I Rushed Home for Halloween, Only to Catch My Wife Cheating

My wife was exceptional in every way. Everyone thought I was lucky to have her. She had only one weakness, and I was the only one who knew about it—she was easily frightened. She needed me by her side just to use the bathroom at night, and on a night like Halloween, she couldn't stand being alone for even a moment. This time she'd sent me away on business, and I worked around the clock to get back before Halloween. On Halloween, I finally made it home. As I stepped out of the airport, I saw my wife waiting for me. My heart slammed against my ribs. I hadn't told her I was coming back. Could she somehow sense that I was coming home? Then I saw Merlin Lawrence walking toward her, and I realized I'd gotten the wrong idea. I didn't like Merlin. He was her classmate and closest male friend, so I hurried to hide in the crowd. I waited until the two of them drove off, then flagged a cab and rushed straight home. The longer I waited, the more uneasy I became. At ten that night, her car finally pulled in. Merlin got out too. The moment they stepped out, they were all over each other, kissing like they couldn't wait another second. Merlin swept her up and carried her toward the bedroom. I stood frozen in place, not knowing whether to go or stay. …… I was her husband. She was cheating on me. I should have marched over there and confronted them, demanded to know what the hell was going on. But my body had gone rigid, and a pain sharp enough to pierce my chest made it hard to breathe. I clenched my fists, wanting to charge in. What would be the point? Catching them in the act wouldn't only shame them. It would humiliate me too. So I stayed hidden on the balcony, and memories of the past few years came flooding back. I owed her. When my mother was gravely ill, I was still in school, and she was the one who stepped in and saved my mother when she was on the brink of death. After graduation, I became what people called the lucky son-in-law who'd married an older, wealthy woman and struck it rich. After we married, we always got along. I was so wrapped up in our happiness that I would have done anything to protect it. If I hadn't seen her kissing Merlin today, I never would have believed she was capable of this. Right before I came home, we'd even been on the phone. She'd been so tender, asking about every little thing in my life. And the woman I'd thought was perfect had just shattered everything. I hid on the balcony, but I couldn't escape the sounds of them together inside. So it turned out she had a wild side too. I fought down the urge to rush in and demand answers. My mother had always taught me that kindness should be repaid. Not confronting her in person was the last shred of dignity I could preserve for both of us. I waited. Waited for them to finish, for them to rest. Waited for the moment I could slip away unseen. I knew it. This marriage was over. The sounds inside finally died away. My phone lit up. A message from her. 【Honey, I miss you.】 I crouched down, pressing a hand to my chest, my whole body trembling from the pain. She scared easily, yet she kept sending me away on business. She said she didn't trust anyone else to keep an eye on those projects. Messages like this, coming in the small hours of the morning, weren't unusual. It was impossible not to wonder what was really going on. 【Are you scared, all by yourself?】 My hands trembled as I typed the line, and sent it to her. 【I'm with Mom and Dad, not scared.】 【Answering this fast so late at night. Working overtime again.】 【Don't push yourself so hard. We don't need the money, and it breaks my heart to see you wear yourself out.】 【Go to sleep now, you hear me? If you don't listen I'm going to get mad. Your loving wife.】 Reading her messages, my eyes stung. 【Okay. Going to sleep now.】 The night grew late. There was no more sound from the room, and I slipped away, careful and quiet. Outside the house, I wiped away tears from my face. I hated myself for crying. I hated feeling this weak. On my way out, I saw her clothes scattered across the floor, leading all the way to the bedroom.

I looked back and took several slow, deep breaths. I understood how the adult world worked. I understood that the rich played by different rules, too. But… I couldn't accept them. In my world, love was sacred. Betrayal was never an option. My mother's life had been saved by her family. It was a debt I'd never be able to repay. But even so, I couldn't accept her betrayal. The least I could do was let her keep her dignity and end this marriage quietly. At ten the next morning, I showed up outside the corporate tower. I did my best to stay calm, to act as if nothing had happened. "Vice Chairman Fox." The staff greeted me warmly, and I forced myself to nod back before stepping into the elevator that ran straight to the chairwoman's office. When the doors slid open, I stepped into a long corridor lined on both sides with photos of the two of us. Each one captured a different memory from the years we'd spent traveling together. We were smiling in every photo. Now those photos felt like knives, each one twisting deeper into my heart. I walked the length of it and came to her private office. On her desk sat cartoon figurines made to look like the two of us. When I came in, she was holding the one that looked like me. She always said she couldn't bear to put it down. On the days I was away on business, she liked to keep it in her hand. "Honey!" The moment she saw me she jumped up, her face lighting up as she hurried toward me. She practically threw herself into my arms, clinging to me like a koala. "You smell so good. I've missed this." She leaned against me and took a deep breath, as if she wanted to memorize my scent. My heart clenched. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed she was capable of betraying me. "Carry me to the room in back." Her eyes were half-lidded, her voice soft and teasing. Every time I came home from a trip, she couldn't wait to have me all to herself. I used to be proud of it. I took it as proof of how much she loved and missed me. But remembering the sight of Merlin carrying her into the bedroom the night before, my stomach lurched. "Ugh…" I crouched down and retched, and she rubbed my back gently, her eyes brimming with worry. "What's wrong?" "Did you eat something bad?" "Didn't I arrange for a private doctor to travel with you?" "I drank too much at a business dinner last night. My stomach's still off." I threw out an easy lie. Gail hurried to get me some water and medicine, then personally cleaned out the trash can I'd just been sick into. "Feeling any better?" She dabbed the sweat from my forehead. "You can skip those business dinners from now on. We don't have to curry favor with anyone." I nodded, and she gave me a sulky look. "I'll let you off today, but once you're better you owe me. The whole time you were away I thought about you every single day." "But you're still going to have to make it up to me in full, understand?" "Ms. Mason." I sat up straight and looked at her. "Ms. Mason? Did going away change you somehow? Getting bold and wanting to play a little game with me?" She watched me, smiling. "I like it." "Ms. Mason, I want to resign." She reached out and touched my forehead. "No fever. Did you get possessed last night?" "Are you unhappy with the position I gave you?" "If you want it, the chairman's seat is yours anytime." She'd offered to make me chairman more than once, and she meant it. Which was why it was even harder to believe the woman standing in front of me had betrayed me. "Ms. Mason, I'm tired. I want to take some time to rest." "That's my fault." Gail stroked my head. "But you don't need to resign. Rest if you want to, for as long as you want." "I want to feel what it's like to have no job, that kind of freedom." I looked at her. "The kind of freedom that comes with walking away from a job altogether."

"You're impossible. Fine, I'll approve it." I took out the resignation letter I'd prepared long ago. She skimmed it. "Baby, I've been neglecting your feelings. Quitting's not a bad idea. Take this time to get some rest." She signed it, then went on, "You know, I've been wanting a break myself. How about a few days in the Maldives?" "We could swing by a couple of nearby countries while we're at it. We could take our time and really enjoy ourselves." "Gail." I cut her off. "It isn't just the job I'm resigning from. It's my marriage to you too." "I want a life with no job and no you. I want to be free." I took out the divorce papers and spread them on the desk. "Let's get divorced." Gail said nothing. She just stared at me. Inside I was shaking. I didn't want to end this marriage. But I couldn't accept that she'd cheated on me. "Why?" she finally asked. Something in her had changed. The light seemed to drain from her, and even the way she held herself changed. I said. "You told me once that if I ever stopped loving you, I had to tell you. I don't love you anymore." "Did I do something wrong?" "Tell me what I didn't do well enough. I'll fix it." I looked her in the eyes. "You're wonderful. But when the love is gone, it's gone." "Sign it." I pushed the papers toward her. "Why should I?" She shot to her feet and tore the papers apart. "Where would you even be without me after all these years?" "Who do you think you are, asking me for a divorce?" "I loved you that much, and you just decide it's over? What do you take me for?" "I'm telling you right now, a divorce is out of the question." She screamed through her tears. Her anger was genuine, as were her tears. She truly didn't want the divorce. But none of that changed my decision to leave—or the fact that she'd cheated. I took out another set of divorce papers. "Calm down. Don't tear this one up. Sign it once you've thought it through. I'll leave you to it." I set the papers down, got up, and left. A glass shattered behind me. An hour later I got a call from my mother-in-law. Her tone was cold. She told me to come home. By the time I got there, my own mother was already there. "What's going on?" My father-in-law glared at me. "Broad daylight and Gail's drunk out of her mind, going on about how you want to divorce her. Now tell me what the hell is going on." My mother-in-law wore the same hard face. "We never wanted you with Gail in the first place. Now you're asking for a divorce? Who do you think you are?" "Without our Gail, would you be where you are today?" "Would your mother even still be sitting here?" "You, asking for a divorce? What right do you have?" My mother watched me from the side, her face covered in tears. "There's nothing to explain. It just can't work anymore. I want out." Slap— The words had barely left my mouth when my father-in-law's hand came across my face. "Owen Fox, you think you're too good for our Gail now?" "Let me tell you, Gail gave you everything you have, and she can take every last piece of it back." I stayed silent. My mother-in-law started in on me. "Lost your tongue? Speak up. You've got another woman, don't you?" My mother rushed to speak. "Owen, we'd never do something like that. Tell them the truth. Why do you want to divorce Gail?" "I just don't see the point of living like this anymore." Slap— The words had barely left my mouth when my father-in-law struck me again. "When your mother was sick, funny you didn't think life was meaningless then." "When you walked into the company, funny you didn't call it meaningless then." He glared at me. "Take a good look at yourself and what you've got. Do you have any idea how many rich young heirs would've lined up to marry Gail?"