Back home, the haunting image of Rocco pressing against Avery while video-calling me churned in my mind, sending waves of nausea surging through me.

Unable to contain the disgust, I hurled my phone into the toilet. My hands trembled as I scrubbed them under cold water, over and over, until the soap dispenser was empty. Yet, no amount of washing seemed to cleanse the taint.

Rocco’s puzzled voice snapped me out of my frenzy.

“Valerie?”

His gaze fell on my water-soaked, pale hands, and he rushed to my side with visible concern.

“Why are you washing your hands with cold water? Your period starts tomorrow. What if your stomach hurts? Do you want me to worry myself sick over you?”

I pulled my hands back; my voice was as flat as the air between us.

“My phone slipped into the toilet. I couldn’t save it.”

Without hesitation, Rocco hurried to prepare a hot water bottle, his movements quick yet tender. He returned with a basin of warm water steeped in ginger slices. Squatting before me, he gently took my feet in his hands, his tone laced with indulgent helplessness.

“If it’s dropped, so be it. It’s just an old, dirty phone. Is it really worth you fishing it out? I’ll buy you a new one tomorrow, the best money you can get.”

“Oh, and tomorrow is your big sister’s baby’s one-month celebration. Mom wants us to join them for dinner.”

His gentle and caring demeanor felt like a cruel irony. My thoughts screamed questions I didn’t dare voice aloud.

What about you?

You’re tainted. Should I still want you?

That night, I woke with a jolt, pulled from restless dreams. The bed beside me was cold and empty. Once, Rocco would hold me through the night, swearing he couldn’t sleep without me in his arms.

I found him on the balcony, his back turned, whispering into his phone. His voice carried softly in the stillness.

Coming from the future world, my body’s functions, including hearing, were superior to those of this era.

Avery’s voice rang through the quiet night, sultry and teasing.

“Brother Rocco, I absolutely love the color of the new bag! It’s even prettier than the five you gave me last month.”

“That pastel blue,” she added coyly, “matches the lingerie you tore apart yesterday.”

Rocco’s reply was sharp, his patience clearly thinning.

“Enough. If every night with me earns you tens of thousands in bags, you’re making a killing.”

Avery, both aggrieved and alluring, pouted.

“Brother Rocco, it’s not about the money. I just adore how handsome you are and your… skills.”

“I miss you,” she whispered sweetly. “Can we video call?”

Rocco’s tone turned cold, cutting through her suggestion like a blade.

“No. Valerie is sleeping. If you dare disturb her, I’ll throw you out of the team.”

Avery refused to back down, her voice turning sweeter, dripping with coquettish allure.

“I got new lingerie tonight, white lace. I’ll tear it just for you. Don’t you love that?”

Rocco’s silence hung heavy, the tension palpable. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, rough with barely contained desire.

“I’ll head to the bathroom.”

“Okay. Oh, Brother Rocco, I saw another bag today…”

“Got it. You’re relentless.”

I slipped back to the bed, my heart pounding. Moments later, the faint click of the bathroom door echoed, followed by muffled gasps filtering through the silence.

Before I came to this era, my organization had funded my research, ensuring steady payments to support my work. Most of that money had gone straight into Rocco’s team.

Rocco had always prided himself on his independence, unwilling to lean on anyone, especially a woman. I hid the truth that I was his employer, communicating with him through a secondary account and signing contracts in secret.

I supported his work without question, sparing him the need to beg for funding. The data I requested was simple, leaving him plenty of space to focus on his personal projects, even if they didn't bring in a profit.

But since last month, Rocco has been requesting funds more and more frequently. Thinking it was for his research, I transferred the money without hesitation, never imagining it was to win over another woman.

I curled deeper under the blanket, my body trembling, but no matter how tightly I wrapped myself, the coldness in my heart remained unyielding.

Suddenly, the crystal bracelet on my wrist flickered to life, and a colleague's face appeared in a projection.

It was a communication device designed to connect with my colleagues from the future. To keep Rocco from becoming suspicious, I had disguised it as a bracelet.

"Valerie, the time-travel spaceship has already left. It will reach the base of Liora Cliff at 00:00 in five days. Don’t be late."

I pulled myself into a tight embrace, finding comfort in the thought that in just five days, I could escape. I wouldn’t have to lay eyes on Rocco ever again.

The next day, Rocco took me to the mall to pick out a new phone. I couldn’t bring myself to care, ready to grab any phone at random, knowing I wouldn’t need it for much longer; after all, mobile phones were already obsolete in the future.

But he wouldn’t hear of it. Insisting on buying me the latest and most expensive model, he wouldn’t relent.

While replacing my SIM card, Rocco slipped away for a moment. When he returned, he was holding a luxury handbag, a new release worth tens of thousands.

“A colleague from my team asked me to pick up a gift for his girlfriend. Since I was already at the mall, I agreed to help,” Rocco explained with a smile. I already knew the truth but said nothing, nodding in silence.

I hadn’t wanted to visit Rocco’s family. Despite years of marriage, we had no children, and his family resented me for it. But as his wife, avoiding such a gathering would only stir up trouble with his mother. Skipping it seemed like inviting unnecessary drama.

Sure enough, as soon as we sat down, his mother, cradling a baby in her arms, began with her sharp words.

“Some people act like they own the house, yet they can’t even lay an egg. They even have their husbands claim they’re infertile; what’s their excuse?”

Rocco’s face tightened, his jaw clenched, ready to respond. But just as he opened his mouth, his phone buzzed with two new messages. Without a second thought, he unlocked it and glanced at the screen. From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the message content.

The screen displayed a photo of Avery, clad in lingerie, holding a positive pregnancy test, with a message beneath it. [If you don’t come see me, I’ll get rid of it.]

In the past, whenever Rocco’s family had tormented me, he’d been the first to stand up for me, fiercely protecting me from their cruelty. But now, as his mother and sister spent the last ten minutes belittling me, Rocco didn’t utter a single word. He simply sat there, silent.

Shielding the phone from my view, Rocco stared at the message for what felt like an eternity. When he finally looked at me, his eyes were filled with apology.

“Valerie, my boss just called. He needs me to present a report at the office.”

He had no idea that I was his boss, and he hadn’t submitted a report to me in ages.

“Go ahead,” I replied, my voice calm and steady. “Work is important.”

He stood up without a word, taking the handbag with him as he left.

The moment Rocco left, his mother and sister grew even bolder, their mocking laughter filling the room.

“See? Because you can’t have children, Rocco doesn’t even care about you anymore.”

“Do us all a favor and leave. If you can’t give him what he wants, don’t waste his time. There are plenty of women now, eager to have his children now that he’s caught the eye of a big boss.”

I didn’t respond to their taunts. Instead, I emptied my glass of wine in one long sip, stood up, and offered them a faint smile.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get exactly what you want.”

They wouldn’t have to wait long; someone had already stepped into the role.

I turned and left, retreating to my home to organize the years of data I had gathered, preparing to transfer it to the organization’s database. Only four days remained.

Meanwhile, Rocco’s mother and sister, mistaking his silence for indifference, believed he was tired of me. They wasted no time in calling him, pushing for a divorce, suggesting that my lack of resistance meant I, too, wanted to end the marriage.

But Rocco’s response was nothing like they expected. His fury erupted. He pushed Avery off his lap, hastily dressed, and stormed out in a blind rage.

When he reached his mother’s house, his anger tore through it. He wrecked everything in his path, smashing furniture and belongings. The chaos reached its peak when he came close to hurting his sister’s child, only halting when his mother knelt before him, pleading for mercy.

I had just finished sending all the data to my colleagues through my communication bracelet when the door suddenly slammed open.

Rocco rushed in, his arms enveloping me tightly. His voice wavered with guilt.

"Valerie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t protect you, and I let them bully you."

"Don’t listen to their nonsense. I don’t care about having kids at all. Please, don’t leave me. Don’t divorce me."

I could feel his body trembling, his grip so tight I could barely breathe. Struggling to break free, I finally managed to loosen his hold, offering him a soft, reassuring smile.

"Don’t worry," I said, my voice calm, almost too calm. "I won’t divorce you."

But in my heart, I already knew I was leaving him forever.

Rocco let out a deep sigh, his shoulders easing as if a heavy weight had been lifted from him. Grateful for the brief respite, he gently took my hand, his voice soft but filled with sincerity.

"Valerie, I know my family has made you suffer over the years because of me," he said, his tone laced with regret.

"Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to shut them up."

"My team detected an abnormal magnetic field near Liora Cliff these past few days. After analyzing it, it seems our theory about parallel worlds might actually hold water."

"This is huge. If we can prove it, I can ask my boss for a large sum of funding. With that, I’ll retire early and stay home to take care of you."

The Space-Time Transportation Bureau always made sure to prepare in advance for a spaceship's departure. I hadn’t expected Rocco’s team to get caught up in this.

His phone rang again. He glanced at me, his eyes briefly meeting mine, before he walked into the kitchen to answer.

"Rocco, when are you coming back? My stomach’s been sore, and I’m not sure if it’s from the fall earlier," the voice on the other end whined.

"I’m scared. Come keep me company, okay? I bought some new lingerie, the wild kind... just for us."

When he returned, his face wore that familiar apologetic look as if it could fix everything.

"Valerie, to gather more data, I need to go on a field trip with my team for a few days."

So much for claiming he didn’t care about children.

I was tired of the act.

"Go ahead. I hope you succeed," I replied, my tone flat.

Before he left, he kissed my forehead gently.

"Valerie, be good and wait for me at home. When I come back, I have something to tell you."

But I was done with his words.

I smiled faintly, my eyes cold.

"Alright."

As soon as he left, my phone buzzed with a friend request on WhatsApp from an unknown contact.

After I accepted the request, my phone was bombarded with a flood of photos. Most of them showed Rocco and Avery in compromising positions, some taken on his office desk, others in the bathroom, and the most chilling ones in my own kitchen.

The last two images were the most telling: a pregnancy report and a wall of luxury handbags, including the one Rocco had bought for Avery at the mall that day.

Then, Avery sent a voice message.

"Valerie, did you see this wall of handbags? Every time I sleep with Rocco, he buys me a bag. Do you have any idea how much all these are worth? Has he ever bought you one?"

"You're just a barren hen, being used for free while I can give him a child. Do you have any idea how much he cares about me and the baby?"

"When I mentioned our little house, he risked his life collecting data in the wilderness just to get enough funding to buy me and the baby a villa."

"Honestly, being a woman like you… you might as well die. But anyway, I’ll stop here. Rocco's here with me now, keeping me company."

To add salt to the wound, she sent a secretly recorded video of Rocco entering and passionately kissing her.

I ignored her, glancing at the time instead.

Only three days left.

In the next two days, Rocco sent me a series of photos showcasing the mountain scenery.

"Valerie, it's breathtaking here. Let’s come together next time, okay?"