I frowned. To avoid raising suspicion, I forced myself to eat a few bites despite my disgust, quietly pushing the rest aside with my cutleries.

"Darling, did you spend some money today?" I asked casually while eating.

After asking, I discreetly observed Dexter's expression. His hand holding the fork paused briefly and a flash of regret swept across his face.

I guessed he must have been careless when transferring the money earlier. Otherwise, with his usual caution, he would never have used the stored-value card under my name.

But in just a split second, Dexter adjusted his expression, pretending to stay calm as he admitted and explained, "Yes, a friend needed money urgently. I was in a rush and didn't realize I used your card until after the transfer."

He then added pitifully, "Honey, you're not mad I acted without telling you first, are you?" With a nervous look, he cautiously watched my reaction.

Feigning surprise, I said, "How could I be?"

Seeing my response, he quietly let out a sigh of relief.

I then casually asked, "Which friend was it?"

It seemed like he had already prepared an answer, replying naturally, "Oh, an old childhood friend of mine. You don't know him."

I nodded, not pressing further and continued eating. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him exhale deeply, visibly relieved. I tightened my grip on the fork, feeling a dull ache as if a boulder was pressing on my chest.

Dexter could lie to me so calmly and naturally. This certainly wasn't the first time. Unfortunately, it had taken me so long to realize it.

That night, we lay in bed together. Dexter took off his glasses and leaned toward me, his intentions unmistakable.

As he wrapped his arm around me, my body involuntarily tensed up. The thought of those hands holding another woman made me feel nauseous.

When I turned my head slightly, his kiss missed its mark. He froze for a moment.

I removed his hand from my waist and closed my eyes, "I'm tired."

His expression grew complicated. Though he knew it was just an excuse, he still said gently, "Alright, I won't bother you. Get some rest."

I used to love being in his embrace, resting my head against his chest and listening to his strong, steady heartbeat. It always made me feel so safe. But now, all I wanted was to get as far away from him as possible.

Not long after, Dexter fell asleep. His breathing became steady and soft.

His phone lay beside him. He had never set any defenses against me and I'd never felt the need to check it due to my trust in him. But tonight, I wanted to look.

I entered the password and his phone unlocked immediately. I searched through his WhatsApp, Instagram and other apps, but found nothing incriminating.

The person he messaged the most was his assistant, Scarlett Donovan. Their conversations were strictly about work, normal, professional, with no hint of anything inappropriate.

Yet, I trusted my instincts. There was no way he had no contact with that woman. I just hadn't found the evidence yet.

Just as I was about to put his phone down, something struck me as odd, my husband, who never shopped online, had installed the Amazon app.

I opened Amazon and checked the order center first, it was empty. He hadn't purchased anything there.

As I was about to exit, I noticed a red '1' notification on the chat button. In that instant, my heart raced wildly. I felt I was about to uncover the secret Dexter had been hiding.

Sure enough, in the chat list, there was only one profile picture, a woman's and it matched Scarlett's WhatsApp profile picture exactly.

She had sent over a few revealing and provocative photos, her gaze teasing, "Babe, do you miss me?"

My brow furrowed tightly as a wave of nausea rose within me. I never imagined that Dexter secretly had a taste for this sort of thing.

It turns out men are all the same, they might appear dignified and proper in public, but behind closed doors, they still crave the wild and scandalous.

Before I could respond, Scarlett continued, "I ran into your wife today. She didn't suspect anything, did she?"

My eyes narrowed. The only place I'd gone today was the beauty center, so the person sharing the room with me must have been her. Scarlett must have recognized me at the beauty center.

As for why I didn't recognize her, it was because her appearance had changed drastically, she looked entirely different from the person I'd met before. Scarlett was once a poor student I sponsored and now, she's Dexter's assistant.

Back then, she was frail and skinny, with a sallow complexion and dry, yellowish, frizzy hair, like someone suffering from prolonged malnutrition. She avoided eye contact and carried an air of extreme insecurity.

After marrying Dexter, I hadn't been able to get pregnant. At first, I wanted to leave it to fate, but as time passed and I grew older, I decided to leave my job and focus on trying to conceive.

With my departure, Dexter's workload increased, so I suggested he hire an assistant to share the burden. At the time, Scarlett had just graduated and was looking for an internship. I recommended her to Dexter.

Initially, Dexter didn't want to hire her. From her appearance to her qualifications and abilities, nothing about her met his standards. But I kept persuading him to give her a chance, asking him to take good care of her for my sake.

In the beginning, Dexter frequently complained to me about Scarlett's lack of competence, her slow learning curve and her inefficiency. I encouraged him, saying that all rookies start from scratch and improve with time.

But at some point, Dexter stopped mentioning her altogether and gradually, I forgot about her existence.

I never expected that in just two years, Scarlett would undergo such a dramatic transformation. It was clear she had invested significantly in her appearance.

And I never thought Dexter would cheat on me with someone he once despised. The world had truly gone beyond my comprehension.

Imitating Dexter's tone, I replied, "No!"

"Babe, aren't I smart? Using a shopping app as a chat tool, your wife won't find anything even if she checks your phone!" Even through the screen, I could feel Scarlett's smugness.

I smirked coldly. Clever indeed. It's no wonder she's so confident. If I didn't know Dexter never shops online, I wouldn't have suspected anything.

"Mm, smart," I typed, keeping my response short to avoid arousing suspicion.

Yet, Scarlett still noticed something. "Huh? Babe, what's wrong with you today? Why so cold?" she asked suddenly.

For a moment, I didn't know how to respond. Dexter had always been warm and gentle toward me but reserved and distant with others. I couldn't imagine what his passionate side looked like.

After a brief pause, I typed, "She's next to me."

This seemed to put her mind at ease. "Okay, babe, I'll log off now," she replied. Scarlett went offline.

Scrolling up, I found the earlier messages vulgar and explicit, burning my eyes and further shattering my perception of Dexter.

I recorded all their chat logs on my phone, then deleted the conversation and placed his phone back where it was.

I didn't sleep a wink all night. It wasn't until the early hours of dawn, with the faint light creeping through the window, that I managed to drift off into a restless slumber.

When I woke up, it was already nine in the morning. Dexter had gone to work.

On the bedside table, he had left a note, reminding me that he had prepared breakfast for me in the kitchen. I crumpled the note into a ball and tossed it into the trash before getting up to wash and get ready.

Since resigning, I rarely visited the office, but today, I decided to surprise Dexter by bringing him a homemade lunch.

Though I hadn't been to the office much in the past two years, most of the staff still recognized me.

I made my way to his office without encountering any obstacles. As I pushed open the door, I was greeted by the sight of Dexter and Scarlett sitting face-to-face, eating lunch together. On the surface, everything seemed normal.

My sudden appearance startled them both. Scarlett quickly stood up, but I didn't miss the detail, she was barefoot on one side.

Though her movements were swift and she immediately slipped on her high heel, I had clearly seen her bare foot intertwined with my husband's leg beneath the table, slithering upward like a vine.

Dexter, ever the master of composure, recovered almost instantly. He turned to me with a look of surprise and delight, "Honey, what brings you here?"

I feigned nonchalance and raised the lunchbox in my hand, smiling sweetly, "Of course, I came to deliver a healthy lunch to my dearest husband. But it seems I'm a little late, huh?"

I cast a glance at the half-eaten food on the table, pretending to look disappointed.

"No, no, you're just in time. I don't really like this food anyway. Let me see what delicious treat you've brought for me." Dexter eagerly took the lunchbox from my hands.

I noticed Scarlett's expression visibly darken when he mentioned he didn't like the food on the table. The corners of my lips curled into a smirk.

"What are you standing there for?" Dexter frowned and shot Scarlett a pointed look, signaling for her to clear the table.

"Oh, oh!" Scarlett snapped out of her daze and began tidying up in a fluster. In her haste, she accidentally knocked over a dish, spilling thick soup onto Dexter's leg, near the top of his thigh.

Without thinking, Scarlett grabbed a napkin and began wiping it off. Her actions were natural and practiced.

"What are you doing?" Dexter's expression darkened and he abruptly shoved her away.

Caught off guard, Scarlett stumbled to the floor. She looked as though she wanted to protest but froze when she met Dexter's warning gaze. It was only then that she remembered I was still in the room.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry! It's all my fault, how clumsy of me. Mrs. Keaton, please don't misunderstand. I was just being too hasty. I'm really sorry!" Scarlett apologized repeatedly, bowing her head.

"It's fine, it's fine. I know it wasn't intentional," I said generously, acting as though I wasn't bothered in the slightest.

"Darling, you enjoy your meal. I'm going to the restroom," I said, placing my phone face down on the table before leaving the room.

Once inside the restroom, I shut the door and slipped an earbud into my ear. Before coming here, I had installed a monitoring app on my phone. Soon, the sounds of their conversation filtered through the earbud.

"Do you realize how close we were to getting caught just now? You need to be more careful at the office," Dexter scolded, his tone full of irritation.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't do it on purpose! How was I supposed to know she'd suddenly show up? Besides, she didn't seem suspicious just now, did she? You're just too paranoid," Scarlett replied, her voice quivering as though on the verge of tears.

Dexter softened his tone, coaxing her gently, "Alright, I was too harsh earlier. Don't be upset, okay?"