The Seven-Year Itch: Three Days To Disappear

On our seventh wedding anniversary, my wife, Blair, the daughter of the city's richest man, straddled my lap, her kiss deep and intoxicating as she toyed with my lower lip.

The same night, we just announced our pregnancy to the world.

Just then, Blair's best friend, Chloe, asked in French, her tone suggestive:

"Blair, you're absolutely glowing. But tell me honestly, how does it feel to get railed by another man while carrying a baby?"

Blair let out a soft laugh, a familiar sound that sent a chill down my spine.

She replied, also in French:

"It feels absolutely incredible, Chloe. He's like a wild wolf. Just yesterday, he had his head buried between my thighs, using his mouth to bring me to tears before taking me so deep I forgot my own name."

Her fingers were still toying with my collar, but her gaze was already distant.

"But remember, keep this from Kevin. If he finds out what I've been doing behind his back while pregnant, it will be a disaster."

The socialite sisters gathered around them shared knowing chuckles, raising their glasses and promising to keep the secret.

The warmth in my veins turned to ice. My fervent passion to welcome a new life was instantly reduced to a pathetic joke.

They had all forgotten that I spent my childhood in southern France. I understood every single syllable.

I forced myself to remain calm, my face fixed in the perfect smile expected of a blissful husband about to welcome his first child, but the hand holding my champagne glass was trembling.

I didn't fly into a rage. I didn't smash everything in sight.

Instead, I took out my phone, found the invitation I had received a few days prior for the Aegis Agency, a highly classified organization on the other side of the world, and clicked "Accept."

In three days, I would vanish from Blair's world.

On our seventh wedding anniversary, my wife, Blair, the daughter of the city's richest man, straddled my lap, her kiss deep and intoxicating as she toyed with my lower lip.

The same night, we just announced our pregnancy to the world.

Just then, Blair's best friend, Chloe, asked in French, her tone suggestive:

"Blair, you're absolutely glowing. But tell me honestly, how does it feel to get railed by another man while carrying a baby?"

Blair let out a soft laugh, a familiar sound that sent a chill down my spine.

She replied, also in French:

"It feels absolutely incredible, Chloe. He's like a wild wolf. Just yesterday, he had his head buried between my thighs, using his mouth to bring me to tears before taking me so deep I forgot my own name."

Her fingers were still toying with my collar, but her gaze was already distant.

"But remember, keep this from Kevin. If he finds out what I've been doing behind his back while pregnant, it will be a disaster."

The socialite sisters gathered around them shared knowing chuckles, raising their glasses and promising to keep the secret.

The warmth in my veins turned to ice. My fervent passion to welcome a new life was instantly reduced to a pathetic joke.

They had all forgotten that I spent my childhood in southern France. I understood every single syllable.

I forced myself to remain calm, my face fixed in the perfect smile expected of a blissful husband about to welcome his first child, but the hand holding my champagne glass was trembling.

I didn't fly into a rage. I didn't smash everything in sight.

Instead, I took out my phone, found the invitation I had received a few days prior for the Aegis Agency, a highly classified organization on the other side of the world, and clicked "Accept."

In three days, I would vanish from Blair's world.

...

At the height of the party, we took a short break in a private lounge.

Blair noticed I hadn't touched the wine she poured for me. She rubbed her head against my shoulder like an affectionate kitten.

"Darling, you seem distracted. Are you not feeling well?"

The deep affection in her eyes just made my chest feel unbearably tight.

One moment, she was laughing with her subordinates, discussing the thrill of sleeping with my brother and the thrill of cheating on me.

The next, she could seamlessly switch back to the perfect wife, deeply in love with her husband.

I marveled at what a masterful actress she was.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking, what were you all talking about earlier?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Blair kissed my cheek affectionately.

"Just some private gossip about a friend's messy divorce. I know you hate hearing about drama, so we switched languages."

The heavy scent of perfume and alcohol suddenly made it hard to breathe. I shifted, avoiding her touch.

"You carry on. I'm going to get some fresh air."

As I walked through the main hall, people kept pointing at me, their gazes veiled and hard to read.

"Look, there he is. The man who has it all. Ms. Valerius spares no expense for their anniversary every year."

"Of course. How many people dream of marrying the daughter of the richest man? And yet, Blair chose him."

I used to hear these things and not care what anyone thought. I had believed our marriage was flawless and felt nothing but genuine contentment.

Now, hearing them again, every word felt like a slap in the face, dripping with irony.

No one could have imagined the sordid games Blair, who professed to love me to her very core, played behind my back.

Yesterday, trying to hide her anniversary gift, I had secretly entered her study.

It was a restricted area that housed the Valerius Group's most sensitive trade secrets, a place even I rarely had a chance to enter.

But the mahogany desk, usually immaculate, was now strewn with classified documents.

The leather desk blotter was covered in scratches from the tips of high heels, and on the sofa lay a single cufflink, torn violently from a shirt.

It was a bespoke piece I had given Julian, my younger brother, for his twenty-first birthday.

At the time, it was only a flicker of suspicion. That is, until I heard her say those words herself.

I could almost picture it: a rough, feverish coupling that desecrated the very heart of her power.

The moment I walked out of that study, I knew my marriage to Blair was over.

A sudden vibration from my pocket pulled me back to my senses.

"Kevin, I saw on the online portal that you accepted the position. Someone will pick you up in three days."

"Take these next few days to say a proper goodbye to your family."

At the word "family," my hand clenched into a fist.

After my parents died in a brutal corporate takeover five years ago, the only family I had left in this world were Blair and Julian.

But now, she had betrayed me with my only brother.

They no longer deserved to be called my family.

"Director , that won't be necessary. Please initiate the highest level of security protocol for me. I want all traceable information under my name erased."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Why? Once that protocol is initiated, the person known as Kevin Thorne will completely cease to exist. Blair won't be able to find you. She'll lose her mind."

I laughed, a bitter taste in my throat. "She won't lose her mind over me. She betrayed me."

After a long silence, my director sighed softly.

"I had a feeling something was wrong when you suddenly accepted yesterday… I just never imagined it was this serious."

"Alright, I'll handle it for you. You have three days to wrap things up on your end."

I finally let my tense shoulders relax. With that protocol, I wouldn't have to agonize over staging a "dignified farewell."

"Thank you, Director."

Just as I hung up, the sound of high heels approached from behind, accompanied by that familiar female voice.

"Darling, who was on the phone? I thought I heard you say someone was betrayed."