Spending our wedding anniversary with our son, my CEO husband, as usual, carefully picked out the scallions we didn’t like from our food.

After dinner, we returned home. He bathed our son, tucked him in, and only came back to the bedroom after the boy had fallen asleep.

Just as he pinned me beneath him, his phone suddenly rang.

Normally, he’d treat it as part of our foreplay, teasing me in a low voice, "Be quiet, don’t let them hear."

But this time, the moment he saw the caller ID, he rolled off me and got out of bed.

I got up and followed him to the balcony, intending to embrace him from behind—

Only to see the doting smile on his face as he took the call.

The night was silent, and a clear, sweet female voice came through the receiver.

"I was afraid you might need it urgently..."

The tone was slightly coquettish, yet seemingly considerate in every way.

David Walker’s smile faded, and his expression returned to its usual indifference before he hung up.

When he turned and saw me, all he said was a detached, "Something came up. I’ll be back soon."

He left swiftly, leaving me—still in my thin nightwear—standing there alone.

I went back inside and sat on the bed, waiting for a long time, but he didn’t return.

Unable to sit still any longer, I threw on a robe and went downstairs.

At the foot of the stairs, I saw David standing across from a sweetly dressed young woman.

She glanced up and noticed me, offering a bright smile. "Hi, Ms. Walker! I’m Ella Harris, the new intern at David’s company."

Ella’s white dress fluttered under the streetlight, glaringly out of place. She held up an item, her voice sugary sweet. "David, your razor."

She gave it a little shake before adding, "You left it at my place during your last business trip. You once told me Ms. Walker gave it to you, so I figured it must be important."

I sneered and cut in, "Personal items touched by others are better off thrown away."

"Elizabeth," David frowned. "Don’t speak like that."

Ella pouted, completely unbothered.

Then, she handed me a paper bag printed with cartoon characters, wearing an obedient smile. "This is the tablet David picked out for Andrew. Happy early birthday to him!"

My nails dug deep into my palms, but I made no move to take it.

Only when David commanded, "Take it," did I accept it with a stiff "Thanks."

I had no intention of making a scene, so I took the bag and went straight upstairs.

David returned a while later.

Once in bed, he pulled me close. "Really asleep?"

I stayed silent. He chuckled, his hand sliding over my shoulder. "She’s just an intern. Don’t take it to heart. Why bother with her?"

I pushed his arm away. "I’m tired."

His tone turned cold. "Elizabeth, remember your place."

With that, he turned his back to me.

Not long after, I heard him get up and go to the balcony to make another call.

Through the crack in the door, a faint murmur drifted in: "Glad you made it home safe."

When he came back and saw me watching him, he explained, "I just wanted to make sure she got home alright. It’s late for a girl to be out alone."

"She’s usually so careless anyway."

Perhaps he didn’t even realize it himself—his voice carried indulgence.

Before I could respond, a sudden clap of thunder startled Andrew awake in the next room, his cries piercing the quiet.

David rushed out before I could move.

When I entered, he was about to pull out the tablet Ella had bought to calm him.

"Don’t let him watch. It’ll strain his eyes."

I reached for it, but David sidestepped me, his voice icy. "Just ten minutes. He’s crying for it. Don’t ruin his mood."

In the darkness, the impatience in his eyes burned brighter than lightning.

After the child fell asleep, he got up first and headed back to the bedroom. "I have an early meeting tomorrow. You stay with him."

"Don’t bother with breakfast for me. Just focus on taking care of our son."

I wasn’t always a stay-at-home wife.

In the beginning, just like David, I prioritized my career.

We dated through college, got internships, secured full-time jobs, married, and had a child—everything seemed smooth, but in reality, it was me who kept making concessions.

Step by step, I gave up my job to devote myself entirely to taking care of him and our child, ensuring he could work and advance without any worries.

Now, he’s the head of a subsidiary.

David left early in the morning without his usual goodbye.

Still, I prepared dinner for him as always.

Around 8 p.m., my phone buzzed.

David: Business trip. Pack my luggage. Pickup in 30 mins.

His tone was no different from assigning a work task.

I was used to it.

All these years, I’ve been the one packing for him, preparing everything.

When I dragged the suitcase downstairs at the appointed time, I saw Ella in the passenger seat adjusting the radio.

She smiled at me sweetly. "Elizabeth!"

Then, with an apologetic sigh, she added, "I’m still new to the internship and don’t know much. David said he’d take me along to broaden my horizons."

"An intern traveling with the CEO?" My grip on the suitcase handle tightened, veins faintly visible.

David glanced at me. "I’m just teaching her how to write reports on the way."

His fingers tapped a light rhythm on the steering wheel—a telltale sign of his good mood.

In the past, he would go to great lengths for me. But now, he could barely hide his weariness when dealing with me.

I suddenly remembered how, early in his career, he once drank until he had a stomach hemorrhage with a client, yet still dragged himself up at 3 a.m. to cook congee for me.

Or how, after his first promotion, he booked an entire revolving restaurant and projected our wedding photos on loop just to make me happy.

Back then, his heart and eyes were filled with only me.

But later, he started frequently changing female companions.

At first, of course, I fought with him relentlessly.

But for the sake of our child, our life, and so-called reputation, I ended up compromising—over and over again.

Just like with this new intern.

One after another.

I never took it seriously before. But this time, I could tell—David was serious.

The way he doted on Ella was exactly like how he once pursued me.

On the second day of his business trip, Ella suddenly added me on Facebook.

"Elizabeth, David wears XL boxers, right?" A message popped up, accompanied by a photo of a messy hotel room, a man’s dress shirt scattered by the bathtub.

She followed up: "He drank too much and threw up. He has no clean clothes left. Elizabeth, everything’s soaked. I’ll have to go buy him new ones."

She played the innocent.

In the days that followed, Ella kept updating her Facebook with posts about David.

I tried to resist looking, but I couldn’t help myself.

A nine-grid photo set titled "Watching the sunrise with David" showed her wrapped in his suit jacket, beaming.

A video from the "Celebration Banquet" captured him pausing mid-shrimp-peeling to drop it into her bowl.

A few days later, David called and asked me to pick him up at the airport.

It was pouring. I got drenched while waiting.

The flight was delayed. Holding an umbrella, I stood at the arrival gate for what felt like forever before finally spotting him—with Ella.

His suit jacket was still draped over her shoulders.

When Ella saw me, she greeted me first. "Elizabeth! The driver said he had an emergency, so thank you for picking us up."

My gaze fell on the jacket she was wearing. "If saying that makes you feel superior, I won’t argue."

Ella’s smile stiffened.

David got into the backseat first. "Take her home first."

"The address is Cloudtop Garden, Building 3, Unit 701."

The moment he recited the number, I remembered the movie ticket stub I’d found in his suit pocket last week while organizing the closet.

Ella slid into the backseat with a bright smile. "Thanks, Elizabeth!"

I watched them through the rearview mirror.

They kept their distance, but the chill in my chest spread until my whole body felt frozen.

By the time we got home, it was late. I went straight to shower.

Just as I was dressing, the bathroom door suddenly opened.

David stepped through the steam and wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Miss me?"

A diamond necklace dangled against my collarbone. "Saw it at an auction during the trip. Thought it’d suit you. Do you like it?"

His lips brushed my neck.

I caught the scent of Ella’s perfume on him and shoved him away.

In the mirror, I recognized the pendant—it had appeared in Ella’s Facebook before.

Her caption at the time read: So expensive, but not my style~ Politely declined!

In other words, something someone else had rejected.

And now, I was the one being handed scraps.

I pulled out my phone, opened Ella’s Facebook, and shoved it in David’s face.

"Explain this."

He paused mid-kiss against my shoulder, then chuckled lowly. "She’s just a kid messing around. Why take it seriously? She’s only an intern."

Even when Ella was blatantly provoking me, he still shielded her.

Frustration coiled in my chest, and I pushed him away again.

His expression finally darkened. "Are you done? Still acting up?"

"Elizabeth, I thought staying home all these years would’ve made you wiser. Seems you’ve only grown more foolish."

With that, he hoisted me onto the bathroom counter, forcing himself between my legs. "Do I really have to force you to fulfill your duties as a wife?"

That night, there was no tenderness—only brutality.

By morning, I was feverish.

By afternoon, I couldn’t take it anymore and went to the hospital.

David called while I was on an IV drip.

Hearing I was at the hospital, he said he’d pick me up.

I didn’t refuse.

After the drip, I walked out and saw his car parked outside.

I moved toward the passenger seat—only for Ella to pop her head out, holding a tub of popcorn. "Elizabeth! I’m meeting my bestie for shopping. David said it’s on the way!"

Suddenly, this life felt unbearably exhausting.

I was too tired to even pretend.

Ignoring her, I climbed into the backseat and shut my eyes.

Even knowing I was unwell, David still dropped Ella off at the mall first.

As she got out, she waved at me with that same bright smile.

I stared coldly and rolled up the window without a word.

Only after driving off did David voice his displeasure. "She’s just a kid. Why be so petty? You’re acting classless."

I kept my eyes closed.

Despite the IV, my fever hadn’t broken.

After a pause, his tone softened slightly. "Still not feeling better?"

I didn’t answer, and he didn’t press further.

At home, he helped me out of the car, arms around me as he murmured near my ear, "Was I too rough last night?"