"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.

"It's nothing, just a little moved, thank you for the surprise." For the first time in all these years, I said something insincere to her.

Celine suddenly went silent. I saw a trace of guilt and remorse in her eyes.

But the next moment, she revealed her true self once more because of an incoming message.

Celine turned away quickly, took a quick glance at her phone, then turned back to me and said, "Honey, you should go to bed early tonight. My best friend has invited me out to a party. You won't mind, right?"

I smiled. "Of course not, you have your freedom."

Celine hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek, "Thank you! You're the best, baby."

She couldn't wait to leave. She thought I wouldn't notice the message she had just received, but I had already guessed it was from Jericho.

If you want freedom, I will give you freedom. A kite with a broken string can only fly freely.

After Celine left, I found myself lost in thought, gazing at the fireworks in the night sky. But not long after, she sent me another message, with a location and room number: [Honey, could you bring me some stomach medicine?]

The moment I saw the message, I furrowed my brows.

I had intended to ignore it, but then I thought, as her husband, I might as well do this for her as the last favor.

I grabbed the medicine she wanted and drove to the location she sent, which was a private restaurant.

When I arrived at the private room, I was about to knock when I suddenly heard a burst of laughter from inside, "Celine, you lost! It's your turn to answer!"

"How long have you and Jericho been secretly seeing each other?" The room burst into laughter. Celine's friends kept urging her on.

Celine's face held a smug smile, "We got together shortly after he joined the company."

The others teased her, "Looks like Ruben been kept in the dark, huh? He must be pretty foolish."

Celine's expression instantly turned cold, "Don't talk about my husband like that. Just keep this between us. If he finds out, I'll sever ties with all of you."

"Okay, okay, we get it. You're so protective," they laughed.

When I heard this, I silently pulled my hand back from where it had been suspended in midair and a wave of sadness swept over me. My indulgence was rewarded with betrayal.

Just then, someone asked, "Jericho said he was coming to pick someone up. Why is he taking so long?"

At that moment, I heard footsteps coming toward the door and I quickly hid in the corner. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jericho enter the room, holding the hand of a young girl.

The girl was familiar to me, she was a recent intern at Celine's company, a pretty girl who had just graduated. I had heard that she was even Jericho's junior at university.

I hadn't intended to stay, but the angry shouting from inside made me want to sneak a peek.

"Jericho, did you ignore everything I said? The company explicitly forbids office romances!" Celine's eyebrows furrowed in anger and her whole body trembled with fury.

She pointed at the girl beside Jericho and scolded, "Get out! After the New Year, you'd better submit your resignation!" The young girl, frightened, left the room in tears.

What happened next shocked me, I witnessed Celine slap Jericho across the face in front of everyone, "You get over here!" Then, the two of them left the room together and entered a dark, secluded corner.

I followed, but the sounds of arguing suddenly stopped. The next thing I saw was the two of them passionately kissing each other.

"Celine, are you jealous?" Jericho's voice rang out.

Celine snorted coldly, "You're trying to embarrass me on purpose, aren't you? Don't play these little tricks and bring trouble upon yourself."

Jericho kissed her neck while saying, "Celine, you still care about me."

Celine gazed at Jericho with a blurry look in her eyes, her voice tinged with some sadness, "The slap I gave you earlier must have hurt, right? You should punish me."

Jericho grinned with malice, "Well, that's what you said yourself!" Their interaction became more intense.

I thought I would feel anger, but I realized I had become numb. I couldn't be bothered to stay and watch their passionate exchange. I threw the stomach medicine into the trash and drove home.

On the way back, I received several messages from Jericho: [Ruben, I know you were watching just now. Are you angry?]

[I'll be honest with you. The stomach medicine message was sent by me using Celine's phone secretly.]

[Just now, Celine said she'd give me company shares and promised to get a custom wedding ring, one like the one you have.]

[She told me that you're a conservative man and being with me excites her. We've tried things you two never did before.]

[She also said that next time, she wants to secretly try things in your house, imagining it excites her. I can't wait to experience that with her.]

[Ruben, you're destined to lose. What I gave to Celine is something new and exciting. You couldn't give that to her.]

Then he sent over a dozen videos. Each video contained explicit footage of him and Celine in passionate moments that were too painful to watch.

I knew he was trying to anger me, to provoke me, but he had no idea that I wasn't affected. When there's no love, there are no vulnerabilities.

I went to bed early and didn't even know when Celine came home.

When I woke up in the morning, she had already prepared a lavish breakfast and packed her suitcase and said, "Honey, take your time eating. I need to head out to catch a flight."

I watched her leave, smiling, "Goodbye."

Hearing my words, Celine's heart suddenly tightened. We'll never see each other again.

She dragged her suitcase down to the parking garage, feeling a vague sense of unease. As she recalled the earlier scene, she finally understood where her unease came from.

My smile and my eyes when I watched her leave, it was cold, with no hint of emotion.

"Celine! Let me help you with the luggage." Jericho got out of the car and volunteered.

Celine turned around and glanced behind him. After seeing no one, she scolded him in a reproachful tone, "Didn't I tell you not to come pick me up? What if Ruben sees?"

Jericho didn't care, "Celine, isn't this the kind of thrill you like? Come on, hurry, or you'll miss your flight."

As soon as Celine got into the car, she stared at her phone screen saver. It was the first photo we took when we were dating. She hadn't changed it in all these years.

She said, "Jericho, when I return from this trip, I'll make you the department director. As for our relationship, it should come to an end."

Jericho paused for a moment, then forced a smile, "Whatever you says."

He said this, but deep down he felt bitter. He was determined to make these last few days a time when Celine would be completely immersed in the joy, unable to forget it.

***

After Celine left, I threw all the breakfast on the table into the trash. Then I made a call, instructing them to clear out all my things from the house.

The place was rearranged, spotless. This home no longer held any trace of me, not even a single strand of hair.