On the day of our wedding, my girlfriend, Eliana, went hiking with her first love, Mateo.

My younger brother, unable to contain his anger upon hearing the news, rushed up the mountain to confront them.

However, he was caught in a sudden heavy rain and accidentally fell from the mountain. By the time he was taken to the hospital, he had already stopped breathing.

I went to demand an explanation, only to be pushed to the ground by my girlfriend once again. She even lashed out at me with cruel words, accusing me of bringing misfortune upon my brother.

When I had no way out and chose to end my life by drowning in the sea, my girlfriend’s younger sister, Camila, ignored everyone’s attempts to stop her and swam toward me with all her might, rescuing me when I was barely clinging to life.

From that moment on, Camila frequently appeared by my side, accompanying me through the darkest and most unbearable days.

On the anniversary of my brother’s passing, Camila publicly proposed to me, declaring that she would marry no one else in this lifetime and that I was the only one she would ever love.

On our third wedding anniversary, I ended my business trip early and returned home ahead of schedule, carrying a carefully prepared gift.

But just as I was about to push open the door, the sound coming from inside made my hand freeze in place.

“I had to marry him on his brother’s death anniversary. That way, I can always remind myself to pretend that I love him!”

“I truly love him? Does he even deserve my love?

“For Mateo, I’m willing to sacrifice my marriage without hesitation!”

“Enough! I’ve already married him. Isn’t that enough?”

The voices from the room kept echoing. My body trembled as I slowly withdrew my hand from the door handle, turning away without a second glance.

——

The very moment I turned to leave, my phone lit up with a message from Camila.

[Honey, when are you coming home? I miss you!]

[Happy third wedding anniversary! We’ll be together forever!]

[I’ve already prepared your anniversary gift! I’m just waiting for you to come back!]

I stared at the messages popping up one after another, curled my lips into a faint smile, but my eyes were filled with bitterness.

If I hadn’t accidentally overheard Camila’s conversation with someone just now, I would probably still be filled with joy upon seeing her messages.

This time, I didn’t reply to Camila right away as I usually did. Instead, I casually closed the chat window.

I walked slowly toward the outside. After only a few steps, I saw a security guard from the property management walking toward me.

It was probably because I was rarely home that the security guard didn’t recognize me and immediately stopped me.

"Which unit are you from? I don’t think I’ve seen you before."

"1506," I replied.

"That’s not right. I’m quite familiar with the residents of 1506. I often see the couple going for walks together. I know the man from that unit and it’s not you."

Seeing my startled expression, the security guard gave me a once-over before grabbing my arm before I could react.

"The lady of 1506 is home today. Come on, let’s go ask her what’s going on."

The moment I processed his words, I immediately caught the doubt in his tone. Suppressing the emotions surging inside me, I forced myself to keep my voice steady.

"I’m not a thief!"

As soon as I finished speaking, the door to the apartment swung open from the inside. Camila stepped out, looking slightly anxious.

The moment she saw me, she froze for a second. Then, as if snapping back to reality, her face filled with shock.

"Honey, you’re back? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home?"

Hearing this, the security guard hesitated, his expression conflicted.

"He’s your husband? But I clearly saw..."

Before the security guard could finish his sentence, Camila interrupted him directly.

"Mr. White, I have something urgent to deal with, so I’ll talk to you later."

As she spoke, she quickly stepped forward, grabbed my hand and pulled me into the apartment.

Before I could say a word, Camila spoke first.

"Honey, something urgent came up at the company and I need to take care of it. Be good and wait for me at home. We’ll celebrate our third anniversary together when I’m back."

With that, she turned and headed for the door again.

Just as she was about to step out, she suddenly paused as if remembering something. Turning back to look at me, she spoke in a gentle tone.

"Honey, there’s some warm food in the kitchen. Eat something first."

I looked at the woman in front of me, her face full of tenderness and couldn’t help but ask,

"What urgent matter at the company requires you to handle it in person? Can’t you... stay at home?"

Hearing this, a flicker of guilt flashed in Camila’s eyes. She stepped forward and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, smiling as she spoke.

"It’s almost the end of the year, so the company must have a lot of things to take care of. Don’t worry, honey, I’ll be back early..."

Halfway through her sentence, Camila’s phone suddenly rang from her pocket.

Upon seeing the caller ID, Camila quickly turned and hurried out, not even hearing my follow-up question. "Should I go with you?"

I watched her retreating figure, a hint of loneliness flickering in my eyes.

Standing in place, I felt a sudden, sharp pain in my stomach. Clutching my abdomen, I walked into the kitchen and saw the warm meal Camila had mentioned. There were four dishes, each one filled with green and red peppers.

Ironically, I was allergic to green and red peppers, a fact Camila knew better than anyone.

I forced a smile and turned to walk toward the refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of milk to drink.

Just as I sat down on the sofa, my phone, which had been placed beside me, suddenly rang.

I picked it up and saw that it was a message from my childhood friend, Luca.

[Adrian, the guys are all back. How about we meet up and catch up?]

I instinctively wanted to refuse, but when I looked up and saw the empty, cold room, I slowly opened my mouth and agreed.

When I arrived at the agreed-upon bar, the guys were already there, having started drinking.

"Long time no see! It's really been hard to get a chance to meet you," Luca said with a smile, handing me a glass of alcohol and teasing me.

I was about to reply when suddenly a strong shove came from behind. Luckily, Luca reacted quickly and reached out to steady me.

"What’s going on? Are you walking..."

"I’m sorry, really sorry."

Before Luca could finish speaking, a familiar voice reached my ears from behind.

I instinctively turned around and my eyes met Camila’s.

In front of me, Camila was supporting a man who appeared to be heavily intoxicated, his body practically draped over hers. Their hands were even tightly intertwined, their fingers locked together.

Before I could say anything, Camila looked at me with a panicked expression and quickly began to explain.

"Honey, it's not what you think. My sister is on a business trip, so she asked me to come pick up Mateo and take him home. Please don’t misunderstand, honey."

I looked at the two of them, practically glued together and spoke in a calm, indifferent tone. "Is that so? Is that really what happened?"

Perhaps not expecting me to continue pressing, a trace of guilt flashed in Camila’s eyes. She tried to push Mateo away and reached out to grab my hand.

"Honey, of course! When have I ever lied to you?"

Camila was about to say more, but suddenly, Mateo beside her started dry heaving.

"Honey, look at how drunk Mateo is. I promised my sister I would get him home safely. I’ll take him back first and we can talk when we get home."

With that, Camila hurriedly supported Mateo and left, not even sparing me another glance.

I watched their figures disappear into the distance, feeling as if my heart was tightly gripped by an invisible hand, suffocating me.

"You guys continue drinking, I need to step outside for some air."

I turned to face Luca, whose face was full of concern. I forced a smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes.

As soon as I stepped out of the bar, my eyes immediately caught sight of Camila and Mateo not far away.

At that moment, the two of them were leaning against the car, tightly embraced, kissing passionately.

Their fragmented conversation reached my ears.

"Mateo, why are you pretending to be drunk?"

"I’m pretending to be drunk because I like you and I want to get closer to you."

"After what just happened, you still dared to come close to me? Don’t do that again next time."

"What’s the big deal? Didn’t you say you only love me?"

I watched as Mateo picked Camila up around the waist and the two of them got into the car together.

My phone suddenly rang in my pocket. Trembling, I took it out and saw that the message came from the security system on my phone.

It seemed that Camila had been in such a hurry to leave today that she, who usually only drives her own car, was now driving mine.

Not long after I bought the car, I had encountered an incident where someone had tried to break into it and steal from it.

At that time, when Camila found out about the attempted break-in, she hugged me with red eyes, saying she wanted to install surveillance cameras on the car. She said she was worried about me and wanted to ensure my safety.

On the day the cameras were being installed, Camila had something come up and couldn’t make it, so the system was directly linked to my phone.

Looking back now, it was thanks to this surveillance that I was able to clearly see everything that had happened.

I watched the footage on the screen, seeing Camila and Mateo making out. Their clothes grew fewer and fewer, until they were almost completely naked.

Camila tightly embraced Mateo, repeatedly saying, "Mateo, I love you."

My eyes turned bloodshot as I stared at the woman in the footage, feeling a sharp pain in my chest that grew more intense.

I had been with Camila for six years, but I had never seen this side of her.

Trembling, I clicked the save button on the footage, closed the surveillance screen and turned around to head back to the bar.

When I returned, my expression was even darker and more somber. Seeing this, Luca poured me another drink and cautiously asked, "What happened?"

I didn’t answer. I remained silent, drinking one glass after another, not stopping.

At this moment, my mind was a chaotic mess. I didn’t know what to do, so I tried to numb myself with alcohol.

Seeing my silence, Luca quietly stayed by my side, drinking with me, one glass after another.

I lost track of time and before I knew it, the bar had emptied out and Camila’s call came through.

"Honey, why aren't you back yet? Are you still at the bar? I’ll come pick you up."

Before I could say anything, the call was abruptly disconnected.

I stared blankly at the phone in my hand, a faint voice in my mind growing louder, urging me to face the reality I had been avoiding.

When Camila arrived, I was still drinking. Seeing me in such a drunken state, she rushed over and snatched the glass from my hand.

"Honey, you can't drink anymore! Let's go, Adrian. We'll go home."

Seeing my furrowed brows, Camila softened her tone, gently placing a hand on me as she guided me toward the door.

As soon as the car door opened, a heavy, greasy scent hit me.

A wave of nausea surged in my stomach and I pushed Camila, who had been holding me, away as I instinctively gagged.

When I took the tissue she handed me, I clearly noticed a fleeting look of disgust and impatience in her eyes.