While attending a class reunion with my wife, we ran into her old flame—Caelum Zeth.

After the gathering, Talia Grant cornered Caelum against a wall. When she found out he had fallen on hard times, she kissed him.

"How much do you still owe? Be with me. I'll give you 100 thousand a month. Will that be enough?"

I stood quietly at the corner of the street and snapped a photo of their heartfelt reunion before sending it to my lawyer.

I also forwarded it to Talia, along with a message, "Since you two are so in love, go ahead and marry him."

The Last Threshold

The moment she got the message, Talia called me. "Tobias, you're mistaken. Caelum just had a drop in blood sugar. I was only helping him stand."

"Is that so?" I countered calmly. "You're really generous with your help, aren't you?"

"Tobias, wait for me in the car. I'll be right there."

I hung up and got in the car, closing my eyes to rest.

Before long, she returned. One side of her face was flushed, and there was a faint trace of blood at the corner of her mouth—probably from when Caelum bit her during that forced kiss.

"You've got blood on your mouth," I said, handing her a tissue.

Talia checked her reflection in the mirror and forced a smile. "Must've bumped into something earlier."

It wasn't the first time she had lied to me. Every time she felt guilty, she smiled like that.

I watched her act, returning it with a quiet smile. "Did you bump into Caelum's teeth?"

Her face stiffened, and then a flicker of anger crept in. "Tobias, don't be so petty. I already told you—Caelum suddenly had low blood sugar, and I just helped him, that's all. It's not what you think."

I didn’t respond. Just closed my eyes again and rested.

When we got home, Talia went straight for the shower.

Just then, her phone buzzed on the table. A message popped up from Caelum—it was a hotel location.

I glanced at it and left the phone untouched.

Her passcode used to be my birthday, but ever since she started flirting with that new intern at work, the code stopped working.

I pulled a few strings and had the intern dismissed. After that, something in Talia's attitude toward me shifted. It was subtle, but enough to notice.

I hadn't expected that the intern would barely be out the door before her old flame came waltzing in. Figures. When it came to lying and cheating, it was never just once.

Suddenly, I just felt… exhausted.

I dozed off for a bit on the couch, and when I opened my eyes, Talia had come out of the bathroom in her nightgown.

The moment she saw the phone, she froze for half a second—then shot a suspicious glance my way and asked warily, "Why are you still up this late?"

"Just tired. Took a short nap."

As she saw how composed I was, the tension in her shoulders eased.

She unlocked her phone, and the moment her eyes landed on Caelum's message, the corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly. "Tobias, there's something urgent at the office—I need to head over."

"Sure."

She seemed unsure, so she came over and added, "There's an issue with the production schedule. I have to go check it personally." As she spoke, she was already heading into the closet to change.

When she came back out and saw me still sitting motionless on the couch, she slowly walked over. "Tobias, get some rest, okay? I'll call you once I get to the office."

I rubbed my eyes, feeling exhausted—not just from the day, but from the entire charade. I had no idea how much longer I'd have to keep playing along.

I stood, picked up her trench coat from the couch, and handed it to her. "It's chilly tonight. Put something on."

Talia looked at me, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. It took her a few seconds to reach out and take the coat.

"Tobias…" She suddenly grabbed my hand, her expression softening. "Wait for me at home, okay?"

She looked like she wanted to say more, but I cut her off. "Alright, go on now."

I draped the coat over her shoulders and adjusted the collar carefully, just like I always did whenever I saw her off.

But I knew that from the moment she stepped out that door tonight, our marriage was over.

Just Another Lie

After Talia left, I quietly went through my nighttime routine.

There was no heartbreak this time—none of the soul-crushing pain I felt the last time.

I guess that's how it goes—the first time cuts deep, and the second time just stings. Someone that rotten wasn't worth a single tear.

I went straight to bed.

In the middle of the night, I woke to the sound of loud knocking at the door.

It was Waverly Joelle—Talia's best friend from college. She was half-carrying Talia, who was dead drunk.

Right in front of Waverly, I helped Talia onto the bed, brought her some chamomile tea, and tried to get her to drink a few sips.

As she watched me move around the room, Waverly suddenly spoke. "Tobias, Talia really was heartbroken over Caelum. That's why she got so emotional when she saw him today."

The mere mention of Caelum was enough to expose her completely.

"When she first started her business, she was flat broke, and Caelum dumped her to marry into a wealthy family. She never got over it. Luckily, you were there to help her through it. That's the only reason she got to where she is today."

I forced out a smile.

After walking Waverly out, I went back to the bathroom and slammed the towel I had been wringing into the washbasin. Water splashed up, soaking part of Talia's clothes. A stain spread through the white shirt she had changed into before going out.

She had showered and put on fresh clothes, yet she still came back filthy.

I turned to leave, repulsed—but she suddenly grabbed my wrist and murmured, "Caelum… Caelum… don't go. Please… give it to me… just one more time…"

The sound of that name slipping from her lips made my stomach turn. I yanked my hand free and stumbled into the bathroom to dry heave into the toilet.

It wasn't until I was completely spent that I managed to steady myself against the wall and stand up.

For a brief second, I felt sorry for the haggard man staring back at me in the mirror.

How had I managed to endure living with someone this filthy for so long?

I made up my mind right then and there—I would call a lawyer first thing in the morning and have the divorce papers drafted.

…

The next day at work, I heard Talia had hired a new executive assistant.

One of my colleagues leaned in and whispered, "That guy looks completely useless—doesn't even know how to use Excel."

"But Ms. Grant specifically asked for him. Weird, right?"

"You think she's into him or something?"

As they gossiped, Caelum's face flashed in my mind. I smiled and shook my head. "Who knows? Whatever the boss does isn't our business."

The next second, I heard Talia's voice behind me. "Tobias, come with me."

No one at the office knew I was Talia's husband. She insisted on hiding it to avoid workplace drama, so in front of everyone else, she treated me just like any other employee.

I followed her into her office.

Once the door shut, she came over and clung to my arm, speaking softly. "Tobias, can I talk to you about something?"

"What is it?"

"My college friend Caelum is looking for a job. I thought maybe he could try working here. What do you think?"

I gently pulled away and answered coolly. "Sure."

"I just happen to need a new assistant. Let him work under me for a while—I'll train him myself. You're not mad, right?"

I kept my tone even. "Why would I be mad? You're just helping out a friend."

Her gaze shifted away from mine as her fingers gripped my shoulder. "By the way… Waverly and I drank a bit too much last night. Did I cause you any trouble? You're not mad, are you?"

She was fishing, testing my reaction—and honestly, it disgusted me a little. 'You want to play the forbidden game, and you're concerned about how I think?' I mused.

Out loud, I said flatly, "I'm not mad."

"Liar. You moved into the guest room. You expect me to believe you're not mad?"

I snorted in amusement and said it plainly. "You got drunk and spent the whole night calling out someone else's name. How exactly was I supposed to sleep?"

Nothing Left To Hide

Talia's expression shifted instantly, her body tense. "Who did I call out for?"

"It was too muffled. I couldn't catch it."

Relief washed over her face as she relaxed again. She tried to come closer, reaching out to hug me. "If you didn't hear it clearly, how did you know it wasn't your name?"

A wave of disgust rose in my chest. I leaned away, unable to hold it in anymore. "I said that to spare you. Do you seriously not know who you were calling out for?"

A flicker of guilt crossed her face, but she quickly masked it, furrowing her brows and playing it cool.

Then, she started lashing out. "Tobias Stroud, why are you always so paranoid? When Leon was interning at the company, you were constantly suspicious of everything. Don't you have anything better to do? If you've got so much free time, maybe focus on improving yourself. Just because you're my husband doesn't mean you get to drift through your job at this company."

Her words were so absurd that I almost laughed. "Ms. Grant, have you already forgotten who stood by your side when things were at their worst? Who helped you build this company from the ground up?"

Perhaps the mention of our early days touched a nerve, as her expression instantly darkened.

"What's that supposed to mean, Tobias? You want credit? Are you trying to say all my success came from you?"

In all our years of marriage, I had never once demanded anything. I willingly stayed behind the scenes, letting her shine. And yet, in her eyes, everything I had done meant nothing.

It was a slap in the face.

I couldn't bear to listen anymore. I turned to leave, but she grabbed my arm forcefully. "I'm not done talking. What kind of attitude is that?"

I lost my balance and stumbled, crashing into the glass coffee table. My arm hit the edge hard, slicing open a gash that bled down to my wrist.

Talia's anger vanished instantly. "Tobias, are you okay?"

She was about to help me up, but just then, someone knocked on the door. She immediately pulled her hand back and retreated behind her desk like nothing had happened.

My chest hollow, I pushed myself off the floor and opened the door to find Caelum standing behind it.

He greeted me with a smirk, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Sorry. Am I interrupting something?"

I ignored him and walked off.

…

Back at my desk, a few coworkers leaned in to gossip.

"Did you see? The new guy's desk is right outside the boss' office. All she has to do is look up, and there he is."

"Damn, that's bold."

"Real bold."

I nodded absently, brushing off their comments. Pulling out my phone, I sent a text to my lawyer. 'Draft the divorce papers. Make it fast.'