have a white dress in your wardrobe. Wouldn't that be better?"

He was trying to interfere with my choice again.

"That one's dirty. It won't come clean," I replied.

Isaac didn't catch the hidden meaning in my words. He just glanced at the time and urged, "Fine, then let's go. Don't keep the students waiting."

When we arrived at the reserved private room and pushed the door open, ribbons and cheers hit us at once. The room was decorated incredibly romantically, filled with white bellflowers.

I stole a glance at Isaac and noticed a flicker of complex emotion in his eyes.

Just then, the door on the other side of the room was pushed open, and a woman in a white dress stepped out. She carried herself with a gentle, refined air. Her long black hair was styled in the same straight manner as mine, and she wore pearl earrings similar to mine.

She was Lilith Walker. As expected, she had arrived as the "surprise gift".

"Isaac, it's been a long time. Happy birthday," Lilith said with a soft, restrained smile.

Isaac froze in place, and his hand slipped from mine without him seeming to notice.

"Lilith, when did you get back?"

"I arrived yesterday," she said.

Lilith's gaze drifted past him and landed lightly on me. "You must be Iris. Isaac often talks about you."

I nodded politely and returned a courteous smile.

After we sat down, the students arranged for Isaac and Lilith to sit together, claiming it was so they could revisit old memories and play games.

They laughed over college memories, talked about late nights in the lab, and discussed parts of the past I had never been part of.

As I watched my husband and his first love smiling at each other in the center of the crowd, I felt like an outsider.

Isaac didn't look at me once.

The birthday cake was a two-tier fondant cake. The class representative brought the first cut piece and handed it to Lilith.

"Lilith, the first piece has to go to you."

Someone bumped into the person in front of me, and a glass of red wine tilted sharply, spilling toward me. I saw it and instinctively dodged, but Lilith happened to be right behind me.

Isaac reached out quickly and pulled Lilith into his arms. In doing so, he yanked at me as well, causing me to lose my balance and crash into the coffee table behind me. The remaining half glass of red wine was completely splashed onto me.

The liquid dripped from my hair, leaving me completely disheveled.

"Lilith, are you alright? Did any of it get on you?" Isaac asked anxiously, checking her over.

Only after confirming she was unharmed did he finally let out a breath of relief.

It was only then that he seemed to remember I was there. When he noticed the red wine stains all over my body and my pale face, he asked uneasily, "Iris, I didn't notice you earlier. Are you alright?"

I remained calm, yet a deep sense of disappointment settled in my chest. My dress was ruined, and Isaac's instinctive reaction laid bare the brutal truth of our relationship.

I had been the foolish wife kept in the dark, believing in a happy marriage, while he was a husband living within a web of self-deception and lies.

"I'm fine."

I stood up and walked past Isaac and Lilith, who wore a faint, secretive smile.

The students watched the scene as if it were a show. I made my way into the restroom and slowly washed the red wine stains away.

The water ran cold over my skin, chilling me to the bone.

The absurd dream of the past three years had finally come to an end.

Right then, a message from Mr. Harper at the branch office arrived. "Iris, the apartment has been prepared early. You can move in anytime tomorrow morning."

I picked up my phone and replied, "Okay."