Seth Scott hadn’t come home in three days.

There wasn’t even a single message from him.

Tonight was cold; the rain outside tapped steadily against the window, and I curled up under the blanket, shivering.

My hands and feet were freezing, but my face was burning—I had a fever.

Clutching my phone, I read through each message I had sent him.

"Seth, are you coming home today?"

"Seth, where have you gone?"

"Seth, why won’t you answer me?"

"I’m really worried about you."

I scrolled through our previous conversations.

He had never gone this long without replying to me.

Just as my eyes were stinging and my head felt dizzy, my phone buzzed.

I quickly opened my eyes, but it wasn’t Seth.

A red "1" appeared next to the contacts.

I tapped to check and saw a friend request from a girl’s profile picture.

Feeling uneasy, I clicked on it.

Her feed wrote, "Seth is with me."

My mind went blank, panic surged through my chest.

I didn't want to add a stranger, and I wanted to trust Seth, but before I knew it, I clicked "accept."

The moment I accepted, intending to ask who she was, her response came instantly.

She sent a photo. I opened it.

There he was—Seth Scott, who had been missing for three days, lying peacefully with his eyes closed, shirtless on what was unmistakably a girl’s bed.

I stared at the picture in disbelief, zooming in on every detail, searching desperately for something, anything, to prove it wasn’t him.

But I found nothing.

It was him.

Frantically, I started messaging her, demanding to know who she was and why Seth was with her. But my messages were like stones thrown into the sea—no response, only silence.

That night, I sat on my bed, staring into space until dawn.

When the first light of morning crept in, I finally drifted off.

My head throbbed, my lips were dry and cracked, and I slept fitfully.

I dreamt a nightmare where I saw Seth holding a woman in his arms.

She leaned into him, looking playful and sweet, while he gazed down at her with a smile filled with warmth.

His eyes were so tender.

I stood before them, wild with desperation, trying to pull them apart, but Seth shoved me away without a hint of pity.

I stumbled to the ground, and he looked at me with utter disdain, his voice cold as ice.

“You’re so shameless,” he said.

I jolted awake, the pain still gripping my chest. I reached up to touch my face and felt wetness on my fingers.

I had been crying, but Seth would no longer be there to comfort me.

Ding.

Another message notification on my messenger.

I opened it—it was her again.

This time, she sent more photos, not just one.

I clicked on each, torturing myself with every image.

I saw Seth in a disheveled shirt, leaning against the girl.

She was beautiful, her eyes sparkling like crescent moons as she smiled at the camera.

I saw another photo of the girl taking a picture in front of a mirror, with Seth standing beside her, his arm possessively wrapped around her waist.

Then there was another: Seth wearing an apron, focused and intent, washing vegetables in the sink.

He was cooking for her, even though he had once promised that he would only ever cook for me.

I lost control, my fingers flying across the keyboard as I sent her message after message, my rage and bitterness pouring out uncontrollably.

"Who are you, really?"

"He's my husband! Do you even realize you’re the other woman here?"

"Where are you two right now? Why isn't he coming back?"

"You're a horrible person, stealing someone else's husband!"

As I sent that last message, my hands trembled uncontrollably, and a wave of indescribable emotion surged within me.

I never imagined that one day, I would be sending such words to a woman I had never met.

She replied, "If you want the truth, come to Maple Gardens."

The moment I read her message, I jumped out of bed and rushed through my morning routine.

I grabbed the first set of clothes I could find from my wardrobe and headed straight for Maple Gardens.

On the way, my heart pounded with anxiety.

To be honest, I didn't know what I would do once I got there.

Maybe I just desperately needed an answer, too afraid to face the reality of Seth’s betrayal.

As soon as I stepped out of the taxi, I saw a woman walking out with Seth.

She was beautiful, with a perfect figure, a youthful face brimming with vitality, and an aura of sheer confidence.

Seth said something that made her cover her mouth and laugh, her joy ringing through the air.

The sight was unbearable.

I rushed toward them, blocking their path with my outstretched arms.

Though I intended to confront them, my voice trembled, “What are you two doing?”

Startled by my sudden appearance, Seth frowned.

The moment his eyes met mine, they filled with surprise—and something else… disgust. The girl beside him raised an eyebrow at me, a challenging smile on her lips.

Seth pulled her behind him, his tone sharp. “Why are you here?”

I stared at him in disbelief. “Who is she?”

He didn’t answer, his impatience growing.

Instead, he shoved me away. "What are you doing here? This is not a place for you."

His push sent me reeling, and I snapped.

I shoved him back with all the strength I had. "I’m asking you, who is she?!"

I shouted with all my might, my voice breaking on the last word.

Seth staggered back a step, then glared at me.

"Are you out of your mind? Look at yourself! Have you no shame?" he shouted back.

I froze, staring at him in shock, unable to believe what I was hearing.

He didn’t spare me another glance.

Without hesitation, Seth took the woman’s hand and led her to his car.

Like a gentleman, he waited for her to settle in the passenger seat before starting the engine and speeding away, leaving me standing there, feeling as if all the blood in my veins had frozen.

I pulled out my phone and caught a glimpse of myself—exhausted from a sleepless night, my face gaunt, eyes hollow, and hair disheveled.

The sight startled me.

I wandered back home in a daze.

By the time I got there, Seth still hadn't returned.

My head was spinning, and my feet throbbed with pain, blisters forming and bursting from the long walk.

My whole body ached.

I collapsed onto the sofa, curling up tightly.

My eyes drifted to the small green plant on the coffee table.

Seth had bought it to cheer me up.

He had said, “Succulent is resilient, just like you, who grew up so strong.”

But it hadn’t been watered for days, and now its edges were dry and withering, a faint shadow of death creeping in.

The pain in my body was unbearable, and suddenly, I longed for my mother.

On countless sleepless nights as a child, she would hold me close, telling me stories until I fell asleep in her arms. I wished she could hold me again.

I sent my mother a message, asking if I could come home for a few days.

I didn’t want to stay in Seth’s place any longer.

Her reply came quickly, and I opened the conversation eagerly, reading slowly in the thin light that filtered through the curtain.

But my excitement turned to disappointment; the smile that had formed on my lips faded away.

She told me to be sensible.

She said Seth was handsome, had a good job, and treated me well.

She urged me not to be stubborn and to take care of my home.

She told me not to throw a tantrum, and if there were conflicts, I should communicate with Seth.

After all, every couple would get into an argument.

She added that if Seth had upset me, I should be forgiving—after all, no man is without faults.

But my mother had forgotten.

She had forgotten that when I got married, she held my hand and told me that if I ever felt wronged, I should tell her, and she would stand up for me.

My mother had no idea how much I was hurting right now…

Being magnanimous and forgiving Seth for his mistakes—it was just too hard.

I wrapped my arms around myself and drifted into a troubled sleep.

When I woke up again, it was dark.

The living room was pitch black, not a single ray of light.

Suddenly, my best friend, Leah Taylor, called.

I blinked a few times, disoriented, before answering.

“Hello, Melody, where are you right now?”

As soon as I picked up, Leah’s bright voice came through the phone.

“I'm at home,” I replied softly.

“Is Seth not there with you?”

“Mm.”

Leah’s voice suddenly rose in pitch, “Do you know who I just saw?”

I didn’t respond, and she continued, “I saw Seth!”

"He was with another woman, a really young one. And get this—he was showering her with gifts, spending money like it was nothing! Do you think he's cheating on you?"

Spending money it was nothing...

It suddenly hit me that Seth hadn’t bought me anything in a long time.

“Mm.” My voice was barely a whisper.

Leah shouted in surprise, “What! That jerk! How long have you two been married, and he’s already cheating on you? Just watch me, I’ll tear that woman apart!”

I heard Leah’s heavy breathing from anger, and I chuckled softly.

At least, in this world, someone still cared about me.

I quickly stopped her. “Don’t, please don’t go looking for him. I’ll find a time to divorce him.”

“Melody, you must be feeling awful right now. Do you want me to come over and keep you company?”

I calmly reassured her, “No, don’t come. It’s already late. You should get some rest.”

How could I not want someone to stay with me?

But Leah had her own family now; her baby was just a month old.

Asking her to leave her child to spend a night with me didn't feel right.

"I just asked my husband. The other woman is Seth's student! He's such a creep, going after his own student."

Leah's husband, Jason Watson, was Seth's close friend, so I had no doubt about his information, but I never expected Seth would cheat with one of his students.

Seth worked as a professor at the university.

With his refined looks, it wasn't uncommon for students to confess their feelings for him, but he had always maintained professional boundaries and never flirted with them.

I never thought he would break his own rules.

"Her name is Lisa Lowe, and she's quite well-known in their class..."

Leah kept sharing the details she had gathered, but I no longer wanted to listen.

Then, one by one, notifications from my bank account started popping up on my phone.

I frowned at the amounts; it was nearly as much as our entire yearly expenses.

I couldn’t hold back any longer and called Seth.

The phone rang for a long time, so long that I thought he wouldn’t pick up, but then he did.

His voice was cold on the other end. "Yeah, what is it?"

I took a deep breath and asked, "Did you use our money to buy things for her?"

There was a brief pause before he replied nonchalantly, "Yeah."

My brows furrowed, and anger seeped into my voice, "How dare you use my money to buy things for another woman? Do you even remember whose husband you are?"

He scoffed. "Your money? You haven't worked in how long? Haven't I been the one supporting you? It's my money. I'll spend it on whoever I want."

My voice shook. "We're married. All our assets are shared as a couple."

Earlier this year, my company was in trouble. The boss kept piling on more work, expecting one person to do the job of three. Even after hours, we were stuck working late with no raise in sight.

I lasted a month there before I finally decided to quit.