My wife went abroad for a six-month training course and unexpectedly secured a major deal. 

Thanks to this contract, she was promoted to director against all odds. When I saw the news of her return in the work group chat, I immediately ordered flowers to pick her up at the airport. However, her belly, which would have been eight months pregnant, showed no signs of it.

She had aborted our child, turning me into a laughingstock among colleagues. Just as I tried to swallow my anger, she told me she was pregnant with someone else’s child. She demanded that I step aside and make way for her.

When I saw the messages in the work group chat about our colleagues planning to greet my wife, Lynette, at the airport, I scrambled off the couch in a frenzy. I grabbed the Maybach keys and the villa title deed I had hidden away for a year, planning to surprise her. I wanted to welcome my Mrs. Schumer back home with open arms. I even ordered a novelty bouquet made of fresh banknotes at the florist and hopped into a taxi to rush to the airport.

When I arrived, the department head, Jim, was already holding a bouquet of red roses at the arrival gate. A Hermès shopping bag dangled from his arm, and our coworkers had gathered around him, chattering excitedly. They crowded me into the corner.

I thought nothing of it at the time as I assumed everyone was celebrating Lynette signing a big contract and getting promoted.

Half an hour later, Lynette finally appeared. I barely opened my mouth to call her name before I noticed her flat stomach under her clothes. The smile froze on my face.

She looked my way, and I eagerly raised my bouquet, squeezing through the crowd to take two steps forward. To my utter shock, Lynette strutted past me in her high heels without a second glance. Right in front of everyone, she hugged Jim tightly.

The cash bouquet slipped from my hand and thudded to the floor.

A sharp-eyed coworker immediately sneered, “Wow, a broke guy trying to pull a romantic stunt? That bouquet must’ve cost you a month’s salary! It’s still no match for Jim’s Hermès bag though, haha!”

Their jeers faded into white noise as I stared at Lynette’s back while she nestled in someone else’s arms. My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles trembled and turned white, forcing the pain to keep me rational.

Lynette, as always, ignored the mocking voices, perfectly playing the role of a single woman. I should’ve seen this coming. At work, all my acts of care had been dismissed as me pathetically groveling, leading our coworkers to think I was a hopeless loser chasing after her. They didn’t know I had deliberately hidden my identity as the chairman’s son to challenge myself. I had given everything up, started from the bottom, and worked tirelessly—all so I could marry her.

When I couldn’t take the insults anymore, I brought it up with Lynette once. She brushed it off casually by saying, “It’s just rumors. We’re married already, so who cares what others say? It doesn’t affect our lives. Besides, if they knew we were married, how would I get promoted?”

Back then, I thought her indifference meant she genuinely prioritized her career. However, then she started spending more and more time alone with Jim, always claiming it was for work. Now, I was the laughingstock, the pathetic third wheel in their eyes.

Jim kissed her forehead and handed her the Hermès bag. “Our star deserves a reward. Let me pamper you tonight...”

The crowd erupted in whistles and cheers. I stood there like a fool, their ridicule burning my ears.

“Look at him—nothing but a simp!”

“Must hurt, huh? That bouquet must’ve cost him a month’s pay!”

I thought the humiliation in this marriage had reached its peak, but then Lynette shattered me entirely.

“I’m already two months pregnant! How do you plan to reward me? Maybe add a nursery to our marital home?” she said, her face flushed with delight.

Thunderstruck, I froze on the spot, trembling with rage. Before she went abroad, she was already two months pregnant, and now, after returning, she was still two months along. She’d aborted our child abroad and had an affair with Jim while still being married to me.

A bitter laugh welled up in my heart. A whole year of sacrifices—what a joke! I’d spent six months persuading my family to accept her and agree to us having a child, only for her to casually throw it all away.

Steeling myself, I stormed up to her. Before I could speak though, she pulled me aside into a quiet corner. I thought she’d explain, maybe reveal some hidden struggle. I even started making excuses for her in my mind.

To my horror, her next words crushed the last remnants of my hope.

“Let’s talk when I have time. Just don’t tell anyone we’re married, okay? I’m begging you. I’ve worked so hard to get where I am today. Don’t ruin it for me, please?”

I heard the sound of my heart shattering.

Before I could respond, she turned and walked back to Jim, whispering something in his ear. They climbed into an Audi and drove off, leaving me standing there as my coworkers trampled on the scattered cash bouquet on the floor.

“Losers never win!”

“Pick up the money! That’s your whole month’s worth of wages, isn’t it?”

Their laughter echoed behind me as I stood there in silence.

I don’t even remember how I got home. My mind was in a haze as I collapsed onto the couch.

All around me were the stuffed toys I had once given to Lynette. The home I had so carefully created for her now seemed to mock my foolishness with every detail.

A memory surfaced—her first time stepping into this place. There was no surprise, no delight. If anything, a trace of disappointment flickered in her eyes.

She forced a smile and asked, “Zack, is this really going to be our home? Is it even 100 square meters?”

Back then, I was drunk on love and dreams of our future together. I couldn’t see her dissatisfaction or sense her indifference. I had simply beamed, saying, “This is our first little nest, full of love. Trust me, it’ll grow bigger and better! I’ll make you the happiest woman in the world!”

However, my promise brought no joy to her face. She simply asked coolly, “You just graduated. How are you paying for this place?”

Her question froze the smile on my face. I hesitated, then told her not to worry. To prove my worth to both her and my family, I took out a loan to buy the apartment. To make her happy, I borrowed money to buy gifts. I worked tirelessly to pay off those debts, taking on overtime and night shifts.

Months blurred into each other. I took more pills than meals to keep going. The effort paid off professionally. I became the fastest among my batch of interns to get a permanent position, and later, a promotion.

My father called countless times, ordering me to come home, but I always refused. I wanted to prove myself and show that my choice in Lynette was right.

Unfortunately, no matter what I did, it didn’t make her look forward to our future. Instead, she drifted further and further away.

Jim eventually approached her directly, offering to teach her business skills, grow her network, and secure clients. I’ll never forget the sparkle in her eyes when she agreed; it was a look she had never shown me.

That unease began to gnaw at me. We started pretending not to know each other at work. Eventually, even at home, we barely exchanged words. No matter how many surprises I planned after watching tutorials online or how expensive the gifts I bought for her were, she wouldn’t spare me a glance.

Once, she even forced me to return a shopping bag. “This probably cost two months of your salary, doesn’t it? It’s unnecessary. I don’t like it. Take it back.”

Later though, I saw the same item in her social media photos, labeled as her “favorite gift.” Her coworkers’ comments were filled with envy.

Neither did she ever let me appear in her posts nor did she allow me to share any pictures of her. The love I poured my entire heart into became a shameful secret in her eyes. The harder I tried to hold on, the farther she drifted away.

Now, we had completely fallen apart. I stared at the ceiling, a sharp pain constricting my chest, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Dragging myself up, I started throwing the stuffed toys into the trash one by one, along with the pitiful scraps of my love.

When I finished cleaning, the living room felt cold and empty. I opened my phone, only to see the work group chat buzzing with excitement. I scrolled up for five minutes before I found the reason: something Lynette posted just half an hour ago.

It was a photo of a luxury seaside hotel room with floor-to-ceiling windows. Reflected in the glass were two people in an intimate embrace. Her caption read: “The right person will always be part of your future.”

At that moment, whatever was left of my crumbling world completely collapsed. I grabbed a small bottle of vodka from the fridge and gulped it down. The alcohol, which I had once despised, now felt like the only thing keeping me sane.

I slumped to the floor, leaning against the corner of the couch, the buzz creeping into my head. My vision blurred, and a bitter smile tugged at my lips.

I couldn’t even tell when Lynette and I had begun to drift apart. After all, she was the one who had chased after me at the start.

In my senior year, we visited another university for a graduation exchange program and thesis presentations. I gave a passionate speech on stage, full of confidence and energy.

Afterward, my roommate told me a girl had asked for my contact information. I accepted her friend request and agreed to meet her for the first time.

We fell into a whirlwind romance, like any ordinary couple. Her warmth and sincerity left me no room to resist, and within half a month, we were officially together.

However, the moment she learned that all my university expenses came from part-time jobs, I noticed a flicker of something in her eyes—a spark of enthusiasm quietly extinguished. Not long after, her attitude began to cool. Naively, I thought she was just being reserved. So, I tried harder. I loved her more and cared for her more.

By graduation, I told her I wanted to give her a home. I promised to buy a house in full and put it in her name. She hesitated for a moment before nodding and agreeing to marry me, but added, “We’re still young. Let’s not tell anyone about it for now.”

Blinded by love, I didn’t think much of it and drowned myself in the dopamine of our relationship.

Looking back now, perhaps that was the moment I became nothing more than a tool in her eyes. Once the house was bought, I no longer held any value to her.

Tears welled up in my dry eyes as the realization hit me. I wiped them away roughly, my hands trembling as I opened my contacts and dialed my father’s number.

As the ringing echoed in my ear, I couldn’t help but wonder—if I had followed my father’s advice and gone abroad back then, would everything have turned out differently?

Alas, life doesn’t work with “what ifs.”

The call connected, and my father’s stern voice came through. I swallowed my trembling and admitted my mistakes although I didn’t go into detail about Lynette as I didn’t want to worry him.

Nonetheless, it seemed like he already understood everything. With a sigh, he said firmly, “I’ll handle this. You’ve learned enough at the branch office. Start as General Manager at the head office. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for this call?”

I didn’t respond, guilt bubbling inside me.

Half an hour after the call ended, news spread in the work group chat that the General Manager from headquarters would be coming to oversee the branch office. The chat exploded with speculation and excitement.

Lynette’s recent social media post became old news. I clicked on her profile picture, intending to send a message and ask her what I had ever meant to her, but when I tried to initiate the conversation, I realized she had already blocked me.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I spent the entire night lying on the living room floor, unable to sleep.

The next day, I drove the Maybach to work. In the parking garage, just as I stepped out of the car, I spotted two people locked in a heated kiss inside an Audi. The hairpin I had given Lynette for our wedding anniversary was still in her hair.

Rage burned in my eyes as I marched forward and knocked on the car window. The first knock was ignored. Her hair was tangled in his hands, all her previous elegance and restraint completely gone. It looked as if they were moments away from tearing each other’s clothes off.

Fighting the nausea rising in my stomach, I knocked again.

This time, Jim paused, turning with irritation, clearly upset at being interrupted. When he saw me, his anger surged further. Rolling down the window, he barked, “Zack, are you out of your damn mind? Get lost! Don’t ruin my good time!”

Startled to see me, a flicker of panic crossed Lynette’s face.

“Zack, what are you doing here? Don’t you know the General Manager is visiting today? Why are you wasting time in the parking garage? Don’t tell me you’re here just to harass us. Didn’t I explain everything to you yesterday?”