That rainy Thanksgiving, I came home early from an "emergency" at work, hoping to surprise my wife, Chloe, who I thought was working late.

The moment I slid the key into the lock, I heard voices from the backyard.

A woman's muffled laughter, a man's low murmur.

My hand froze on the key.

Chloe had told me she was working late on a promotional event tonight and wouldn't be back.

But now, I heard two voices coming from our own backyard.

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1

I tiptoed through the living room and pushed open the glass door leading to the backyard. A damp, cold gust, thick with the smell of rain and chlorine, hit my face.

The newly installed outdoor hot tub was brightly lit, steam rising from it.

On the wooden deck beside the tub sat two half-empty whiskey glasses, and the expensive whiskey I treasured was lying on its side nearby.

In the tub, the sound of splashing water grew clearer, accompanied by heavy panting.

"Chloe, you're so much more fun than he is..."

That voice. I knew that damn voice.

Leo, my best friend since our days at the University of Washington, the colleague I recommended for a job at my company, the man I trusted like a brother.

"Don't mention him. Let's just enjoy ourselves..."

Chloe's voice was sultry, a tone I'd never heard from her, and it sent a chill down my spine.

I had never heard her use that tone with me.

We had been married for three years. With me, her sweetness always felt forced, laced with impatience.

Perfunctory. Distant. Like she was just going through the motions of being a wife.

But now, wrapped in another man's arms, her voice was sickly sweet, like melting caramel.

I walked into the backyard.

The two people in the hot tub froze instantly.

Chloe let out a scream and hurriedly submerged herself in the water, leaving only her shoulders exposed.

Leo sat up, his face a mixture of shock and guilt. He was still wearing my bathrobe.

"Ethan, let me explain..."

"Explain what?"

To my own surprise, my voice was eerily calm.

I should have been roaring, losing my mind, shoving his head underwater.

But I just stood there, looking at them coldly.

"Ethan, we..."

"We weren't doing anything!" Chloe interrupted Leo, her voice sharp enough to scrape glass.

I laughed.

Laughed so hard tears pricked my eyes.

"Not doing anything? So, what, you're discussing project deadlines in my hot tub? Naked?"

Chloe's face instantly flushed crimson.

Leo climbed out of the tub, fumbling to wrap my bathrobe tightly around himself.

"Ethan, man, about this..."

"Man?"

I repeated the word, my voice dripping with ice.

"Leo, we've known each other for ten years. Do you really think I can still call you 'man' after this?"

He froze, the bathrobe tie slipping from his hand.

I turned to look at Chloe.

The woman I had loved for five years and been married to for three.

She shrank into the corner of the tub, her gaze darting everywhere but at me.

"Chloe, I'm asking you, how many times has this happened?"

"How many times has what happened? I told you, we didn't do anything!"

She was still trying to deny it.

I walked over to the deck and picked up the half-empty bottle of whiskey.

I gestured with the bottle toward her.

"Is this part of your promotional event too?"

The color drained from Chloe's face.

Leo had already scrambled into his clothes and was trying to slip away.

"Stop!"

I called out to him.

"Leo, you think you can just walk away like this?"

"Ethan, we..."

"We're done."

I looked at this friend who had been inseparable from me since college.

Back then, we went to class together, pulled all-nighters coding together, and dreamed about the future together at our graduation ceremony.

I treated him like a blood brother, and he was sleeping with my wife in the new hot tub at my house.

"You two continue. I'm leaving."

I turned and started to walk away.

"Ethan!"

Chloe jumped out of the tub, naked, and ran over to grab my arm.

I shook her hand off.

"Don't touch me. You're dirty."

Her face crumpled as if I'd slapped her.

She stood there, stunned, her eyes instantly turning red.

"Ethan, what right do you have to say that to me?"

"What do you know besides work and code? That's all you care about—your precious 'emergencies' at work!"

"When have you ever cared about my feelings? When have you ever spent time with me?"

"At least Leo knows how to make me happy, how to enjoy life, how to watch the sunset with me!"

"And you? What can you give me besides money?"

I stopped and turned back to look at her.

This naked woman standing before me, hurling accusations.

This woman to whom I gave a large monthly allowance to maintain her glamorous influencer image.

This woman I thought was my wife.

"Chloe, you're right."

"I really can't give you anything but money."

"But starting today, I won't be giving you even that."

I walked out of the house without looking back.

The rain was still falling, hitting my face with a biting cold.

I stood at the entrance to our gated community with nowhere to go.

This place I had lived in for three years suddenly felt alien.

The place I called home... it had never really been one.

My phone rang. It was Leo.

I declined the call.

It rang again. Still him.

I turned the phone off completely.

Rainwater dripped from my hair, stinging my eyes like salty tears.

But I didn't cry.

I just felt tired. So tired I could just lie down on the pavement and never get up again.

But I couldn't.

I still had a lot of things to do.

I was going to make them pay for betraying me.

I spent the night at a nearby hotel.

I didn't sleep a wink, the scene from the hot tub replaying in my mind on a sickening loop.

When morning came, I didn't go straight to the office. Instead, I went to a private investigator's agency.

"I understand your situation, Ethan," the investigator, a crisp, professional man in his forties named Mr. Davies, said.

"We have extensive experience in investigating extramarital affairs."

"However, I must warn you, the truth is often crueler than you imagine."

"I want the whole truth."

I pushed my bank card across the table.

"No matter how cruel, I need to know."

Mr. Davies nodded and took the card.

"Give me a week."

After leaving the detective agency, I went to the office.

Leo was already at his desk. He jolted to his feet the moment I walked in.

"Ethan, about last night..."

"We're at work, Leo. Let's keep it professional."

I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop, my tone flat, devoid of any recognition.

"Ethan, can we talk?" he asked, walking over, his voice low.

"Talk about what? The project's security vulnerabilities?"

I didn't look up from the screen.

"Ethan, don't be like this. We're brothers..."

"I said, during work hours, we only talk about work."

"And please, stay away from me. I'm not looking to catch anything."

Our colleagues started to glance over, sensing the tension.

Leo's face flushed red, and he slunk back to his desk.

At lunchtime, he followed me again.

"Ethan, I know you're angry, but..."

"But what? But you couldn't help yourself?"

I stopped and looked at him.

"Leo, I'm asking you, how long?"

"How long what?"

"Stop pretending. You and Chloe, how long has it been?"

He lowered his head, not daring to look at me.

"Over a year..."

Over a year.

Which meant they had started when we had been married for two years.

And I, like an idiot, still considered him my brother.

I'd even had him over for barbecues, telling Chloe to make sure we had the beer he liked.

So all those gatherings were just a cover for them to meet.

"Ethan, listen to me..."

"What more do you want to say? That you're in true love?"

I sneered.

"That you two fell in love, so I should step aside and wish you well?"

"No, Chloe and I..."

"Your relationship has nothing to do with me."

I looked him in the eyes.

"But you betrayed me. I won't forget that."

"Ethan..."

"And stay away from me. We're not friends anymore."

After work, I didn't go home. I went straight to an Airbnb I had rented in advance.

Chloe called me more than a dozen times. I didn't answer any of them.

Finally, she sent a text:

"Ethan, let's talk. You're blowing this out of proportion."

Blowing this out of proportion?

My wife cheated on me with my best friend, and that's not serious?

Then what is?

I replied with a few words:

"Nothing to talk about. Get ready for a divorce."

She immediately called back. I hung up.

She called again. I hung up again.

Finally, I just blocked her number.

The next morning, Chloe was waiting for me downstairs at the Airbnb.

Her makeup was flawless, and she was wrapped in the Burberry trench coat I’d bought her.

She had the look of pitiful innocence down to a science.

"Ethan, why aren't you answering my calls?"

"We're married, Ethan. Is there anything we can't talk through?"

The neighbors passing by were all looking at us.

I didn't want to make a scene here for everyone to see.

"Follow me."

I took her to a nearby coffee shop.

"Go on, what did you want to talk about?"

"Ethan, what happened yesterday was an accident."

Chloe took my hand.

"Leo drank too much, and I drank too much. We weren't in our right minds."

"It was a moment of weakness. Don't take it seriously."

I pulled my hand back.

"A moment of weakness? A moment of weakness that lasted over a year?"

She froze.

"You... how did you know?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

I looked at her.

"Chloe, we've been married for three years, and you've been cheating for over a year."

"Which means our real marriage lasted less than two years."

"And even in that time, you never really loved me, did you?"

She wanted to argue, but she opened her mouth and said nothing.

Because I was speaking the truth.

Our marriage was a mistake from the very beginning.

She pursued me in college; I thought she was into me.

She wanted to get married right after graduation; I thought it was because she loved me.

But now I understand. What she wanted was a provider. Someone who could give her a stable, comfortable life.

A man who worked at a top tech company, had a good income, and, best of all, was easy to control.

And Leo, he gave her passion and romance.

Things I couldn't give her.

"Ethan, I admit I was wrong."

"But we can still start over."

"I'll change. I'll cut off all contact with Leo."

"We can live our lives well, and just pretend nothing ever happened."

I laughed.

Pretend nothing happened?

Who did she think I was? A file in the recycle bin?

Delete it when she wants, restore it when she wants?

"Chloe, do you think that's possible?"

"Every night when I lie in bed, all I'll be able to picture is you and him in that hot tub."

"Every time I see you, I'll be reminded of that night."

"Do you think I can live a normal life with you after that?"

Her face grew paler and paler.

"Then what do you want?"

"A divorce."

I said it so easily, as if I were discussing the weather.

"The house is mine, the car is mine, and the savings are mine."

"From now on, we are strangers."

Chloe shot up from her seat.

"Ethan, don't go too far!"

"It's true you bought the house, but I've contributed for the past three years!"

"I managed this home, ran my social media accounts. Isn't that worth anything?"

"And besides, do you think you can find someone better without me?"

"Look at yourself. What can you do besides write code?"

"You're boring, dull, like a robot. What woman would ever like you?"

Her words twisted in my gut.

But I didn't argue back.

Because she was right.

I was indeed boring, dull, and not romantic.

That's why she cheated.

That's why my brother betrayed me.

That's why my life was a joke.

"You're right."

I stood up.

"And because I'm like this, you should be relieved."

"So you should be relieved to leave me."

"You can go find those interesting men, like Leo."

"He'll be unemployed soon. Then you two can be together in the open."

With that, I turned and walked away.

"Ethan!"

She called after me.

I didn't turn back.

I knew what she wanted to say.

Threats, begging, more insults... it didn't matter. It was all useless.

My heart felt numb.

I felt nothing for her, for our marriage, for the very idea of love. It was all dead inside me.

Three days later, Mr. Davies called me.

"Ethan, the investigation results are in."

"But the situation is... complicated. I think you should come in."

I put down my work and went straight to the detective agency.

Mr. Davies handed me a tablet.

"Ethan, are you mentally prepared?"

I nodded and unlocked the tablet.

On the screen was an encrypted cloud drive named "Future," containing a trove of photos and documents.

The first photo alone was a gut punch.

It was a picture of Chloe and Leo at a hotel entrance, dated a year and a half ago.

That meant their relationship started even earlier than Leo had admitted.

I continued to scroll down.

Photos from various angles, in various places, at various times.

Hotels, restaurants, movie theaters, beaches.

They were dating like a normal couple, eating, watching movies.

And I was at home, waiting for her to finish her "promotional event," preparing her late-night snacks.

"Ethan, according to our investigation, your wife and Mr. Leo's relationship has indeed been going on for about a year and a half," Mr. Davies said, pointing at the photos.

"And judging by the frequency, they met more than three times a week on average."

"Sometimes during weekday lunch breaks, sometimes at night."

"Your wife often used meetings with brands as an excuse to go on dates with him."

More than three times a week.

That meant she spent more time with him than she did with me.

I kept scrolling through the photos.

Suddenly, I saw a photo that filled me with absolute rage.

It was taken the day after I left for a business trip to our San Francisco headquarters.

I remembered that before I left, Chloe had gently reminded me to be safe.

But in the photo, she was wearing the Cartier bracelet I gave her and driving the Tesla I bought while kissing Leo at the seaside restaurant *we* used to frequent.

Using my money to date another man.

"And that's not even the worst of it."

Mr. Davies flipped to another page.

"Look at this."

It was a receipt from a tattoo parlor. It was a compass. A design meant to symbolize *our* love. A design *she'd* urged him to get.

In other words, she had etched a symbol of our love onto another man's body.

My hands started to tremble, but not with rage. A terrifying calm was settling over me.

"Is there anything worse?"

My voice was flat.

Mr. Davies hesitated for a moment.

"There is one more thing. It might be a bigger blow to you."

"Tell me."

"According to our surveillance, your wife and Mr. Leo have already been looking at seaside apartments."

"To be precise, they were looking for a home together."

I was stunned.

"What do you mean?"

"They're planning to get married and are preparing a new home."

Mr. Davies handed me another set of documents.

"These are the records of their apartment viewings, as well as their chat history with the real estate agent."

"Your wife told the agent that she would be getting a divorce soon and needed a marital home."

I looked at the chat logs.

In them, Chloe said her husband was a boring ATM who was only good for making money.

She had stopped loving him long ago and was just waiting for the right time to divorce.

Now that she had finally found her soulmate, she was ready to start a new life.

The agent even wished her happiness.

"And this."

Mr. Davies handed me another printout.

It was Chloe's chat history with her best friend.

"I'm so sick of Ethan. All he knows is work and making money, he has no romantic bone in his body."

"Leo is different. He knows how to enjoy life, how to dote on a woman."

"I look forward to seeing him every day. Being with Ethan is like being in jail."

"As soon as I get the house and the savings, I'll finally leave Ethan."

"He's so honest and naive, he'll definitely give me half the assets."

Reading this, I finally understood everything.

This wasn't just cheating. It was a long con.

She wanted to take our shared assets and start over with Leo.

And I was just a tool in her plan.

A money-making tool. A stepping stone.

Once she had squeezed all the value out of me, she would kick me to the curb.

"Ethan, are you alright?" Mr. Davies asked with concern.

I shook my head.

"I'm fine. Better than ever."

I organized all the materials and copied them to my encrypted hard drive.

"Mr. Davies, can these materials be used as evidence in court?"

"Yes, we have a professional notarization process."

"Please have them notarized for me."

I stood up.

"Also, I have another commission."

"Go on."

"Help me investigate Leo's background, including his financial situation, personal debts, and any problems at work."

"I want all his dirty laundry."

Mr. Davies nodded.

"Understood. It will take about a week."

When I left the detective agency, I didn't go straight back to the office.

Instead, I went to a law firm.

"Mr. Ethan, based on the evidence you've provided, you have an absolute advantage in this divorce case," the lawyer said after reviewing the materials.

"However, I suggest you don't confront her just yet."

"First, we'll file to have your marital assets frozen to prevent her from transferring them."

"Then, we officially file for divorce."

I nodded.

"Then please help me handle it."

"I want her to walk away with nothing."

The lawyer seemed taken aback.

"Mr. Ethan, according to the law, even if the other party commits adultery, the division of assets won't be drastically different..."

"She used my money to date someone else. Does that count as misappropriation of marital property?"

I cut him off.

"Furthermore, she was already planning to transfer assets, and there's evidence for all of this."

The lawyer re-examined the documents.

"In that case, we can indeed fight for a more favorable outcome."

"I'll draw up a detailed strategy for you."

It was already afternoon when I got back to the office.

Leo saw me and immediately walked over.

"Ethan, where have you been? I've been looking for you all morning."

"Personal business."

I sat down and went back to work.

"Ethan, about Chloe..."

"I said, personal business."

I didn't look up.

"Also, the feature scheduled to go live next week, I reviewed it and found a major security risk. It's rejected."

"What? But it passed all the tests."

"As the Chief Software Architect, I have the final say."

I looked at him.

"As the Product Manager, your recent performance has been subpar. Maybe this is a good time for you to reflect on your performance."

Leo's expression soured.

A rejected feature meant his quarterly KPIs would be shot.

If the launch was delayed, it would be his fault.

"Ethan, are you doing this on purpose?" he asked in a low voice.

I stopped typing and looked at him.

"Leo, are you questioning my professional judgment?"

"No, I just think..."

"Think what? That because we were brothers, I should go easy on you?"

I stood up, raising my voice slightly.

Colleagues around us all looked over.

"Leo, I'll say it again. In this company, I am the Chief Software Architect, and you are the Product Manager."

"Your job is to revise the plan according to my professional feedback. You don't have the right to bargain."

"If you have an issue, you can file a complaint with the director."

Leo's face was flushed.

He wanted to say something, but in the end, he just nodded.

"I understand, Ethan."

Watching him walk away, his shoulders slumped in resentment, I felt a sharp, satisfying surge of victory.

This was just the beginning.

I was going to make them understand the price of betraying me.

It was more than just losing me as a friend.

Much more.