Chapter 2

I slipped her phone into my pajama pocket and quietly walked into the bedroom.

On the newly made bed, covered with a fresh wedding bedding set, my wife, Eleanor Dixon, lay on her side against the bed sheets. Her legs were exposed.

"Honey, come on! I've been waiting for you!"

I said nothing, my brows tightly furrowed. Eleanor didn't seem to notice anything unusual about my expression.

She playfully urged me to hurry over, her face brimming with impatience.

"You know we're married now, hurry up!

"What are you standing there for? Honey, it's our wedding night! Every second of tonight is precious!"

I stared at Eleanor, barely containing the fury boiling within me.

So she did remember it was our wedding night. And yet, she still found time to send "treats" to her group of male admirers.

Eleanor sat up on the bed, her pretty face quickly showing irritation.

"Keith, it's our wedding night. Why the long face? You're being ridiculous!"

Her audacious tone pushed me over the edge.

"Ridiculous? Me?

"Can you explain who those men in the group chat are? And those photos you personally sent?"

As I spoke, I pulled the phone out of my pocket and tossed it onto the bed.

Eleanor's face visibly froze. She quickly grabbed her phone and opened WhatsApp. Sure enough, she saw the replies from the other members.

"Keith, you went through my phone?"

She didn't address my questions. Instead, she threw another accusation at me.

I laughed bitterly to myself. My wife was always like this.

The moment she got caught red-handed, she would immediately try to shift the blame, as if that could erase her wrongdoing.

I glanced at the wedding photo on the bedside table. Those celebratory images now felt painfully ironic.

Everything screamed "happily ever after" and "a lifetime of bliss," but to me, it all seemed like a façade covering something unspeakably ugly.

"Ellie, as a normal man, I can't just sit back and watch my wife's naked photos being commented on by other men!

"It's late tonight. Tomorrow morning, we'll get a divorce."

At the mention of divorce, Eleanor rushed over and hugged me.

"Honey, we just got married today, how can we get divorced tomorrow?

"What would our friends and family think?

"I can explain those group messages.

"Honey, you know how exhausting my work is. I'm always swamped with company matters.

"Last week, at my friend's birthday party, I just happened to add a few waiters to my contacts.

"Those guys in the group are just joking around. Don't take it seriously. I swear there's nothing going on. Please trust me, okay?"

I tried to push her arms away, but she clung to me tightly, refusing to let go.

With our height difference, I looked down at her tear-streaked, delicate face. For a moment, I felt a pang of pity.

"Jokes? Since when do jokes involve sending naked photos to a group chat?"

"Honey, I was confused for a moment and didn't think it through. It's my fault. Please don't divorce me.

"I'll delete the group chat right now and never talk to them again!"

She picked up her phone and exited the pinned group chat on her own.

"Honey, I love you so, so much. Please forgive me this once. Don't divorce me, okay?"