Farewell to Love: Yearning for a Free Life

I frowned. To avoid raising suspicion, I forced myself to eat a few bites despite my disgust, quietly pushing the rest aside with my cutleries.

"Darling, did you spend some money today?" I asked casually while eating.

After asking, I discreetly observed Dexter's expression. His hand holding the fork paused briefly and a flash of regret swept across his face.

I guessed he must have been careless when transferring the money earlier. Otherwise, with his usual caution, he would never have used the stored-value card under my name.

But in just a split second, Dexter adjusted his expression, pretending to stay calm as he admitted and explained, "Yes, a friend needed money urgently. I was in a rush and didn't realize I used your card until after the transfer."

He then added pitifully, "Honey, you're not mad I acted without telling you first, are you?" With a nervous look, he cautiously watched my reaction.

Feigning surprise, I said, "How could I be?"

Seeing my response, he quietly let out a sigh of relief.

I then casually asked, "Which friend was it?"

It seemed like he had already prepared an answer, replying naturally, "Oh, an old childhood friend of mine. You don't know him."

I nodded, not pressing further and continued eating. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him exhale deeply, visibly relieved. I tightened my grip on the fork, feeling a dull ache as if a boulder was pressing on my chest.

Dexter could lie to me so calmly and naturally. This certainly wasn't the first time. Unfortunately, it had taken me so long to realize it.

That night, we lay in bed together. Dexter took off his glasses and leaned toward me, his intentions unmistakable.

As he wrapped his arm around me, my body involuntarily tensed up. The thought of those hands holding another woman made me feel nauseous.

When I turned my head slightly, his kiss missed its mark. He froze for a moment.

I removed his hand from my waist and closed my eyes, "I'm tired."

His expression grew complicated. Though he knew it was just an excuse, he still said gently, "Alright, I won't bother you. Get some rest."

I used to love being in his embrace, resting my head against his chest and listening to his strong, steady heartbeat. It always made me feel so safe. But now, all I wanted was to get as far away from him as possible.

Not long after, Dexter fell asleep. His breathing became steady and soft.

His phone lay beside him. He had never set any defenses against me and I'd never felt the need to check it due to my trust in him. But tonight, I wanted to look.

I entered the password and his phone unlocked immediately. I searched through his WhatsApp, Instagram and other apps, but found nothing incriminating.

The person he messaged the most was his assistant, Scarlett Donovan. Their conversations were strictly about work, normal, professional, with no hint of anything inappropriate.

Yet, I trusted my instincts. There was no way he had no contact with that woman. I just hadn't found the evidence yet.

Just as I was about to put his phone down, something struck me as odd, my husband, who never shopped online, had installed the Amazon app.

I opened Amazon and checked the order center first, it was empty. He hadn't purchased anything there.

As I was about to exit, I noticed a red '1' notification on the chat button. In that instant, my heart raced wildly. I felt I was about to uncover the secret Dexter had been hiding.

Sure enough, in the chat list, there was only one profile picture, a woman's and it matched Scarlett's WhatsApp profile picture exactly.