He held a massive bouquet of red roses. After shutting the door, he pressed close to me.

“Alright, don’t be mad. Today’s our fifth wedding anniversary!”

“Look, 999 red roses—I’ve been planning this for a while!”

Looking at the fiery bouquet, my anger eased a little.

After all, he’d never given me gifts before.

This time, I had hinted at it for weeks—it meant he finally took my words to heart.

Seeing me soften a bit, Jason added:

“But seriously, you should apologize to Emily sometime. We’ve known each other since childhood. It’d be bad to fall out completely.”

“Anyway, think about it. I’m tired, going to shower first.”

He headed to the bathroom.

A moment later, his phone rang on the couch. I picked it up—it was Emily.

Against my better judgment, I opened their chat history.

Emily: “Did your nagging wife calm down? Next time we eat, don’t bring her. Total buzzkill!”

Scrolling up, I found Jason asking: “What do you want for your birthday tomorrow?”

Emily: “Surprise me. I’ll love whatever you get.”

Jason had sent two pictures—one of a million-dollar necklace, the other of 999 roses.

Jason: “Do you like these?”

Emily: “Forget the roses, too cliché. I need a new perfume!”

Jason: “Fine, I’ll buy you perfume. I’ll give the roses to Rachel—she’s been hinting at an anniversary gift nonstop. She’s annoying, so this should shut her up.”

I stared at the bright red roses on the table.

But my heart grew colder and colder.

So, what he gave me was just what Emily didn’t want. And I had treated it like a treasure.

Just then, Emily sent another message:

“I’ve got some friends celebrating my birthday. Wanna come? Same old place. Don’t bring your nagging wife—she ruins everything. If you do, I’ll flip out!”

The sound of running water in the bathroom stopped.

I hurriedly took screenshots of the chat, marked the messages unread, and set his phone back down.

Jason came out, a white towel wrapped around his waist, hair dripping wet.

His firm chest and defined abs made it hard to deny—Jason kept himself in great shape.

He sat down, buried his head against my neck, nuzzling me like a puppy.

“Babe, tonight I’ll take good care of you.”

On another day, I might have given in.

But tonight, I could only sneer inside.

The next second, his phone chimed.

He picked it up—Emily again.

“My good boy, are you coming or not? At least reply!”

Jason glanced at me nervously, then quickly tucked his phone away.