Victoria had bought thongs and bikinis as part of her influencer wardrobe. How was that any different from being naked? What the hell did she think she was doing?

I could be the most forward-thinking, open-minded husband in the world and still not approve of this. My incredibly irresistible wife in gear like that would give me a hard-on, and I was already used to seeing her naked. There was no way any hot-blooded straight man could look at her and not feel the same. We all knew that perverts already made up most of the audience.

I waited until Victoria returned from her walk, then threw all the outfits at her. "What the hell, Victoria? How the hell are you going to explain this?"

She picked the clothes up from the floor and scowled at me. "You touched my things without permission! And what do you mean, 'explain this'? I bought all of these to improve my popularity, Nolan. I'm doing my best to raise my influencer profile so I can make more money for us."

I had no problem with her earning money on her own, but I would not allow her to cross my line. The thought of my wife parading herself in front of a camera in that kind of outfit for an audience of horny bastards was too much. It felt humiliating. Insulting. I would never want money my wife earned by straddling the line between softcore porn and legitimate marketing.

"I don't care if it rakes in millions of dollars. I don't want you looking like that on camera. At this rate, I'll break your equipment and throw it out of my house," I retorted.

Victoria suddenly tugged on my arm. "Why are you mad about this, Nolan?"

She breathed into my ear. "Did you really think this was for the audience? No. Not at all. My clients sent these new samples, yes, but they were always meant for you."

She looked up at me with wide doe eyes and fluttering lashes. I felt my rage drain away as something else began to course through my veins.

"You've always complained that we've lost some passion, Nolan. Why else do you think I got these, you ungrateful boy?" she purred.

She picked up a thong and a bikini and sashayed toward our bedroom. She turned and winked. "Coming?"

My resolve faltered. I sprinted after her into the bedroom.

…

My beautiful Victoria lay against my chest while we caught our breaths.

She said softly, "I'm making so much money with this. At this rate, we could buy a new home by the end of the year… or even get you a better car. Isn't that exciting?

"I need your support on this, Nolan. I really do. Your approval and encouragement mean a lot to me. No woman wants to sell a little skin for men to ogle just for money. Believe me. I'm only doing it for you and our son.

"I know you feel bad about making me take a job like this. But I promise you, once we finally have enough to live comfortably, I'll quit for good. Sounds good?"

She craned her neck and kissed my cheek. "Be patient, my love. Soon, we'll live in a big house, and you'll be driving a really good car. I love you so much. I want to make it happen for you."

My wife had been with me for so long. She had always been devoted to me. This job was no different.

Tears welled in my eyes. "Okay, but we need to set some rules. You can't wear anything too revealing, all right? Like what you're wearing right now. These are for my eyes only."

She looked overjoyed. "Okey-dokey, honey. I always meant them to be just for you, after all."

And so her business continued.

A few days passed.

While I was taking my son to preschool, I ran into Bradley Combs, an old rival who had once tried to win Victoria's favor. After Vicky chose me, he began hurling insults as his petty form of revenge. He believed he could get away with it because his father was wealthy, while I was always struggling.

Bradley flashed a sly grin. "Oh, boy! Why, it's our Big Boy Nolan!"

I ignored him.

He trailed after me, still wearing that shit-eating grin. "Lemme guess. You've been too tired to satisfy Vicky's appetite lately, haven't you? Why let a flower like that wither if you can't even summon the energy, man? You should've told us. We could've all pitched in and helped you."

I turned and grabbed him by the collar. "What the fuck was that supposed to mean?"

Bradley squirmed. "Hey, hey! There's truth to what I said, man. Don't shoot the messenger. Your wife's been spreading the fun around to everyone. Don't you know that?"

I shoved him away and threw him to the ground.

He winced, then pushed himself to his feet, glaring at me. "I won't forget this, you bastard. You'll pay for this!"

I frowned as he stormed off. What did he mean? Was he trying to drive a wedge between Victoria and me? I would not put it past him. Envy could easily motivate something like that.

Still, he had never said anything like this before, despite years of picking on me. That alone made the comment feel suspicious. I trusted my wife, but Bradley's words left a sour knot in my stomach.

I had to ask her myself.

…

Victoria was still livestreaming when I returned home. From inside her makeshift studio, I could hear her speaking in a sweet, cutesy voice. I could not possibly barge in while she was live.

I went to our bedroom and signed up for a new account. Then I opened Victoria's channel.

To my surprise, she had already gathered at least 30,000 live viewers, even though she had started the job only a month ago. I had no idea so many people were eager to buy swimsuits.

Or were they?

Victoria wore a lacy swimsuit today. It was revealing, though still within what I could tolerate. I exited the stream and checked some of her older videos, which had nowhere near the same level of popularity.

I felt puzzled when I discovered she had sold only about 25 pieces of swimwear so far. Her commissions alone could not possibly bring in that much money. So where was it really coming from?

I returned to the livestream and watched the chat more closely.

[Smile for me, sugar!]

Victoria immediately turned to the camera and gave a seductive smile.

A pop-up flashed across the screen at once. That was it. She had earned money from a single smile.

[Anyone want to bet on her breast size? The losers have to send our swimsuit princess "The Premium Gift"!]

I understood now. Victoria was not selling to female customers. She had attracted a crowd of rich perverts instead. Worse, the openly flirtatious way she interacted with them made my anxiety grow stronger. Bradley's words echoed in my mind.

I forced myself to focus on the stream again and noticed that the viewer count had climbed past 100,000. How was that even possible? Did top influencers really pull in audiences like this on a regular basis?

One viewer in particular, "The Alpha Brat," kept spamming the so-called premium gifts. He repeatedly sent the highest-value tips. I had not seen him pause for even a minute.

I checked the tip rankings and saw that The Alpha Brat had already given Victoria 40,000 dollars in total. I could hardly believe it. Victoria had somehow earned that much money in a single livestream.

Yet I felt no joy for her. My anxiety only deepened.

I had heard how influencers on this platform often built hype to drive tips. Many audience members were actually part of their own team. Their job was to stir up excitement and push the crowd to spend more. In return, they received 50% of the money the influencer earned.

I suspected the Alpha Brat was a paid crowd worker as well. How else could anyone logically explain Victoria receiving such an absurd amount in tips from a single livestream?

Finally, the stream ended. I was about to knock on her door when I heard her chuckle, as though she were talking to someone. I crept closer and peered through the crack. She checked the door warily every few seconds while tidying her clothes.

I opened the door. I noticed that she was wearing that sexy gear from the other day underneath her dress.

Puzzled, I asked, "Who were you talking to? I heard you laugh."

A faint flicker of panic crossed Victoria's face before she chuckled. "Oh, I was talking to my cousin, Maddie. She was telling me about the dumb things Jack was doing again. It was hilarious. He didn't even bother to research what his job involved before flying out to take it. It almost cost him his life. Imagine dying in a foreign country.

"Maddie was furious, let me tell you. I could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. And who could blame her? But I know one thing. I won't allow you to take jobs abroad. Not ever."

I smiled politely. "Why not? It doesn't sound like a bad deal. If you choose the right country and job, you could make quite a lot of money. Honestly, I'd consider it if the pay were high enough."

Victoria's expression darkened at once. "Are you crazy, Nolan? What's wrong with the life we have right now? Martin needs his dad. I need my husband!"

To be honest, I had never considered working abroad. I said it only because she brought up the subject. It was nothing more than an idle thought. I had not expected such a strong reaction from her. Had something terrible really happened to her cousin's husband over there?

Victoria noticed my silence and softened her tone. She slipped her arm around my neck and smiled gently. "You don't have to put yourself under so much pressure, sweetie. I know you're doing all this for our family. But I can make that kind of money now. I can share your burden and stand beside you in this struggle for a better life.

"My job brings in plenty of money, so don't worry about going abroad. All you need to do is support me. I promise you, we'll still be rolling in money without you making such a dangerous sacrifice."

She planted several firm kisses on my forehead and headed to the kitchen, looking pleased with herself.

Her mention of her job reminded me of what I had seen on her livestream. My doubts returned at once. What was really going on?

To verify my suspicions, I told her I was going out to buy cigarettes. I left the house and called Jack.

That was when he told me he had not been working abroad at all. They were vacationing on a tropical island, and Maddie had dropped her phone into the sea. She had not had time to replace her number or device yet.

A chill settled in my stomach. Had Victoria just lied to me?

I could not forget what Bradley had said. My mind kept returning to the image of her wearing that kinky, revealing outfit beneath her dress. Panic grew inside me, but I could not storm in and accuse her based on a few pieces of circumstantial evidence.

I needed proof that Victoria was cheating. I could not behave as though the worst had already happened and start acting on assumptions. I needed real evidence.

…

By the time I returned with the cigarettes, Victoria had already finished making dinner.

It was just several beef patties. There were not even sesame buns to turn them into burgers.

"Sweetie, I'm not criticizing the meal, but is this all we have tonight? Martin is still a little too young to eat beef patties every day," I reminded her.