After My Wife and Her Male Best Friend's Kiss Went Viral, I Decided to Get a Divorce

: Betrayal

I was preparing a surprise for our fifth wedding anniversary when I saw a trending topic online: "A Romantic Ride, A Different Kind of Life."

I zoomed in on the picture. A man and a woman, out for a ride, were straddling a bike, locked in a passionate kiss.

I recognized the man in the photo instantly. It was my wife's "male best friend."

My gaze shifted to the woman beside him, and I fell silent.

Though most of her face was obscured, I still recognized her by the diamond earring on her earlobe. It was my wife.

It was a custom gift I'd had made for her for our fourth anniversary.

Suppressing the overwhelming wave of hatred, I calmly sent the evidence of Bella Vance's affair to my lawyer.

This time, I'll send them both to hell!

...

At midnight, I stretched my stiff limbs.

'I silently made a decision—my five years with Bella Vance were over.'

Bella Vance didn't call once the entire day.

She'd forgotten the promise she made when she left that afternoon, forgotten what day it was.

I looked at the elaborate dinner I'd prepared, the red wine, then got up and dumped it all in the trash.

The crimson roses, dark as blood, were like my own bleeding heart, slowly growing cold and hard.

I tossed the anniversary necklace I'd bought into the trash, then turned and began to pack my bags.

'A woman whose heart is elsewhere is a woman I don't need.'

Bella Vance didn't come back until the next morning.

Her face was flushed and she collapsed onto the sofa in exhaustion. Her neck was covered in red marks.

Bella Vance gave me a seductive smile. "Miles, hurry and get me a glass of honey water. I'm exhausted."

Seeing the flush on her face, I felt a wave of nausea.

I frowned, taking in her appearance. Her clothes were wrinkled and rumpled, her hair a mess.

When Bella Vance saw I wasn't moving, she whined impatiently,

"Honey, could you hurry it up? I'm dying of thirst."

As she spoke, she stuck out her tongue and licked her lips.

An image immediately flashed in my mind: her, sticking out her tongue, being intimate with her "male best friend."

Instantly, a bitter taste rose in my throat.

I don't have much family, so being home alone always feels especially cold and lonely.

When we first got married, Bella Vance would still be home to keep me company every day.

Then she got into cycling and met her "male best friend," Holden Holt.

She started coming home later and later. She was either out riding with her "male best friend" or "helping him out" at his place.

It's not that I didn't object.

Bella Vance would always give me a cold look and snap irritably,

"It's bad enough you don't support me getting fit, but now you're trying to hold me back. Are you even a man?"

Afterward, she'd give me the silent treatment for days, locking me out of the bedroom and refusing to speak a single word to me.

Time and time again, I had no choice but to tacitly accept her nights spent away from home.

Bella Vance's expression turned ugly. She kicked the coffee table. "What's gotten into you now? Is breakfast ready? Hurry up and serve it. I'm going to take a nap after I eat."

Watching her order me around so matter-of-factly, I almost had to laugh.

I used to get up early to make breakfast for her no matter how busy I was, while she slept in until eight without a care in the world.

'But why should I be the one waiting on her? As my wife, couldn't she make breakfast for me just once?'

For years, I've been skipping breakfast, then entertaining clients until the middle of the night. I already have a severe stomach ulcer.

I gave a cold laugh.

"Bella Vance, let's get a divorce."

Bella Vance froze, then snapped in anger,

"Are you crazy? It's the crack of dawn. If you're going to act like a lunatic, take your meds. Don't come looking for a fight."

I glanced at her neck, which was covered in hickeys, then shoved my phone in her face.

"You're already all over your 'male best friend.' If we don't get a divorce, what are you waiting for? For me to catch you in the act?"

"What are you talking about? 'All over' him? I'm exhausted, I don't have time for this nonsense!"

Bella Vance glanced at the screen, her eyes darting away.

Then she tried to cover for herself, her voice suddenly loud.

"Yesterday, Holden got some sand in his eye. I was just helping him blow it out. What's the big deal?"

"You're a grown man, acting so paranoid all the time. Don't you feel pathetic?"

With that, she rolled her eyes at me and slammed the bedroom door shut.

The intense stress made my stomach churn.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I grabbed the trash can and threw up.