That night, I returned from a business trip to surprise my wife. However, when I sneak home, I realize my boss is there, too.

His smile deepens when he sees me; he tells me he's there to welcome me home because he knew I would return that night. My wife nods and agrees with him.

For some reason, I can't help finding the looks on their faces odd.

My name is Hendrix Wilker, and I'm a salesman.

I had spent most of the month working outstation. This time, my boss sent me on another two-week business trip, and all I could do was resign myself to my fate. There was nothing I could do because I needed the money—even if that meant I had to work extra hard for it.

After two weeks, I came back from my trip. However, unlike last time, I didn't tell my wife in advance because I wanted to surprise her.

My wife's name was Kathleen Todd. We used to work at the same company. After she married me, she became a full-time housewife and relied entirely on me to support her financially. Even so, I never felt resentful because I loved her very much.

I opened the door and snuck into our apartment. Kathleen was preparing food in the kitchen with her back turned to me. She was wearing a see-through shirt over a white bodycon mini dress. Her outfit put her perky butt and long legs on full display.

Although we had been married for years, I gulped reflexively upon seeing her like that. To me, she was still the most beautiful woman, and my feelings for her hadn't changed over the years. I missed her every night in the two weeks I was away.

I couldn't hold back any longer when I saw her dressed so provocatively. I rushed over and hugged her tightly from behind. As I put my hands on her supple bottom, that amazing feeling uplifted my soul.

But just as I was holding her, she suddenly said, "You rascal. You're always so sneaky."

Upon hearing this, I was instantly confused. From the day we got married until now, Kathleen had never called me that.

I thought I might have misheard. So, I quickly asked, "Honey, what did you just say? Who are you calling a rascal?"

As soon as my words fell, I felt Kathleen's body jolt a little. Then, she turned around and looked at me with a very surprised expression. "D-Darling, why are you back from your trip?"

Kathleen's reaction made me suspect that she was referring to another person when she called them "rascal". It made me question whether she had been unfaithful during the two weeks I was away.

"Who did you call a rascal just now?" I confronted her sternly.

"You, of course, you rascal. You've been gone for half a month. How could you not call me when you got back from your trip?" Kathleen responded.

Something about her words didn't feel logical to me. However, it was normal for women to speak illogically sometimes. Since I didn't have any evidence of her having an affair, I decided not to dwell on it.

"I had a feeling you'd come back today, darling. I prepared all this delicious food for you."

"Well, you were right. Here I am," I said with a smile, snuggling up next to her.

After dinner, I didn't even bother to shower before I took her to bed. Just as I was about to get intimate with her, I deflated.

Kathleen reached out to touch me and asked, "Darling, what's wrong?"

"Sorry, honey. I think I might be tired," I replied in exasperation.

Kathleen sighed, and I felt helpless. I didn't know when it started, but every time I tried to get intimate with her, I couldn't sustain myself.

Why couldn't I bed my wife like a man? What was wrong with me?

I remembered our wedding night when we first shared a bed. She had called out, "Darling, you're amazing! I love you so much."

Back then, I could always make her beg for mercy. But now, my body wouldn't even react to physical stimulation.

Lying in bed, I thought about it for a long time. I vaguely recalled that this condition started from the time Kathleen quit her job. My body had been gradually declining since then.

But I'm only 28 years old, and I can still do over 200 push-ups in one go. My body shouldn't be failing me. Why do I keep losing steam at the most critical moments?

I felt too embarrassed to go to the hospital alone, so I could only keep this bottled up without any real solution all the while.

After a long day's travel, I soon drifted into sleep.

I had drunk several bottles of mineral water while on the bus. Therefore, I felt the urge to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

When I groggily opened my eyes, I noticed that Kathleen wasn't in bed. On my way to the bathroom, I passed by the living room and saw a dim, red light flickering from the room next door.

It was just the two of us at home—could Kathleen be in there? If it was her, what was she doing there this late at night?

I was about to push the door open and walk in when I heard a titillating sound coming from inside. It was Kathleen's voice, and she was moaning.

Through the crack in the door, I cautiously peeked inside. Kathleen wasn't wearing any clothes. She was holding a toy in one hand and her phone in the other, with her back facing me.

I couldn't see what was on her phone. But upon seeing her in such a state, I stood there in silence for a long time and didn't know what to do.

After using the bathroom and returning to bed, I lay there thinking about what I had just seen. I felt incredibly sad and guilty. I hadn't been able to satisfy my wife's needs, and this made me feel like an inadequate husband.

It was my fault that she had to resort to such a way to satisfy herself. I felt largely responsible. Thankfully, she hadn't cheated on me. So, even though she played with herself behind my back, I wasn't mad at her.

Half an hour later, when I heard the water in the shower stop, I knew Kathleen had finished her bath.

I pretended to be asleep. When she came back into the room and hugged me from behind, I turned over and hugged her tightly as if I were doing it in my sleep. But I felt her hands touch my body and heard her sigh softly. Still, my body didn't react in any way.

The next morning when I woke up, Kathleen was gone. I was secretly relieved. If she had been in bed and initiated physical intimacy again, I wouldn't have known how to respond.

After breakfast, I decided to clean up the house. But then, I suddenly noticed a small sheath packet in the trash can.

Why… Why would there be such a thing in the trash? Last night, Kathleen and I hadn't done anything, and I had been away on a business trip for half a month. I distinctly remembered that I had taken out the trash before I left for my trip.

Seeing that packet now made me pause and think. Could Kathleen be having an affair behind my back? If that wasn't the case, then how did the sheath packet end up in the trash?

Kathleen and I had been married for five years, and we have a lovely daughter together. Because of my work, our daughter stayed with my parents back in my hometown.

Even though I might not be able to perform as well as I used to, I still trusted that Kathleen wouldn't betray our marriage. After all, I had just seen her taking care of her bodily urges the night before. Then again, I couldn't imagine her using sheaths when she was alone.

I picked up my phone and called Kathleen, wanting to ask what she was up to.

She took a long time to answer, and when she did, her voice was trembling. "D-Darling, what's up? Do you need something?"

The moment I heard her shaky voice, I felt something was wrong. It was the same kind of voice she made when she was pleasuring herself last night.

The sound she was making sounded very suggestive. Could it be that she was really having an affair? Doubts filled my mind again, but I still refused to believe that she would do that.

Thinking of this, I hurriedly asked, "What are you doing, honey? What's that sound? When are you coming back?"

"S-Soon." Her voice was trembling even more than before.

"Kathleen, what's going on?" I asked, feeling more and more uneasy with each word.

"Ah… Ah… I have to go, darling. Bye."

Just as Kathleen hung up, I heard her let out a short scream. I stood there, stunned as I held my phone to my ear.

Kathleen finally came back. When she came in, her face was flushed. She looked very refreshed, and her whole body was wet.

"Kathleen, what were you doing just now?"

She hastily answered, "I went for a jog and accidentally fell down."

Then, she showed me her knee and added, "Look, this part is all red."

As she walked past me, I noticed that the way she walked seemed off. On top of that, I thought I saw something unusual…