After He Took Our Honeymoon Trip with His Mistress

On our seventh wedding anniversary, I found a plane ticket tucked away in Jack's drawer. I assumed it was a surprise for me, but as the evening wore on, all I got from him was a curt announcement about a business trip. Unable to sleep, I scrolled through Nala's Twitter feed:

"Bucket List at Eighteen—See the Northern Lights in Iceland with the love of my life. Finally made it today!"

The photo attached showed Jack and Nala kissing under the aurora. I didn't cry, nor did I message him demanding explanations. After chasing after him for so many years, I was exhausted.

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When Jack returned, I had just finished setting the table with spicy pulled pork. I used to love spicy food, but Jack couldn’t handle the heat. After we got together, I stopped cooking anything spicy. But now, I just couldn't bring myself to compromise anymore.

Jack placed a necklace on the table—a pink diamond necklace that had sat in my online shopping cart for ages, one I couldn’t bring myself to buy.

"For our anniversary," he murmured, pressing his lips together. "I got too busy the other day and forgot."

"It's fine," I replied, picking up a forkful of pulled pork without looking up.

Jack hesitated, trying to justify himself, but fell silent. He looked at me, bracing for tears and questions that used to follow his lapses. I, too, once thought I couldn't stay composed facing Jack's infidelity.

On our anniversary, seeing the plane tickets in the drawer had made my heart race with anticipation. The destination was Iceland—a place we had planned to visit on our honeymoon. Back then, his work had been too demanding, and the trip got postponed repeatedly.

I believed it was a surprise he had planned for me. I spent the day preparing a lavish dinner and even lit candles, waiting for Jack to come home. But when he rushed in, he didn't spare me a glance as he headed straight to the bedroom. Emerging moments later, he said, "Something came up at work; I need to go on a business trip," and left.

He took the plane tickets with him. He hadn't planned a trip to see the Northern Lights with me after all. He had forgotten it was our seventh anniversary.

I stared at the carefully prepared candlelit dinner, but couldn't eat. I leaned against the sofa, watching the snow outside, my eyes stinging.

Hours later, I still couldn't sleep. I opened Twitter and saw a post from Nala Ellis. The location was Iceland.

"Bucket List at Eighteen—See the Northern Lights in Iceland with the love of my life. Finally made it today!"

The photo showed Jack and Nala kissing under the aurora. My phone slipped from my hand. So, Jack had gone to Iceland with Nala. I should have seen this coming.

I sat numbly in the cold living room, sleepless through the night.

"Why's everything so spicy?" Jack asked, frowning at the spread on the table as he sat down.

"I didn't think you'd be back," I said, setting my utensils aside and heading to the bedroom.

He caught my wrist, his eyes searching mine with a complex look. After a moment, he finally said, "Winnie, are you just going to leave like this?"

I turned back, puzzled. "What else is there to do?"

Should I, like before, prepare a late-night cup of coffee for him as he returns from work and place it in front of him?