Our Love was Broken When He Fell In Love with His Secretary

On our wedding anniversary, I prepared a feast of my husband's favorite dishes.

All evening, he vented about the new intern.

She was clumsy, silly, and cried easily.

His tone was scolding, yet his words dripped with tenderness.

Later, when I presented him with the divorce papers, I saw his eyes glisten with tears.

1

After sending our two children to my in-laws, I prepared a table full of Ethan Hunter's favorite dishes.

The spicy crayfish was soaked in saltwater for two hours, then scrubbed clean with a brush.

Several times during the process, I pricked my hands on the crayfish's sharp spikes, drawing blood.

For the tomato beef brisket, I cut the beef into chunks and simmered it with cooking wine to remove the blood.

After stir-frying, I added peeled and chopped tomatoes and let it simmer on low heat.

By the time the garlic vermicelli shrimp was ready, the clock on the living room wall showed it was already 7:30 PM.

Unknowingly, the afternoon had slipped away, just like the seven years of my marriage to Ethan.

At eight, the smart door lock chimed, "Welcome home."

Ethan approached me with a bouquet of roses.

"Happy anniversary, dear," he said, handing me the flowers.

I took the bouquet and asked him to wash his hands before sitting down.

As soon as he sat, he began to complain. "Only my wife knows how to handle things, unlike Sophie, who's always clumsy and crying at the drop of a hat."

I paused, pouring him a glass of decanted Pinot Noir.

He raised his glass, clinked it with mine, and took a sip.

"Still, my wife has taste. This wine is as smooth as velvet. That Sophie, when I asked her to buy a bottle of red wine for a gift, she bought two for just nine dollars and said she was saving me money. What a fool."

I suppressed my irritation and added more beef brisket to his plate.

He took a bite, a smile spreading across his face like a warm breeze.

"Did you know there are people who have never eaten beef brisket?"

I hesitated, forcing a strained smile. "Really? Who?"

"Who else but my new assistant? Her family favors boys over girls, so all the good stuff goes to her brother. Can you believe such terrible parents exist?"

Ethan was usually rational and composed, never one to meddle in others' affairs.

Once, I was upset about a little girl abandoned by her divorced parents, and he mocked me, saying, "There's too much suffering in the world; you're not God. You can't save everyone."

I set down my utensils and stared at him intently.

Finally, I spoke weakly, "Ethan, you haven't stopped talking about Sophie all night."

He awkwardly chuckled, "Really? Look at how she gets on my nerves."

I shook my head, choosing not to say anything more.

He sensed my displeasure and cleaned up after dinner.

After his shower, I changed into a new nightgown.

He pulled me into his arms, lost in passion.

Just then, a shrill ringtone pierced the moment.

Ethan glanced at the caller ID and frowned, rejecting the call.

The phone rang again, relentless.

"Should we turn it off?" I suggested.

He hesitated before replying, "What if it's something urgent?"

To demonstrate his integrity, he pressed the speakerphone button in front of me.

"Ethan, I had an accident. Can you take me to the hospital?"

Sophie's voice came through, soft as a kitten, yet it clawed at Ethan's heart.

He hastily threw on a piece of clothing, mismatching his shoes in his panic, and rushed out without saying goodbye.

2

I sat alone in the living room all night.

As dawn broke, he returned, carrying breakfast.

Seeing my pale face, he showed a hint of guilt. "Emma, I'm sorry. Sophie was hit by a car and I was busy all night. I'll make it up to you for our anniversary."

"Is she seriously hurt?"

I realized my voice was hoarse after I spoke.

He handed me a glass of water, concern etched on his face. "She has a broken leg. Can you believe someone could be so foolish as to get hit crossing the street?"

I looked into his eyes, my voice tinged with desperation. "Ethan, please get a new assistant. We're not running a charity here."

Panic flickered across Ethan's face, and his voice rose slightly. "Emma, don't be ridiculous. She's just a girl who's been in an accident. If I fire her now, people will think I'm heartless."

I forced a bitter smile and went back to the bedroom to change.

The pale candle on the nightstand flickered weakly, much like the marriage between Ethan and me, which felt like it was fading away.

After changing, I pulled out the divorce papers I had prepared long ago.

Yesterday was my last chance for our marriage, but unfortunately...

As I stepped out, Ethan was still in the bathroom getting ready.

My eyes caught his phone on the table, and I saw a message from Sophie flash on the screen.

[Thank you for last night. You're the best person in the world to me.]

The intimacy of her words made me scoff at myself.

Even at this moment, I was still fixated on trivial details.

I slid the divorce papers under his phone and put on my heels before closing the door behind me.

3

At home, I was Mrs. Hunter, cooking and caring for my family.

At work, I was a formidable force, commanding respect in the office.

In the world of adults, there's never enough time to dwell on sadness.

Once at the office, I silenced my phone and called an immediate team meeting.

With the launch of the new product for our company, I had no room for mistakes.

From inviting guests to coordinating performers, every detail required my supervision.

The success of this event would determine my next steps at the company.

After three hours of intense discussion, I checked my phone and saw I had missed 99 calls.

Ethan's messages had shifted from concern to frustration.

"Emma, stop it. It's just an anniversary. I'll make it up to you later."

"Emma, why are you being so unreasonable? You're really disappointing me."

He added, "Emma, you need to reflect on your behavior."

After that, silence fell over my phone.

After work, I found a hotel near the office.

I called my in-laws to remind them not to let our kids be picky eaters and to get them to bed early.

After a relaxing bath, I took out my laptop to review the launch event's agenda.

Suddenly, a friend request interrupted my thoughts.

After accepting it, I received a video.

Ethan lay on the bed with his eyes closed, his long eyelashes fluttering.

Clothes were strewn all over the floor, and beside him, I saw a lock of bright yellow curly hair—just like Sophie's.

My breath caught for a moment before I saved the video.

A minute later, it was retracted.

She messaged me, [Emma, Ethan is drunk and asleep. Do you want to come pick him up?]

I threw my phone down and opened the window, letting the cold autumn air rush in.

The chill cleared my mind.

I needed to end this marriage soon.

I didn't want to keep being cheated on.

4

Ethan called me early in the morning, stammering, "Emma, where are you? I miss you so much."

I scoffed, "Hugging your new love while saying you miss your old flame—only you, Ethan."

He panicked, quickly explaining, "Emma, listen, I got drunk after seeing you didn't come home yesterday. Nothing happened between me and her, you have to believe me."

Sighing, I sent Ethan the video Sophie had sent me.

"Ethan, don't treat me like a fool."

With that, I hung up.

At the office, I was busy preparing for the press conference with my team.

Everything was proceeding smoothly until the crucial moment of introducing the product.

Sophie rushed onto the stage, kneeling in front of me, "Emma, please don't force Ethan to fire me. I really can't lose this job."

I steadied my emotions and helped her up. "What are you talking about? Get up first; we can discuss this later."

She remained on the floor, crying like a wilted flower.

"Please, Emma, I beg you. Ethan and I really didn't do anything."

No matter what I said, she refused to stand.

Below the stage, whispers filled the air, and our leader frowned.

I pulled her up forcefully, shouting, "Sophie, stop this!"

She collapsed like a rag doll, still shouting, "Emma, don't hit me..."

I was furious but managed a bitter laugh.

"Slap!"

The world fell silent.

"That's how I hit."

Calmly, I signaled for security to take her away, then resumed the product introduction.

But I knew this flawless presentation had been marred.

After the conference, my boss called me into his office.

He praised my efforts but then shifted his tone.

"Emma, you represent the company's image. I don't want to see such incidents happening again. The headquarters wants to reconsider your promotion to director."

I nodded, understanding.

After all, no one wants to promote someone with potential risks in managing a department.

However, my patience with Sophie was wearing thin.

5

When I finished work, Ethan was waiting downstairs with a tearful Sophie beside him.

I approached, coldly asking, "What? Here to support your little lover?"

Ethan glanced at her, frowning as he pulled me aside. "Emma, I know I was wrong, but you shouldn't have hit her."

I coldly retorted, "Do you know what today's press conference meant to me? Why did she have to make a scene during it? And when did I force you to fire her?"

By the end, my eyes were red with unshed tears.

After all my hard work, her silly antics on stage could ruin everything.

"I'm sorry, Emma, it's all my fault," Ethan said, guilt written all over his face as he reached for me.

Sophie, crying, grabbed my arm. "Don't blame Ethan, Emma. If you have to blame someone, blame me. I've only ever had Ethan be good to me, so I couldn't help myself."

She looked at Ethan with sorrow. "Ethan, please don't fire me. I just want to be by your side. I'm willing to give up everything."

Ethan lowered his head, avoiding my gaze.

I scoffed at Sophie.

"Ha, a broken leg?"

Ethan's face turned crimson.

Sophie, on the other hand, looked somewhat pleased.

I strode over and, before Ethan could react, grabbed Sophie and slapped her a few times.

"This slap is for your shamelessness, crawling into another woman's husband's bed and flaunting it as a show of force."

"This slap is for your malicious heart, knowing full well how important this press conference was for me and yet twisting the facts."

"This slap is for your ingratitude, I kindly let my husband take care of you, and you repay me by destroying my family."

"And this slap is simply because I don't like you and wanted to hit you."

After a few slaps, Sophie stood there stunned.

She then covered her face and bawled into Ethan's embrace.

In the bustling office building below, everyone gathered around us like we were monkeys in a zoo.

Ethan hung his head, his face etched with guilt.

I couldn't tell if it was for me or his little lover.

I rubbed my sore hand.

Leaving a final message, "Ethan, get the divorce papers signed soon, so we can part ways amicably." I strode off with flair.