Even in the bedroom, he insisted on multiple layers of protection. Three years of marriage, and we still hadn't been able to have a child.

I pushed the door open and walked in, my eyes fixed on the empty bowl in front of him.

"Was it good?"

The tenderness in Bruno's eyes dissolved into panic.

"Honey."

"Ellie couldn't finish all that rice, and I didn't want it to go to waste, so I helped her out. Don't overthink it."

"I thought you said you were working late tonight. Finished already?"

"There were some last-minute changes on the project, so we didn't need to push through after all."

"Mrs. Matthews, you've never worked a day in your life. Last-minute changes on projects happen all the time."

I turned to Ellie. "Did I ask you? Keep your mouth shut."

Ellie's face crumpled into a look of wounded innocence.

Bruno grabbed my hand. "Come on, honey. The girl was hungry, so I took her out for a bite. We're just work partners. Don't scare her."

Ellie tugged gently at Bruno's sleeve. "Mr. Matthews, I'm full. Could you drive me home? It's hard to get an Uber at this hour."

Bruno looked at me. "Honey, you're not upset, are you? How about I drop Ellie off first?"

"Go ahead."

Bruno left with Ellie without a backward glance.

I acted like nothing had happened and went on eating and shopping with my friend.

The next day, right before the end of business, I walked straight into the executive suite.

"Everyone, stop what you're doing. We're leaving early today. Dinner's on me!"

Nobody moved.

Not until Bruno said, "Go ahead, everyone. You're dismissed."

Only then did they set down their work and follow me to the restaurant.

It was a wonderful dinner.

Once the last person set down their chopsticks, I spoke up. "Everyone's finished, right?"

They all confirmed they were done.

I flagged down a waiter and asked for a large bowl, then placed it in front of Bruno.

I stood, went around the table, and scraped everyone's leftovers into that bowl. Half-eaten rice, gnawed bones, wilted greens, sauce-smeared scraps. The bowl filled up fast.

Bruno stared at me, confused.

I smiled at him. "Eat up. You hate wasting food, don't you? So go ahead and finish what your colleagues left behind."

The temperature in the private dining room dropped about twenty degrees.

Bruno's expression darkened. "Honey, I'm already full."

"You're not leaving this room until that bowl is empty."