At our seventh wedding anniversary dinner, I noticed something strange. My best friend, Darren Blackburn, who had always been single, had suddenly changed his profile picture to a couple’s photo.

"So you’ve been hiding a girlfriend from me?" I joked with a grin. "When are you bringing her around? I should at least meet her and make sure she’s good enough for you."

He just smiled and shook his head, brushing it off. "Not yet," he said. "It’s not the right time."

Then Deanna Cunningham, my wife’s voice called out from the kitchen, "Babe, come help me tie my apron."

I hadn’t even pushed my chair back yet when Darren was already on his feet, jogging over. He stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and tied the apron strings for her.

I froze where I stood.

Seeing the look on my face, he quickly tried to explain, "I’m just used to helping out at home. My mom’s always bossing me around. It’s basically muscle memory. Don’t read into it."

I didn’t argue or make a scene. I kept my expression neutral and carried on with the dinner as if nothing had happened.

Only after all the guests had left did I turn to Deanna, who was clearing the table, and say calmly, "Let’s get a divorce."

She slammed the dishes down with a loud crash and glared at me. "Seriously? Over something like that? Just because he tied my apron once?"

"Corey Graham, in the seven years we’ve been married, I’ve never once made you do any housework. I’ve given you everything: my whole heart, my whole world has revolved around you.

"And now, just because of one careless move from your best friend, Darren Blackburn, you’re making a scene about divorce? Do you even have a conscience?!"

Deanna Cunningham’s eyes were red as she questioned me, as if I’d committed some unforgivable crime.

I didn’t respond to her directly. Instead, I shifted my gaze to the dining table to the lemon halibut, the one with only a few scraps left at the bottom.

"For seven years, every time we ate, you knew this was my favorite dish you made. You always placed it closest to me. But this time, you set it in front of Darren, who happens to like it too."

Deanna choked on her words for a second, then snapped, "What’s there to even talk about? No one was helping when I was serving the dishes. I was overwhelmed and didn’t think that much about it."

I shook my head, my voice hoarse. "It’s not just that dish. When everyone sat down, you pulled out a chair for Darren first.

"When his glass was empty, you opened a new drink for him, and it was orange soda, the flavor he likes but I don’t.

"Deanna, people don't act out of character. When you love someone, even subconsciously, you want to give them the best of everything.

"When you didn’t have time to think, your instinct was to treat another man well. That’s the real reason I want a divorce."

Her expression darkened. She looked at me like I was insane.

"Corey, are you sick? A few unconscious actions, and you spin them into all this nonsense? If you’re so good at this, why don’t you go become a detective?

"And what do you mean by 'another man'? That’s Darren! He’s been your best friend since childhood!

"If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have taken extra care of him at all. How does that turn into me having something going on with him? Do you have any sense at all?!"

She stormed into the study, grabbed a photo album, and threw it down in front of me.

Page after page, there were photos of Darren and me from childhood to now. In every single one of them, we were smiling like brothers.

The most eye-catching ones were from our wedding when Darren stood beside me as my best man. On the stage, he had tears in his eyes as he watched Deanna and me exchange rings, visibly moved.

In the next photo, Darren and I were locked in a tight embrace on stage.

I looked at those photos, and suddenly let out a delayed, mocking laugh. "When we exchanged rings, the direction of his toes was pointed toward you. He wasn’t moved by my marriage. He was crying for you.

"When he hugged me, he was smiling at someone outside the frame. From the angle of the photo, that was you.

"So seven years ago, he already had those feelings for you. No wonder he’s stayed single all this time.

"What about you? When did it start for you?"

Deanna took a step back, her face filled with disappointment and anger. "Corey, I thought you were just overthinking things for a moment. I didn’t expect you to spiral this far, twisting even the past into something it’s not!

"I must have spoiled you too much, let you become this unreasonable, this impossible to deal with!

"I’m giving you one day to reflect on your behavior. Tomorrow is my grandfather’s 80th birthday. If you have even a shred of respect for him, you won't bring this mess in front of him!"

She yanked off her apron and threw it aside, then slammed the door as she left.

I sat down heavily in my chair, staring at the table full of dirty dishes and half-finished glasses, a wave of exhaustion washing over me.

Deanna and I had met and fallen in love in college. I came from a well-off family, but I had never once looked down on her for being a financially struggling student living off loans. Whether it was her studies or her daily life, I supported her without hesitation. I even paid out of pocket to send her overseas for two years of graduate school at a top university.

Deanna was smart. She understood her own shortcomings, and she had always been good at taking care of my emotions. After we got married, she truly did look after me in every aspect of life, never letting me feel even the slightest bit wronged.

However, no matter how meticulous someone is, when emotions run high, cracks will show.

I took out my phone and realized that at some point, Deanna had turned off the location sharing that had once been linked between us.

Without telling anyone, I changed my clothes and headed straight to Darren’s bar, Blackline Club.

Because I was dressed so low-key, no one paid me any attention from the moment I walked in. I moved down the hallway without obstruction, all the way to the door of Room 999, the private suite Darren reserved specifically for entertaining friends.

Before I even pushed the door open, I heard Deanna’s voice from inside, complaining, "So you all just laugh while I’m getting bullied by that jealous Corey at home? Do you have any sympathy at all?"

The room was packed. At a glance, most of the people inside were the same friends who had just attended the dinner at my house tonight. They sat and stood casually, completely at ease with no one speaking up for me.

Amid their laughter, a chill spread through my entire body.

At the center of the room, Darren lounged in his seat, idly spinning a glass in his hand. He tilted his head, smiling as he looked at Deanna beside him.

"Who told you to be careless? You actually called me 'babe' at Corey ’s place! I didn’t even think. I just reacted and tied your apron.

"I thought he wouldn’t be that sensitive. Didn’t expect him to notice anyway."

He set the glass down and casually lit a cigarette, using the limited-edition antique lighter I had given him for his birthday last year.

He had just placed it between his lips when Deanna reached over and smoothly took it away. "You’re about to be a father. How can you still not take things seriously? I told you I can’t stand the smell of smoke during pregnancy."

Darren had always had a fiery temper. Growing up, he never listened to anyone. When his father tried to stop him from smoking, he had once grabbed a kitchen knife and stood off against him.

And yet now, in front of Deanna, he showed a gentle obedience I had never seen before.

"Alright, alright. I’ll listen to you. I won’t smoke. After all, you’re the mother of my child. Of course, I’ll do whatever you say."

He placed a hand over Deanna’s still-flat stomach and pulled her into his arms with a smile.

In that instant, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

Darren and Deanna weren’t just having an affair. They were having a child together.

"Come to think of it, Corey’s the one who’s out of his mind. Why insist on a child-free marriage for no reason?"

As the people around them mocked me, Darren, who had always taken my side no matter what since we were kids, let out a scornful laugh and actually chimed in, "He’s been spoiled. That’s why he doesn’t know how to think about anyone else."

Deanna held Darren’s hand as she smiled at him with unmistakable affection. "Darren, by giving me this child, you’re not just my savior, you’re a hero to my entire family. From now on, our lives will be even more tightly connected. We’ll never be apart."

Hearing her say that, tears slipped down my face. I almost couldn’t stay standing.

Back then, when my mother had given birth to me, there were complications. She hemorrhaged and died before she ever got the chance to hold me.

Because of that, I had always been afraid of childbirth. From the very beginning of our relationship, I told Deanna that I planned to remain child-free for the rest of my life. If she couldn’t accept that, we should end things right there.

At the time, Deanna had held me tightly, whispering into my ear with emotion, "Being able to meet you in this life is already enough for me. Having children or not doesn’t matter. My love for you won’t lessen by even a fraction."

I had been deeply moved. I thought I had found a woman who loved me beyond instinct, beyond biology—a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love.

Only now, seeing the way Deanna looked at Darren, did I realize just how wrong I had been.

Someone in the room asked, "So what, are you two planning to keep this from Corey forever? Now that there’s a baby, why not just tell him the truth? Get the divorce over with, and then you can be together openly."

Everyone turned to look at the two of them.

Deanna shook her head immediately. "That’s not possible. Darren and Corey have been best friends for over twenty years. I couldn’t bear to let him lose his closest friend because of me.

"And besides, my career is deeply tied to the Grahams. There’s no way I can completely fall out with Corey.

"So from the very beginning, Darren and I agreed that no matter what, we could never let Corey find out about our relationship. Divorce was never an option."

So she knew it too. She knew that everything she had now, including her wealth and status, came from my support and investment. The only reason she stayed with me was for the benefits.

A wave of sighs rippled through the room. Someone looked at Darren with sympathy. "Darren, you’re such a proud person. Are you really okay with you and your child staying in the shadows forever?"

Darren let out a low laugh. He tilted Deanna’s face toward him and pressed a lingering kiss to her lips.

"Marriage is just a piece of paper. I don’t care about that.

"Sneaking around right under Corey’s nose for a lifetime? Just thinking about it is exciting."

If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I would never have believed those words could come from the best friend I had known for over twenty years.

The room was filled with laughter, and I felt like I had fallen straight into hell. Overnight, I had gone from the happiest man in the world to a complete joke, betrayed by both love and friendship.

What was even more pathetic was that I was the last one in our entire circle to find out.

The friends I thought were closest to me had all been helping them cover it up. They watched as I was played for a fool, and not a single one of them warned me.

With tears streaming down my face, I walked out of Blackline Club and dialed the legal department.

"Prepare the divorce papers. I want Deanna to leave with nothing. And there’s something else I need you to do for me…"