Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
My wife fell for the office pretty boy.
At our anniversary gala, surrounded by her corporate clients, the tribute video I spent weeks crafting was suddenly swapped out for a montage of intimate moments between her and that kid.
She didn’t even flinch. Taking the mic, she casually told the crowd:
"Everyone at work says we make a dream team. None of our investors know my husband anyway, but seeing Liam by my side makes them confident in our brand."
Everyone watched, waiting for me to explode and make a scene.
Instead, I smiled and applauded.
Our marriage had been dead for months. I didn't want her anymore.
Liam Vance stood tall in his custom-tailored suit. Honestly, he looked more like the host of the evening than I did.
Clearly, they had planned this.
Without a word, I handed my speech cards directly to Liam, ignored the pitying smirks from the crowd, and walked out.
I strolled through the venue and all the way to the parking lot. My wife, Rachel, never came after me.
My departure was exactly what she wanted.
Fine by me. I’d been working on my feet since dawn and hadn’t eaten a bite all day.
I drove straight to a famous Michelin-starred restaurant downtown.
When we first got married, Rachel used to drag me here every weekend.
Somewhere along the line, the love in her eyes faded, taking five years of history down with it.
Rachel hated planning events; she always said logistics gave her a headache.
So I took care of everything. For two whole months, I obsessed over every detail—the floral arrangements, the catering, the VIP guest list, the minute-by-minute schedule.
When we got hitched years ago, we just did a quick destination elopement because that’s what she wanted. I had always dreamed of an actual celebration witnessed by our friends. This anniversary gala was supposed to be the reception we never had.
Knowing how tightly I’d managed every detail, I knew the video swap was no glitch.
I had spent nights editing that footage. It held every memory from our college days to our fifth year of marriage.
To watch our journey together get trashed like that… yeah, it stung.
But after enough quiet disappointments, you just go numb. By the time I left that hall, I felt completely detached.
I finished my dessert, swallowed the lingering bitterness, and made my choice.
After a hot shower back at our place, I collapsed onto the bed. My phone buzzed. Rachel.
"Austin, where the hell are you? I didn't know the closing schedule and almost embarrassed myself on stage!"
Her voice dripped with irritation, like I was an unruly assistant who abandoned his post.
I kept my tone neutral. "I went home. Why, do you need me back there?"
Silence on the other end.
"Whatever. The night wrapped up fine anyway. Stay where you are."
Click.
I knew she wouldn't call me back. The party was over; she just wanted quiet time with her boy toy without me getting in the way.
I pulled the sheets over my head. Planning that stupid gala had left me exhausted, and I needed the rest.
When I finally woke up, it was well past midnight. Rachel had just walked through the front door.
She had ditched her formal gown for an easy sundress. Her cheeks were flushed, clearly riding a high from the night.
The moment she spotted me on the sofa, her smile vanished.
"Why didn’t you answer my calls or texts earlier?"
I stretched on the couch. "I was asleep."Rachel narrowed her eyes at me, crossing her arms.
"Are you seriously throwing a tantrum over what happened earlier? Grow up, Austin. It was strictly business."
"The company loves the dynamic between Liam and me. Clients think we're the power couple. If they think we’re together, they’ll invest more money!"
Right. The golden couple. My anniversary bash magically transformed into your soft-launch engagement party.
I scoffed under my breath, wondering if her sudden success had rotted her brain.
I didn't answer, just gave a small shrug.
My silence rubbed her the wrong way. She stepped closer, about to chew me out, when the front door clicked open.
Liam let himself in like he owned the place. He held a high-end shopping bag, offering an apologetic little grin.
"Rachel, you forgot your designer jacket in my car. Thought I'd drop it off."
Then he feigned surprise at seeing me. "Oh, Austin! Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
Rachel had added Liam’s fingerprint to our smart lock weeks ago. The guy walked into our condo whenever he pleased.
Rachel didn't see anything wrong with it. She took the bag warmly. "You didn't have to drive all the way out here tonight, Liam. You could have just brought it tomorrow."
Their eyes locked with unmistakable tension. A wave of disgust hit me.
Rachel immediately turned back to me, finding fresh ammo.
"See? Why can't you be more considerate like Liam? He's younger than you, yet twice as mature."
"He handled hundreds of high-profile guests effortlessly tonight while you hid away like a coward."
"Things got chaotic at the end, and if it weren't for Liam, the whole event would've fallen apart! But you just walked out and went to sleep, like some—"
I cut her off cleanly.
"My fault."
The room fell dead silent. Both of them froze.
Neither Rachel nor Liam expected this calm surrender. They were waiting for me to yell, to smash something, to play the humiliated husband.
Instead, I sat there, looking at Rachel with zero emotion.
Everyone in our circle knew how deeply I had loved her. I had literally walked away from my own life for her.
Before Rachel, I was a rising star in the contemporary art world.
Galleries fought for my paintings. Canvas was how I spoke to the world; art was my lifeline.
Then I met Rachel, and everything changed.
Back then, she was just a junior analyst struggling in corporate America.
Her bright smile and vulnerable ambition made me want to shield her from everything.
For her, I set down my brushes and stepped away from the spotlight.My family was furious.
They couldn't fathom why I’d abandon our artistic legacy for an ordinary corporate girl.
But back then, Rachel was my entire world.
I cut ties with my family just to stay by her side.
Those early years were tough. Money was tight, but we were happy.
I took care of everything at home so she could chase her dreams without distraction, building a safe haven for her to return to every night.
With my backing, she eventually launched her own firm.
Her startup gained traction, secured venture capital, and took off.
I was genuinely proud of her. Supporting her climb felt worth every sacrifice.
Until success got to her head.
She started working late every single night. Weekends slipped away.
I tried to be the understanding spouse. I gave her space, cooked late dinners, and never complained.
Then Liam arrived.
At first, Rachel would casually bring him up over breakfast:
"The new associate, Liam, is remarkably talented. We just click on every project. He’s going to be huge for our firm."
I brushed it off as healthy mentorship.
Soon enough, she began comparing me to him at dinner, dropping subtle jabs about his ambition versus my quiet life at home.
A pit formed in my stomach.
Then came the nights when she stayed out late working exclusively with him, followed by weekend "strategy retreats" that only the two of them attended.
The smiles she used to save for me were now reserved for Liam.
I confronted her once. She shut me down with pure venom:
"Can you stop acting like a needy child? It's just work! I look at Liam like a younger brother, that's all."
"Stop suffocating me, Austin. Your jealousy is pathetic!"
That was the moment I knew her heart had moved on.
I went through hell trying to fix things. I questioned my own worth, wondering if stepping away from painting had turned me into someone she couldn't respect.
I tried everything to pull her back.
Until tonight’s anniversary farce snapped me out of it.
I was done playing the fool.
Rachel stared at me, genuinely unsettled by my quiet demeanor. "What did you just say?"
I sat up straight, meeting her gaze with total clarity.
"I said it’s my fault."
"My fault for giving up my career to build yours. My fault for begging for crumbs from someone who stopped loving me months ago."
"Loving you was my mistake. Burning bridges with my family was my mistake. But I'm fixing it now."
Under her bewildered stare, I dropped the hammer:
"Let’s get a divorce, Rachel."Rachel’s handbag slipped from her fingers, hitting the floor with a thud.
Liam couldn't hide the smirk creeping onto his face. He looked ready to pop champagne.
He’d been angling for this exact outcome for months.
Rachel’s brow furrowed. She let out a sharp, nervous laugh.
"Are you drunk, Austin? Did you sleep through your alarm and lose your mind? Say that again."
I didn't blink.
"I said: Rachel, I want a divorce."
I waited for her to agree.
Instead, she just stared at me, trying to figure out if this was a desperate bluff.
After an awkward silence, she looked away, her tone suddenly turning patronizingly soft.
"Look, I'll pretend you're just stressed and talking nonsense. I'm not going to hold it against you."
"You don't throw around the D-word just because you had a bad day. That's childish."
"We've been together for years. We know each other inside out. Couples like us don't just split over a misunderstanding."
"I'm staying at a hotel near the office tonight. Stay home, cool off, and don't ever say something that stupid again."
She didn't give me room to reply. She spun around and walked straight out. Liam hurried after her, throwing a baffled glance over his shoulder.
I almost laughed.
They had spent months parading their emotional affair right in front of my face. Tonight, they literally flaunted it before high-profile clients. I honestly thought she’d jump at the chance to make it official with Liam.
Whatever. It didn't matter.
Tomorrow, I'd have the paperwork drafted. Once she saw the legal reality, she'd sign fast enough.
I pulled the duvet over my head and fell into a deep sleep until noon.
My phone was completely silent when I woke up. No calls, no texts. Perfect.
I dialed my attorney, had him draft a clean uncontested divorce settlement, and printed it out.
Once that was settled, I got dressed and texted some old friends from my art school days.
Those guys were the ones who used to paint through the night with me in dirty studios, witnessing my rawest creative highs.
When I gave it all up for Rachel, they called me a certified idiot. They hated seeing someone throw away undeniable talent for domestic bliss.
Back then, I ignored them. Love felt worth the sacrifice.
Now, the moment I told them I was picking up the brush again, they booked a private room at our favorite bistro to welcome me back.
"Austin, man! We don't care why you finally came to your senses, we're just damn glad you're back!"
"Hell yes! We're already putting together a group exhibition for next month. Let's launch a shared studio space, just like old times!"It was the first genuine meal I’d enjoyed in months.
When I stepped up to the front counter to settle our tab, a familiar giggle caught my ear.
I glanced across the dining room.
Rachel and Liam were sitting at a secluded booth, tucked close together.
They were sharing a single slice of red velvet cake, laughing and dabbing icing onto each other's lips with their fingers.
It was an undeniable couple’s moment.
I walked over.
Rachel froze when she noticed me standing beside their booth, panic flickering across her face.
"Austin?! What are you doing here?"
Liam immediately leaned in, putting on his victim face.
"Austin, are you stalking us now? Don't you trust Rachel at all? Threatening divorce last night and tracking our locations today?"
I didn't spare Liam a glance.
It was a complete coincidence, but honestly, it didn't matter.
I slid the divorce papers from my coat and laid them on the table before Rachel.
Flustered, she tried to cover her tracks:
"Look, whatever, think what you want, just stop creeping around..."
"I was feeling nauseous, so Liam was just helping me eat something light. Stop making a scene over nothing."
I watched her silently.
She barely skimmed the header, entirely desperate to end the awkward confrontation. Without reading the clauses, she grabbed Liam’s pen and scribbled her signature at the bottom.
Once the ink dried, I quietly pulled the document back.
"You're so desperate to cover this up that you didn't even read what you just signed, did you?"
Her face drained of color. "What is that?!"
"Divorce papers."
Liam couldn't believe his luck. Dropping his innocent act, he blurted out:
"Rachel, watch out! He’s trying to scam you out of your company assets!"
Rachel grabbed the duplicate copy and frantically flipped through the terms.
I sneered. "Relax. I'm taking zero equity from your business. I only want what’s mine."
Our marriage was like that little slice of cake—ruined, dirty, and thoroughly rotten from betrayal.
After that afternoon, I never went back to our shared apartment.
Rachel tried calling me a few times over the following weeks, but I sent every call straight to voicemail.
Her voice, which used to be the sweetest sound in my life, was just white noise now.
Eventually, the calls stopped, giving me the peace I desperately needed.
No drama. No gaslighting.
I poured all my suppressed energy into creating.
My artist friends and I worked tirelessly on the upcoming gallery showcase. My hands remembered every stroke, and the raw heartbreak from the past few months fueled my palette with visceral intensity.
Every single canvas felt like shed skin, marking my rebirth.
After an intense seven-day sprint of non-stop painting, I hit complete physical exhaustion.
To decompress, I booked a weekend at a quiet hot spring resort up in the mountains.
Soaking in the thermal water, surrounded by cedar trees, I finally felt the knot in my chest dissolve.
Until a sharp voice shattered the quiet.
"Austin? What the hell are you doing here?"
Chapters (5)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Watch & Promotions
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