I see an anonymous poll online after Aidan Spencer returns to me and our family. "Does a man feel guiltier to his wife or mistress after cheating?"

99% of the voters chose "mistress".

I turn to Aidan. "Do you agree with this?"

He puts down his book, a hint of indescribable fatigue in his cool gaze. "I'm already back with you, Lily. What else do you want from me?"

My husband, Aiden Spencer, frowned, got up, and went to the balcony to smoke.

I looked over. Against the backdrop of bright city lights, his tall and slender figure blended into the faint haze of smoke, exuding loneliness and desolation.

Half an hour later, he walked back inside, forcing a smile that screamed of silent endurance.

"This time, come with me to the company's family day event. Since I'm free this weekend, I'll take you to the mall to pick out a few outfits."

Aiden's company held family day events from time to time, but he never took me along. On the rare occasions I asked about it out of curiosity, he would frown impatiently.

"Those are benefits arranged for the lower-level employees. The slots are limited. As a senior executive, I need to be mindful of that. There's no point in competing with them."

At this moment, I really wanted to ask him, "So this time, you don't have to be mindful anymore?" But I didn't.

Ever since Aiden moved back in with me, there had been a heavy, suffocating tension between us.

Yes, suffocating. Like something thick and sticky was lodged in my throat, neither rising nor falling. It was just a constant, lingering presence that never let me forget it was there.

"Alright," I said.

He smiled as if he were happy. But the moment he turned around, the smile faded, and he let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

That night, I turned off the lights, ready to sleep, when the door suddenly opened.

Aiden walked in. "Are you asleep?"

We slept in separate rooms now—I got the bedroom, while he stayed in the study.

The day he chose to come back home, he stood at the doorway with his suitcase and said, "Lily, we both need time and space to sort things out. Let's not share a room for now."

At the time, I was overwhelmed by an onslaught of intense emotions—the agony of betrayal by the person closest to me, the self-loathing from the reckless things I did after everything fell apart, and the righteousness of standing on the moral high ground.

Every movement and expression was distorted and magnified.

I tilted my chin up and sneered at him. "Aiden, what do you think this is? Do you really think I let you move back in just so we could sleep together? Do you assume everyone is as filthy and depraved as you?"

"As you wish, then." He didn't argue. He simply responded with indifference, dragging his suitcase into the study.

…

Now, he stood quietly by the bed for a moment. Then, he slowly lay down, his hand slipping under my clothes to my waist.

"Lily, we're still husband and wife." His voice was thick with an inexplicable emotion.

Strangely enough, despite the simplicity of those words and the fact that I couldn't see his face, I could hear the resignation in his tone.

It was a sigh of patience—a quiet endurance. It was as if his desire for me was something he had no choice but to surrender to. It seemed like he was finally giving in to fate and reluctantly acknowledging the bond we still shared.

He sounded like this was an offering bestowed upon me as his wife of ten years.

Outside the window, the moon hung in the sky, tired and indifferent, watching the world below.

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I finally said the name I kept buried for the past three months. "And what about Skyla? Wasn't she the only wife you ever truly wanted?"

The air became deathly still.

Behind me, Aiden burst out in the darkness, his voice sharp with rage, "Why are you bringing her up? I came back! We've already paid the price for what we did! You got everything you wanted! Lily Chapman, what more do you want?"

I didn't want anything.

I just couldn't hold it in. I felt wronged and wanted to rip apart the thin veneer of pretense covering my life.

Aiden and I were college classmates. We met during an event on campus, fell in love, got married two years after graduation, and had our daughter, Chloe Spencer, the following year.

Everything happened naturally, one step following the next.

I was outgoing, full of energy, and always smiling. I loved being around people.

Aiden was more reserved. He was an expert in his field with top-tier research skills, but his lack of social aptitude held back his career.

I felt he was wasting his talent, so I put my networking skills to use. Through my boss, I got to know Elijah Holmes, one of the key directors at his research institute.

During that time, I woke up early every morning to bake desserts and traveled halfway across the city to deliver them to Mr. Holmes' mother, who had a sweet tooth.

Aiden felt nothing but disdain for what I was doing.

"My skills speak for themselves. Why should I lower myself to this kind of petty flattery? What if it all comes to nothing? I'd end up making a fool of myself!"

I treaded carefully around his pride and sincerely admitted that perhaps I was too impulsive.

Then, I smiled and said, "Even if it doesn't work out, it's no big deal. Consider it an act of kindness toward an elderly lady. Plus, getting to know someone like Mr. Holmes could benefit my own career, too."

Mr. Holmes admired my persistence. That, combined with Aiden's undeniable talent, convinced him to personally endorse Aiden for a crucial promotion. After five stagnant years at the institute, Aiden finally got the career advancement he deserved.

His salary and bonuses skyrocketed, but with research and management responsibilities on his plate, work became increasingly demanding.

Meanwhile, no one was home to take care of Chloe, who was at a critical stage in her development.

After discussing it thoroughly, we decided that I would step down from my main position at work and take on a more flexible role, giving me more time to focus on our family and fully support his career.

I always thought of myself as lucky.

When I picked Chloe up from preschool, the moms would gather to chat. They all agreed that our family was the perfect modern-day example of happiness.

My case was the epitome of the perfect college love story. I had a husband with a thriving career and a lively, adorable daughter, and I also had a flexible job. I felt happy and fulfilled.

Every now and then, I would see my former colleagues, who were once my subordinates, get promoted and earn raises. I would feel a fleeting sense of wistfulness.

However, I reminded myself that marriage was an economic and emotional partnership. Sure, I gave up some things, but it was the best decision for the sake of my family.

That was enough.

The first time I saw the name "Skyla Thompson" was on a research report lying on Aiden's desk. Two names were signed at the bottom—Aiden's and Skyla's.

I handed Aiden a freshly brewed cup of herbal tea and joked, "Your names go surprisingly well together. Just looking at them, I can already picture some kind of dramatic, tragic story."

Back then, I was still living under the illusion of a perfect life.

I didn't notice the fleeting softness in his gaze when his eyes landed on Skyla's name.

"She's an unmarried colleague. Don't joke about that."

His eyes lowered as he slid the report away, his voice calm but laced with warning.

The second time I saw Skyla's name was six months later.

I was making a presentation for Chloe's elementary school speech, but my laptop ran out of battery. Aiden wasn't home since he was out for dinner with his department, so I turned on his computer.

While searching for materials online, I accidentally clicked on the cloud drive and saw a folder named "My One True Love".

Aiden was obsessively organized. Inside the folder, 27 subfolders were neatly arranged in chronological order, each labeled by year and month.

Human intuition was a strange thing. Before seeing that folder, I never suspected Aiden of anything, not even the slightest bit.

However, at that moment, as I hovered the mouse over one of the folders, I realized my hand was trembling uncontrollably.

I sat there in silence for two hours.

Inside the main folder was a detailed record of a relationship spanning two years and three months. It was cryptic yet burning with intensity.

They started out as colleagues from different departments who were assigned to the same research project.

Through countless days and nights, they indulged in deep intellectual conversations, exchanging thoughts and ideas.

Slowly, they caught feelings and fell for each other.

They knew their love was forbidden. It was morally unacceptable and would be scorned by society.

So, they made a pact to keep their love pure. They would be strictly platonic, never crossing the line into physical intimacy and succumbing to carnal temptation.

Using this hypocritical facade of moral obligation, they allowed themselves to bask in a little Eden of their own making, freely expressing their emotions and unleashing their love.

Aiden called Skyla the only wife in his life.

"When you walked past me today, I caught the scent that's so uniquely yours, and my heart trembled."

"Most women in this world are tainted, but you… You are pristine and untouched—the one place where my soul can rest. Thank you for cleansing my life."

"Every night, I can only think of your face, repeating your name over and over in my heart."

"I used to mourn my wasted 33 years, but then you appeared, like a vision, and suddenly, every moment leading up to now feels worthwhile."

Skyla called Aiden "Aidie".

"Aidie! My love! My husband!"

"This morning, I lost a few strands of hair. I carefully placed them on your desk. Now, we're bound together by fate."

"In the meeting notes, our names were written one above the other. I couldn't help the joy that crept into my heart. They were the four most beautiful words in the world to me now."

"Aidie, last night, I had a dream I can't even speak of. In the dream, I called your name again and again. When I woke up, all that was left were two streaks of tears soaking my pillow."

"I think of you day and night. My performance at work has hit rock bottom, but instead of firing me, they let Elizabeth go. Aidie, was it you? Did you pull some strings for me? I feel guilty… and yet relieved. You've landed me in an impossible position."

That message was followed by Aiden's gentle words of reassurance. "My love, don't blame yourself. I bent the rules for you willingly. I've never cared for power, but for once, I'm grateful to have it in my hands!"

27 folders, each with 30 documents.

A total of 810 files.

For 810 days and nights, they co-wrote their love story in this so-called Eden, pouring out their hearts and sharing their deepest emotions.