Axel flashed me a goofy smile and carefully put the perfume away as he said, "That's because I hadn't found the right scent before. I get all kinds of passengers in my car. Some of the smells aren't exactly pleasant. Honestly, if I don't spray a bit of perfume, I can't stand it."

However, he had once said, "Why would I bother with perfume? You don't like it. On top of that, you get carsick. The smell inside the car is bad enough. If I spray perfume, you definitely won't be able to take the scent."

I bit the tender flesh inside my mouth and said nothing.

After buying everything, we returned home. Several of his friends had already arrived and were waiting for him downstairs. I followed him to greet them and took a quick glance around.

Lindsay Brun had a slender figure, and she was much thinner than I was.

We were both married with children, but because I had been on long-term medication due to an illness and hadn't controlled my food intake, I had gained quite a bit of weight.

Inside the elevator, I stood close to her. I realized that I was about half a head taller than her.

A faint fragrance drifted from her, and I knew that scent well. It was the same smell as the one in Axel's car.

Suddenly, I remembered that about half a year after he started driving, he had said to me out of nowhere, "Why do I feel like you've gotten taller?"

When he held me, he would sniff lightly and suddenly say, "I think it'd be better if you wore a bit of perfume."

Lindsay was shorter than I was, and she liked wearing perfume.

The stifling feeling in my chest intensified with that realization. Still, I didn't want to jump to conclusions. As soon as we entered our apartment, Axel went straight into the kitchen and got busy.

I didn't know how to cook, so I sat on the couch and scrolled idly on my phone. His driver friends had all heard that I was somewhat introverted. So, after they toured around, they started chatting among themselves.

It was our housewarming, so I had come over at 5:00 am and started tidying up since then. I hadn't slept at all last night because I was excited. After spending the entire day at our new place, I was now so sleepy that my head felt dizzy.

As the conversation went on, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that one person was missing. I looked over and saw that Lindsay was now in the kitchen and helping Axel with the food preparations.

The two of them were chatting and laughing happily, while I observed them quietly.

Sensing my gaze, Axel wiped his hands on his apron and walked over. He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the room.

In a hushed voice, he instructed with concern, "Don't bring up Lindsay's divorce. She told me not to tell you. Since this is our housewarming, she said it wouldn't be nice if the others found out she was getting a divorce. It would dampen the mood."

I blurted, "Wouldn't be nice? If she were so thoughtful, then why did she insist on coming to our new home to celebrate then?"

Axel choked on his words for a moment. "She just wanted to come over and enjoy the lively atmosphere as a friend."

I took a deep breath. "She's a guest, so it's not appropriate for her to be in the kitchen."

He shrugged it off with a smile. "That's it. She's just a friend. And since she knows how to cook, she came in to help out. It's fine."

After saying that, Axel hurried back into the kitchen.

Because of what I had said, he drove Lindsay out of the kitchen. "You're a guest. Don't stay in the kitchen. Go relax for a bit."

Lindsay glanced at me and smiled. "It's fine, we're all friends. Susanna doesn't cook. I can help out instead since I know how to do so. It's no trouble."

It was an ordinary, off-handed remark. Yet, it sounded especially grating to my ears.

Only after Axel repeatedly urged her did she sit down on the couch. She leaned closer to me and flashed me a friendly smile.

She said, "Hi, Susanna. You must be really busy after just moving. If you need any help, just let me know. I'm so happy that you and Axel gave me that 250-dollar perfume to cheer me up. I don't know how to thank you enough for that."

My mind buzzed and went completely blank in an instant.

When Axel's other driver friends heard that, they started making teasing comments.

"Oh, wow. A 250-dollar perfume, eh? Axel sure is generous to Lindsay."

"Tell me about it. Last time I asked him to buy me a perfume, he told me to get lost."

"Lindsay is the princess of our group. Isn't it normal for Axel to spoil her?"

Lindsay quickly waved her hands to dismiss them. "Alright, that's enough. If you keep going, Susanna will get upset."

She turned to me with a worried look. "You're not mad, right?"

One of the drivers chimed in, "Oh, she won't be. Everyone knows Axel's wife has the best temper. Back when we played games every night, my wife got jealous, but she didn't. She's incredibly tolerant."

"Exactly. You and Axel even used matching profile pictures, and you had those couple accessories on your cars. She didn't get mad at all. When you were upset about your divorce, Axel even bought you perfume to cheer you up. We're all jealous of that kind of friendship."

I stared at Lindsay and asked, word by word, "Divorce? What divorce?"

She quickly covered her mouth in regret, looking embarrassed. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you. I told Axel not to tell you about my divorce. It wouldn't be appropriate for such an occasion. I completely forgot about that."

Lindsay put on a remorseful act in front of me, but she had gone on and revealed everything anyway.

The other drivers watched me with amused expressions like they were enjoying a show.

I clenched my hands tightly. My fingernails dug into my palm, sending sharp pain through it.

A 250-dollar perfume, huh?

Axel had said he didn't care for those superficial holidays. Even though he knew I loved flowers, he would just ignore the flower stands whenever we passed by one.

Ironically, he spent 250 dollars on a bottle of perfume for a friend without batting an eye.

He had no ambition at all, which led him to work on and off. So, he barely made 1,000 dollars a month.

How could he possibly afford such an expensive perfume? Well, of course, he couldn't. He could only afford it because I gave him all of my salary each month.

It seemed I had indulged him too much.

Lindsay observed me cautiously. "I'm sorry I came to your housewarming when I have so much going on. I didn't want this to be about me. I hope you don't mind."

The tip of my nose stung as tears came to my eyes.

Just then, Axel came out of the kitchen and said, "Come eat! Honey, give me a hand and bring out the dishes and cutlery."

Lindsay immediately stood up. "I'll help you. Susanna can rest."

The other drivers shuffled toward the dining table.

I clenched my fists, forcing down my anger and steadying myself. I quietly took several deep breaths to suppress the immense hurt that welled up in my heart.

Using the excuse of fetching water, I carried an empty bucket downstairs and looked at the back of Lindsay's car. The drift charm on the rear bumper caught my eye—it was one of Marge Simpson.

Axel loved watching The Simpsons, and I had always known he had a Homer Simpson drift charm hanging from his bumper. But I never knew he had bought a matching one for Lindsay!

I yanked off both Simpsons and threw them into the trash.

After I was done filling the bucket, a hand took it from me.

"I told you to wait for me. Why did you come down by yourself?" Axel said.

I looked at the ground in silence before forcing a faint smile. "It's fine."

When we went back upstairs, Axel's friends had already opened several cans of beer. They were about to start drinking.

I went into the kitchen and took Axel's phone. Then, I slipped into the bathroom to check it.

We had never looked through each other's phones because we trusted each other completely. So, he had never felt the need to set up any passcode or security measures to guard against me.

I unlocked his phone and checked their group chat.

The drivers talked about everything and anything in there. There were complaints about passengers, the ideal drop-off locations, and various things they had encountered when driving people around.

Axel's profile picture looked normal. It wasn't one of those couple artwork photos. Instead, Lindsay's one was exactly that.

My heart began pounding.

I suddenly remembered Axel had a secondary account, so I logged into it.

Sure enough, his profile picture there matched Lindsay's.

On Axel's main account, he didn't chat much. I was pinned at the top.

But on his secondary account, the only contacts were Lindsay's two accounts. In their private chats, they had talked almost every single day over the past three years.

They had been chatting constantly recently, as she was going through a divorce. She complained nonstop about her ex-husband, and he comforted her every single time.

There came a few knocks on the door.

"Honey, why aren't you out yet? Are you having an upset stomach?" Axel asked from outside.

My heart started racing. Anger and heartbreak filled my heart. All I could hear was the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears. My mind screamed at me to rush out and beat the adulterous pair up.

Still, I held it in and said, "I'll be right out."

I tapped on his phone for a bit and recorded evidence of his affair. Then, I pretended that nothing was wrong and casually tossed his phone onto the couch.

When I reached the dining table, I realized they were already seated. There was an empty seat on Axel's left. Lindsay had taken up the seat on his right.

Each person had a glass of alcohol in front of them.

Axel gave me a candid smile and said, "Honey, they said it's more fun to drink."

Lindsay's eyes lit up as she looked at the dishes on the table. "Axel, you're so good at cooking. Everything looks scrumptious. Susanna is so lucky. I'm jealous. Here's a toast to you as thanks for cooking us a feast!"

She raised her glass. The other drivers followed suit.

I just sat there silently and watched as they laughed and clinked glasses.

When they finally settled down, I asked, "If everyone's drinking, who's driving you home?"

The male drivers all shrugged and said their wives would come pick them up. After that, all eyes turned to Lindsay.

She had already downed a glass by then.

She said, "It's fine. I'll take a taxi home. I'll just leave the car here and drive it back tomorrow after I sober up."

Axel immediately set down his glass and pushed it toward me. "If that's the case, please drink for me, honey. That way, I'll be able to drive since I'll be sober. I'll drive Lindsay home later. It's so late. I'm not comfortable with her taking a taxi alone."

Since I didn't know how to drive, I couldn't help in this situation.

The other drivers chimed in, egging things on. My hands that were resting on my lap under the table clenched tighter and tighter.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the wives of the other drivers came to pick them up. Only Lindsay remained, drunkenly slumped and clinging to the couch as she cried and cursed her ex-husband.

I quietly watched as Axel moved closer and comforted her gently.

Faintly, I heard Lindsay say to Axel, "Axel, you're such a nice man… The woman who gets to be your wife must have saved the galaxy in her past life… No… I should just leave. I can't interfere with your relationship with Susanna. If you take me home… I'm afraid she'll get jealous."

Her actions contradicted her words because she was grabbing Axel's arm firmly.

I felt utterly disgusted.

Axel continued coaxing her, "It's fine, really. Susanna isn't the jealous type. I'll take you home."

I pursed my lips and handed him a glass of water. "Let her stay here."

Axel looked a little embarrassed as he mumbled that he hadn't expected Lindsay to drink so much. He helped her into the guest bedroom.

Not long after, Lindsay started acting willfully under the pretense of drunkenness. She ended up in the master bedroom that Axel and I shared. She got onto our bed and lay completely motionless there.

Axel scrambled around caring for her until he was drenched in sweat.

After coming out of the room, he said to me groggily, "Don't worry about the table, honey. I'll clean it up when I wake up. I'm kind of sleepy."

As soon as he finished speaking, he collapsed onto the couch and fell asleep.

I had added something to the glass of warm water I handed him earlier.

II grabbed his phone and PayPaled myself every last cent I’d spent on him over the years. In the transaction note, I typed: 'Voluntary personal gift. Exempt from marital property.

Then I called and asked Axel's whole family to come over.

I announced, "I want a divorce."