There it was—the unmistakable scent of another woman’s perfume, clinging to the fabric like an unwelcome guest. My heart sank, its weight pressing down harder than ever. Though I already knew he was seeing someone else, the sharp pang of betrayal still caught me off guard, as if it were the first time.
I stood frozen in the doorway, the jacket dangling limply in my hands. My chest felt tight, the air heavy around me.
“What are you doing, Honey? Come over here and give a taste of this cake,” Nathan’s voice broke through my daze, calling from the dining room.
Hearing his voice, I quickly set the coat aside and walked over.
Nathan eagerly waited for me. When I arrived, he cut a generous slice of cake and placed it in front of me, “Here, try it. See if I am good at baking.”
I nodded without betraying any emotion and took a bite. The sweetness of the cake spread across my tongue, but it tasted bland to me. Using sign language, I told him, “It’s delicious. You’ve work hard for this. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Nathan grinned, clearly pleased with himself. “But honey, you don’t have to thank me for small things like this ever again. We’re married. You don’t need to be so formal with me.”
Just as he finished speaking, his phone, which lay on the table, started ringing. Nathan glanced at me briefly before lowering his gaze to the phone screen. I immediately looked down, pretending not to notice.
After observing him for so long, I knew that he set a specific ringtone for her—the other woman. Nathan picked up the phone and a growing smile lit up his face.
A mix of emotions washed over me as I sat quietly across from him.
Pulling out my phone, I opened Twitter. There, I saw her latest post. The first photo showed her, eyes closed, making a wish in front of a cake. In the second photo, she smiled brightly, alluringly, holding baking tools. Her intense gaze was clearly directed at the man who wasn’t in the photo. He, too, held a tool in his hand, though only one hand was visible.
The caption read: “Happy birthday to me and may the one who’s with me always be happy too.”
The comments section was buzzing with guesses about the identity of the person celebrating with her. But I knew right away who the hand in the photo belonged to. It was Nathan’s.