I was tired of the act.
"Go ahead. I hope you succeed," I replied, my tone flat.
Before he left, he kissed my forehead gently.
"Valerie, be good and wait for me at home. When I come back, I have something to tell you."
But I was done with his words.
I smiled faintly, my eyes cold.
"Alright."
As soon as he left, my phone buzzed with a friend request on WhatsApp from an unknown contact.
After I accepted the request, my phone was bombarded with a flood of photos. Most of them showed Rocco and Avery in compromising positions, some taken on his office desk, others in the bathroom, and the most chilling ones in my own kitchen.
The last two images were the most telling: a pregnancy report and a wall of luxury handbags, including the one Rocco had bought for Avery at the mall that day.
Then, Avery sent a voice message.
"Valerie, did you see this wall of handbags? Every time I sleep with Rocco, he buys me a bag. Do you have any idea how much all these are worth? Has he ever bought you one?"
"You're just a barren hen, being used for free while I can give him a child. Do you have any idea how much he cares about me and the baby?"
"When I mentioned our little house, he risked his life collecting data in the wilderness just to get enough funding to buy me and the baby a villa."
"Honestly, being a woman like you… you might as well die. But anyway, I’ll stop here. Rocco's here with me now, keeping me company."
To add salt to the wound, she sent a secretly recorded video of Rocco entering and passionately kissing her.
I ignored her, glancing at the time instead.
Only three days left.
In the next two days, Rocco sent me a series of photos showcasing the mountain scenery.
"Valerie, it's breathtaking here. Let’s come together next time, okay?"
Meanwhile, Avery flooded my phone with more videos, each one more explicit than the last. They were of her and Rocco, caught in various compromising positions: by the tent, in the woods, near the river.
I kept my thoughts to myself, counting down the days in silence.
On the last day, I methodically destroyed everything that had once belonged to me, leaving nothing behind but my wedding ring.
The diamond glinted mockingly. Rocco had personally designed and polished it, and I had once believed it symbolized his love. Now, it felt like a reminder of a cruel lie.
The fire couldn’t touch it, so I carelessly discarded it, tossing it into the trash.