The Fall of Ten Years of Faithful Love

On our fifth wedding anniversary, my wife’s best friend leaned close and asked her with a laugh in French:

“So, how does your little assistant taste?”

Annette handed me a piece of cantaloupe—my favorite—before answering just as carelessly in the same language, “Young and tender. Remember, you have to keep this company from my husband. Because if he finds out, he'll definitely leave me”

The crowd immediately burst into laughter, each one swearing they’d take the secret to their graves.

I stood there, clutching my glass so hard my knuckles went white.

They had no idea—I understood every word of French.

I had already known my wife was keeping a lover hidden away.

But I hadn’t confronted her with shouting or tears. Instead, I quietly submitted an application to transfer to a sealedoff national research institute.

Three days from now, I will fulfill her words.

——

Out of the corner of my eye, Annette noticed the cantaloupe still untouched on my plate. She looked at me with feigned worry and asked in English, “Darling, what’s wrong?”

The sight of her gaze, so full of affection for me, only felt like mockery.

Just moments earlier she had been gossiping about her lover, and now she could put on a performance as if I were the only man she adored.

“Nothing,” I replied casually. I couldn’t help but wonder—just how far could her lies go?

“What were you all talking about just now?” I asked.

Annette slipped her arms naturally around my waist, smiling sweetly.

“Oh, we were just discussing some business overseas. I know you don’t like to hear about work, so we switched to French.”

Perhaps lost in the haze of her romance, she had forgotten that I once spent time studying abroad in France. The air around me suddenly felt suffocating. I pushed her gently away.

“You carry on. I need some fresh air.”

Without waiting for Annette’s reply, I walked straight out of the banquet hall.

On the way out, I could hear whispers trailing behind me:

“That’s Mrs. Callahan’s husband, isn’t it? He’s truly blessed—not only was their wedding a worldwide sensation, but she also throws a grand celebration every anniversary. What a lucky man.”

“Oh, to have met such a perfect woman.”

…

Once, hearing others envy our love would have filled me with sweetness. But now, I felt nothing.

They had no idea that Annette Callahan—the woman who, on the surface, seemed to love me with her whole life—was cheating on me.

Just yesterday, I’d planned to give her our fifth anniversary gift ahead of time. Wanting to surprise her, I slipped into her office in secret, telling no one. I waited in the storage cabinet until I nearly dozed off. Then, the sound of ragged breaths jolted me awake.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Annette—the very woman who once swore she’d love only me—pressed against the floortoceiling windows by her assistant, Kevin Krueger. Her face was flushed, their bare bodies leaving streaks on the glass as they writhed together.

They tangled in each other for three hours before finally putting their clothes back on and leaving.

Those three hours—I don’t even remember how I endured them. From the crushing despair at the start, to the numbness that swallowed me whole in the end.

By the time I walked out of that company, I knew my marriage with Annette Callahan was over.

A sudden ring from my phone snapped me out of the memory.

“Easton,” came my professor’s voice, “I’ve already reported your name to the research institute. In three days, someone will come pick you up. You might as well use it to say goodbye to your family.”

At the word family, my grip on the phone tightened.

After my parents died in an accident four years ago, Annette had been the only family I had left.

But now that she had betrayed me, she was no longer my family either.

“It won’t be necessary, Professor,” I replied somberly. “Please… just apply to have all my records erased.”

There was silence, followed by a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line.

“What? Why? Once we erase your file, Easton Blackwell ceases to exist. Don’t you have a wife, Annette? What if she can’t find you?”

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

“She cheated.”

The line went utterly still before a long sigh came through.

“Actually, when you called yesterday, I suspected something had happened between you and Annette. I just didn’t expect it to be…” He didn’t finish his sentence. “Very well. I’ll delete your records. Use these three days to tie up whatever loose ends you have.”

Relief washed over me. Once my records were erased, I wouldn’t even need to waste time going through a divorce with Annette.

“Thank you, Professor.”

Just as the words left my mouth, a familiar voice came from behind me.

“Who cheated?”

I turned, meeting Annette’s slightly anxious gaze. My own expression remained calm as I replied.

“Professor’s other students’ wife.”

She studied my face carefully, searching for any cracks in my composure. Finding none, she finally relaxed and slipped her arms around my waist with a coy smile, “Don’t worry, honey. That could never happen to us.’

I looked straight into her ohsosincere eyes and asked, “What if it were?”

Without the slightest hesitation, Annette shook her head.

“Impossible. Because I only love you.”

“But what if.”

She paused, then her hands gently cupped my cheeks as she whispered, “If I ever cheated, then punish me by never letting me find you again.” She let out a soft sigh. “Because you are my life. If you weren’t by my side, I wouldn’t want to go on living.”

I gave her a small smile but said nothing.

Annette, your punishment is coming. In three days, I’ll disappear and you’ll never find me.

She opened her mouth to say more, but a man’s voice cut in.

“Mrs. Callahan, everything is ready.”

Kevin stood in a sleek black suit, his voice clipped and professional—nothing like the domineering man pressed against her at the window yesterday.

Annette’s face returned to an impassive mask. She gave a small nod, then waved him away.

Watching their performance, I felt only cold irony.

Their acting was impeccable, perfectly in sync. If I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes, I might have kept believing their lies forever.

Annette slid her hands over my eyes and whispered in my ear, “Darling, I have a surprise for you.”

“Five, four, three…”

When she finally let go, the night sky erupted with fireworks. Blossoms of red roses bloomed above us, until the sparks formed a giant number: 10, frozen against the darkness.

Annette wrapped her arm around my waist, her tone wistful.

“We’ve been together for ten years. Can you believe it? Time really does fly, huh?”

I stared at the glowing number, momentarily lost.

Yes—ten years. From when I was nineteen until now, twentynine. A whole decade had passed, and time had changed so much.

It changed the woman who once loved me so deeply into someone I could barely recognize.

It also changed what used to be a genuine love… into nothing but lies.

Annette turned, her eyes brimming with false tenderness. Her hands slid around my neck as she leaned in for a kiss. Just as I was about to turn away, her phone buzzed with a message notification.

Annoyance flickered across her face.

“I told them no one was to disturb me today. Let’s see who dares defy me.”

The moment she saw the name on her phone screen, Annette’s face froze.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught it. Kevin.

She gave a small cough, subtly angling the phone away as her fingers tapped a quick reply. In her eyes, a spark of desire flashed unmistakably.

Sure enough, the very next moment she turned back to me with a look of feigned guilt.

“Darling, I’m so sorry. Today is our anniversary, I know I should spend the whole day with you. But the company—”

“Work is important. I understand,” I cut her off before she could spin another lie.

Relief softened her shoulders. On any other day she would never leave without kissing me goodbye, but tonight she merely gave me a perfunctory hug before turning to leave.

I stood there for a moment, then quietly told my assistant to handle the banquet guests before I slipped away, following in Annette’s direction.

It wasn’t until the underground parking lot that she finally stopped.

Kevin was already waiting. The moment she opened the car door, his cold expression melted away. He pulled her into his arms.

“I have to say, the firework show made me jealous,” his voice tinged with a childish grievance.

Annette sighed, brushing a kiss across his cheek.

“I set fireworks off for your birthday just a few days ago. What’s there to be jealous about?” With a tender gaze, she added, “I promised you—as long as you behave and never expose our relationship to my husband, whatever he has, you’ll have too.”

At those words, realization struck me like a blade. Five nights ago, there had been a thirtyminute firework display lighting up the south side of the city. That same night, Annette had told me she was working late at the office. To cheer her up, I’d snapped a photo of the fireworks and sent it to her, joking that some hopeless romantic must be pulling out all the stops to win the heart of his beloved.

Now I understood. That hopeless romantic hadn’t been some stranger—it had been Annette herself and that made me feel like the biggest fool in the world.

Kevin gave a small laugh, his hands slid lower, tracing her waist possessively.

“Am I not allowed to be jealous?” Annette caught his wandering hand, her voice softening, laced with coyness.

“Didn’t you say you had something you wanted to show me?”

“Why don’t you open it and see for yourself?”

Kevin chuckled, wrapping his arms tightly around her and pulling her into his chest. “I’m sure you’ll want it so bad you can’t even refuse.”

With that, he scooped her up effortlessly, carrying her into the car. Annette let out a startled cry, but the rest of her voice was smothered beneath his kiss. As the windows rolled up, the car began to rock in a steady rhythm.

Hidden in the shadows of a concrete pillar, my fists clenched so tightly the veins bulged across my hands.

I had already caught them once yesterday—yet seeing it again, my chest still ached with a crushing, uncontrollable pain.

On the day we were married, Annette swore she would spend every single anniversary entirely with me. But one message from Kevin was enough for her to throw that promise away. Did she really crave him that much?

I shut my eyes, forcing down the storm inside me. Three more days. Just three more days, and this will all be over. I didn’t return to the banquet hall. Instead, I went straight home.

That night, I was halfasleep when a loud bang jolted me awake.

Annette stood in the doorway, her face tense. The moment she saw me, she exhaled in relief.

“Honey, why didn’t you tell me you went home? I was searching the entire banquet hall for you. Do you know how frantic I was?”

I glanced at my phone. The clock read 3:00 a.m. I had been home since nine.

Six hours. She had spent six whole hours with Kevin—kissing him, or doing God knows what—before finally remembering to look for me. That’s the most ridiculous excuse I’ve I ever heard.

“I wasn’t feeling well, so I went home. Forgot to tell you,” I said offhandedly. Maybe all this time living with her—and her endless lies—had rubbed off on me. I could now toss out excuses without blinking.

Still, the unease on her face didn’t fade. Annette climbed into bed and snuggled against me, clutching my arm as if afraid I might vanish.

“Next time, don’t forget to tell me, okay?” she whispered. “You always have to let me know where you are or I’ll worry and if you ever disappear, I’ll turn over every single stone in the city until I find you.”

I closed my eyes, offering no reply. In three days, she would never find me again.

The next morning, perhaps out of guilt, Annette had a Patek Philippe delivered to the house.

“I’m sorry about last night. Please don’t be angry, okay?” she said softly, holding out the watch box like a peace offering.

I opened it briefly, then set it aside. “I’m not angry,” I told her, retrieving another box I had already prepared. “This is the gift I got for our anniversary. But you can’t open it until two days from now.”

Originally, I had planned on giving her a necklace—custommade by an international jewelry designer. But the day I caught her cheating, I threw it away. Instead, I slipped off the wedding ring I had never once removed from my finger and placed it inside.

That would be the only thing I left her.

Annette accepted the box, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

“But Honey, our anniversary was yesterday. Why make me wait two more days?”

I gave her a faint smile. “Because it’s very special. It’ll surprise you even more if you open it then.”

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Alright then,” she said eagerly. “I’ll do exactly as you say.”

The words had barely left her lips when the doorbell rang. She went to open it—only to find Kevin standing there, his face glowing with barely contained joy.

For a heartbeat, she froze. Then quickly, she grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the garden.

“Honey, Kevin’s here to discuss an important report about the company. I’ll take him to the garden so we can discuss about it and you can enjoy you breakfast without interruptions.”

From the upstairs window, I watched Kevin pull Annette into his arms.

But Annette shoved him away furiously, her face clouded with rage.

“Have you lost your mind?” she hissed. “Didn’t I tell you not to come to my house? If Easton suspects anything between us, I won’t let you off!”

Kevin’s eyes reddened as he pulled a folded document from his bag and thrust it into her “I know I shouldn’t have come, but… I got your medical report. It says you’re pregnant.” He paused. “We did it rough last night, and the doctor said the fetus isn’t stable in the early weeks or their development. I’m scarred, Annette. I don’t want anything to happen to our baby.”

He placed his palm gently on Annette’s lower abdomen. “And it’s going to be our first child.”

The words slammed into me like a fist. My body froze. Annette is pregnant?

When we had first married, she told me she never wanted children—that a baby would steal our attention from each other, dilute the love we shared. She had begged me to keep our marriage pure, undivided, just us and I, blinded by what I thought was her devotion, agreed.

Now I understood.

She never wanted my child. But she had no problem letting another man put his child inside her.

Annette’s eyes widened in shock when she first glanced at the paper. Then, slowly, her brows relaxed, and a tender smile spread across her face as her hand drifted protectively to her stomach.

“Nine weeks? I really need to start taking better care of myself,” she murmured lovingly.

Then she turned to him with gentle determination.

“Go wait for me in the car. I want you to take me to the prenatal checkup. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to this baby.”

Kevin finally broke into a grin, leaning in to kiss her. Annette’s eyes darkened, and she pulled him closer by the back of his head, taking control of the kiss.

They tangled for a long moment before she finally pushed him away, her voice dripping with mock coyness.

“Even while I’m pregnant, you can’t keep your hands off me? There’s a baby in here now. Go wait in the car.”

She turned, straightening her clothes, and headed back toward the house. I hurried downstairs and slipped into my seat at the dining table, as though I had never left.

Strangely, relief washed over me. Thank God there were no children between us. That meant I could walk away from all this without leaving any blood ties behind.

The moment Annette opened the door, her familiar apologetic smile appeared.

“Darling, there’s an urgent issue with the company. I have to head out of town on short notice, and it might take a few days to sort out. You don’t mind being alone for a while, do you? I’ll bring you back a little something.”

I nodded silently.

Seeing no sign of suspicion in my expression, she relaxed, kissed me on the cheek, and left.

I watched her departing figure, then glanced at the calendar on the wall. Two more days, I thought. Two more days and I’d be gone. Perhaps this had been our last moment together.

That afternoon, a message arrived on my phone.

An ultrasound image.

[Annette is carrying my child. Our first child. You useless old man, do her a favor and divorce her already. Make room for me.]

The number was unfamiliar, but I knew instantly it was Kevin.

Now that Annette was pregnant, he clearly felt bold enough to stake his claim.

But I had already decided to leave. My heart toward Annette was already ashes. Staring at that scan stirred not the faintest ripple inside me.

As she had said, Annette didn't come home for the next two days.

I used that time to quietly erase myself from the house. Every trace of me. What could be donated, I donated; what could be burned, I burned. Only the barest essentials were packed neatly for my new life in the lab.

On the morning of my departure, I rose early, zipped my suitcase, and waited for the lab’s car to arrive.

Just as I reached for my phone to ask how long they’d be, another message popped up. From Kevin again.

A photo. Annette in a wedding gown, halfway through makeup.

[Annette and I are getting married today. She promised to give me and the baby our rightful place. This wedding is just the beginning.

[No wonder she’s been on the phone in secret these past days—she was planning this surprise for me. She said everything has to be the best, even on such short notice, because she wants me to be the happiest groom and soontobe father in the world.]

[Don’t be surprised if she comes home with divorce papers in her hand. If you want to hold on to any shred of dignity, you’d better leave that mansion now. Because from this day on, I—the true man of the house—will claim what’s mine.]

This time, I replied.

[Congratulations. You will soon get everything you wished for.]

The car arrived just as I hit send. I picked up my luggage and climbed in.

At a red light, a commotion outside caught my attention.

“Oh my God, who’s getting married?”

“Wow, Look at the cars!”

“What a wedding, so extravagant!”

The passersby exclaimed.

Instinctively, I turned my head.

There she was. Annette, in her white gown, sitting in the back of a Maybach. Her eyes were full of tenderness as she adjusted Kevin’s tie.

And then—her gaze lifted. Our eyes met through the glass. Hers widened with sheer panic.

The next second, my phone rang.