2

It wasn't until evening that I slowly came back to my senses.

I heard a series of ambiguous whispers coming from the study.

Through the crack in the door, I saw Tom stark naked, posing and preening in front of his phone screen, striking various poses he thought were alluring, like a top escort from some brothel.

My stomach churned, and I couldn't bear to watch anymore.

I staggered back to the bedroom, closed the door, and leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths.

The huge wedding portrait on the wall seemed to be mocking my incompetence, and I avoided its "gaz."

in embarrassment.

I wrapped myself entirely in the blanket, my heart aching so much I could hardly breathe.

Tom and I were college classmates.

Back then, he was the campus heartthrob and the student council president, with an elegant demeanor.

Many girls had crushes on him.

I was no exception.

I fell in love with him at first sight and began to pursue him passionately.

For four years in college, I unfailingly brought him breakfast and helped him get meals, rain or shine, whenever he called.

My roommates all called me a "lovestruck fool."

Hard work pays off, and Tom was finally moved by my sincerity.

He agreed to my pursuit before graduation.

Having finally won over my dream guy, I naturally cherished him like a treasure.

When he said he wanted a car and a house, I emptied my savings and scraped together money to buy a car and a house, putting everything in his name.

When he said he wanted to work at a big company, I pulled a lot of strings to help him get into his current company and land an easy, high-paying position.

On our wedding day, Tom hugged me with teary eyes and said he would love me forever.

I engraved these vows in my heart, but he discarded my sincere love like a worn-out shoe.

What did I ultimately gain from this ridiculous marriage?

I stared at the ceiling, tears welling up in my eyes and streaming down uncontrollably.

Tom didn't come into the room until midnight.

Thinking I was asleep, he tiptoed to lift the covers and lay down.

In less than a minute, his phone screen lit up.

The light from the screen illuminated his face, and I saw him grinning foolishly, the deep affection in his eyes suffocating me.

He called my name twice, and seeing no response, he hurriedly got up, put on his robe, and went out.

I opened my eyes, got up, and walked to the window.

A small car was parked downstairs, with a young woman in provocative clothing leaning against it.

Tom quickly ran out and, without a word, rushed forward to embrace the woman.

The two were inseparable, and couldn't even wait to find a secluded spot before starting to kiss passionately beside the car.

After tangling for a while, Tom got into the car, and she followed closely behind.

The light in the car flickered on and off.

As if punishing myself, I stared fixedly at the car until they were done.

Not long after, Tom pushed the door open and came in.

The satisfied expression on his face had no time to fade before he saw me standing by the window, startling him so much he nearly cried out.

He stammered in confusion, "Ho- honey, you're not asleep yet?"

I turned around, examining the marks on his neck by the street light outside, and replied, "Mm, I was a bit thirsty, so I got up to drink some water."

Seeing how calm I was, Tom relaxed slightly and walked over to try to put his arm around my waist.

He still had a faint scent of perfume on him, which I had smelled three months ago.

At the time, I even joked and asked him why he had started using women's perfume.

Pointing at my nose, he scolded me angrily, saying I was meddling too much and making him feel suffocated.

As a result, he didn't come home until a week later, and even had the gall to tell me, who had been worried sick for days, that this was the price I paid for being nosy.

I had become a sucker, a scapegoat, and even this thorny jungle was of my own planting.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Tom grew even more brazen, his voice still hoarse from his tryst, "You startled me.

I thought I saw a ghost."

"Did you see anything while standing here just now?"

"What do you think?"

Tom's body stiffened, and the smile on his face froze.

Seeing him like this, I chuckled lightly, "It's so late, what could I possibly see?"

"Honey, we haven't been intimate for several days.

Let me make it up to you tonight."

He breathed a sigh of relief, his hand resting on my shoulder, eager to change the subject.

His hand slid down my nightgown.

I suppressed my disgust and immediately grabbed his hand that was about to run wild, brushing him off, "I'm too tired these past two days.

Let's sleep first."

Tom pursed his lips in disappointment and flopped back onto the bed.

Having just been satisfied, he fell asleep with a smile.

Meanwhile, I lay in bed, looking at this face that was both familiar and unfamiliar to me, until dawn.