In three years of marriage, I had never once seen Sonia Henson on the first of the month.

No matter what was happening that day, she would head out like clockwork, claiming she was going to the movies with her best friend.

Because Sonia had told me it was a promise she and her closest girlfriend had made since childhood.

On the first of every month, they had to catch a new release. Years of habit, impossible to break.

And even married couples should give each other space.

I believed her.

For three full years, thirty-six months, I sat in an empty house and waited for her until late into the night. Never once did I disturb her.

Until this month's first, when I was organizing a drawer at home and found a stack of movie ticket stubs.

Not a single one was from a regular theater. Every last receipt came from the same private theater.

Every date fell on the first of the month.

When I saw the familiar signature on the receipts, it finally clicked. She hadn't been watching movies with a girlfriend.

She'd been going with Lucas Harding, the so-called "male best friend" who loved getting under my skin.

……

Sonia came home at midnight.

The dishes on the table had long gone cold. I sat at the dining table without having touched a bite.

She smiled as she changed her shoes, same as always, and walked into the living room.

"Didn't I tell you not to wait up? Why haven't you eaten yet?"

A trace of laughter still lingered at the corners of her eyes.

"The movie tonight was so good. Next time we should go together."

She came over and looped her arm through mine, her tone as breezy as if she'd just popped out for a stroll.

I looked at the flush on her cheeks and suddenly realized that every single time she came home, her face glowed like that, both cheeks tinged pink.

And there was always a faint trace of men's cologne on her.

Back then, I'd chalked it up to a good time with her friend, to the mixed smells of a crowded theater.

Now I finally understood.

That glow and that scent came from a man.

"Sure!" I said.

"How about we go on the first next month?"

Sonia froze. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion as she studied me, then she draped herself over my arm with a pout.

"Honey, we have thirty days in a month. We can go any day. Why does it have to be the first?"

"That's the day I have set with my friend. If you tag along, it'll just be awkward."

I watched every shift in her expression, pressing the point.

"Can't you make an exception? Just once?"

Sonia's face went blank for a split second. A flicker of guilt crossed her features before she puffed out her cheeks in mock anger.

"What's gotten into you today? You've always been so supportive before."

"I told you, it's a girls' hangout. You're a grown man tagging along. What's my friend going to think? You want her saying I lost all my freedom the second I got married?"

Watching her rattle off those well-rehearsed deflections, I let out a quiet laugh and calmly pulled my arm free.

"Fine. Forget it."

I stood, gathered the plates, and carried them into the kitchen. Every dish, stone cold, went straight into the trash.

Over the sound of running water, Sonia shot a quick glance my way, then slipped out onto the balcony.

"Mm-hm, I'm home. You get some sleep too."

"I know, I know. First of next month, same place."

I turned off the faucet and walked over. My gaze landed on her phone screen. The contact name read Lucas Harding.

"Was that your girlfriend calling?"

Sonia nearly jumped out of her skin. She fumbled the phone behind her back.

"Why are you out here already? Done with the dishes?"

"It was my friend. She was just checking if I got home safe, asking if I was in bed yet."

Then she looked at me, something searching in her eyes.

"Seriously, what is with you tonight? Did you hear something?"

I let the corner of my mouth curl up.

"Just asking. Didn't want you staying up too late. You need your rest."

The tension drained from Sonia's eyes. She relaxed and looped her arm through mine again.

"Hey, honey. Miss me already?"

"It's only been one day and you're already this clingy. Can't a grown man have a little dignity?"

She ran her fingers playfully across my chest as she spoke.

The scent of her perfume hit me instantly, flooding my nostrils. I stepped back without thinking, dodging her embrace.

"I pulled overtime today too. I'm beat. Let's just get some sleep."

I turned and headed for the bedroom without looking back. I didn't see the surprise on her face.

Sonia didn't try to stop me. She hummed her way to the bathroom in a perfectly good mood.

I lay in bed, and images flickered through my mind like scenes from a movie.

I'd known about Sonia's male best friend before we got married.

At the wedding, during the toast, Lucas had walked up and shoved a glass of straight liquor into my hand.

"If you want to marry Sonia, you'd better prove you can handle it."

I'd frowned at the brimming glass of baijiu and laughed it off, saying I'd already had too much and asked if we could switch to wine.

He'd made a big show of it, raising his voice so the whole room could hear.

"What's the matter, bro? Weak constitution? No wonder Sonia says you can't perform in bed. All you're good for is bringing her breakfast."

His friends had roared with laughter. Every guest in the room looked at me differently after that.

And Sonia? She'd just patted him lightly on the chest and told him to stop making things up. Not a single word of real anger. Not one sharp rebuke.

After we got married, she'd answer Lucas's calls right in front of me without a second thought, chatting for an hour at a time. She gave away the birthday present I'd bought her, re-gifted it straight to Lucas.

On our wedding anniversary, she left me sitting alone to go comfort Lucas because he was in a bad mood.

It wasn't like I kept quiet about it. More than once I'd stewed in silence, then told her she needed to maintain boundaries. That there had to be limits between a man and a woman.

She'd just laughed and called me old-fashioned. Said I was a grown man with the pettiest heart she'd ever seen.

"Lucas and I have known each other since we were twelve. If anything was going to happen between us, would I have married you?"

That day she'd vanished for three days. Wouldn't pick up. Wouldn't text back. I was the one who apologized. I was the one who promised I'd stop overthinking. That was what it took to bring her back.

I compromised again and again. Told myself again and again that I was reading too much into things. That marriage meant giving each other space. That trust was the foundation.

Until that stack of movie ticket stubs, cheap props from a bad stage play, made me realize her acting had never been convincing. I'd just been too deep in the role to notice.

The next morning, Sonia was up early. I didn't know how to face her, so I kept my eyes shut and pretended to be asleep.

From the living room, her voice came in a low murmur. Lucas's name still carried through the walls.

"Okay."

"Don't forget to bring your ID."

A moment later, the front door clicked softly shut. Her footsteps faded down the stairwell.

I threw off the covers and got out of bed, grabbed my car keys, and followed her out.

I watched Sonia duck into Lucas's secondhand car. I watched Lucas wrap his arm around the back of her neck and pull her into a hard kiss.

Sonia swatted at him a few times, coy and half-hearted. Then her arms looped around his neck, and they were locked together, mouths pressed tight.

Lost in each other. So completely absorbed that neither of them noticed my car parked right behind them.

Ten minutes later, the car pulled away and sped toward the new development district.

I followed them into a freshly built residential complex. A sales agent greeted them at the door like old friends.

"Mr. Harding, Ms. Henson, did you bring your IDs and bank cards? We can get the contract signed right away."

Lucas slid the documents across the table with a smug grin.

"All here. Let's get it done."

That was when I saw it. The bank card sitting on the table was the savings card I'd set up for Sonia.

The sales agent's bright, cheerful voice rang in my ears.

"You two have wonderful taste. This three-bedroom unit has a fantastic layout, and the balcony faces the lake right in the center of the complex. The view is absolutely stunning."

Lucas slipped his arm around Sonia's waist and planted a loud kiss on her cheek.

"Mainly because my wife has excellent taste. Whatever she likes, she gets."

Sonia laughed and wrapped her arms around him in return. They gazed at each other, shared a knowing smile, and sat down to sign the contract.

The sales agent picked up the bank card and asked politely, "Mrs. Harding, whose name is on this card?"

Sonia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. "It's my brother's card. Use it for the down payment. Put the full amount on it."

My throat tightened instantly.

Three years of marriage. I'd handed over every cent of my salary to her, every single paycheck going straight into our household savings.

I ate at the office. I stretched my bonuses and benefits to cover my own daily expenses. As a sales director, I'd worn the same suit for three years and never once replaced it. Every dollar I saved went toward buying Sonia gifts on holidays and special occasions.

More than once, I'd stood in front of a store window, staring at a watch I wanted.

Then I'd think about the children we'd have someday. I'd think about all the things I could buy Sonia instead. And every time, I walked away.

That small want, that tiny longing for myself, always got buried under the weight of responsibility and love for her.

Now she hadn't even blinked before taking my money to set up a new home for another man.

I stood behind the crowd, watching them lace their fingers together. Watching Sonia reach up and straighten Lucas's collar with the tenderness of a woman in love.

"Lucas, once we have our own place, we won't have to sneak off to the private theater anymore."

Lucas pulled her tight against his chest. "From now on, we can see each other whenever we want."

The sight of them pressed together burned behind my eyes like staring into the sun.

I watched them buy the apartment with my money. I watched them visit a renovation company. I watched them browse furniture stores, picking out everything they'd need for their new life together.

In front of a jade-inlaid bed priced at twenty-two thousand dollars, the two of them lay down side by side, holding hands, dreaming aloud about the wonderful future ahead of them.

The moment they went to pay again, I called Sonia.

"Hey, babe. Where are you?"

"The bank just sent me an alert. There's been a huge charge on the card."

Across the store, I saw Sonia's expression flicker with panic. She straightened her spine a second later.

"Mom needed money urgently. Uncle Rick had a sudden heart attack and needs treatment."

"You know how good he's always been to me since I was little. He's the only family Mom has left. We can't just let him die, can we?"

I let out a quiet scoff, watching Lucas flash her a thumbs-up from a few feet away.

Sonia shot him a smug glance, then let her voice shift to something sharp and indignant.

"Noel, what's that supposed to mean? You said the card was mine to use, and now you're monitoring me?"

"I spend a little money on Uncle Rick's medical bills and suddenly you have a problem with that?"

The last thread of hope in me snapped clean. My voice went flat. Calm.

"No. You're right. Paying for his treatment is the right thing to do."

"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you. I saw a suit at the mall. Could you come take a look with me? You know I've been wearing the same one for three years."

Sonia went quiet. Then her tone turned impatient.

"Uncle Rick is seriously ill and you're in the mood to go shopping for clothes?"

"We're going to have plenty of expenses down the road. Save where you can. You're a grown man. What does it matter what you wear?"

"Forget it. We'll talk about it when we have the money. I'm busy right now."

Her voice was harsh, but brittle underneath, threaded with the kind of panic that comes from guilt. The line went dead the second she finished speaking.

I watched her give instructions to the delivery clerk. I watched the two of them stroll arm in arm into a steakhouse, sitting side by side, raising their glasses in a toast to their brand-new home.