Chapter 1His Valentine's Roses

On Valentine’s Day, my husband—not one for sentiment—did his usual: ordered custom roses for every employee at his company.

The Cole Group was trending again, praised as the city’s most romantic corporation.

Then a post from Adrian’s young assistant appeared: a photo of her company bouquet with parted petals revealing a sapphire ring inside—the same unique piece I was outbid on at auction for $750k.

Scrolling further, I found more posts: boba with a $5,200 transfer captioned “first boba of autumn,” ice cream with a “30-day tropical getaway” voucher.

Comments gushed about how amazing the company was.

I knew Adrian bought treats for the office—but since when did they include cash and vacations?

Her latest photo showed a man across from her, cropped except for his dark blue tie—the same one I’d picked for Adrian that morning.

I paused and called him:

“Working late tonight?”

* * *

After he confirmed, I drove straight to the company building.

I rarely checked up on Adrian. I hardly ever came to his office. We'd been married for seven years. I'd been with him since he started from nothing, building his empire until he became a titan of the business world. Everyone knew I was the center of his universe.

But for the past six months, his behavior had mirrored every single red flag I’d seen on those cheesy online relationship blogs. It was enough to plant a seed of doubt.

Pushing down a wave of anxiety, I unlocked the main office doors. The moment I flipped on the lights, I was greeted by the sight of Adrian on one knee, holding a bouquet, his eyes filled with a deep, adoring warmth.

“My love, I've been waiting for you.”

“How did you…”

Before I could finish, he rose smoothly and pulled me into his arms, resting his chin affectionately on my shoulder.

“If my wife checking up on me means I get a surprise visit, I’d wish you’d do it every night. Then I could see you every day.”

He leaned in close. “I love you. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Looking into his earnest eyes, I felt my heart flutter. The suspicion that had been gnawing at me began to fade. He dropped his work for the night, and we drove home together.

Later, after he’d tucked me into bed, Adrian took his laptop to the living room to finish up some work.

I had just closed my eyes when my phone, which I'd left on his nightstand, began vibrating nonstop.

I picked it up. A string of messages from an avatar of a cute cartoon animal. No name saved, but the chat was pinned to the top of his message list.

【Mr. Cole, leaving me all alone at the restaurant on Valentine's Day? How ungentlemanly! As punishment, you have to have dinner with me every night for the next week!】

【Hmph. By the way, how did my little script for winning over your wife work out? You big blockhead. If only you had half my brains~】

It was Adrian’s phone. He never set a passcode.

I recognized the avatar. It belonged to Chloe Su, an intern at his company.

For a moment, my blood ran cold. The air left my lungs.

It hit me then. Adrian was never the type to say such sweet, romantic things.

They say a man who’s cheating suddenly becomes overly affectionate at home, trying to wash away the guilt with loving words. The thought surfaced in my mind, and I felt a wave of nausea as I scrolled up, my fingers trembling.

【Mr. Cole, was my boba the only one with brown sugar? Thank you, my cramps are all gone now~】

【OMG how did you know I love strawberry ice cream?! You stocked a whole fridge with it for me! You’re literally the ice cream fairy, I worship you!!】

I scrolled back six months. Every single day was filled with Chloe’s bubbly chatter, sharing her favorite songs, foods, and thoughts. And Adrian, though his replies were cool and brief, responded to every single one.

The last chat I’d had with him was on our anniversary. His only message was to tell me he was working late.

The chat log with her seemed endless. My heart felt like it was plummeting into a bottomless abyss.

Suddenly, a new message popped up. It was a voice note from Chloe, her tone sweet and docile, with a slight, choked sob.

“Mr. Cole… I didn’t want you to leave. If I were just a little more selfish, would you have stayed with me tonight?… Today is the anniversary of my mother’s death. Everyone else is so happy. Everyone but me.”

This time, Adrian’s reply was almost instantaneous, synced from his laptop to the phone in my hand:

【Send me your location.】

At the same moment, I heard the sharp snap of a laptop closing in the living room. Adrian pushed the bedroom door open, his movements rushed.

“Clara, something urgent came up at the office. I have to go. Oh, and I’ll be working late all next week, so don’t wait up for me for dinner.”

He grabbed his phone and jacket, turning to leave.

“Adrian,” I called out, my voice shaking slightly. “Can you… not go tonight?”

He cut me off, his tone impatient. “Come on, don’t be childish. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done. Be good.”

Throughout our marriage, Adrian had always put me first. He could always sense the slightest shift in my mood. If he had just looked, really looked, he would have seen the moonlight glinting off the tears welling in my eyes.

But he never gave me a second glance.

Outside, a storm began to brew, the rumble of thunder echoing in the distance. I sat in silence for a long time before opening a family group chat that had been dormant for years. I typed a single message:

【I want to come home.】