I recognized the man. It was Howie. In his hand was the access card that had gone missing.

Susanna sprang up from the couch with a flirty look on her face, one that I hadn't seen in a long time.

Howie carried himself with ease, as if he'd returned to his own home. He didn't even switch into the guest slippers but put on my silk slippers instead. That pair had been a birthday gift from Susanna, which I usually treasured too much to wear.

"Susie!" Howie called sweetly before pulling Susanna right into his arms.

She cupped his face and kissed him. "What took you so long, you brat? I've missed you like crazy!"

"I had to get my hair done first," Howie whined as he ran his thumb along her collarbone. "Besides, that old fart won't be back for an entire week anyway. We've got plenty of time."

"Then let's get started on a week's worth of fun," Susanna said with a giggle before pulling Howie toward our master bedroom.

I stared at my phone screen, my nails digging almost painfully into my palm. She was really cheating on me!

I had the instinctive urge to call Susanna and confront her about it. However, the moment I pulled up her number, my fingers paused.

If I confronted her now, I would only be tipping them off and giving them time to cover their tracks. There was no way I could let them get off so easily!

The next few days of the business trip seemed to drag on endlessly. I forced myself to focus on work during the day. At night, I hid in my hotel room, torturing myself by watching the security footage.

Howie was already acting as if he were the master of the house. He wore my pajamas and drank the wine I set aside.

He even fooled around in bed with my wife.

What disgusted me the most was the way he'd stomped on my box of expensive cigars, crushing them solely for his own amusement.

Susanna simply watched from the side. Not only did she not stop him, but she even lit one of them for him.

Seeing this, I slammed my fist against the table.

After splashing cold water on my face, I looked at my sullen reflection in the mirror, my gaze hardening. Since they were being so shameless, they couldn't blame me for not showing any mercy.

I downloaded and saved all the security footage from the past few days, backing it up to the cloud storage.

Then, I called my lawyer, Peter Hurst. "Draft a divorce agreement for me, Mr. Hurst. I want her to leave with nothing."

After ending the call, I checked the calendar. It was my birthday tomorrow.

Susanna had originally said she wanted to have a celebration for me, but it was clear she had long since forgotten about it. Since that was the case, I'd just have to throw myself a "spectacular" birthday party.

I packed all the work into five days, finishing it ahead of time before booking an early ticket back home.

Once that was done, I sent out three messages. The first went to my parents and Susanna's mother, Caroline York.

"Mom, Dad, since it's my birthday this Saturday, Susanna wants to throw a party at home. She wants everyone to come and have a fun celebration."

The second went to Susanna's close friends and colleagues, including a few of Howie's rivals at the company.

"There's going to be a party at Susanna's place at 10:00 am this Saturday. There will be good food and plenty of booze, so I hope you guys will all come and join in on the fun!"

The last message went to the apartment's property manager.

"I'll be upgrading my home security system this Saturday morning. Please assign two security guards to come to my unit for assistance. I might need their help moving some things."

Everyone happily agreed to come.

The next morning, I headed straight home once my flight landed. Through the security feed, I could see that the two of them were still all wrapped up in each other's arms in bed.

Susanna reached out and ruffled Howie's hair. "Wake up, babe. Are you hungry? I'll order us some takeout."

"I don't wanna move…" Howie mumbled. "Can't you cook for me, Susie? I wanna have some of your pasta."

"Oh, alright. I'll make it for you."

Susanna kissed him affectionately and went to the kitchen.

At 9:50 am, the doorbell rang.

Susanna was in the kitchen preparing the pasta when the doorbell rang, startling her.

"Who is it?" she called out.

The sound woke Howie, who flipped over in bed in annoyance. "Is it the takeout? That was fast."

"I'll check."

Susanna turned off the stove and walked to the entryway, still dressed in only a spaghetti-strapped nightgown with her hair down. She looked through the peephole—and her face instantly went pale.

Over a dozen people stood on the doorstep, seemingly in a pretty good mood.

"What's going on? Why are they here!" Susanna exclaimed in alarm.

She was so frightened that her knees buckled, her face as white as a sheet.

Hearing her exclaim, Howie came out in a bathrobe, rubbing his eyes as he asked, "What's the matter, Susie? Who's here?"

"Quick! Hide!" Susanna whispered urgently, pushing him back toward the bedroom. "My mom, in-laws, and friends are all here, along with a bunch of other people!"

"What did you say?" That completely woke Howie up. "W-What should I do? Where can I hide?"

"Go to the bedroom! Lock the door and don't make a sound!"

Susanna shoved Howie into the master bedroom. She didn't even have time to tidy up the lingering traces of their dalliance in the living room.

The doorbell rang again, pressed repeatedly this time.

"Susanna? Open up! Why aren't you opening the door?" That was Caroline's voice.

"Is she still sleeping in?" Mom's voice rang out as well.

Susanna's legs went weak. She pressed her hand against the front door while hissing toward the bedroom, "Hurry up! Get dressed and hide!"

A flurry of panicked activity could be heard in the bedroom.

Just as Susanna, drenched in sweat, was unsure whether to open the door, I stepped out of the elevator.

"Mom? Dad? Why are all of you standing at the door? Where's Susanna? Why isn't she opening the door?"

Upon seeing me, everyone cleared a path for me.

"I have no idea," Mom complained. "She's taking her own sweet time."

I reached out and unlocked the door with my fingerprint. The lock released with a click.

The door was only opened halfway when Susanna rushed over and pressed back against it.

"H-Honey? Why are you back so soon?" Despite her best attempts to stay calm, her voice trembled.

"I came back early to surprise you!" I said cheerfully as I pushed hard against the door.

"No! I mean… The apartment is too messy! It's like a pigsty in here!" Susanna stammered. "Give me ten minutes… no, five! I'll clean it up!"

"Why bother? We're all family anyway. It's not like we'll judge you just because the house isn't in order," Mom, who was pretty impatient, couldn't wait around any longer.

She even came over to help me push the door open.

One of Susanna's friends also chimed in teasingly, "That's right, Susanna. Don't tell me you're in a hurry to hide the good stuff so that we can't find it, hm?"

One woman alone couldn't withstand the force of so many people. The door opened with a quick swing.

Susanna fell to the floor, the straps of her nightgown slipping off her shoulders.

Everyone else poured into the apartment and saw the sorry state of the living room. Howie's boxer shorts were tossed on the couch. Half-eaten snacks and wine glasses sat on the coffee table. There were tissues scattered across the floor.

Even the smell in the air was musty and reeked of debauchery.

"Goodness me! Did someone break into the apartment?" Caroline gasped as she stared at the mess in shock.

Susanna scrambled to her feet, looking rather pale as she fumbled for an explanation. "N-No one broke in. I was drinking alone at home last night… I drank too much… and didn't… didn't have time to clean up."

"You were drinking alone, you say?" I sneered before walking over to the couch and picking up the pair of men's boxer shorts.

Howie had worn them yesterday.

I dangled the boxer shorts, which were clearly not in my size, in front of Susanna and watched as she broke out in a cold sweat.

"I didn't know you were in the habit of playing around with something like this while you drink, babe."