On New Year's Eve, my wife said she had to work overtime. I bought a bouquet of flowers and a custom-made high-end ring, planning to surprise her at her office.

But I personally witnessed her new male assistant pressing her against the desk.

The man's voice was heavy with panting as he said, "Celine, if someday you get pregnant with my child, would you be willing to keep it?"

Immersed in pleasure moments ago, Celine suddenly turned cold and terrifying. She looked down at Jericho, gripping his neck, "I warn you, don't try to use this against me and don't even think about stirring up trouble in my marriage with Ruben! If I really get pregnant afterward, I'll make sure you disappear from this world completely!"

The man froze, panic flashing in his eyes, "I won't ... Celine, please don't be angry. I use protection every time, I assure you nothing will happen!"

My hands and feet went ice cold as I watched this scene, my heart sinking into despair.

Quietly leaving through the main door, I took out my phone at the office building's entrance and made a call, "Mr. Dellson, suspend all support from Caresso Corporation to Celine's company immediately!"

——

In the biting winter cold, I squatted by the roadside, silently smoking one cigarette after another, letting snowflakes cover me until I became a snowman.

I stared into the pitch-black, deep night in a daze, with the scene from earlier constantly replaying in my mind.

Celine's joyous laughter echoed in my ears. I never expected my wife, someone usually so gentle and elegant, to do something so outrageous. Every movement of her body was like a sharp knife stabbing into my chest.

When I returned home from the office, my parents' concerned gazes fell on me, "Why do you look so pale? Where's Celine?"

I came up with a random excuse to deflect, "She's too busy with work to join us for New Year's Eve dinner."

Mom immediately chimed in, worried, "She's just a woman, working so hard during the holidays. Be more understanding of her."

Dad also added a comment, "How long do you plan to keep this from her? The enormous Caresso Family business, the entire Caresso Corporation, with assets worth billions, she could easily just stop working and relax as a well-taken-care-of wife."

I remained silent, quietly taking out a small brocade box from my pocket. When I opened it, a dazzling light filled the room.

I had commissioned this wedding ring from a world-renowned jewelry designer, who spent a year crafting it. Tonight, I had planned to confess my identity as a wealthy heir to Celine and make her a truly happy woman.

But what I saw tonight shattered my dream completely. The meticulously planned dinner ended in utter disarray.

As my parents left, their aging figures looked so lonely amidst the snowfall.

I glanced at the 'home' we now lived in and the wedding photo on the wall, falling into a long daze.

It's funny when I think about it. The first time Jericho Simmons visited our home, he admired the photo and envied the deep affection between Celine and me. He said we were a match made, a dream couple to real life.

I still remembered when Jericho was first hired at her company. He was clumsy and inexperienced, constantly getting scolded and criticized by her.

She scolded him, "Is your brain made of mush? Can't you think before doing something? What a waste of such a good-looking face!"

"You're more trouble than you're worth! Even a pig would be more reliable than you!"

Celine was utterly exasperated at the time and I was the one who calmed her down, "Don't wear yourself out getting angry. He's a college graduate fresh out of school. It's normal to lack experience."

At that time, she said, "If he doesn't improve during the three-month probation period, I'll have him fired!"

Celine's tone was firm and unquestionable. Anyone who heard it would be convinced that she would definitely fire Jericho after three months.

But when the three months were up, not only was Jericho not fired, he got promoted with a raise and even started driving a supercar.

I casually took down the wedding photo. My phone buzzed.

It was a voice message from Jericho. When I played it, all I could hear were sounds of pleasure and gasping. I couldn't be more familiar with that voice, it belonged to Celine.

Immediately, another message followed: [Ruben, I saw you in the office earlier. Are you surprised? Did it make you shock?]

My fingers trembled slightly. In my daze, a text from Celine came through: [Honey, I might be home late tonight. You and Mom and Dad should go ahead and eat dinner. Don't wait for me. Eat well and rest up, okay? Love you.] She even sent a kiss emoji.

Celine thought she could fool me flawlessly. But I had no intention of exposing her.

I called my assistant to inquire about divorce proceedings and instructed him to freeze the assets supporting Celine's company.

"Mr. Caresso, freezing the assets will take five days to process," he said.

Though I couldn't wait, I could only endure, "Alright. In the meantime, book me a flight and visa for five days from now to any random country." A destination even I didn't know, where no one could find me.

That night, I left that cold house and returned to the Caresso Family mansion to spend the New Year with my parents and join in the New Year's Eve countdown.

The warmth of my parents' care and the festive cheer slightly alleviated the darkness in my heart.

It wasn't until dawn that Celine called, "Honey, where are you? I came home and you're not here. Your baby misses you."

'Baby' had always been my term of endearment for her. It used to sound sweet and blissful, but now it made me feel nothing but disgust.

I only replied: [I'm on my way home.]

The moment I saw Celine, I had mixed emotions. Though she wore makeup deliberately, it couldn't hide the lingering flush on her face.

"Honey! I missed you so much. You're finally back." She jumped into my arms, as excited as a schoolgirl in love for the first time.

A strong, suffocating scent of perfume invaded my nose, making my stomach churn. Beneath the strong perfume, there was a faint smell of some privet flowers.

I glanced at her inside-out stockings and immediately guessed that she had just experienced an intense encounter moments before.

Celine thought she had disguised everything well, but I still caught the faint trace of uneasiness behind her innocent smile.

Feeling the awkward tension, I forced a smile, "Why have you been so busy lately?"

Celine froze for a second, clearly not expecting such a question from me, "Yeah, with employees on holiday, I have to handle some things myself." She answered without hesitation.

I couldn't help but chuckle. By "hands-on," she meant being on top of her assistant, right?

Seeing my laughter, Celine visibly tensed. She quickly clung to my arm, trying to change the subject, "We haven't seen each other all day. Did you miss me?"

I glanced at her without showing emotion and deliberately nodded. How could I not think about her? Every hour, I was thinking about how to divorce her.

When we got home, Celine took off her coat and sat on the couch. I wanted to watch TV and reached for the remote under her. Celine jumped away as if she was facing a formidable enemy.

Seeing my surprised expression, she immediately switched to a dejected look, "Sorry, honey. I've started my period. I'm afraid I won't be able to give it to you this week. Also, I've had some discomfort in my lower abdomen lately, so you'll need to bear with it for a while."

She thought my gesture was an attempt to be intimate with her.

Hearing her lie so casually, without a hint of guilt, a sharp pain pierced my heart. Ah, Celine, you really put a lot of effort into covering up one lie with multiple lies. Are you afraid I'll discover traces of another man on you?

Seeing me remain silent, Celine immediately took a gift box from her bag and said, "I brought this back for you on a business trip." I opened it, a Patek Philippe watch.

But instead of feeling surprised or delighted, I was overcome by a sense of anger, as if I were being toyed with. Two months ago, I had seen this same watch in Jericho's social media post, something he had dismissed as an unwanted freebie.

It wasn't until now that I realized the watch he flaunted on social media was a gift from Celine. If not for this cast-off watch, I might never have known how long their relationship had been going on.

I chuckled bitterly. My wife's love for me is truly profound, giving me a gift that someone else had discarded.

"Let me put it on for you," she offered. Thinking I was smiling out of happiness, she didn't wait for me to refuse and fastened it to my wrist.

Looking at this watch, which felt more like a shackle, I said nothing.

Fireworks exploded outside and Celine suddenly spoke, "Honey, I have a surprise for you tomorrow night."

I played along, asking, "What surprise?"

She acted shy, like a bashful little wife and smiled sweetly, "If I tell you, it won't be a surprise anymore."

I said, "How coincidental, I also have a surprise for you. But you'll have to wait a few days."

Hearing that, Celine beamed with excitement, "I'll take a quick shower, wait for me, okay?" She ran into the bathroom with her phone, locking the door behind her, acting all secretive.

At that moment, my phone vibrated again. It was another message from Jericho: [Ruben, take a guess, will Celine spend this New Year with you or me?]

I glanced at it indifferently and ignored it. Passing by the bathroom, I vaguely heard Celine laughing joyfully inside. In all these years, I had never heard her laugh so freely.

Soon after, she emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered, as I sat on the couch watching TV. She walked directly toward me, sat on my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. Although her body exuded the fresh scent of shower gel, I still felt nauseated.

"Honey, I have to go on a business trip for a few days. You know, it's a crucial period for the company. Even during the New Year, I have to visit clients personally to secure their business." Her pleading gaze was full of earnestness, almost making it hard to refuse.

Thinking about the divorce planned for a week later, my eyes dimmed, "When are you leaving?"

She said, "The day after tomorrow, early morning."

"Can you not go?" I tried to plea. She shook her head.

In my memory, she had always been obedient to me. But this time, she was surprisingly firm, "You have to give me some freedom. Besides, I'm not going on a vacation, it's just work. If you're worried, I can video-call you to check in every day."

I nodded resignedly, concealing the coldness in my eyes. In a week, you won't see me anymore.

On New Year's Day, we had no groceries at home and decided to eat out. As Celine held my arm and we walked out of the neighborhood, a familiar neighbor approached us, "You two couple are such a loving couple. I recall you've been married for seven years now, right? While others hit the 'seven-year itch,' you two are still as affectionate as ever."