In our circle, I'm known as the tolerant one. I've been with Joshua Henry for over a decade, and no matter how he acted outside our relationship, I always chose to look the other way. But on my birthday, he crossed a line—he brought some new college girl into our home.

I was so furious my face burned, tears spilling down my cheeks. Joshua brushed them away with his thumb, a lazy smirk on his face. "Sadie, you're pushing thirty. Quit acting like a child."

"Oh—and close the door on your way out, would you?"

At Thanksgiving dinner, his friends were taking bets on how long I'd put up with it this time. Joshua just swirled his drink and said, "Sadie's a patient woman. She'll be back in three days, tops."

What Joshua never understood was that women like me can put up with things for a while, but eventually, we crave a stable home life.

On my birthday, I left work early, loaded down with groceries, and headed back to the house Joshua and I shared near downtown. When I opened the door, the living room was pitch-black—not a single light on. I figured he was still stuck in meetings at the office, so I started stocking the fridge with everything I needed for pulled pork sandwiches and spiced honey cake.

Then I heard strange noises coming from the study upstairs. A chilling fear gripped me, cold sweat trickling down my spine—I thought a burglar might have broken in. I grabbed a book off the table and crept upstairs. Taking a deep breath, I suddenly twisted the doorknob.

The room was wall-to-wall plush carpet, the AC cranked up high, and some indescribably weird smell hung in the air. Joshua was lounging in a chair, leaning back, his handsome face slick with sweat. Caught off guard by my sudden entrance, he looked annoyed. "Ever heard of knocking?"

I waved the book in my hand and couldn't help but let out a dry laugh. "I didn't know you were home. I heard noises and thought we had a break-in."

Joshua stayed seated, but his tone softened. "If there's ever an intruder, call me right away. Coming up here with a book is a good way to get yourself hurt."

"All right, all right, got it."

I walked over to him, teasing him about whether he'd gotten me a birthday gift. That's when I heard a rustling sound from under the big desk. A girl crawled out, looking shaken.

I'd heard Joshua was chasing some top student from the music department—she was known for being proud and had turned him down more than once. Now here she was, standing right in front of me.

She couldn't have been older than twenty—innocent face, porcelain skin, and an almost ethereal beauty. Her wrinkled Victorian-style dress said it all about what had just happened.

Joshua caught my stunned expression and twisted his lips into a playful grin. "Seen enough?"

"If you're done, do me a favor and close the door on your way out."

Joshua and I grew up as childhood friends. For as long as I can remember, my heart and mind have been full of him. People in love tend to be confident—and Joshua took full advantage of that. He kept our long-term relationship going while having flings on the side.

Over the years, he said one thing more than anything else: “The women out there are just temporary stops. You’re my real home. The journey doesn’t matter—only the destination does. When I marry, it’ll be you.”

Naively, I clung to those words and ignored the truth for ten years. But as I stood there staring at the scene in front of me, no amount of forgiveness could keep the tears from falling.

Only then did Joshua seem to grasp how serious this was. He fastened his belt with a quick motion, straightened his clothes, and—almost dismissively—tapped the girl’s cheek like she was an obedient pet. “You should go now.”

The girl didn’t look embarrassed at all. Her gaze was steady as she asked, “Mr. Henry, is this your wife?” Joshua didn’t deny it. He tossed a blanket her way. “If you know she’s my wife, why are you still here?”

She glanced at me, still wrapped in the blanket, then walked out. The room went suffocatingly silent. Just me and Joshua.

He came closer and gently wiped the tears from my face with his fingertips, as if I were something fragile. “Sadie, aren’t you a little too old to be crying like this?” His tone was so casual it made me feel like I was the unreasonable one.

When I stayed silent, he tried to pull me into his arms—the way he had so many times before. But I pushed him away. “Joshua, do you even know what today is? Did it ever occur to you that this place was supposed to be our home? The one we’d share as husband and wife?”

“How could you…” I couldn’t finish. I slid down to the floor, my back against the door.

Joshua crouched down beside me and rested his forehead against mine. “Sadie, today is your birthday, isn’t it?” When I didn’t answer, he pulled out his phone and sent a message on WhatsApp. “I’ve rescheduled my company meetings with Amazon; I’ll spend all of next week with you. As for our home, if you think this one is ruined, I can get another one right away. You can pick the location and size—maybe somewhere in the Alps—and it’ll be in your name only.”

“I promise, this is the first and last time. I won’t bring anyone else here again. How does that sound?”

In the past, I might have been foolish enough to agree. Now, all I felt was numb and exhausted.

Sniffling, I made the choice that was long overdue. “Joshua, let’s break up. That would be the best birthday gift you could give me.”

Silence pressed in, thick and suffocating. Joshua watched me, calculating his next move like a predator sizing up prey, hunting for the right words to make me change my mind.

After a long beat, he knelt down, aiming for sincerity.

“Sadie, I admit it. I was wrong,” he confessed. “The girl you saw is Reina Martin. I met her last month when I was lecturing at my old university. Her defiance intrigued me. I wanted to know what made this ‘delicate flower’ different.”

“But after a while, I realized she’s nothing special—nowhere near you.” He tried to kiss my earlobe, his voice smooth and seductive, like the devil tempting me. “Besides, you’re my wife. I would never expect you to put up with that.”

In public, Joshua wore gold-rimmed glasses, looking refined and charming. But beneath that polished surface was a darker side that got off on ruining beautiful things. In bed, he was almost ruthless. No one could stomach his twisted tastes for long, and his lovers always came and went.

Yet in business, he was cold and decisive. With me, he was always gentle. He never hesitated to shower me with comfort and wealth, and behind closed doors, my feelings always came first.

Back in the present, his fingers traced along my side, pulling me from my thoughts. I shoved him away.

“I said I want to end this.”

Joshua laughed, eyeing me like I was a harmless kitten—claws out, but no bite.

“Sadie, is breaking up your only move?” His words landed hard.

After ten years with Joshua, breaking up had become our ritual. Every time I decided to leave, he’d charm me back, turning my declarations into pleas for attention.

But this time, I wiped away my last tear and stood my ground. “This time, it’s for real.”

I didn’t wait for his response. I bolted from the study.

When I reached the first floor, Reina was still on the sofa. She hadn’t left. Her knees were bruised, her lips swollen. Sympathy washed over me, and I handed her a tissue.

“Your lip is bleeding,” I said softly.

Reina took the tissue. Then, out of nowhere, she asked, “Don’t you hate me?”

I hesitated. Even if it wasn’t Reina, there would always be another woman. The problem was Joshua, not them. To me, she was just another person.

But there was a gleam in her eyes—a light that shouldn’t be snuffed out or wasted.

So I heard myself say, “Reina, right?”

“Don’t fool yourself into thinking Joshua cares about you. Walk away before it’s too late,” I said.

Before I could go on, Reina cut me off. “You think I’m as naive as you?”

“To me, he’s just a good-looking ATM. Fifty grand a night, and with that money, I can study music in Europe and chase my dreams.”

“But you,” she added, her gaze sharp and clear, “don’t stay in this too long.”

As women, we both understood what went unsaid between us.