Loving a Liar

I waited for five hours until the last light in the building went out. Only then did Corey's figure appear. The moment he saw me, he grabbed my hand with concern. "Why didn't you come inside? How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long. I just got here. I know you've been busy lately, so I brought you some meals I made. Your secretary said you were in a meeting, so I waited outside."

"Don't do this again. You're not in great health and if you overwork yourself, I'll feel terrible." He spoke as he pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead. His movements were as gentle and affectionate as they had always been, but I could no longer feel his warmth. Could a person really go to such lengths for another?

He helped me into the passenger seat, then casually brought up something as he drove. "Oh, by the way, Jennie is about to be released. You two used to be close and she's already faced the punishment she deserved. Besides, our company has been working on several projects with the Sterlings. So maybe—"

"It's fine. It's all in the past. I won't go looking for her. Don't worry."

He sighed in relief, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips. "Thank you for being so understanding, Honey. Having you is truly a blessing."

I turned my head to look at the scenery outside the window, tears silently streaming down my face.

Back at home, I unlocked his laptop while he was showering. The password was Jennie's birthday. The desktop wallpaper was a picture of the Maldives—where Jennie had lived for the past three years.

I logged into his social media account. Then, I discovered his profile background was a photo of him and Jennie. He was following only one person.

Clicking on it, I saw countless photos of Jennie and her life abroad. The jewelry she wore was from a brand owned by the Gail Corporation. The shawl she draped over her shoulders was from their latest campaign.

Even the villa she named her location was part of the Gail Corporation's overseas hotel portfolio. That hotel had been built three years ago. It was the only overseas project the Gail family had undertaken.

My hands trembled as I opened his bank transfer records. The recipient was always Jennie. One million dollars every month—for three years straight.

I went through each record, my heart growing colder with every line. I remembered Corey's social media bio. It was just one word: "Waiting."

I once asked him what it meant. He said it was something random he'd written, but I know the answer now.

After three years of marriage, we had no other photos of us together except the wedding photograph hanging on the wall. No matter how much I cried or argued, Corey would only say that we saw each other every day, so there was no need for keepsakes.

Only now did I understand that it wasn't that there was no need but that I wasn't a necessity to him.

I let out a bitter laugh and stopped looking. Instead, I booked a one-way ticket to leave the country in three days. I applied to cancel all my identification documents.

Three days. That's all I needed to say goodbye to three years. I set a countdown as my phone's wallpaper, a daily reminder to myself.

I had already been lying in bed when he came out of the bathroom. He remained silent, assuming I was asleep. I actually didn't sleep a wink all night.

I walked outside to wash up around dawn when my phone rang. Corey's puzzled voice followed. "Winona, why are you canceling your documents?"

I quickly grabbed my phone and calmly explained, "It's nothing. My ID expired, so I scheduled an appointment to renew it. Don't you have a project meeting today? Go handle it."

He didn't think much of it and only pulled me into a tender embrace, whispering sweet nothings in my ear. "Thank you, honey. Marrying someone as kind and understanding as you is truly my greatest blessing."

I smiled faintly but said nothing.