The Secret My Wife Hid in the Safe

It's our tenth wedding anniversary, but my wife made an excuse about work and stood me up.

Then Milan Walsh, the man she promoted herself, posted a photo on social media celebrating ten years since receiving his marriage certificate.

I was about to comment my congratulations, but I noticed something unsettling on the edge of the photo—his wrist bore a distinctive, familiar scar.

It was the same scar my wife had from when she spitefully tattooed her ex's name on herself, only to have it removed after we reconciled.

Since then, she never mentioned her ex again, and I took it as a symbol of our new beginning.

But now, in the safe she never let me touch, I found her marriage certificate with Milan, a glaring red backdrop of their wedding photo, and even a printed divorce agreement.

My hands trembled as I dialed her number, only to be immediately hung up on.

So, what do these ten years mean to her?

Was I just unlucky?

——

Tucked inside their marriage certificate was a slip of paper that read: [Agnes Gill and Milan Walsh, forever.]

Agnes, Milan...

It turns out that Milan is the ex who left Agnes to go abroad. They were even using matching couple names, and they've been secretly entangled right under my nose for a whole decade!

The tattoo that haunted me was for him all along. The wife I've been married to for ten years has been pining for the man who's been with us all this time.

A headache, long dormant, suddenly engulfed me.

I squatted on the floor, gasping for air, my fingers digging into my scalp.

It wasn't until the door was kicked open with a bang that my senses started to return.

Forcing myself to look up, I saw Agnes, with a concerned expression, helping a drunk Milan into the hallway.

Agnes shot me an annoyed glance. "River? Why are you squatting there? Help me out."

Glancing sideways at Milan, I saw him give me a mocking look before collapsing onto Agnes.

He arrogantly lifted her hands above her head and then planted a kiss on her.

"Honey, you smell so good. I want to go to bed. Can we go to the bedroom?"

Agnes was visibly shocked but didn't push him away. When her gaze fell on my motionless figure, her brow furrowed. "He's drunk, stop getting jealous for no reason. Go make some hangover soup, and I'll take him to the guest room.

"He just had surgery recently and still showed up to the party for me. Meanwhile, you're here acting small and petty. Are you even a man?"

Clutching the marriage certificate tightly in my hand, I threw it in Agnes' face with a cold expression. "Did he really go to that party for work, or did you two celebrate your tenth anniversary together?"

Her pupils shrank immediately, and her voice became slightly unnatural. "Who gave you the right to touch my stuff!?"

I snorted. "Shouldn't you explain what this is first?"

Agnes' eyes grew icy. "What kind of attitude is that? I'm not a criminal! Don't use your dirty lawyer tricks on me!"

Knowing Agnes as well as I did, I recognized this attempt to change the subject as proof of her guilt.

My expression remained unchanged, but my heart grew colder.

Silence filled the air for a long time.

Finally, Agnes spoke, reluctantly, "It's a fake marriage certificate I made just to calm him down. You knew how unstable Milan was when he first returned. He loved me so much he even threatened to commit suicide multiple times. I didn't want anyone to die."

I might have believed her if her eyes hadn't been darting around nervously.

Unfortunately for her, lying wasn't one of her strong suits.

She tried to wrap her arms around me to soften the blow, but I stepped back, avoiding her touch.

I shot her a cold, sarcastic look. "Do you really think I'm an idiot?"

Agnes looked at me pitifully, "You don't believe me?"

Milan, still pretending to be drunk, suddenly swung his fist at me. "Don't you dare be mean to my wife!"

I had no patience for his act. I kicked him aside, sending him flying. Agnes immediately rushed to his side, concern written all over her face, before turning to shout at me.

"Are you crazy!?"

Milan, a grown man, threw himself into Agnes' arms and started crying.

"Am I going to lose you again? It was my fault for leaving without a word twelve years ago, but I've never stopped loving you. When I heard you got married, I rushed back. I can't lose you. Please don't leave me."

His nonsensical rambling left Agnes flustered, and she could only keep patting his back to calm him down.

I watched the scene in front of me, my eyes filled with nothing but sarcasm.

This is the wife I've been married to for ten years, the woman I've loved for over a decade.

Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming sense of meaninglessness. Exhausted, I muttered, "Let's get a divorce. There's no need to continue this."

Agnes' face stiffened as she spoke in disbelief, "What did you just say?"

"Let's get a divorce. There's no longer any reason for this marriage to continue."

Agnes' face darkened instantly. "You think you can divorce just because you say so? Don't forget, you were the one who pursued me relentlessly back then!"

I let out a soft "hmm," and said, "I haven't forgotten. I regret it. I should have wished you both happiness long ago."

After saying that, I turned around and went upstairs to pack my things.

Behind me, Agnes shouted angrily, "If you dare walk out, don't blame me for really abandoning you! Don't forget, you're nothing but a penniless loner now!"

My steps faltered as I suddenly remembered how she once begged me to quit my job at Toppest Law Firm and work as a minor legal consultant in her newly opened company.

At that time, I was still the eldest son of the Gray family, and she was just a poor student receiving financial aid.

My act of moving into a shabby apartment for the sake of love was even ridiculed by friends as "bravely running towards love."

Agnes also laughed, saying we were a couple bound by fate and even went to various temples to pray for a talisman of love, hoping we could meet again and fall in love in our next life.

But the talismans she prayed for were completely burned five years ago by a cigarette Milan left smoldering.

I was furious at the time, wanting to fire Milan, but she casually remarked.

"It's just some useless paper from those fraudulent guys trying to scam people for money. Nothing precious. I used to fall for that when I was younger, but not anymore."

I have asthma, so she was the one who initially forbade anyone from smoking inside the villa.

Back then, I didn't want to admit that Agnes no longer loved me, so I stubbornly stayed by her side.

But she remained indifferent, watching as the smoke made my face turn red, while she focused on protecting the fainting Milan.

Step by step, I helped her climb to the top, willingly retreating to the background, sacrificing everything, including my career, for her.

But she thought she had succeeded on her own and even tried to use that to control me.

Is this really the girl I've loved for so many years?

Seeing me stand still for so long, Agnes sneered. "Don't try to use divorce as some reverse psychology trick. I've been over that for ages. If you don't want to be my husband, there are plenty of others who do!"

I looked coldly at the two of them standing side by side. "There are plenty of people who would, right? Isn't the one beside you just waiting for his turn?"

Agnes' face turned ugly, but Milan pulled her into his arms and said.

"I've indeed been waiting for her all this time. So what? She got to where she is today on her own. You're just a freeloader living off a woman. What right do you have to put on airs?

"I can't stand you doubting her! And I can't stand your petty, paranoid jealousy!"

She didn't refute Milan's "righteous defense" of her, tacitly agreeing with him.

It was she and Milan who secretly got a dubious marriage certificate, and it was she and Milan who were ambiguous, yet now I'm the one being accused of being paranoid.

Once a woman's heart changes, it truly leaves one cold.

At this point, no matter how much love I once had, I can no longer continue this marriage.

I went upstairs, packed my things, and placed them in a suitcase.

I took out the divorce agreement Agnes had hidden in the safe and signed it cleanly. "Since you already prepared it, it saves me the trouble of printing one."

As I handed her the pen, bitterness spread through my heart.

I had seen her love me with her whole heart, which made her current indifference all the more painful.

She grasped the pen with a grim expression, without saying a word.

I wouldn't delude myself into thinking her hesitation meant she still loved me.

Because I clearly knew that Agnes just couldn't handle the idea of the man who once pursued her relentlessly suddenly walking away.

You could call it possessiveness or pride, but it certainly wasn't love.

The moment she signed, I caught a flash of excitement in Milan's eyes that he couldn't suppress.

After signing, she flung the divorce papers at me with a haughty expression.

"If you want to make a fuss, I'll entertain it, but you should know, the divorce cooling-off period is only 30 days. If you wait past 30 days, don't expect me to wait for you."

Milan chimed in mockingly. "Tsk! A man in his 30s throwing a tantrum. I think you should just leave him alone and let him calm down."

He really had a knack for sowing discord between couples, not missing a beat.

In the past, I would have snapped back immediately, but now, even saying one more word feels exhausting.

Silently, I took the signed divorce agreement and walked out of the villa.

As a light drizzle began to fall, I couldn't help but look back, hoping she would rush out to stop me. But what I saw was her supporting the wobbling Milan as they walked back inside.

I let out a sneer and resolutely walked into the rain.

At this point, I can't believe I'm still harboring fantasies about her—it's pure foolishness.

I returned to the villa my parents left me, took a quick shower, and went to sleep.

The next day, I woke up feeling dizzy with a stuffy nose and a slight fever after checking my temperature.

I popped a couple of cefalexin pills and was about to sleep again when my phone on the bedside table started vibrating nonstop. Half-asleep, I answered the call, only to hear Agnes angrily demanding.

"You did it on purpose, didn't you? You knew Mr. Walker was hosting today, and you knew he values harmony between couples. So you deliberately picked a fight with me yesterday?

"Are you just trying to force me to submit to you? Milan was right—children of capitalists like you are so calculating! You're actually trying to use this to threaten me."

Her tone grew sharper, and her words more cutting.

I swallowed my temper and replied, "So, you called me just to say all this?"

She snorted coldly, her tone impatient. "Get over here right now! I have to close this deal!"

I sighed helplessly, wanting to tell her it was none of my business anymore, but she hung up on me.

Her company carried some of my hard work too, so I went anyway.

As soon as I entered the private room, Mr. Walker warmly greeted me.

"Hey, Gray guy, glad you made it!"

Milan was sitting to Agnes' left, serving her food in an overly intimate manner.

A seat had been left empty on her right for me, but I didn't sit there. Instead, I pulled up a chair next to Mr. Walker.

Her face darkened with displeasure.

But I didn't care anymore. I was only here to exchange pleasantries with Mr. Walker, my father's close friend who has always looked after me.

Agnes knew about their relationship, which was why she called me to this dinner.

Thanks to me, Mr. Walker had given Agnes several orders. I owed him my gratitude.

But since I had taken cefalexin, I had to drink water instead of alcohol.

I hadn't expected Milan to chime in with a wolfish grin. "It's been a while since Lawyer Gray dealt with the company. Seems he's forgotten that substituting water for alcohol at the dinner table is frowned upon. Those who don't know better might think you're deliberately disrespecting Mr. Walker."

Before Mr. Walker could respond, Agnes frowned and shot me a look. "Don't you have any manners? Hurry up and apologize to Mr. Walker!"

With that, she refilled a glass with wine and pushed it toward me.

She knew my tolerance for alcohol was low and had told me before that I didn't need to worry about drinking at such dinners. Yet now, she was personally forcing me to drink.

Mr. Walker smiled kindly. "It's okay. If he doesn't want to drink, that's fine. I'm just stepping out for a moment; you all go ahead and eat."

Agnes' voice turned icy. "Do you really want to ruin this deal?"

My heart trembled, and I lowered my voice as I looked at her. "I took cefalexin."

She froze for a second but quickly laughed mockingly. "Stop making excuses. Drink up and get the deal signed. If we lose this partnership, don't blame me for turning hostile."

The girl who once loved me wholeheartedly was long gone. Her love for me had completely faded away.

When Mr. Walker returned, Agnes pretended to be affectionate and held the wine glass to my lips. "River's in a mood with me, but it seems he'll only drink if I feed him myself."

Mr. Walker chuckled warmly. "Seeing how well you two get along puts me at ease. A couple must work together to go far. I get what you're saying, don't worry—the deal is still yours."

Agnes' eyes sparkled with joy, and she immediately urged. "Well, aren't you going to toast Mr. Walker? We should thank him for his generosity."

I looked at her expressionlessly. "Are you sure you want me to drink?"

Milan taunted. "What's a grown man whining about a little alcohol for? Come on!"

With that, he lifted his glass and downed it in one gulp.

Agnes' face darkened, and she leaned in close, whispering harshly in my ear, "You want a divorce, don't you? Fine, drink this, and I'll divorce you. Don't drink, and you can sue for divorce—I'll drag it out for a year or more if I have to."

After hearing that, what was there left to misunderstand?

If she didn't want an amicable parting, then she couldn't blame me for resorting to tricks.

Smiling, I took the glass. "Alright, here's to all of you, thank you for your care."

Seeing me finish the drink, Agnes finally looked satisfied and averted her gaze.

But within ten minutes, my face went pale, and I collapsed to the floor, looking extremely unwell.

Mr. Walker panicked, almost jumping out of his seat. "What's going on?! Call an ambulance, now!"

I coughed weakly, barely able to muster the strength to look at Agnes. "I told you, I took cefalexin. Well, you got what you wanted. Please, just leave me alone from now on."

With those words, I passed out. Mr. Walker, furious, turned to Agnes. "What the hell? You knew he took cefalexin, and you still forced him to drink? Didn't I say it was fine if he didn't drink? Were you trying to kill him?"

Agnes was flustered. "No, I didn't know... I thought he was just making excuses..."

Milan quickly chimed in. "River always jokes around, Agnes didn't expect him to actually have taken cefalexin—it's his fault for not making it clear."

Mr. Walker wasn't having any of it. "Enough! No more excuses. There's no way he'd joke about his life!"

The ambulance arrived swiftly, and as they were about to leave, Mr. Walker turned to them with a cold expression, leaving behind one final remark.

"There were always rumors about you and Mr. Walsh, but I never believed them. I even thought of using this opportunity to help you and River get back together. Now, it seems unnecessary."

"Our future collaborations are also unnecessary."

As I was being lifted onto the ambulance, I saw Agnes standing there, stunned and lost.

In fact, I had secretly poured most of the alcohol onto my sleeve, only drinking a small portion, but the effect was still strong.

After inducing vomiting, I was sent for gastric lavage.

Mr. Walker stayed by my side the entire time. Since my parents passed away, he has been the only person who has been unconditionally good to me.

After losing the partnership, Agnes was swamped, rushing to handle the backlog of goods, with no time to bother me.

Yet, she still had flowers sent to my hospital room to apologize.

A week later, she suddenly barged into my hospital room, furious.

"River! You set me up?!"