Chapter 2

I remembered about a month ago, on my birthday, when Sean slipped out of our room in the middle of the night.

I woke up startled in our spa hotel room and caught him tiptoeing back inside.

A powdery scent clung to him, the same as the new car air freshener.

When I frowned, he explained, "I was grading student papers in the car. The air freshener got to me."

That day, we were with friends at the spa, so I didn't think much of it.

But now, looking back, that air freshener was a birthday gift from Hailee. How did Sean just happen to pick it for his car?

Thinking deeper, Hailee was there that day too. Was he really grading papers in the car?

My once-solid marriage felt like it was crumbling in that moment.

With trembling hands, I opened my phone and tapped into the app that showed the dashcam footage.

About half an hour ago, shortly after Sean left, he picked up Hailee.

Hailee's voice carried a playful pout. "You're so late. I thought you didn't want to see me."

Sean took her hand, smiling indulgently. "You know what today is, and you still dragged me out. Always making a fuss."

That word-"fuss"-hit me like a bolt of lightning.

The first time I introduced them, Sean used that exact word to describe Hailee.

Back then, he frowned, his tone cryptic. "Your friend seems like she makes a fuss."

I couldn't accept it and defended Hailee. "She's just a bit high-maintenance. Don't say that about her."

Now, watching them flirt on the video, I felt dazed.

Had Sean's intentions toward Hailee been impure from the start?

Before I could dwell on it, their next words shattered my last shred of hope.

Hailee leaned on his shoulder. "Have you had sex with her lately?"

Sean tugged her cheek with a grin. "No."

After a brief silence, he added, "You know... I think she smells."

Hailee giggled.

Those simple words felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over me. I froze in place.

It started about six months ago-Sean stopped letting me use his washing machine.

Back then, he said, "You spend too much time at the shop. Your clothes reek of smoke."

When I looked upset, he added, "I got you imported detergent and the latest washing machine."

That high-end machine cost nearly half his monthly salary.

I thought he was being thoughtful, but I never imagined he was actually disgusted by me.

Sean forgot that when we first got together, I was a white-collar worker in a sleek office.

Not long after, his parents fell gravely ill and passed away, draining our savings and leaving us in debt to relatives.

With red eyes, he came to me and apologized. "Kallie, I don't have the money to marry you."

I couldn't bear to see him drop out of his PhD program, so I gritted my teeth, quit my job, and took over my parents' barbecue shop.

The work wasn't glamorous-some even called it low-class-but the booming business multiplied my income.

Night after night, I endured hours of smoky grills, waking before dawn to shop at the market, flipping my days and nights upside down.

I powered through to support Sean's doctorate, to buy our house, our car.

The day Sean landed his teaching job, he turned around and proposed to me.

Everyone said I'd won my bet.

But what was the result?

The video played the sounds of Sean and Hailee kissing, their breaths heavy.

The two people I trusted most had made me lose everything.