I had been in a child-free marriage with Theron Ashvale by choice for ten years and we were in love.

To spare me the pain of childbirth, he got a vasectomy on our wedding night and it was his own idea.

June 1st was my birthday. He held me gently and said, "Honey, I have a surprise for you."

Every birthday since we got married, his gifts have always left me overjoyed.

With excitement, I let him guide me, blindfolded, to what he said was the surprise.

When he stopped, he took off the blindfold. We were standing outside an orphanage.

"Honey, I know you’ve always wanted a child. Can we adopt him?"

I looked where he pointed and froze. The little boy looked ninety percent like him.

"If you don’t like this idea, it’s okay. We’ll just go back to our own life."

Seeing the hurt in his eyes, I forced a smile and said, "You put so much effort into this. Of course I like him. Let’s take him home."

That night, after I finally coaxed the boy to sleep, I overheard a conversation that shattered me.

"Celina, don’t worry. I’ve kept her tied down for ten years. She can’t have kids now. Once I finish moving the company’s money, I’ll get rid of her. Then we can live together, the three of us."

My body trembled, cold and numb like I was splitting apart inside.

So, the happy, child-free marriage I had cherished was a lie.

And the husband who once swore we would grow old together was planning to strip me of everything.

Better to lose a man like that.

——

"Honey, you look a bit pale. Here, drink some milk and get some rest."

Theron handed me a glass of milk. I took it with blank eyes and sat on the couch.

Even though I clutched the glass tightly with both hands, pretending to stay calm, my trembling fingers betrayed me.

Noticing something strange, Theron hugged me. "You must be tired, right? Theo’s a bit mischievous. Boys his age always are."

He wrapped his arms around me, his chin resting against my neck. Even in today's hot weather, his breath still made me shiver.

I stood up abruptly, pulling myself out of his embrace.

The sound of the cup shattering snapped me out of my daze.

"Honey, I think we should return the child to the orphanage."

Before I could finish, Theron’s brows drew together tightly. "Elena, why are you going back on your word? Theo takes time to adjust. He just got back from overseas two months ago and he finally settled in. You agreed at lunch. Why the change of heart?"

"Wait. Isn’t he an orphan raised at the orphanage? When did he ever go abroad?"

For a second, something flickered across his face. Then he smiled again as if nothing had happened.

"He is an orphan. Who would’ve taken him abroad? You must’ve misheard."

He scooped me into his arms and carried me toward the bedroom, still smiling.

I wanted to speak, but he kissed me before I could say a word.

The familiar, passionate kisses tried to sweep me away like they always had.

But this time, I only wanted to push him off.

Thinking of what I had heard, I sank my teeth into his tongue with all my strength.

"What the hell, Elena? Have you lost your mind?"

Theron yanked up his half-removed pants, clearly pissed.

"First you go back on your word and want to kick Theo out, then you pull away when I try to be close to you. What’s your problem? Don’t tell me you’re hitting menopause at 35?"

The usual tenderness in his voice was gone, replaced by pure irritation and disgust.

My chest tightened and tears slipped silently down my cheeks.

"Theron, just give me the address of the orphanage. I’ll take him back myself first thing in the morning."

"Elena, what the hell is wrong with you? You love kids, I know you do. I went through so much just to find Theo and finalize the adoption. And now you want to send him back? No way. Over my dead body."

When I insisted on sending Theo back, Theron’s expression turned colder, more impatient.

"I like kids, but I prefer my own flesh and blood to some random stray."

Slap! A burning sting exploded across my cheek.

I held my swollen left side, staring at him in disbelief.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as if he were about to speak, maybe even apologize, until a knock came at the door.

"Daddy, I’m scared of the dark. Can you stay with me like you do with Mommy?"

A small head peeked through the doorway. Theo’s eyes locked with mine, sharp and strange.

Maybe I was seeing things, but for a second, I thought I caught mockery in his gaze. Mockery, pity… and something like a challenge.

"Be good, Theo, don’t be scared. Daddy will sing you a lullaby, okay?"

Theron crouched down naturally, scooped him up and carried him toward the kid’s room.

Watching the way they moved together and how close they were, I felt the sting behind my eyes deepen.

And then the dam broke. Tears spilled out, blurring my vision completely.

My phone buzzed nearby, so I reached out blindly for it, only to find I had grabbed his phone instead.

I wiped my face and looked at the screen.

From the outside, it looked like the phone he always used.

However, neither my fingerprint nor my usual password worked.

I forced myself to focus. Took a deep breath. Then, I tried a few combinations.

Finally, I entered Theo’s birthday and the screen unlocked.

The photo staring back at me hit me like a punch to the chest.

It was a family portrait. Theron kissing an unfamiliar woman, while Theo clutched both their hands, beaming.

I did not have time to break down. I wiped my tears away and opened the photo album.

It was full, packed with proof of a second life he had been living all along.

9,999 photos, documenting every detail of 3,500 days spent with Celina Lark.

The very first picture was taken at the airport on the day our honeymoon ended.

The caption read, [God showed me mercy and brought my beloved Celina back to me.]

In the photo, Theron was smiling like a man reborn, eyes shining like the stars.

On the wall, there was a photo of the two of us at the airport from that day. His smile looked perfectly calculated, pleasant on the surface, but his eyes were completely empty.

I had argued with him over that photo more than once. He always brushed it off, saying he did not like how he looked in it.

After flipping through the entire album, the ache in my chest only deepened.

The reason I fell for Theron Ashvale was because I believed he was loyal.

The way he used to look at me was like I was his only moon. His gaze was so steady, so intense, it used to make me tremble.

But in the end, that loyalty was not meant for me.

When he looked at me with those soulful eyes, his love passed right through me, landing on another woman entirely.

Beyond the photo album, I discovered he had another WhatsApp account.

Scrolling through it, I found that all his friends knew about Celina Lark and her son.

I was the only one still living in the dark.

Among the tens of thousands of messages between him and Celina…

Beyond their daily sweet nothings, there were countless insults, mocking me in every way just to make her smile.

Worse still, he had been gossiping about our sex life with her and with his friends.

One message from just fifteen minutes ago made my fingertips go ice-cold.

It felt like my whole body had been tossed into a freezing cellar, only to be yanked out and burned alive.

[Bro, it’s your wife’s birthday tonight and you've gotta clock in again. Don’t wear yourself out. Celina’s waiting at home for the main show.]

[She’s getting older, everything’s loosened up. Don’t worry, I’ll give her the five-minute special. Once she starts screaming, I’ll record a clip for you guys.]

[Hmph, you better wear two layers next time. Otherwise, I’ll think you’re disgusting.]

[My sweet wife, I’ll be home to cuddle you once I’m done putting her to bed.]

The rage burning in my chest flowed straight to my fingertips as I furiously typed a message full of accusations.

But a cold wave of reason washed over me like ice water dumped on my head. My finger hovered over the send button.

I gritted my teeth, read it over again and again, then erased the whole thing without leaving a trace.

More messages kept flooding in, each one more vulgar than the last.

I suddenly laughed bitterly. God, how could I be so stupid? I wasted ten years being fooled by trash like him.

That single thought pierced my heart more deeply than any knife.

Just after I backed up all the evidence, Theron rushed out of the kid’s room.

"Babe, you’re still awake?" His voice had a nervous edge that was impossible to miss.

From the mirror, I caught his reflection, his eyes scanning the room frantically, clearly looking for his phone.

"What are you looking for?" I asked casually, setting down my brow pencil mid-stroke.

His gaze flickered. "Nothing. I was just putting Theo to sleep, lost track of time. I’ll make the bed, so let’s turn in early, yeah?"

Thud! A phone fell from the quilt he was fluffing, thudding loudly against the floor.

Even though he tried to act fast, I clearly saw him kick a second phone under the bed.

He quickly pulled another phone from his pocket, the matching couple’s model he always claimed was ours.

"Phew, lucky it didn’t break. This is the pair we bought together, remember? For me and my lovely wife."

I did not say a word.

Noticing my silence, he tried to act lighthearted. "Oh right, I’ve got a late video call with a client tonight. Did my phone ring just now? Babe, did you maybe answer it?"

"Should I have? It wasn’t a female client, was it?" I raised my eyebrows and looked at him.

His nervousness spiked instantly. He fumbled to unlock his phone, the way his fingers tapped the screen all over the place, completely out of rhythm, like a skipped heartbeat.

"Of course not! You can look through anything, I’ve got nothing to hide."

He shoved the phone toward me so fast that the screen nearly hit my face.

"Relax, sweetheart. Of course I trust you."

I turned around and continued filling in my eyebrows.

Trying to act casual, he watched my every subtle reaction like a hawk.

Once he was sure I had not noticed anything off, his gaze shifted uneasily. "Honey, it’s late. Are you heading out? Want me to drive you?"

I caught him glancing toward the bottom of the bed more than once and instantly understood.

"My best friend’s throwing me a birthday celebration at Ember Night. Wanna come with me?"

"Client’s been bugging me for a video call. It’s for the company, so I really can’t come with you tonight."

He shook his head, lifting his phone for me to see. On the screen, I clearly caught the name saved as [Dear Celina].

As usual, Theron acted reluctant but still walked me to the door.

"Babe, have fun tonight. I’ll come pick you up after the call."

He leaned in and kissed me lightly on the forehead, his expression soft and affectionate.

However, the vile words from that WhatsApp group echoed in my head on a loop. I recoiled, taking two steps back in disgust.

"Honey, why are you acting so strange tonight…"

Before he could finish his sentence, his phone rang again over and over, the noise making him visibly flustered.

"Babe, the car I ordered for you should be here any minute. The client’s really pushing for this meeting, so I can’t wait with you."

Watching him rush off, a heavy ache settled in my chest.

So, this was all I was worth to him. He could not even pretend to care for a few more minutes, not with Celina blowing up his phone.

While waiting for the ride, I opened the bedroom CCTV footage.

In the video, Theron was already changing clothes while video chatting with Celina.

"Baby, where should I come find you later?"