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."

"Isn't that right? All the couples in our neighborhood are so envious of you two, unlike my son who got divorced at such a young age. His wife cheated on him and ran off with someone else." The old man said.

Hearing these compliments felt like blatant sarcasm to me.

Celine pretended to be affectionate, tightly holding my hand and resting her head on my shoulder and said, "I love my husband so much, I would never cheat on him like your son's wife did."

While we were having dinner, she went to the restroom and her phone was left on the table. As soon as she left, the phone buzzed. I picked it up casually and it was a message from Jericho.

I had never looked through Celine's phone before, but over time, she had let her guard down and never set a password.

I scrolled through their conversation with trembling hands: [Celine, are you coming tonight?]

[Didn't I tell you not to contact me for the next few days?]

[I miss you. Do you want to see my chest muscles?]

Jericho had sent a provocative selfie showing off his toned chest. In the photo, his sunny, handsome face was teasing, licking his lips and his eyes carried an enticing, almost predatory look.

Celine, apparently moved by the photo, had replied: [You're my naughty troublemaker. I miss you too. Tonight, I'll show you the brightest fireworks in the city.]

[Thank you, Celine! I have a little gift for you too!]

The next photo showed a set of seductive lingerie on a bed, next to a condom.

I marked the message as unread. When I put the phone down, Celine had just returned.

Seeing my actions, she hurriedly shoved her phone into her pocket, "Did you look at my phone?"

I shook my head and said, "A message came in and I wanted to check it for you, but then you came back."

Celine nervously smiled, "It's probably just a New Year's greeting from a friend. You know, this time of year, messages flood in." I coldly nodded.

During dinner, Celine was distracted, frequently glancing at me. Only when she saw that my expression remained unchanged did her anxious look ease somewhat.

That night, Celine put on a delicate makeup look and changed into a tight-fitting dress with high heels. She quickly dragged me to the balcony.

She kept checking her phone, counting down the time and said, "Honey, let's count down together! Three! Two! One! Happy new year!"

A loud boom rang out through the night sky as dazzling fireworks lit up the entire city. The bright lights illuminated our faces and I felt dazed.

I remembered, the night I proposed to Celine, the fireworks were just as brilliant. At that time, I didn't have 999 red roses or a diamond ring as big as a pebble, only a 'ring' I'd fashioned from a soda cap.

I asked her, "I have nothing. Will you marry me?"

Celine's eyes brimmed with tears and without hesitation, she nodded, "I do! I'll only love you in my life!"

The vow, just like the fireworks above, was fleeting and short-lived. We, too, had once cried together, tightly embracing, watching the fireworks bloom in the night sky.

Back then, my eyes were fixed only on Celine, my mind filled with dreams of endless happiness for the future. But now, I was numb, filled only with deep disappointment.

This fireworks display didn't belong to me. The woman standing in front of me didn't belong to me either.

When Celine saw the tears in my eyes, she suddenly froze, "Honey, what's wrong?"

I wiped my eyes and shook my head.