My childhood sweetheart, the husband who loved me more than life itself, was set up and ended up sleeping with the new female communications officer. After the drug wore off, the first thing he did was drag the girl in front of me, knelt down, and said I could punish him however I saw fit. After seven years of deep love, I treated it as an accident, softened my heart, and forgave him. For the next five years, we treated each other with mutual respect, becoming the loving couple everyone envied. Until the night Arthur was promoted to Major General. I specially took a leave of absence and flew for 11 hours to surprise him. Instead, I overheard a conversation between him and a woman at the door of his office. "So clingy. We haven't been in touch for just an hour, and you've almost blown up my phone." "Just wait. Tonight, I'll make sure you can't get out of bed." My hand, poised to knock, froze. I carefully pushed open the slightly ajar door just a crack. Looking closely, I was instantly stunned. This woman was that very same communications officer from years ago. ... The woman was held in Arthur's arms, her lace panties already pulled down to her knees. The woman hugged him tight: "I missed you." Arthur's voice was suggestive: "Tonight, you can reach your hand in, follow my waist, and touch all the way to..." Like a ghost possessing me, I took out my phone and sent Arthur a text message. [Arthur, is your promotion ceremony over?] He didn't reply. The woman took out two boxes of condoms from the drawer of Arthur's desk. The same brand and flavor, the ones I was familiar with, the ones Arthur liked using with me the most. Arthur's voice was cheerful: "Today is the great day of my promotion to Major General. You call the shots on how many times we do it." I looked down at my phone; still no reply. The smile on the woman's face grew wider: "You make it sound like I'm the one begging you for it!" Arthur also smiled dotingly: "Alright, alright, let's get dressed, and then we'll do it till we've had enough." Seeing them getting ready to come out, I hurriedly hid in a corner, my hands trembling as I pressed the call button. The mechanical female voice replied coldly: "The number you have dialed cannot be reached at the moment." I understood. Arthur had turned on "Do Not Disturb" mode. This year, Arthur said he had to prepare the materials for his promotion to Major General. As soon as he entered his office, he was too busy to answer calls. It wasn't the first time I couldn't reach him. Coming back to my senses, Arthur and the woman were already walking out of the office, hugging each other. I slightly turned my head to look. With just one glance, I was nailed to the spot. Arthur was wearing a crisp military uniform, and on his face was the joyful smile I was so familiar with. The woman tilted her head up and dropped a light kiss on the corner of his lips. Arthur smiled gently: "Pulling this trick again." The corridor lights were dim, but I happened to see his face clearly. The owner of this face had accompanied me through thirty years of my life. At age three, I accidentally fell in the military family compound and cried loudly. He shoved a bullet casing ornament into my hand: "Here, I'll protect you from now on, don't cry!" At age fourteen, imitating a scene from a movie, he hid my photo in his tactical bag. After I found it, his ears turned red. "I just like you, so what?" At age eighteen, our first love. After Arthur and I had our first kiss, he was so excited he treated the whole unit to a meal. "I wish I could tell everyone that I am the happiest person in the world." At age twenty-five, a successful proposal. In front of both our families, Arthur swore to love only me for the rest of his life. Everything froze on the night before our wedding. When I opened the door to his dorm room, he was naked and entwined with a strange girl. That day, everything was too chaotic. Everyone said he was set up, drugged, and that's why he slept with the new communications officer. As his childhood sweetheart, I should give him a chance. After the drug wore off, the first thing Arthur did was drag the girl in front of me, knelt down, and said I could punish him however I saw fit. Seeing my silence, he picked up a dagger and pointed it at his own heart. "Chloe, as things stand, I've wronged you." "If you don't believe me, I'll cut it open and show you. You're truly the only one in my heart!" Tears blurred Arthur's face. His voice trembled: "Don't leave me, wife, I beg you. I've loved you for so many years." "We grew up together, give me one chance. If you don't want me, I really will die..." After seven years of deep love, I treated it as an accident, softened my heart, and forgave him. I thought we were inseparable, that we would go from childhood friends to growing old together. But this second. Our thirty years finally collapsed. Chapter 2 I arrived at the military base dorms in a daze. My mom sent a message: [How is it? Arthur must be thrilled to know you're there, right?] I took a deep breath, rubbed my sore eyes, and pretended to be calm as I replied: [I just got to his dorm, haven't told him yet.] The dorm door was pushed open from the outside. It was Arthur. Our eyes met. His expression was unnatural for a few seconds, but he quickly regained his composure. "Why didn't you tell me in advance you were coming, so I could pick you up at the airport?" My expression was indifferent: "Wanted to give you a surprise." Arthur walked over smiling and gave me a big hug: "I couldn't bear to let you do that." "You must be tired from the flight, right? It's just my promotion to Major General, yet my wife had to go through the trouble of flying over." Arthur wanted to say something else, but his phone rang. As he looked down to reply, the familiar gentleness and patience appeared between his brows. Then he turned his head and said to me apologetically: "My comrades invited me out for dinner tonight to celebrate my promotion. I'll have to wrong you for tonight, honey." Before I could speak, he grabbed a piece of clothing from the closet. I instantly understood. He came back to the dorm to get the personal item Mia had forgotten. This dorm, where Arthur temporarily lived after being transferred to the Cloud City military district, I had taken the time to decorate for him. For this, I took a week off from the Seacity military district, missing out on a major mission. But right now, the tactical watch I spent half a day hunting down at a military auction and brought over personally was gone. Even the photo of the two of us stuck to the fridge had vanished without a trace. A wave of nausea seeped into my heart along with the clothes. I stood up abruptly, grabbed my suitcase, and headed for the door. Arthur followed: "Are you angry?" He hugged me from behind: "The dorm isn't clean. I'll book you the best room at the guesthouse." "I promise, I'll spend the whole day with you tomorrow, okay?" As usual, he pressed against my cheek, wanting to kiss me. I turned my face away. He didn't mind and left impatiently. Across from the dorm, a man walked out and whistled at me. "Major General Hayes has a girlfriend, I've seen her. Why are you looking for a married man?" "Everyone who lives here knows them, they live very happily." The man kept talking and actually stepped forward, trying to hug me. Like a reflex, I kicked him hard. The man cried out in pain, and I dragged my suitcase towards the stairs. Even when I stumbled and fell awkwardly to the ground, I didn't dare stop to see where I had scraped my skin. Hearing the man's angry curses behind me, I was terrified of getting into trouble, so I got up and ran downstairs. Heading straight to the military airport, I sat blankly in the waiting hall. I didn't understand. Why did Arthur cheat again? During the first two years of our marriage, I often had nightmares. In my dreams, Arthur was holding a strange girl, both of them stark naked. When I woke up, my heart would always ache. Arthur would hold me, coaxing me over and over. "It's all my fault. I made my wife sad again." He changed the passwords of all his electronic devices to my birthday and introduced me publicly at military events. What he did every day, who he met—he always reported to me in detail. Even when he had to stay outside while executing military missions, he would leave the video call on all night, falling asleep to the sound of my breathing. He and I were both carefully repairing that trust. Exactly when did it start? Faintly recalling that woman's name, I opened the military forum and searched. It took me only a minute to find her among many accounts with the same name. Only because that profile picture was taken in Arthur's dorm. Chapter 3 Behind the photo hung a hand-drawn military topographic sand table painting, which I had specially commissioned. Just because Arthur said he liked it, I paid a special visit, standing outside the master's studio for a whole afternoon to move him. Mia usually shared her daily life on the military forum. I scrolled down her forum homepage. The earliest post related to Arthur appeared three years ago. Mia and Arthur had their fingers intertwined, the background being the training ground of the Seacity military district. [I'm with my god from when I was eighteen!] At the same place, eighteen-year-old us held hands for the first time. The night breeze was cool, and Arthur was so nervous his palms were sweating. "When our hair turns white, we'll come back here together." Mid-July the year before last, right on our wedding anniversary. Arthur said he had a meeting at the military district, but his social media showed him accompanying Mia on an outing around the military base. Last New Year's Day, I was hospitalized with a high fever. Arthur appeared in Mia's post, focused on disinfecting a scrape on her fingertip. The hand holding my phone was shaking. Arthur's full face didn't appear in any of the photos. But the familiar side profile made it impossible for me to continue deceiving myself. With a casual swipe, Mia's latest post loaded. The lace maid outfit in the picture was so revealing that taking an extra glance made me feel sick. [The reward he prepared for me tonight.] So, what Arthur just went back to the dorm to get wasn't Mia's personal item, but the sexy gift he had prepared for her. In all the years Arthur and I had been together, he never played this kind of kink with me, yet he could go to such lengths for another woman. Someone left a comment on the post: [Brother-in-law eats this well? Sister loves him too much.] Mia replied: [I couldn't help it. I asked him today when he fell for me.] [He said it was five years ago, the day I bravely told him I liked him for the first time. He praised my eyes for being frighteningly bright, saying he could never forget.] [Thinking that he was also thinking of me these past few years, my heart just melted.] Five years ago was the day I caught them in bed. I pursed my lips tightly. Mia posted a short video. The camera focused on a large bed covered in rose petals. Mia spoke: "You're thirty now. Do you have any new plans for our relationship?" Arthur's gentle voice came through: "Plans?" "I do want you to give me a child." The camera shook, and the sound of fabric rubbing violently could be heard. My fingertips went stiff. I dialed wrong several times before finally calling Arthur. The phone rang three times before finally connecting. My voice trembled: "Arthur, am I still in your future plans?" He was silent for a few seconds, then said casually, "Yeah, why wouldn't you be?" Immediately after, Mia's laughing voice came from the other end: "Hubby, stop answering the phone, come here." If I hadn't stumbled upon Arthur and Mia, I probably would have continued being kept in the dark by Arthur. The past love, the future we envisioned together. At this moment, suddenly vanished into thin air. Perhaps because I was silent for too long, Arthur became slightly angry. "Are you not trusting me again?" "For you, I rejected dozens of transfer orders from the Seacity military district, just because you're always so suspicious!" "It wasn't easy for me to get a temporary transfer to the Cloud City military district. I got promoted to Major General here tonight, and I'll be going back to the Seacity military district in a few days." "I'm considering our future too. Can you not be so willful?" I laughed softly. "Arthur, you're right." "I am suspicious." "I am willful." "When you get back to the Seacity military district, we're getting a divorce." Chapter 4 Arthur hung up the phone first. He snorted coldly: "Fine, whatever you want." The dial tone came from the receiver, hitting my heart like a drumbeat. On the way back to the Seacity military district, I didn't sleep a wink. I used to think happiness was within reach. But now, everything has fallen through. After resting at home for a day, I received another message from Arthur. [I'm back at the Seacity military district. We're having a family dinner tonight, don't give me attitude in front of my parents.] [Chloe, you're an adult. You should know your limits when throwing a tantrum.] I replied, agreeing to attend. When I sorted myself out and appeared at the Hayes family's old estate, both families were already there. Arthur sat down next to me. He looked at my averted face, his tone helpless. "Are you still angry?" He took out a bullet casing ornament and shoved it into my hand. "It's my fault, okay?" "An apology gift for you. Smile, hm?" My palms were ice-cold. Just yesterday, before I was preparing to go home, Mia posted a new video on the forum. On a messy king-sized bed lay a bunch of gifts. Mia opened them one by one: a limited-edition tactical watch, a custom-made military dress uniform, keys to a modified Jeep... Only one bullet casing ornament she looked at with disgust: "This thing isn't special at all, I don't want it." The person taking the video laughed dotingly: "I get promoted to Major General and you receive the gifts, and you still despise them. Can I just go throw it away then?" I opened my hand, letting the ornament fall to the ground. Arthur frowned: "What more do you want from me? Take it or leave it." Mother Hayes smiled affectionately, trying to ease the tension. "Chloe, I heard you specifically rushed to the Cloud City military district to celebrate Arthur's promotion to Major General, but he didn't accompany you because he was having dinner with his comrades. He was wrong to do that." My mom tried to smooth things over from the side. "You child, you insisted on running over there without telling Arthur. By the way, didn't you find Arthur's grandmother's belongings? Did you give them to him?" "Grandmother's belongings?" Arthur froze, turning to look at me in disbelief. "Chloe, did you really find them?!" He stood up abruptly, the corners of his mouth rising uncontrollably. The coldness in his eyes melted, rippling with undisguised excitement. I didn't avert my gaze, seeing every bit of his emotion clearly. The elders of both families laughed out loud. "Look at this silly boy." I said softly: "No." "Someone offered a higher price, so I sold them." The atmosphere froze. Arthur's excitement froze on his face. His eyes panicked for a few seconds before he forced a smile: "Chloe, stop making such jokes." I didn't reply, pulling out the divorce agreement I had prepared in advance. Then I gave a slight smirk: "Arthur, I've seen Mia." "If we don't divorce, are you going to let her be a mistress for the rest of her life?" Chapter 5 "What Mia?" Arthur stared at me intently. "Who's been talking nonsense to you?" "Honey, we've been together for almost thirty years, do you have no trust in me at all?" The Hayes family breathed a sigh of relief and chimed in. "That girl named Mia, she disappeared years ago." "Chloe, these past few years, Arthur has reported his whereabouts to you wherever he went. Let's not bring up what happened back then." Mother Hayes even reached out, wanting to take away the divorce agreement. "Chloe, I can understand that you resold the belongings and won't hold it against you, but you can't joke about divorce." "Put it away quickly, you scared us to death." Father Hayes righted the teacup he had just bumped, letting out a sigh of relief. Even my mom darkened her face and glared at me. "What nonsense are you talking about." Looking at their concerned yet slightly reproachful faces, I suddenly felt it was absurd. Opening my mouth, I couldn't speak for a moment. How could I not trust Arthur? For the past five years, I didn't dare bring up any details related to Mia. I never dared to actively recall that nightmare-like scene of catching them in bed. I believed Arthur's promise that it wouldn't happen again, carefully maintaining this marriage. But how did it still come to this? No one hoped more than I did that all of this was fake. But my aching heart reminded me I had to stay clear-headed. I gently pushed Mother Hayes' hand away. My voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the entire old estate. "You don't need to put the agreement away. I'm serious." I looked at Arthur, enunciating every word: "I'm not joking." Arthur's face changed instantly. He fiercely grabbed my wrist, making it hurt: "You're joking, right?!" Arthur's voice rose sharply. "Chloe, how could you possibly divorce me..." "Why couldn't I?" I laughed out loud, forcefully shaking off his hand. I slammed my phone heavily onto the table. The screen lit up, showing Mia's forum homepage. "Then tell me, what is this?!" Mia's profile picture was exceptionally glaring under the lights. "Five years ago, you said you were set up and drugged, that you mistook her for someone else, and I believed you." "For five years you've been obedient to me, and I believed that too." "But Arthur, tell me, what is this? Why is she in your Jeep, why is she wearing my pajamas in your dorm, in your bed, asking you about plans for children?!" "And then you even answered Mia, saying you wanted her to have a child!" With every question I asked, Arthur's face grew a shade paler. He opened his mouth, seeming to want to defend himself. But when his eyes fell on the phone screen, all his excuses got stuck in his throat. "It's not... it's not what you think." Arthur stumbled back a step dejectedly, bumping into the dining chair with a harsh scraping sound. The truth was laid bare in front of everyone. Arthur's parents looked at their son, who looked like he had lost his soul after being exposed, too shocked to speak. My parents' eyes reddened even more, looking in disbelief at the son-in-law they had always treated as half a son. Father Hayes' voice trembled: "Arthur, is what Chloe saying true?" Arthur didn't answer. He suddenly rushed over, wanting to hug me, but I stepped sideways to dodge him. "Honey, listen to me explain, I was wrong..." He stammered: "I was... I didn't want to do anything with Mia..." "The one I love is you, it's always been only you!" This sentence again. Five years ago, he was like this too, kneeling in front of me with tears streaming down his face, promising me I was the only one in his heart. I bent down, picked up the bullet casing ornament on the floor that Mia had despised, and placed it in Arthur's hand. "Arthur, your love is too dirty, I can't accept it."
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