Chapter 1

On the first night shift of the community security guard, my colleague pulled me to watch a small video.

When I first saw it, I still had the mentality of watching a play, and joked with my colleagues, saying that this woman has a lot of charm, and I don't know who it will be cheaper.

I casual attitude vanishes when I catches a glimpse of the woman's exposed chest, revealing a tattoo identical like my darling's.

It's the matching tattoo they got when we first started dating.

No, it can't be. It's impossible.

It's just a tattoo, right? Surely there could be duplicates out there.

But then, the woman in the video coos seductively.

"Baby, let's go again. I can't wait any longer."

The voice is unmistakable.

It belongs to Melody, my wife of ten years.

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1

In an instant, I felt all the blood in my body rush to my head.

My hand, clutching the phone, began to tremble uncontrollably. The humiliation and rage burned in my chest, making it painful to breathe.

Lorne, sitting next to me, teased, "Quint, is it really that serious? Did a little video get you all hot and bothered?"

"Come on, let big bro show you the live show." Without waiting for my response, Lorne dragged me to a corner of the apartment complex parking garage.

Following the direction of his finger, I saw a nearby BMW shaking violently.

Through the dim light, I could still make out the vague outline of pale, writhing bodies inside the car.

And there, barely visible on one of the bodies, was that tattoo.

"River......" I couldn't help but gasp, only to have Lorne clamp his hand over my mouth.

"Keep it down, you want to lose your job?"

Lorne warned me in a low voice to stay quiet.

The man in the car was the son of Silicon Valley's richest tycoon, and also the developer of this apartment complex.Since Lorne and his buddies accidentally stumbled upon that steamy scene during their night patrol,

They've been sneaking peeks every now and then.

"You almost ruined the fun we've been having for the past six months, bro."

I stared blankly at the scene unfolding before me, feeling a chill throughout my entire body.

Recently, my wife Melody has become obsessed with playing poker.

She goes out to play a couple of games every day.

Sometimes when the weather is bad, with wind and rain, I offer to pick her up, but she always firmly refuses, saying it's too much trouble.

As it turns out, her so-called poker games were just a facade, an excuse to sneak out and cheat.

Lorne, oblivious to my emotions, was still eagerly watching the live show.

I made an excuse to use the bathroom and fled in a panic.

My heart felt as if it was stuffed with cotton, making it hard to breathe.

After pondering for a moment, I dialed Melody's number.

The phone rang for a long time before it was answered. Melody's breathless voice came through,

"Honey, what's up? Did you need something?"

I steadied myself and pretended to respond casually, "Nothing, just wondering when your game will be over. Should I come pick you up?"

"Didn't I tell you not to bother picking me up?Seeing that I didn't respond, Melody added, "Honey, what if your boss catches you sneaking out to pick me up right after starting work?"

"You don't want to lose that job you just got, do you?"

Every word she said showed concern for me. In the past, I would have caught on quickly.

"Oh, I gotta go. I'm about to win this hand. Talk to you later!"

She hung up before I could answer.

I stood numbly in the corner, watching her stumble up the stairs with her clothes disheveled, clinging to a man's arm.

Tonight would be a sleepless one for both of us.

The next day after work, I came home to find Melody already there.

She was lying on the couch with a face mask on, not even bothering to look up.

"What took you so long? Did you get the croissants I asked for?"

"If it's not from my favorite place, you better go back and wait in line again."

"And why didn't you wash the dishes before work last night? When did you get so lazy?"

"Do you expect me to wait on you hand and foot?"

Melody complained as usual, bossing me around to do this and that. After rambling on for a while, she finally noticed I hadn't said a word and gave me a puzzled look.

"What's wrong with you? Who are you trying to impress with this silent treatment?"

I stared at her steadily. "Where were you last night?"Perhaps it was my gaze that made her feel uneasy,

She froze for a moment, then ran over and wrapped her arms around my waist, starting to act coy,

"Where else would I go? Didn't I tell you I was playing poker?"