On the other end of the phone, Alice’s tone suddenly turned cold. "Are you serious? Are you really going through with this? I am your only family now and you want to divorce me?"
Her words struck me like a dagger. Six months ago, my parents had gone on a trip. Their bus was caught in a landslide on a mountain road. By the time rescuers arrived, it was too late—they were gone.
Alice knew this was the most painful memory of my life, yet she still used it against me. I was speechless.
After a moment, her voice softened. "I'm sorry, I got a little emotional. Tomorrow is the weekend—why don’t we go to the resort? I’ll take you to a hot spring."
I had suggested going to the resort multiple times before, hoping it could help bridge the growing gap between us. Every time, she refused, claiming she was too busy with work.
And now, suddenly, she was willing to go? Too late.
"No need," I rejected her outright.
She was silent for a moment, then spoke again, this time with a coaxing tone. "Last night, Mike and I were really just working. Adam, we've been childhood friends for over twenty years. Don't you believe me?"
How was I supposed to believe her? The affair between her and Mike didn’t start last night—it had begun months ago.
I still remember the night I first got a hint of their relationship. Alice was in the shower when her phone, which she had left on the couch, suddenly rang. It was a video call from someone labeled as "Brother."
Thinking it was one of her cousins, I instinctively answered. To my shock, the screen revealed a shirtless Mike. The moment he saw me, he froze, his expression stiffening before he quickly ended the call. I sat there, feeling a mix of confusion and unease. When Alice came out of the bathroom, I told her about the call.
Her reaction was explosive. "Adam, who gave you the right to touch my phone? Do you have any manners?"
I was taken aback but quickly apologized. Only then did she bother to explain. "Mike rents a shared apartment. There's no air conditioning, so he wasn’t wearing a shirt. He was calling me for work."
I had naively believed her. I thought it was just a minor misunderstanding. I didn’t realize it was just the beginning.