On Valentine's Day, I wait for my wife, Nancy Curtis, to get off work after preparing a candlelit dinner for our date.

But she only texts me at 9:00 pm.

"I have something going on at the company. There's no need to wait for me."

Soon, I see a Facebook post made by Nancy's secretary, Derek Jones.

"I'm on a business trip with my female boss on Valentine's Day. The thing is, the hotel's fully booked. Oops, this is getting awkward…"

The photo in the post features a feminine silhouette standing in front of a floor-to-ceiling window while draped in a bathrobe.

Everyone in the comment section compliments Derek for being lucky, seeing as the boss of his has a smoking hot figure and is extremely charming.

Derek merely replies with a cheeky emoji.

So, it turns out that Nancy's "business" is having fun with her own secretary, eh?

I take a screenshot of Derek's post before uploading it to my own social media feed. I even include a smiley as a caption.

Immediately, Nancy calls me on the phone and starts berating me.

"Derek was just cracking a joke! Why are you being so petty, huh? And here I thought you were mature!"

I end the call immediately before texting her, "Let's get a divorce."

My wife, Nancy Curtis, came home at two in the morning. The moment she pushed the door open and walked in, we locked eyes. Neither of us broke the silence.

Nancy's eyes flitted to the candlelit dinner on the dining table, but instead of feeling guilty, she lashed out at me.

"So what if I got back a little late? What was that post supposed to mean? All that passive-aggressive stuff is really irritating!"

Seeing that I didn't say anything, she threw a tie at me.

"Derek specifically bought this for you. Do you see how thoughtful he is? He said if you still won't accept his apology, he'll delete his Facebook account."

I looked at the stains on the tie and smiled. It was an old tie—maybe one he'd already used.

Derek Jones really knew how to get under my skin.

When Nancy saw me smile, she assumed I wasn't mad anymore. She picked up my phone from the table and handed it to me, saying, "Derek is so thoughtful. Aren't you going to thank him?"

I ignored her and kept watching TV.

"Tyler Lind, are you deaf?" Nancy yelled. She grabbed me and yanked me up, causing me to lose my balance and fall to the floor.

As luck would have it, my back slammed into the corner of the table as I fell.

It hurt so much!

My back injury was a result of a fire seven years ago, when I was hit by a collapsing beam while trying to get Nancy out.

I clutched my side and doubled over, trembling from the pain.

Nancy looked at me with guilt flickering across her face. "I'll go get the ointment," she said.

I looked up at her departing figure. I wanted to call out and stop her, but I held back.

The medical report in the drawer had been sitting there for three days. When the test results came back, the doctor specifically told me it was early-stage stomach cancer and that I had a high chance of recovery.

He also said I needed to stay in a good mood, be careful with my diet and medication, and take good care of myself.

Next to the medical report were two plane tickets for a seven-day trip to Isvalia. I initially planned to tell her on Valentine's Day, so I could relax with her before the surgery.

Now, that was no longer needed.

Nancy rushed back with the first-aid kit and rifled through it a few times before stopping. "Where's the ointment? Did you…"

She cut herself off halfway through. I caught the fleeting expression on her face—guilt mixed with a hint of unease.

Just then, I remembered something Derek replied to someone on Facebook.

"She's very gentle. When I accidentally burned myself while cooking, she immediately put some ointment on it for me."

If it weren't for what just happened, I would've asked Nancy straight up whether she'd given Derek the ointment that was brought back from overseas for me. But this time, I didn't call her out.

I smiled helplessly and said, "Nancy, stop looking. I'll go out and buy some."

Nancy looked at me seriously. "How can you go out like this? Just stay home. I'll go—"

Before she could finish speaking, her phone rang. She looked down at it and immediately picked it up. "Derek, what's up?"

Derek's whiny voice came through from the other end. "Ms. Curtis, I went to a bar because I was feeling down. Some guys started trouble and I ended up getting hurt. Could you take me to the hospital?"

Nancy threw the first-aid kit onto the couch and jumped up. "Wait for me, Derek! I'll be right there."

"Thanks, Ms. Curtis, but maybe you shouldn't come. Tyler would get upset if he knew. I'll figure something out myself!" Derek said pitifully.

"What right does he have to be upset?"

As Nancy said that, she cast a cold glance at me as I lay curled up on the floor.

After hanging up, Nancy hurried out the door.

"Nancy, wait!" I quickly called out to her.

"Tyler, can you stop being so unreasonable?"

"How are you going to help anyone without your phone and wallet?"

I pointed at the couch, where her stuff was lying next to the first-aid kit.

Nancy looked at the first-aid kit beside them and paused for a moment. "I'll go help Derek first. I'll take you to the hospital when I get back."

After she said that, she left in a hurry.

Dawn came, and Nancy still hadn't come back.

The pain was getting worse, and I couldn't take it anymore, so I called an ambulance.

While I was waiting for the ambulance to arrive, I scrolled through Facebook for a bit. I happened to see a new post from Derek.

The gist of his post was that he'd bravely stepped in at the bar to protect a girl who was being harassed by some thugs. He got hurt in the process, but Nancy arrived just in time and took him to the hospital. He also said he was really touched that she came so late at night.

Beneath the post was a photo of Nancy, tears glistening in her eyes as she applied ointment to Derek's wound. The caption read, "Love can overcome any hardship and face any challenge."

One person commented, "A woman that beautiful is standing right in front of you, yet you can hold back? Dude, are you sure you're straight?"

Another commenter chimed in. "Yeah! If someone like her was willing to come keep me company in the middle of the night, it wouldn't end with just her putting ointment on me."

Derek replied with a smug emoji and said, "What's the rush? She'll be mine sooner or later!"

…

When the ambulance arrived, the medical staff lifted me onto a stretcher.

While I was getting an IV in the emergency room, I messaged my close friend, Jayden York.

"Jayden, I want a divorce."

After I came back from the hospital, I rested at home for a few days. I thought things would be calm for a while, but then my phone started ringing nonstop, jolting me awake.

I picked up the phone weakly.

Nancy's voice on the other end was cold as she said, "I'm coming to pick you up for dinner."

Before I could even answer, she hung up.

I figured I should try to get along peacefully with her until the divorce, so I changed clothes and went out.

When Nancy saw me come out looking so haggard, she suddenly remembered she had forgotten to buy me the ointment.

"We'll be passing by the hospital on the way to the restaurant anyway. I'll take you there first," she said.

"It's okay. It's already been days. The pain stopped a long time ago."

Nancy let out a long sigh of relief. "That's what I figured. It's been seven years, after all—if it still hurts, it's probably just in your head."

I chuckled bitterly. "Yeah. It's been seven years."

At the time, I used all my strength to push Nancy out, and I ended up trapped under a falling beam in the raging fire. As a result, three ribs were broken, and my tailbone was fractured. Even after all these years, the slightest bump could cause me unbearable pain.

I was afraid Nancy would feel guilty if she knew, so I never told her that the accident left me with lasting damage—not the "paranoia" she thought I had.

Still, we'd been together for seven years. If she truly loved and cared for me, how could she not have noticed my pain?

As Nancy drove, she told me all about what happened that night.

"I took Derek to the hospital. His cuts were pretty bad, and I was worried he might be in pain during the night, so I stayed with him a while longer. Don't overthink it."

I looked coldly out of the car window. "I didn't overthink anything. He's your secretary, so it makes sense that you'd spend a few extra days with him."

Nancy seemed unhappy with my answer. She slammed on the brakes, making my earbuds fall under the seat. When I bent down to get them, I found a pair of men's swim trunks hidden under the seat.

If this had happened two weeks ago, I'd have lost it and started screaming at her with these swim trunks in hand.

But now, I just smiled. I picked them up and put them in the back seat.

Nancy looked uneasy as she rambled, "Oh, those? It's probably when Derek finished his swim lesson and accidentally left them in the car."

I nodded and kept looking out the window.

…

At the restaurant, a couple at the next table kept staring at Nancy and me. Seeing that I had noticed their stares, the woman came over.

"Are you that CEO from Derek Jones' Facebook? You're so pretty in person!" she said to Nancy.

Nancy looked up at her. "Can I help you?"

The woman sounded a little gossipy as she asked, "So… are you and Derek dating?"

Nancy glanced over at me, focused on my meal. She smiled at the woman and replied, "Yes. Derek and I are dating."

I smiled at the woman as well. Right then, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.

The woman looked at me, confused. "Then who is he?"

Without hesitation, Nancy responded, "A security guard."

Before the woman left, she said wistfully to Nancy, "I'll always support you two. You have to get married!"

After Nancy watched them leave, she turned to me and served me some ice cream.

"Honey, don't take it personally. Derek's Facebook web series about the CEO falling for him is really popular right now. It's good publicity for the company. You have no idea how happy Derek is. If I undermined him behind the scenes, he'd be upset."

I had no interest in her explanation, so I merely said, "I don't mind. You don't need to explain."

The sharp pain in my stomach was getting worse. I held my stomach in pain as my face turned pale.

On the way home, Nancy got another call from Derek. "Ms. Curtis, can you come pick me up at the pool? I forgot my change of clothes, and I can't get a taxi either. Please, pretty please!"

Nancy, unable to resist Derek's plea, smiled fondly. "Okay, okay. I'll be right there."

After she hung up, she held my hand and kissed it. "Honey, let's go pick up Derek together. That way, you won't overthink things."

"You can't, Nancy. My stomach hurts really badly. Take me to the hospital. Now!" I yelped.

When Nancy heard this, her expression immediately darkened. "Tyler, can you stop being so dramatic? I only wanted to take you along because I was worried you'd get the wrong idea. I didn't think you'd play the victim card on me!"

"I'm not trying to pull a stunt. Take me to the hospital. I'm not joking. I'm in real pain!"

Nancy sneered. "Stop pretending. You're not convincing at all."

I felt like I was about to collapse, and my vision kept going dark.

"I have stomach cancer. My stomach hurts right now. We have to go to the hospital!" I blurted out.

Nancy didn't believe me. She stared at me, furious. "I usually put up with your little performances, but now you dare to use stomach cancer to deceive me?

"We've been married four years, and you've been fine all this time. How could you suddenly have cancer?

"Now that I'm going to pick up Derek, suddenly you're in pain?"

Nancy got angrier as she spoke. She suddenly slammed on the brakes hard.

"Get out! Out! Weren't you in such a hurry to get to the hospital? Then get the hell out! You're wasting my time! I need to go get Derek!"

"Fine. I'll get out."

Just as I was about to open the door and get out, she grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "I really shouldn't treat you so well! You're becoming more spoiled!"

I couldn't help but say, "Let's get a divorce, Nancy."

She seemed shocked by what I said. "Divorce?"

I nodded. "Jayden already helped me prepare the divorce papers."

Nancy let go of me, staring in disbelief. "Tyler, you really want a divorce? You'd better think hard. No one else but me would want a petty, narrow-minded man like you."

"I've thought about it. Goodbye."

After saying that, I got out of the car.

When Nancy saw me leaving, she floored the gas pedal. The sudden acceleration flung me from the car.

Amid the screams of bystanders, I collapsed into a pool of blood, while Nancy drove away without looking back.

The blood slowly spread beneath me, resembling bright, alluring spider lilies blooming around me one by one.