Eight months ago, I was ecstatic. I thought my wife’s rejection of her old flame meant that I had finally, truly become the only one she would ever lean on. That day, the man had shown up with a terminal diagnosis, crying and begging my wife to have his child. She had simply looked at him with cold indifference, said, “The man I love is Luke,” and turned right into my arms. Not long after, my wife told me the company was sending her overseas to launch a new market. She’d be gone for a year. As much as I hated the thought of it, I smiled and helped her pack, reminding her to take care of herself. Until today—our wedding anniversary. I flew across the ocean to surprise her, to give her the grand romantic gesture she deserved. But the moment I pushed open the door to her apartment, I saw her. She was holding the arm of that same old flame, her belly so round with pregnancy it was impossible to miss, a radiant smile on her face. The so-called business trip, I realized, was nothing but a perfectly crafted lie so she could have a baby for the man she’d supposedly left behind. 1 I let out a bitter, silent laugh and tossed the carefully chosen gift I was holding into the nearest trash can. “Honey, happy eighth anniversary. I’m so sorry I can’t be there to celebrate with you.” It was my wife, Ava, calling. I stood there in silence for a moment before I could manage to speak. “It’s okay.” “I’ll make it up to you when I get back, I promise,” she said, her voice bright. “I have a huge surprise for you.” You already have. I watched as Ava leaned her entire body against her old flame, Daniel, her face a picture of pure happiness. The sight was a knife in my gut. “Honey, this trip is exhausting,” she went on. “The workload is insane, it never ends.” Still lying. My hand tightened around my phone. When we first got married, Ava told me that the greatest poison to a relationship was deceit. “Honey,” she’d said, “if you ever stop loving me, you have to tell me. Don’t lie. Don’t hurt me.” And yet, here she was, lying to me, hurting me more than I ever thought possible. The air felt thick, heavy. I couldn’t breathe. “Honey? Are you still there?” I tilted my head back, fighting to keep the tears from falling. My voice came out as a strained rasp. “Just got caught up with work.” I heard her sigh in relief on the other end. “Okay, well, I won’t keep you then. Love you, honey!” The line went dead. I watched as Daniel helped her into a car, his arm wrapped protectively around her. The moment the car door closed, the tears I’d been holding back finally streamed down my face. I didn’t understand. Why lie? Don’t lie, don't hurt me. Weren’t those her words? I took a taxi back to the airport. I had arrived full of hope. I left in utter despair. A message from Ava popped up on my phone: [Honey, I bought you a gift. It’s that new gaming console you wanted. It’s already been shipped home.] I typed back a single letter: [K] Was this guilt? Was she trying to buy my forgiveness after the fact? What a joke. When I got back, I threw myself into my work, staying at the office until the early hours of the morning. My coworkers joked that I was trying to rack up overtime pay to buy Ava an extravagant welcome-home present. They had no idea I was just trying to work myself to exhaustion, to numb the part of my brain that wouldn't stop thinking about her. I first met Ava at her father’s funeral. She didn’t cry. She just stood there, staring blankly as they lowered the casket into the ground. Seeing her like that, my heart ached. I walked over and offered a few clumsy words of comfort. What happened next surprised everyone, including me. She attached herself to me. When I was at work, she’d find any excuse to be near my desk, inventing elaborate reasons to just hang around. On weekends, she’d drag me out to dinner, to go shopping, to see movies. She just bulldozed her way into my life. Finally, I had to ask her why. “Everyone else who gets close to me just sees a pretty face,” she’d said. “Their intentions are never pure. But you’re different. I can feel it. You genuinely care about me.” “My dad’s gone, and my mom is always working. I just… I really wanted someone in my life who truly, genuinely cared.” 2 “Luke, would you be that person for me?” Looking at the raw hope in her eyes, I couldn't help but smile. I held out my hand. “Hi,” I said. “I’m Luke.” She beamed. It was a smile that lit up her entire face. After that day, we became inseparable. She told me everything. She shared her joys when she was happy and confessed her fears when she was sad. We explored every corner of the city together. A coworker pulled me aside once and warned me not to get too attached, telling me she had an old flame she could never quite get over. I just smiled. It didn't matter. I only saw her as a friend. But the more time I spent with her, the more my heart went out to her. Her father was gone, her mother was a workaholic, and everyone else around her was only interested in her looks. She didn't have a single real friend in the world. She deserved to be loved. Later, her mother was in a car accident. On her deathbed, she grabbed my hand. “Luke, I can see it. You genuinely care for Ava, and I am so grateful you came into her life.” “Her father is gone, and now I’m going too. I can’t bear the thought of leaving her all alone in this world.” “Luke, can you promise me you’ll always take care of her?” How could I refuse a dying mother’s last wish? Ava and I got married. After the wedding, I devoted myself to her. I gave her all the love I had. I practically split myself in two, balancing a demanding job with my determination to build a happy home for her. Sometimes, when I’d mention how tired I was, she’d give me a playful smile and start massaging my shoulders. “God was so good to me,” she’d say. “He brought you into my life.” “Honey, it’s going to be you and me, forever.” But she was the first to break that promise. She was the one who shattered everything. I saw her again two months later. She and Daniel were walking out of the airport, and she was holding a baby. “Honey, Daniel adopted this baby overseas! Isn’t he just adorable?” she said with a bright smile. I couldn’t smile back. I just nodded numbly. Daniel chimed in, a smug grin on his face. “I ran into Ava abroad. She saw how much I was struggling to care for the baby on my own and insisted I come back with her. She said she could help me out.” I ignored the challenge in his eyes and turned to Ava. She couldn’t meet my gaze. She looked down and mumbled, “Daniel’s a single dad, he doesn’t know what he’s doing. We have a spare room, so I thought he and the baby could stay with us. That way we can help out when we have time.” I just stared at her, speechless. That house was our home, the sanctuary we had built together. And she wanted him to live in it. The knife in my gut twisted again. My voice was a croak when I finally managed to speak. “Fine.” Ava’s face broke into a relieved smile. “Honey, I knew you’d understand! You’re the best!” I forced a smile of my own. It wasn’t that I was the best. It was that in that moment, my heart had shattered completely. I just didn’t care anymore. That night, as we were getting ready for bed, Ava said, “You go ahead and sleep, honey. The baby might get fussy tonight, I’ll come back after I get him settled.” I waited all night. She never came back. The next morning, she had an excuse ready. “The baby cried all night long. He didn't fall asleep until dawn. Look, I have dark circles under my eyes.” “Yeah, Ava was a real lifesaver last night,” Daniel added, his tone dripping with provocation. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without her. You’re not going to get the wrong idea, are you, Luke?” I said nothing. I just turned and started making breakfast. “Honey, the baby’s one-month celebration is in a couple of days. I was thinking of helping Daniel throw a little party. What do you think?” My hand paused over the cutting board. “Fine,” I said, my face a blank mask. “Thanks, honey!” Ava exclaimed, and immediately went to discuss the party details with Daniel. 3 Watching them, I pressed my lips into a thin, hard line. Every time I gave in, every time I stepped back, Ava just pushed the boundaries further. Maybe she’d gotten used to it. After all, since the day we got married, I had always been the one to compromise. I believed that in a marriage, one person had to be the one to yield. Two strong-willed people would never last. Since she wouldn’t be the one to bend, I would. But everyone has a breaking point. And I had reached mine. This time, I wouldn’t back down. This time, I was letting go. On the day of the baby’s party, Ava invited a crowd of guests. It was a huge affair. Her best friend cooed, “Ava, the baby looks just like you! You have the exact same eyes.” Ava’s expression flickered with panic. “Don’t be silly. You can’t tell who babies look like when they’re this young.” She turned to me, offering a rushed explanation. “Honey, don’t listen to her. Daniel adopted him. I’ve just been taking care of him so much, maybe he’s starting to look a little like me.” “You know what they say,” she added with a nervous laugh, “a baby starts to look like the person who spends the most time with them.” I just smiled, saying nothing. Honestly, she didn’t need to explain. During the party, Daniel raised his glass to me. “Luke, a toast. I want to thank you for letting me and my son stay in your home, and for letting Ava help take care of him.” He downed his glass in one gulp. “I’ll drink to that. You do what you want.” All our friends were looking at me. I stayed seated. That place wasn’t my home anymore. And as for Ava, soon enough, she would be out of my life too. “Honey, Daniel’s toasting you,” Ava said, her tone chiding. “I have things to do later,” I said calmly. “I can’t drink.” Ava’s face clouded over. “What could be so important? Today is the baby’s celebration. Daniel is trying to thank you, and you won’t even drink with him? You’re just going to sit there looking miserable?” She walked over, picked up my glass, and held it out to me. “Fine. Then I’ll toast you. You can at least drink to that, can’t you?” I stared at her, my voice quiet. “Have you forgotten? I’m allergic to alcohol.” Ava froze. She quickly apologized. “Oh my god, honey, I’m so sorry. I forgot.” But she never used to forget. Every time I had a business trip or a dinner with clients, she would remind me, again and again, not to drink. Daniel smoothly stepped in. “Well, if Luke can’t drink, he can’t drink. My mistake. I didn’t know about your allergy. I’ll drink one for you as an apology!” I looked at him with cold eyes. Ava bit her lip. “Honey, are you angry?” “No.” I looked down. Ava let out a sigh of relief. “Honey, I really did just forget. It won’t happen again.” “Mm.” As the party wound down, everyone gathered around the baby, showering him with praise. Ava was beaming. “Honey, come look!” she called, waving me over. I shook my head. “There’s no need.” “Why not?” she frowned. “Don’t you like children?” She ran over and grabbed my arm. “Come on, just take a look. You’ll love him. Our kids will be this cute one day.” “We’re not going to have children.” “What?” Ava stopped, stunned. I looked up, my gaze steady and calm. “I said, we’re not going to have children. I’ve already drawn up the divorce papers.” “Ava, let’s get a divorce.” She just stared at me, her face a mask of shock. I didn't look at her again. I stood up to leave. “The papers are at the house. I’ll go home first. You can sign them when you get back.” “Stop right there!” Ava finally found her voice, shouting at my back. “Luke, you explain yourself! What did I do wrong? Why do you want to divorce me? Is it just because I let Daniel and his adopted son stay with us?”
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