I'm four years younger than Maria Brown.

She pursued me for six years before we stepped into marriage.

She cherished me, declaring she would love only me in this lifetime.

However, later on, I overheard her conversation with a friend. "I never take men over twenty-five seriously. So what if Calvin White is handsome? Seeing the same face every day just becomes tedious. Now when I see him, I can't muster any enthusiasm. He's dull and boring. It's the young guys outside who bring excitement and freshness..."

Maria, one betrayal, and you're out for life. I won't waste my life over a seven-year relationship.

1

At two in the morning, Maria came back.

She stood by the bed, sighed, then left again.

I wasn't really asleep. I got up and went to the living room.

Behind the curtains, I heard her complaining on the phone to a friend. "Thankfully he's asleep. I dread him asking me to fulfill marital duties. I can't even bring myself to enter the bedroom."

"So what if he's handsome? Looking at the same face every day, I've lost interest in him long ago."

"The young guys out there are so sweet, calling me 'sister' and saying 'sister loves me'. It's fresh and thrilling."

If I hadn't heard it myself, I wouldn't believe such cruel words could come from Maria, who once had eyes only for me.

We hadn't shared a bed for two months. Lately, Maria has been very busy, often working late and sometimes going on business trips.

She said she didn't want to wake me, so she chose to sleep in the study. I foolishly thought she was being considerate and caring.

It turns out that she just despised me and she didn't love me anymore.

While she was showering, I checked her phone. Maria's phone password has been my birthday for years, a detail that never changed.

Her most recent chat was with a cartoon puppy.

Their chat history was clean, only containing a recent message from him. "I love you too." There were only four simple words, yet my hands trembled uncontrollably. So this was her 'young guy'... I checked his Moments.

His cover photo was a close selfie with Maria.

Although only half of her face was visible, I recognized her instantly.

The boy had blue-dyed hair, his eyes crinkly when he smiled, youthful and handsome.

His Moments were rich with updates, the latest at ten tonight. Two hands interlocked over a white bedsheet and it was suggestive.

The ring on the woman's finger was the one I had put on Maria's hand... I couldn't afford to be heartbroken, I scrolled down fast.

On May 20th, he posted a luxury watch and a transfer slip of 5200. "Tonight, she won't be able to leave the bed..."

I remembered that day. I had planned a candlelight dinner to celebrate 520 with Maria, but she was suddenly called away on a business trip.

His Moments were full of displays of affection that dazzled me.

Finally, my focus settled on April 1st.

He posted a picture of his sexy Adam's apple and a fresh 'strawberry'.

"She is finally mine."

I thought back.

That was the day Maria started refusing my touch.

I photographed all their transactions.

Then I placed her phone back where it was and went to sleep in the bedroom.

The next morning, Maria woke me with a kiss.

Half-asleep, remembering her words from last night, I felt repulsed and pushed her away.

She seemed unaware of my discomfort. "Honey, breakfast is ready, all your favorites," Maria kissed my cheek again. "I have to run to the office, lots to do."

Her voice was as tender as ever. After she left, I stared at the steaming food and milk on the table, my thoughts drifting back seven years...

I first met Maria on the day of my freshman registration. My suitcase was knocked open by hurried students, scattering my belongings.

She helped me gather my things and led me to my dorm.

I thought our interaction would be brief, but over the next three months, I kept bumping into her around campus, and she teasingly called me "junior." During a PE class, I hadn't eaten breakfast and got a stomach ache.

She stayed with me in the infirmary.

From then on, she would wait under my dorm with breakfast every day.

My roommate envied, "She's so nice to you and so pretty. Why not just accept her?"

I shook my head. It wasn't that I minded her being older.

I just didn't feel capable of protecting and caring for a girl yet.

After she graduated and started working, she often returned to visit me and bought clothes and shoes for me.

On weekends, she'd invite me over, cooking meals herself.

Whenever I bowed my head in shame, feeling I couldn't match her, she would smile. "There's no pressure. I just want to be good to you."

After six years of meticulous care, I eventually fell for her.

Maria once said she wanted to make me breakfast for a lifetime.

Look!

How considerate!

How gentle!

Her heart was no longer with me, yet she still remembered her promises.

If not for the photos in her album with that young guy and the large transactions, I might even doubt that last night's revelations were just a nightmare.

That evening, for the first time, Maria came home on time.

Seeing the empty fridge, she paused, then smiled, "Let's eat out tonight. I know a popular restaurant—"

I shook my head, cutting her off, "I've already eaten."

Only then did she notice a bowl of leftover instant noodles on the table.

Feigning anger, "Junk food is bad for your stomach. Aren't you afraid of ending up in the hospital again?"

Due to irregular meals during my studies, I developed chronic gastritis, often rushing to the hospital in the middle of the night due to stomach pain.

I gave a wry smile, "Doesn't matter anymore." Maria snuggled into my arms, still beautiful as ever, as if time hadn't touched her, although she was twenty-nine now, she was just as beautiful as in her college days.

She cooed, "Don't worry. You're my husband. Even if you're not well, I'll never leave you!" She tiptoed to kiss me.

Feeling her intense need, I subtly dodged her advances. "I'm tired, not in the mood." Maria froze, clearly unhappy, yet she restrained herself from losing her temper. While I was washing dishes in the kitchen, she took a call.

Then, she picked up her bag from the sofa and said, "Something urgent at the office, I need to go. Don't wait up."

After taking a shower and just lying down on the bed, my phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar local number.

I answered, only to be met with silence at first.

Thinking it was a prank and about to hang up, I suddenly heard the laughter of Maria. ''Do you miss me after just one day?'' the boy's voice, hoarse, came through. ''Thinking about you having to return to accompany your boring husband made me feel uneasy. Then the sound of kissing breaths came.

Maria's breathing became more rapid. ''Let's not talk about him now.''

''Tonight, you are all mine, sister.''

Their subsequent conversation left me speechless.

Thankfully, I had started recording as soon as I heard Maria's voice.

Later, I searched for this number on social media and unsurprisingly, it belonged to Maria's kept man.

I casually added him, and he quickly accepted, clearly knowing who I was and evidently trying to flaunt it.

Arriving at the office, I received a nutritious breakfast ordered by Maria.

She called me. ''Honey, I've been called away on a sudden business trip and won't be able to come home for a few days. I've ordered your favorite lean meat porridge. Eat it while it's hot.''

''OK.''

After hanging up, I browsed my social media where the young man had also updated his status, showing a lavish breakfast with a caption, ''Someone who makes breakfast for you truly loves you.''

I once thought Maria loved only me. A colleague, eyeing the porridge on my desk, couldn't hide his envy. ''Where can you find such a caring and gentle wife?'' Indeed, to outsiders, having a capable and considerate wife like Maria seemed a stroke of luck. She was beautiful, capable, favored by her superiors, and had a promising future.

I wasn't too shabby either.

During my school days, I was the top student and the most handsome guy on campus.

After graduating, I leveraged my solid professional knowledge and hard work to enter a leading company and climbed up the ranks quickly.

Seeing my colleague salivating over my bowl of porridge, I offered, ''Didn't you have breakfast? Take it then.'' His face lit up. ''Mr. White, you'd give me your wife's gift, wouldn't you?''

I smiled. ''Go ahead. I've already eaten.''

This kind of insincere love, I, Calvin, could do without. From the young man's frequent updates, I kept tabs on their activities. Maria took him to an amusement park, played on roller coasters, giant swings, and drop towers, all things she claimed to fear and swore she'd never try.

She even rented an apartment for him near the university town.

I remembered our early dating days when we visited an amusement park.

I wanted to ride the roller coaster and pulled her along, but she refused, terrified. Yet now, she broke her principles for him.

I wasn't angry or sad but saved all the evidence of Maria's infidelity.

When Maria contacted me again on the third night, saying, ''Honey, I found a great Japanese restaurant. Let's go together next time.''

It was laughable because she had just taken her young lover there. Should I have been moved?

I pretended to be surprised. ''You're back in Sea City, aren't you?''