Caleb and I were childhood sweethearts. We met when we were in school and married when we were adults.
Friends said we were a model couple. Countless people envied us.
I was also immersed in this happiness and thought I was happy enough.
Until I accidentally discovered that Caleb had a girl seven years younger than him on the side.
He took her to Ezekiel, Mount Beau, and Disneyland.
These were the promises he made to me when we were young, but now he fulfilled them with someone else.
After seeing the truth, I chose to give up our ten-year relationship. But Caleb cried, holding my hand, saying he regretted it.
"Oh, Gianna, I envy you two. Your relationship is so good. You truly are the model couple among us."
At the high school reunion, a classmate teased enviously while watching Caleb sitting beside me, silently peeling shrimp for me.
I turned my head with a smile, looking at Caleb's serious face.
But Caleb didn't seem to care about the situation here. He just kept his head down, peeling the shrimp silently.
Looking at him, I felt something was off.
In fact, Caleb had been like this these past few days. He always seemed distracted.
I previously thought Caleb was just too tired from work and felt sorry for him. But now it seemed not that simple.
Caleb and I had been in love for ten years. After my senior year, he made a high-profile confession to me, attracting everyone's attention.
After being with him, he treated me with utmost care and spoiled me.
After marriage, he treated me the same, without a bit of change.
I became the envy of everyone. We became a recognized model couple among our friends.
In these ten years, I accompanied him from starting from scratch to growing from a young boy to Mr. Jones who could handle things independently.
We had no secrets between us and trusted each other completely.
But it was because of this deep understanding that I could so keenly detect Caleb's changes.
Caleb was definitely hiding something from me.
After dinner, it started to drizzle. Caleb habitually took off his coat and draped it over my shoulders, holding me all the way until I sat in the car.
Everything felt so natural. He was still himself, still so considerate. Was I overthinking?
The rain got heavier, and traffic started to jam ahead. I sat in the car, feeling drowsy listening to the rain.
Caleb adjusted my seat, telling me to sleep for a while and he would wake me when we got home.
I found a comfortable position and was about to close my eyes when I suddenly noticed something shiny.
I reached out and picked it up. It was a crystal rhinestone, probably from a girl's nail art.
It was very small. If I hadn't adjusted the seat, I might not have noticed it.
Since I got a finger infection from nail art in college, I never did it again. So, this rhinestone couldn't be mine.
Caleb noticed my movement and asked me what was wrong.
I handed the rhinestone to him and asked, "What is this? I found it."
Caleb glanced at it indifferently and said, "I don't know either. My colleague rode in my car before. It might be something from her clothes."
I didn't say anything else. I just silently put the rhinestone away.
Caleb's expression showed no flaw, as if he really didn't know anything.
But it was precisely this nonchalant attitude that deepened my suspicion.
Maybe this was what they called intuition. But I sincerely hoped my intuition was just useless overthinking.
Chapter 2After getting home, Caleb said he had some work to handle and told me to go to bed. I offered to help, but he refused.
"It's just some simple work. I can handle it myself. You go rest. Be good, good night."
He kissed my forehead, pushed me into the bedroom, and then went to the study alone.
I lay in bed but couldn't sleep. I was thinking about Caleb's unusual behavior over the past few days.
The more I thought, the more upset I got. So I got up to get a glass of water.
Passing by the study, I vaguely heard voices coming from inside.
"It's okay, don't worry. I'm here, aren't I..."
I pushed the door open and walked in. Caleb looked flustered for a moment when he saw me but quickly regained his composure.
"Uh, let's leave it at that for now. We'll talk tomorrow. Okay, bye."
Caleb calmly hung up the phone. He stood up and walked to me, saying gently, "Why aren't you asleep yet? You shouldn't stay up late."
I shook the water glass in my hand and replied, "I was thirsty, got a glass of water. Who were you talking to just now?"
"Oh, it was Nora. You've met her, the intern. She had some work questions. She just started and doesn't know much yet."
His tone was calm. He looked natural, but I knew he was lying to me.
If I was just suspicious before, now I was almost certain. Caleb had probably betrayed me.
"Calling you so late to ask about work? That's quite dedicated."
Maybe sensing the sarcasm in my tone, Caleb pulled me into his arms and said in a slightly playful tone, "Are you mad, honey? Young people are energetic. I'll scold her tomorrow. Don't be mad. Getting angry will give you wrinkles..."
Caleb buried his head in my neck. I gently pushed him away and said nonchalantly, "Okay, I'm not mad. Just teasing you. Get back to work. I'm going to bed."
Seeing that I wasn't asking more, Caleb clearly sighed in relief.
"I knew you're the best. You go to bed first. I'll join you as soon as I'm done."
I nodded and left the room. As the door closed, my expression changed.
Caleb was definitely lying to me. His tone on the phone was very gentle, as if he was coaxing someone.
He panicked when he saw me enter. The person on the other end was definitely not Nora. But who was it? I had to find out.
Back in the bedroom, there was a wedding photo of Caleb and me hanging above the bed.
In the photo, Caleb looked down with eyes full of tenderness at me in his arms.
At that time, we were going through the toughest part of our startup. But, I still chose to marry him without hesitation.
When we first started the company, we had no one else. I handled all the chores.
But I didn't regret it. Though it was tiring, it was really happy. We were cramped in a small rental apartment, but our hearts were closely connected.
Later, life got on track, and everything slowly got better. But something seemed to have quietly changed.
I still clearly remembered what Caleb said when he proposed.
He said, "Gianna, will you marry me? I will always protect you and love you forever. You are the only one in my heart."
Those words were cheesy and corny, but they truly moved me.
But now, it had only been five years. Was he going to break his promise?
The more I thought about it, the more my heart ached. Tears flowed uncontrollably.
At that moment, I still held a bit of hope. After all, it was just my suspicion.
What if nothing was wrong? What if it was all just my imagination?
I wiped away my tears and eventually fell asleep. I didn't know how long it was before Caleb hugged me from behind.
I felt the warmth of his embrace and listened to his heartbeat, but I couldn't calm down.
"Caleb, I hope it is all just my imagination. I hope you won't break the promise you made to me."
Chapter 3After getting up in the morning, Caleb said he got tasks. He left in a hurry without even having breakfast.
After he left, I was not in a hurry. I leisurely finished my breakfast. I put on some makeup and then grabbed my bag to leave.
I hadn't worked in the years since I married Caleb because I overworked myself while helping him start his business. Caleb felt sorry for me and asked me to rest at home.
But even so, I didn't relax. I studied at home, improved my education, and obtained some highly technical certificates.
These were more precious to me than money.
Soon, I drove to the company building. The receptionist saw me as soon as I entered.
"Mrs. Jones, why are you here? Are you here to see Mr. Jones? Should I take you up?"
I waved my hand and said with a smile, "No need. I'm just here to see someone and will leave soon. No need to inform him."
After getting out of the elevator, I didn't go to Caleb's office. Instead, I headed straight to someone's workstation.
"M-Mrs. Jones!? Do... Do you need something from me?"
The young girl stood up in fear, cautiously looking at me as she asked.
"You are Nora, right?" I asked.
Nora nodded slightly and said, "Yes, I am. You..."
"I have something to ask you. Can you come out with me for a moment?"
I interrupted her. I took her hand and walked into a meeting room.
"What do you need from me?"
"Nora, I heard you've been working very diligently lately. You don't even relax during your breaks and still work hard at night."
"Huh?"
Nora looked shocked and then lowered her head in shame, saying, "Who...Who told you that? They must be mistaken. That...shouldn't be me."
"Hmm? Not you? Then who called your Mr. Jones last night to ask about work?"
"Although I don't know who it was, it definitely wasn't me. I'm not as diligent as you think... But I will work hard and not let you down!"
Nora's words stunned me. An endless chill instantly surrounded me, extinguishing my heart's last bit of hope.
Before leaving the company, I went to Caleb's office, but he wasn't there.
His assistant, noticing my expression, cautiously asked, "Mr. Jones had something to do and went out. He should be back soon. Would you like to wait?"
I shook my head and said, "No, it's fine. I was just checking in. He's busy, so I won't bother him."
When I got home, a sense of powerlessness overwhelmed me.
I had already figured out last night that the person who called Caleb was not Nora. But I still went to the company to confirm it. After all, if I didn't hear Nora deny it myself, I would keep deceiving myself. I would convince myself that I was overthinking.
But now, I could no longer deceive myself. I had to admit that the person who once promised to love me forever had betrayed me.
I spent the whole afternoon silently processing this.
I was not someone who meekly accepted my fate or couldn't let go of a relationship.
Caleb betrayed me, and I couldn't continue with him. But it wasn't going to be now.
I couldn't let him off easily for treating me this way. I wasn't a good person who would let others bully me without fighting back. That wasn't my style.
I had to make Caleb pay a price. If he didn't die, I would at least make him suffer.
By the time Caleb came home from work, I had completely calmed down. I acted as if nothing had happened and waited for him like usual.
Caleb seemed like he had something to ask me. He hesitated but finally asked during dinner.
"Gianna, my assistant said you came to the company to see me today?"
I calmly nodded and said, "Yes, I went, but you weren't there. I didn't stay long and left."
"Um, I heard you talked to Nora alone. What did you ask her?"
Caleb's tone sounded guilty. He waited motionlessly for my answer.
"What could I ask her? Didn't you tell me she was very diligent? I just praised her a bit. She is quite timid. We barely talked."
Seeing me still calm, Caleb sighed in relief.
I continued slowly, "By the way, where did you go this afternoon? Even your assistant didn't know where you went."
Caleb picked up a piece of beef and put it in my bowl. He answered, "I went to see a client. I was in a hurry and forgot to tell him."
"What kind of client still needs you to visit personally?"
"It's an important client. A personal visit shows sincerity. Besides, you know me. I like to be thorough. I don't feel comfortable leaving it to others."
After hearing Caleb's words, I didn't say anything else. We quietly ate, appearing peaceful.
At night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep. I only sat up quietly after hearing soft snores beside me.
After making sure Caleb was asleep, I took his phone. I unlocked it and checked.
But there was nothing on it as if it was set up for me to see.
I did not give up. I continued calmly checking other apps.
Suddenly, I noticed an inconspicuous app, Twitter.
I knew that Caleb rarely paid attention to social media. Why did he suddenly change? Did he like browsing Twitter now?
I clicked on it and slowly checked everything. I soon found something wrong.