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.

It was just past September, yet the heat of late summer still lingered. Despite that, as I sat in the study, my whole body was cold, as if I were trapped inside an ice cellar.

I rushed out the door, lost in a haze.

Somewhere deep down, I still refused to believe Aiden betrayed me.

I told myself that everything I found on his computer was fake. Someone was trying to set him up. They wanted to frame him.

I called his phone, but there was no answer.

He told me earlier that he was at dinner with his department. So I searched for him, restaurant by restaurant.

I stubbornly wanted to confront him in person. I needed answers.

When I finally spotted Aiden in a barbecue shop, the table was filled with laughter and conversation.

He sat at the head of the table, smiling slightly. He was the perfect image of a cultured, confident, and effortlessly charming man.

To his right sat a woman in a white dress, her long hair cascading down her back. Her eyes shone brightly, and her expression was shy. She was a delicate beauty—soft yet alluring.

My steps abruptly came to a halt. I found myself hesitating, unable to move forward.

The voices of the younger employees rang out in playful banter.

"Mr. Spencer, we admire you in every way except for how whipped you are for your wife. That, we just can't relate to!"

"Yeah, Mr. Spencer, you're always so chill and in control. How could you let your wife, an outsider, meddle in how we do things? What happened to 'strict teachers make great students'?"

It took me a while to register their words.

Then, it clicked. I finally understood why they were saying that.

Aiden was never naturally good at managing people. His approach was to do everything himself since explaining things to others felt like a waste of time to him.

As a result, he exhausted himself, shouldering all the burdens alone, which made him the busiest and most overworked person in the department. It was so extreme that he even didn't have time for Chloe.

So, I suggested that he step back into a proper leadership role and review his subordinates' work instead of doing everything himself. Otherwise, his department's performance would always suffer.

I had no idea how Aiden framed it when he explained it to his team, but judging from their words tonight, they clearly blamed it all on me.

But right now, I had no energy to care about that.

My eyes were locked on the long-haired woman.

She sat in the middle of the crowd, smiling faintly, looking poised and warm. Amidst the noisy, bustling restaurant, she carried an air of quiet elegance, as if untouched by the world around her.

Just then, she smiled gently and said in a soft voice, "Alright, alright. Don't bully Mr. Spencer. If you guys ever need extra help, I'll lend a hand."

The young employees burst into laughter. "Man, if only Mr. Spencer's wife was someone like Skyla. Our department would be heaven. Ah, it's too bad!"

My heart sank.

So, it was true. The long-haired woman was Skyla.

They clinked their glasses, raising toasts to her. Skyla's face flushed a rosy pink, her hands shielding the rim of her glass as she laughed.

Suddenly, Aiden stood up. He took the glass from her hand and downed the entire drink in one gulp. "We don't let women drink in our department. Don't mess with her. I'll drink for her!"

Skyla lowered her gaze, smiling shyly as she and Aiden exchanged a look.

The younger employees cheered and refilled his glass. Aiden, full of bravado, downed another shot.

From across the restaurant, I watched him, my entire body trembling violently. Aiden had a weak stomach. Even the slightest irritation would trigger his ulcers.

For years, aside from taking care of Chloe, keeping Aiden healthy was my number one priority. I searched everywhere for remedies, brewed traditional medicine, and made herbal tea. He wasn't allowed to eat anything too hot, too cold, or too spicy.

Even though I loved spicy food, I never used chili when I cooked. When we had watermelon, I even took it out of the fridge in advance so it wouldn't be too cold when he got home.