Grandma lay bedridden, her dementia taking hold as she repeated Scarlett Hayes's name over and over.

Tears streamed down my face as I dialed my wife's number.

When she picked up, Scarlett sounded irritated. She said she was working late tonight and would call me back when she was free.

I could clearly hear the sound of a man's laughter in the background. The moment I hung up, Grandma gasped sharply.

She called out my wife's name. It was her last breath.

While I sat drowning in grief, Scarlett's male best friend Chase Morrison posted a video update, geotagged at a couples' hotel.

In the video, their fingers were laced together. The woman's arm bore a distinctive black mole I recognized instantly.

The caption read: "When two hearts become one, why care what anyone else thinks?"

In that moment, my heart turned to ash. I gritted my teeth and left a comment.

"Let's file for divorce tomorrow. Then you two can be together openly and legally. You'll even save on the hotel fees. Win-win, right?"

I handled Grandma's funeral arrangements alone, then came home and sat in the living room all night.

That night, I thought everything through.

It was not until the following evening that Scarlett came through the door. She froze for a moment when she saw me in the living room.

"Ron, why aren't you sleeping? Why are you sitting out here?"

My face remained calm, my tone stiff. "Couldn't sleep."

"Don't tell me you can't sleep without me here."

Scarlett sat down beside me, her long, pale legs crossing over and pressing against mine. I noticed the black stockings from yesterday were gone.

She rested her head on my shoulder. "You're a grown man and you can't sleep when your wife's not around? How embarrassing would that sound if anyone found out?"

The moment she opened her mouth, the stench of alcohol mixed with cigarette smoke hit me. It was nauseating.

I frowned and stood up, moving to the other couch.

Scarlett looked taken aback. "Honey, what's wrong with you?"

I let out a cold laugh. "You were gone all day and night. Where were you?"

"Entertaining a client. You know how it is. This client is from out of town and I was exhausted from just rushing over there.

"The black stockings I wore yesterday were of such cheap quality that they tore. You should buy me better ones next time."

Scarlett pulled two gifts from her bag, apparently trying to prove she was not lying.

"These are gifts I got for you and Grandma while I was out of town. I rushed back to the office during the day. You have no idea how busy I've been."

Her meaning was clear. Despite being so busy, she still remembered me and Grandma.

Two gifts. One was a men's watch in a style I recognized immediately. Chase had posted on social media before about wanting one.

The gift meant for Grandma was an ivory pendant.

In all our years of marriage, she had never bought Grandma a single gift. This time felt like it had been prepared in advance.

I glanced at them both, then tossed them directly into the trash.

Scarlett shot to her feet and stamped her foot in anger. "Honey, what's the meaning of this?"

I stared directly into her eyes. "That's Chase Morrison's favorite watch. What happened? He didn't want it?"

"Don't you dare accuse me of anything! This was meant for you."

"We've been married seven years. When have I ever worn a watch?"

My expression turned mocking, my gaze ice cold. "Just tell me the truth. Where were you entertaining clients last night?"

Her expression turned guilty and she started stumbling over her words. "At a restaurant, of course."

"A restaurant or a hotel? You reek of alcohol and are covered in the scent of Chase's cigarettes. Do you think I don’t have a nose?

"And those stockings weren't really torn, were they?"

I rose abruptly, my tone heavy. "Scarlett, let's file for divorce tomorrow morning."

My words struck like a thunderbolt and terrified Scarlett. "Ron, have you lost your mind? You want to divorce me?"

My expression remained blank. "Since you've already given your heart to someone else, divorce would be good for you. You and Chase make a lovely couple. I wish you both all the happiness in the world."

"Ron, how many times do I have to say this? Chase and I are just close friends. Why are you reading so much into this?"

Scarlett seemed to grow bolder and her voice rose considerably.

"Fine, I admit I lied to you. Yesterday wasn't a business thing.

"Chase got promoted and I was just celebrating with him. Having dinner with a close friend is perfectly normal, isn't it?"

"Then where did this necklace come from?"

"Chase gave me this necklace. We're close friends. Can't he give me a gift?"

"Right. Sleeping with your 'friend' makes you more like his mistress than his buddy."

Scarlett froze, her eyes filled with panic. "What are you saying? I didn't do anything."

Watching her expression, I understood immediately. Chase must have blocked Scarlett from seeing the video he posted last night.

He was deliberately showing off to me.

"Whether you did or didn't doesn't matter anymore."

I turned and went back to my room, slamming the door hard and leaving Scarlett standing alone in the living room.

…

It was a clear night after the rain when Scarlett and I first met. On my way home from work, I passed by a dark alley behind a bar and heard a woman's faint cries for help.

Driven by a sense of justice, I charged straight in. Scarlett was being pinned to the ground at the time, kicking with her bare legs and struggling desperately.

Several punks told me to mind my own business, but I was young and still had a fiery sense of righteousness. I grabbed a brick and rushed at them.

The thugs got what they deserved, but I ended up covered in injuries. An artery in my leg was severed and the bleeding would not stop.

If the ambulance had not arrived in time, I probably would have lost my life that day.

During my recovery, Scarlett came to take care of me whenever she could. As time passed, feelings developed between us.

However, the moment we announced our relationship, Scarlett's mother vehemently opposed it.

That was when I learned that Scarlett was actually the heir to the Hayes Corporation, worth billions. I was just an ordinary office worker. We were not from the same world.

I felt inferior at the time, thinking I was not good enough for Scarlett, but somehow Grandma had a connection with the Hayes family.

Under the combined pressure from Grandma and Scarlett, her mother eventually agreed.

After marriage, I became a live-in son-in-law. Even the Hayes family household staff looked down on me.

Despite the humiliation, I treated Scarlett like a treasure, handling her as if she were made of glass.

As a corporate heiress, Scarlett had plenty of faults. She was demanding, willful, had a serious case of princess syndrome, and needed to control everything around her.

I tolerated everything and obeyed her every word, taking care of her with meticulous attention.

My friends laughed at me, saying even lapdogs were not as servile as I was. Was I even a man?

I did not care. I genuinely wanted to do these things. I wanted to spoil her, love her, care for her, and live happily ever after with her.

All of that was shattered when Chase returned from studying abroad. The two had an extraordinary relationship and were inseparable during their school days.

Although he presented himself as her male best friend, I noticed that their relationship went far beyond friendship.

From what I understood, the two had always stayed in contact and never lost touch. Chase had voluntarily returned to the country, and Scarlett was giddy with excitement that day.

She brought me along to pick him up from the airport. I had never seen her so excited.

The moment they met, they embraced tightly while I felt like a third wheel. However, at the time, I did not think anything of it. I thought it was normal for close friends, especially 'best friends,' to act that way.

When Scarlett introduced me, Chase looked at me strangely, though he politely greeted me out of courtesy.

Thinking back now, his heart must have been full of jealousy and hostility.

The first thing Chase did after returning to the country was join Hayes Corporation. With his connections with Scarlett, he smoothly became a mid-level manager.

I, on the other hand, had started as the lowest-ranking employee. Aside from a few top executives, no one knew I was the CEO's husband.

From that point on, Scarlett and Chase were practically inseparable. They commuted together and he would often drop by our house.

To help maintain Scarlett's image, Grandma became the household cook. Her cooking completely won over Scarlett's taste buds. Whenever she did not have work dinners, she would come home to eat Grandma's meals.

The day before yesterday, Scarlett had a craving for clam chowder.

When Grandma heard about it, she braved the rain to go to the market for fresh ingredients. On the way, she slipped and fell, hitting her head.

Grandma seemed fine at the time and did not want to trouble Scarlett. I was away on a business trip when I got the call, so I immediately phoned Scarlett and asked her to take Grandma to the hospital for a checkup.

Scarlett refused, saying she had an important client meeting with Chase at the time and did not have time to deal with it.

Left with no choice, I called an ambulance myself and asked a neighbor for help getting Grandma to the hospital.

It was because of that delay that after several hours in the operating room, Grandma ultimately did not make it.

Her only thought before closing her eyes was seeing Scarlett one more time to tell her the chowder was ready.

Afterward, I discovered that the hotel Chase and Scarlett had checked into was right next to our house, less than 300 feet away.

If Scarlett had spared even a moment of her time, Grandma might have survived.

I turned off the lights and pulled the covers over me, forcing down my emotions as I tried to fall asleep when Scarlett came in.

She had taken a shower and put on lingerie before habitually lying down beside me. "Still mad at me?"

I curled up on one side, saying nothing. Scarlett reached over, wrapped her arms around me, and gently kissed my back.

"Honey, I admit I was wrong. I shouldn't have lied to you.

"But Chase and I really do have a pure friendship. That necklace doesn't mean anything. Stop overthinking it.

"You're not a child anymore. Why are you throwing a tantrum? Did you really mean what you said about divorce?

"If Grandma found out, she would be so upset."

I spoke coldly. "Don't bring up Grandma. You have no right to."

Scarlett sat up and turned on the light, her temper flaring. "Ron, don't push your luck. Haven't I apologized enough already?

"Grandma treats me like her own granddaughter. Why can't I mention her?

"You don't believe me? I'll call Grandma right now and have her come over to settle this."

"Go ahead." With that, I got up from the bed and left the bedroom for the study.

Scarlett froze for a moment, then slammed the door shut.

The next morning, I came downstairs to see Chase sitting in his Mercedes, smoking a cigarette with a bouquet of flowers on the passenger seat.

When he saw me, he stubbed out his cigarette and waved. "Morning, Ron. Where's Scarlett?"

I let out a cold laugh. "She's upstairs. Go find her yourself."

Just then, Scarlett came down in high heels. She had changed into a new pair of black stockings and put on smoky eye makeup that gave her an icy, seductive look.

Desire flashed in Chase's eyes as he immediately got out of the car to greet her.

"Scarlett, you look absolutely stunning today. Even these flowers pale in comparison to you.

"I ordered these first thing this morning. Happy Valentine's Day."

Scarlett could not resist such sweet talk. She glanced at me casually, accepted the flowers, and thanked him.

I smiled, though my eyes were ice cold.

Chase continued maintaining his image. "Ron, don't read too much into this. Scarlett and I made a little pact back in the day about flowers on Valentine's Day.

"I was studying abroad before and didn't have time, so now that I'm back I want to make up for it."

Scarlett glanced at me and climbed into the passenger seat with an air of superiority. "Let's go. There’s no point explaining too much to this blockhead."

Chase pretended to be surprised. "What happened? Did you two have a fight?"

"As if he would dare. He just brought up divorce with me." Scarlett still had that spoiled heiress attitude. "Just because you gave me a necklace."

Chase wanted to laugh but held it back. He looked at me with undisguised contempt.

"Oh come on, Ron. I thought it was something serious. That necklace was actually meant for my mom."