After the special ops team wrapped up their mission, teasing echoed through the team’s voice channel, aimed squarely at Conrad Collymore.

“Brother Conrad, take it easy with Artemis, alright? Don’t go breaking the bed again.”

Conrad’s lazy chuckle filtered through. “I’ve been holding back for too long. She’s just a way to blow off some steam. And don’t go running your mouth in front of your sister-in-law.”

The team shared, knowing smirks as Conrad reached for his phone.

“Before you feed the little sister-in-law, you’d better keep the big sister-in-law happy, huh?”

A moment later, my phone buzzed in my hand.

As I listened to Conrad’s smooth voice tell me how much he missed me, a hollow ache settled in my chest, sinking straight to the bottom of my heart.

He never suspected that I had secretly joined the team as their intelligence analyst, shadowing his every mission from behind the scenes.

The night he first shared a bed with Artemis Thatcher, sleep was an impossible luxury for me. I lay awake, staring into the void, unable to silence the ache in my chest.

After ending the call with Conrad, I dialed another number, my voice steady despite the turmoil within.

“I accept your terms. I’ll leave the team and start over, far away from here.”

The reply came calm and measured.

“Understood. Once the decapitation mission is complete, I’ll personally ensure your safe passage abroad.”

“In three days.”

——

My gaze fixed on the surveillance feed in front of me.

On the screen, Conrad stood in his room, his impatience evident as he pinned Artemis against the wall. Torn shreds of her dress lay scattered across the floor and their entwined bodies spoke of a passion that seemed inescapable.

I stood before the large screen, forcing my eyes open as though punishing myself with every unbearable detail.

Every frame confirmed what I already knew: Conrad’s betrayal.

Artemis had joined the special ops team three months ago, slipping into her role like she belonged. During one mission, she was drugged and Conrad, as the team leader, carried her into his room.

Three days and nights passed before he finally opened the door. He emerged looking utterly pleased with himself while Artemis followed, her cheeks flushed with a glow that spoke volumes.

From that moment, every mission saw them together, Conrad ensuring she was by his side. They always shared the same room, night after night.

I had braced myself for this moment, yet the sight of it unfolding on the screen crushed me in ways I didn’t expect. The betrayal felt fresh and the ache in my chest was unbearable.

It wasn’t until the dead of night that Conrad finally stopped, his face brimming with satisfaction.

He strode into the bathroom without a backward glance. When Artemis tried to follow, the door slammed in her face, shutting her out coldly.

“Stay away from me. I’m going home. I don’t want my wife smelling someone else on me.”

Her voice trembled, tinged with grievance. “I’ve stood by your side, braving life and death, yet I’m still nothing compared to your little pure flower wife?”

Conrad tilted her chin with an almost mocking gesture, his words sharp and unforgiving. “What are you? Just a tool to satisfy my needs. Learn your place.”

Her tears streamed down uncontrollably, a torrent of heartbreak that failed to stir even a flicker of sympathy from him.

As Conrad dressed and left without a glance, Artemis was left sobbing, her swollen eyes a testament to the pain she bore.

Conrad remained as detached as ever.

“I promised Dahlia I’d spend time with her. It’s been a week since I last saw her, so I’ll be with her for the next few days.”

Without sparing me a glance, he walked away.

When he finally came home, I was curled up on the couch with a book in hand.

The scent of cologne clung to him, the one I had lovingly chosen for him. Now, it was nothing more than a mask for his betrayals.

As he drew closer, a faint trace of Artemis still lingered on him. No matter how thoroughly he scrubbed, he could never completely erase the evidence of another woman.

His large hand slid around my waist, the other drifting along my leg with a suggestive touch.

“Wife, how about we have a baby?”

The facade I had maintained so carefully crumbled at that moment.

I pushed him away without a word and locked myself in the bathroom.

There, I scrubbed my skin until it was red and raw, as though trying to wash away every trace of him. Only when exhaustion overtook me did I collapse against the cold, tiled wall.

A child?

I thought of the two red lines from yesterday and felt a bitter smile tug at my lips.

The child Conrad had been longing for over five years had finally arrived, just in time for his betrayal.

I stepped out of the bathroom, masking my emotions behind a calm facade. With feigned concern, I asked, "When are you leaving?"

"In three days. There’s a major operation," he said, hesitating briefly before adding with a hint of guilt, "I’m sorry, wife. That day is our anniversary, but I won’t be able to be with you."

My fingers brushed over my still-flat stomach as I forced a faint smile. "It’s alright. Just try to come home early that day. I have a gift for you."

Conrad’s face lit up with an unguarded smile. "Alright, I’ll make sure to rush back. I can’t wait to see the surprise my wife has for me!"

I mirrored his joy, my eyes narrowing with a quiet resolve.

I hoped that by then, the surprise would leave him truly speechless.

The next morning, Conrad gently roused me from sleep.

"Wife, the team is having a meal at the headquarters restaurant today. Come with me."

I played my role as an ordinary guest, collecting the check at headquarters as if I belonged among them.

The moment I stepped inside, snippets of conversation reached my ears.

"The intelligence analyst isn’t coming again? She’s such a mystery."

"Yeah, like a legend. We’ve worked together for three or four years, but I’ve never even seen her. All I know is she’s a woman."

"In my opinion, that analyst has a thing for our captain. She always sends the results straight to his team first."

I lowered my head, the weight of their words settling heavily on me.

They weren’t wrong. I had joined the team solely because of Conrad.

The condition was simple: when I gathered information, I had to deliver it to his team first.

It was through this arrangement that I discovered his affair almost immediately.

A strange expression flickered across my face and Conrad must have mistaken it for anger.

"What nonsense are you all spouting?"

The team members scrambled to their feet, looking genuinely flustered.

"Sis-in-law! You’re here! We were just joking around, don’t take it seriously!"

"Yeah, everyone knows Brother Conrad only has eyes for you. Every mission, he carries your photo like a good-luck charm."

"Exactly! He calls you every chance he gets. You’re the one and only in his heart!"

Their earnest expressions might have been convincing if I hadn’t already uncovered the truth about Conrad and Artemis.

From the corner, Artemis rose, forcing a strained smile.

"Yes, Dahlia Levine, Conrad only has you in his heart."

Our eyes locked and beneath her facade, the hostility was glaring. If Conrad weren’t here, she wouldn’t have even bothered pretending.

After a few rounds of drinks, the world began to tilt around me, a dizzying warmth spreading through my body.

Artemis stumbled out, her steps unsteady.

Not long after, Conrad’s phone buzzed. His breath quickened, his eyes sharpening as he stood abruptly.

Seeing the surprise on my face, he quickly masked it with an apologetic smile.

"Wife, I was injured on the last mission. The doctor advised me not to drink. I… I’ll go rest in the room. You can stay and enjoy yourself."

With that, he left in a hurry, his footsteps echoing in the distance.

My phone buzzed with a message from Artemis.

"Room 302. Do you dare come see it? Do you want to know how perfect we are in bed?"

A challenge?

I lowered my eyes, pushing aside any emotion and stood up, my movements calm.

As soon as I stepped out of the restaurant, I overheard a conversation.

"Brother Conrad is something else. He’s carrying on with his mistress right in front of his wife. What guts!"

I scoffed.

Conrad, you’re crueler than I thought.

I turned and made my way to the central control room, pulling up the surveillance footage from the room.

Artemis was already dressed in a seductive fox outfit, kneeling on the floor like a willing servant.

Conrad sat before her, his eyes running over the delicate fabric, his gaze filled with desire.

He sat up straight on the sofa, his posture dignified, but the crimson tint at the corners of his eyes and the quickening of his breath betrayed the urgency of his need.

The woman in front of him, utterly submissive, was focused on him, her attention unwavering.

In a move driven by raw desire, Conrad lifted her by the waist, tossing her onto the bed, his body following with haste.

There was no playfulness in his movements today, no teasing. He simply needed to release his cravings to satisfy the gnawing ache inside him so he could return to me.

But when he hurried back to the private room, he found me gone.

The team members said that once he left, I had disappeared without a trace.

He panicked instantly.

When he stumbled back into the room, he was startled to find me calmly sitting on the sofa.

"Wife, when did you come back?"

I met his gaze without a flicker of emotion. "Didn’t you say you were coming back to rest?"

Instead of getting nervous, Conrad just smiled, the corners of his lips curling in a way that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Then, in a flash, the lights in the room suddenly went dark.

Conrad’s team flooded in, carrying flowers and candles and circled around us like stars around a moon.

He knelt before me in a slow, deliberate motion and presented a red velvet box.

The diamond inside sparkled under the dim light, casting a brief flash of brilliance that made everyone gasp in awe.

"Brother Conrad is really generous! Did he use the operation bonus to buy this ring?"

"Oh my gosh, you’re so lucky, sister! What a catch!"

"The captain is so affectionate; he's truly a perfect man."

***

As the ring settled on my finger, my heart stuttered.

When Conrad and I had first married, we had nothing.

He had lured me back home with a ring crafted from a simple soda can pull-tab, far from the grand gesture I had once dreamed of.

We never had the proper wedding ring and that had always remained an unspoken regret between us.

Five years, exactly five years and I finally had this wedding ring.

Tears pricked at my eyes and Conrad rushed to his feet, pulling me into his arms and offering soft words of comfort.

Artemis, standing nearby, smiled knowingly.

"Conrad even asked me what kind of ring girls like. Sister, he’s really thoughtful!"

She flicked her hair back and the diamond on her ring finger flashed in a cascade of colors.

She smiled sweetly at the crowd, adding, "This? My boyfriend gave it to me."

And in that simple statement, everyone understood exactly what she was implying.

The warm atmosphere that had lingered moments ago evaporated in an instant, replaced by a cold tension.

Conrad hurriedly spoke, his words meant to patch up the cracks he had just created.

"Wife, after the mission ends the day after tomorrow, our whole team can retire. I’ll take you far away and from now on, I’ll be with you, always by your side."

I could see the unmistakable unease in Artemis’s eyes, but I didn’t press further.

Instead, I feigned being touched by Conrad’s empty promises.

Leaning against him, my expression remained unchanged, cold, indifferent.

How revolting.

Only moments ago, he had been tangled up with another woman and now, here he was, swearing eternal devotion.

It didn’t matter anymore.

Two days from now, I would be gone.

The next morning, I woke to find Conrad had already bought breakfast.

He carefully arranged all the food in front of me, his smile warm and effortless.

"Wife, today I’ll stay home with you. I’m not going anywhere."

He pulled me into his arms, holding me tight.

Just as I was about to pull away, Conrad’s phone rang, the sound cutting through the moment.

He answered the call, his expression shifting in shock.

At the same time, my phone buzzed with a message.

“I’m at your back door. Guess, will he choose me or choose you?”