Married for Five Years, Cheated for Three Years

I found out Luke was cheating on the day of our fifth wedding anniversary.

I had just finished my hormone shot and was feeling weak. When I got home, I was greeted by a scene of chaos. The clothes were everywhere and unmistakable evidence of an affair.

I stood at the bedroom door, taking it all in. I didn't say anything. I didn't do anything.

I had already heard rumors about Luke's infidelity.

He's wealthy and generous, so there are always plenty of young women throwing themselves at him.

I've been running to the hospital every month, trying IVF, all because my mom keeps urging me to have a baby to keep him.

Well, now he's come home alright, only he brought the other woman with him.

Hearing rumors is one thing, but seeing it with your own eyes is a whole different story.

I walked out of the house, not knowing where to go. I ended up at a bar, drowning my sorrows.

The bar was quiet in the early evening. Someone was sitting on stage with a guitar, singing.

It was an old song, Will You Come Tonight?

"Will you come tonight? Is your love still there..."

To be honest, the guy wasn't bad-looking. He could play the guitar well enough, but his singing... Well, let's just say it was rough. Still, there was this strange sincerity to it, which oddly made it feel more emotional.

Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly heard someone nearby laughing.

"Hey, this is the first time I've seen someone cry because of Ian's singing."

As he said this, the guy on stage finished his song. Holding a drink in one hand, he pointed at me.

"Ian, come check out your number one fan."

Ian walked over quickly, surprised to see my tear-streaked face.

He casually handed me a drink and, with a wink, asked, "It wasn't that bad, was it?"

I took the drink and downed it in one gulp. "Honestly, it was pretty terrible, but it was also kind of touching..."

The other guy burst into laughter, nearly doubling over.

"I told you, Ian, you've got women falling for you everywhere. You lose one Daisy, and here comes a fan..." He glanced at me. "How old are you?"

I scoffed. "Excuse me, I'm just hitting my prime at 18!"

"Is that 18 or 28?"

The guy was bold, slinging an arm around Ian and sitting beside me.

With an exaggerated sigh, he asked, "Claire, seriously though, my buddy here's not bad-looking, right?"

I stared straight at Ian. He wasn't bad-looking, but what stood out most was his energy, the vibrancy only young people have.

Ian seemed embarrassed by my staring, and his ears even turned red.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Does this mean I've still got it?"

"Look at her, drunk and completely mesmerized by you. Why are you still hung up on Daisy? She ditched you for some rich guy, so why don't you go find a sugar mama?"

He acted like it was a tragedy, and to make his point, he pulled out his phone and showed me a picture.

"Hey, Claire, don't you think she's blind? She ditched this young stud for some ugly old guy!"

I glanced at the picture. It looked oddly familiar.

I took another drink, and suddenly it hit me.

"Wait, isn't that the woman I saw in bed with Luke?!

So, both of these cheaters hooked up?!

Figures a cheating man and a homewrecker, a match made in heaven!"

I suddenly felt more sympathy for Ian, and a shared sense of righteous anger.

After all, we were both victims in this mess!

We drank a lot together, so much so that I don't even remember how I ended up dragging him back to my hotel.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe I was just looking for comfort that night. But either way, we ended up sleeping together.

The next morning, I woke up feeling like every bone in my body had been disassembled.

He's young after all, with a strong body and quick recovery.

But I felt uneasy, so I planned to sneak out while he was still sleeping and slip back home.

Ian heard me stirring and suddenly opened his eyes.

He wasn't surprised at all. In a raspy voice, he asked, "Why don't you stay and sleep a little longer?"

I mumbled something like, "I have to go to work..."

I felt guilty. "After all, I'm married, and... he looks young."

Ian just said "oh" and rolled over to sleep again.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Makes sense, though. For these young guys, a one-night stand isn't really a big deal.

...

When I got home, Luke was just getting ready to leave.

He saw me getting off the elevator and casually asked, "Just getting back?"

After an entire night, he didn't even know if I had come home or not.

I forced a smile. "Yesterday was exhausting at the hospital, so I stayed over at my mom's."

Luke didn't even care and just said, "I've got things tonight, so I won't be home."

He didn't even look back as he walked out the door.

Back inside, I collapsed onto the couch, still faintly carrying Ian's scent.

Without realizing it, I reached up and touched my lips, my throat suddenly feeling dry.

I turned my head and noticed a pair of white underwear stuffed in the corner of the couch.

They weren't mine.

I practically jumped off the couch, throwing the underwear into the trash and quickly changing the couch cover, but I still felt disgusted.

Just as I was about to give the entire house a deep clean, my phone rang.

I glanced at the screen, and a strange cat icon popped up on WhatsApp.

[I'm awake now, heading to class. Are we meeting again tonight?]

What the hell? When did I add Ian on WhatsApp?!

I hurriedly opened his profile.

As expected, it was a typical young person's profile. There was no three-day limit. Everything he felt was laid out for the world to see.

Ten days ago: "Got a gig singing at a bar. It's pretty fun."

Two months ago: "Daisy's not so great after all."

Five months ago: "Lost a basketball game today, really pissed off!"

One year ago: "Congrats to me! Now I'm officially a sophomore."

...

I groaned, clutching my phone.

"How old is he?! Claire, you absolute monster!"

Since I hadn't responded in a while, another message came in: [You there?]

I carefully crafted my response: [When did we add each other on WhatsApp?]

[You insisted on sending me money and said you wanted to care for me!]

I closed my eyes in despair. That memory hitting me now was already bad enough.

And now the guy on the other end of the phone was trying to jog my memory, making it even worse.

[What's wrong... Regretting it?]

He typed quickly, adding, [Or are you just scared?]

I sighed. [Do you even know how old I am?]

He replied with a number: [28.] Add a few more years, and maybe we'll be close!

[Do you know I'm married?]

I stared at that message for a while but couldn't bring myself to send it.

Maybe it was because my dry, neglected heart needed watering, or maybe I was still bitter from seeing Luke's mistress. I deleted the message.

I typed a new one: [9 o'clock, same place.]

And that's how Ian and I began our secret, in-the-dark relationship.

He never asked about my relationship status, where I worked, or where I lived.

Our relationship was more like... friends, but the kind that can't be described.

I didn't actually send him that much money either.

I kept my life a mystery, while he was surprisingly open with me.

Sometimes he'd see me smoking and offer a little lecture, telling me that good girls shouldn't smoke.

I'd laugh it off and ignore him, but thankfully, he wasn't one to nag. After mentioning it a couple of times, he dropped it, and even started lighting my cigarette for me whenever I fumbled for my lighter.

I have to admit, Ian was gentle, considerate, and in many ways... perfect.

If I were five or six years younger when I met him, I probably would've fallen head over heels.

But five years of marriage had worn me down, leaving me with nothing but insecurity.

I guess it was the recent "nourishment," but my complexion had improved, and I felt more energized than I had in a long time.

When my mom brought over some supplements, she even asked if things between Luke and me had gotten better or if there was finally news of a baby.

I blew gently on the spoonful of supplement, brushing off her questions.

"Oh, and remember that security camera I set up for you? Make sure you clear the memory. The customer service kept bugging me for a review and said I could get 10 dollars back."

"A security camera?"

I looked at my mom in surprise, and she gave me a look.

"Didn't I tell you last time? Luke's always working late, so I figured a camera at home would help keep out burglars... but I think you need to download some app or something."

After I sent my mom home, I found the camera next to the TV. It wasn't even hidden that well, but I hadn't noticed it.

Luke never paid much attention to this house, so there's no way he noticed it either.

I looked up the manual for the camera brand online and downloaded the app on my phone.

After connecting to the camera, sure enough, the memory card was almost full.

It was one of those cameras that starts recording automatically as soon as it's plugged in.

That means the camera captured everything that had happened in the living room these past few days—everything, including Luke and Daisy...

The camera was crystal clear, even capturing me fleeing from the door in a panic.

The most ridiculous part? Not long after I left, Luke came out and saw the purse I'd dropped.

So, he knew I had caught him in the act. He knew why I didn't come home that night.

But he never said a word.

Maybe he just didn't care.

After all, I shamelessly came back home pretending like nothing had happened.

I covered my mouth, laughing and crying at the same time.

I don't know how long I cried before I called my best friend.

"If the husband's infidelity is proven, can the wife get more assets in a divorce?"

Julia replied, "Of course, but proving infidelity can be tricky..."

"What if I have video evidence? Would that count?"

Julia was a bit surprised. "Of course! Claire, why are you asking?"

I gripped my phone tightly and said calmly, "I'm getting a divorce. I'm not letting myself walk away empty-handed."

Julia didn't hesitate. "Wait at home. We'll talk in person."

When she arrived, I had already made several copies of the video and done a lot of research online.

Julia put on her "lawyer" attitude for the first time and had me show her the video.

After watching it, she only asked, "How much do you want?"

I still had feelings for Luke. After years of trying to have a baby, his family had completely lost respect for me. They blamed everything on my family's bad attitude, saying my mom cursed her husband, and so did I.

I couldn't take it anymore, so I secretly got myself checked. When the results came back fine, I suggested Luke get checked too.

But Luke hated the idea, and from that point on, our relationship just kept deteriorating. He stopped coming home altogether.

Sometimes, I wondered if his constant cheating was his way of proving that he wasn't the problem and that I was the one with the issue.

I gave Julia a number. She thought for a moment and then nodded.

"It shouldn't be a problem, but... are you sure you want to go through with this?"

I gave a smile. "He's been cheating right under my nose. I can't just let it slide, can I?"

As I was saying this, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Ian on WhatsApp, asking if I was coming over tonight.

I smirked and was just about to reply.

Julia's serious voice interrupted me. "Claire, let me make this clear. Don't get caught with your dirty laundry if you want to get that much money."

I froze, and Julia shot me a glance.

"Delete what you need to delete. Block who you need to block. Remember, until you get that divorce settlement, you're still a married woman."

I asked Julia how she knew, and she rolled her eyes at me.

"Claire, I've known you for nearly twenty years. I can practically tell what you're thinking just by the way you stand."

I scoffed. "For a top lawyer, you sure do talk crudely."

"Crude? So what? Sometimes crude is just real. But seriously, follow my advice, or I'm dropping your case."

I knew Julia was looking out for me. If I was really set on getting a divorce and taking that much from Luke, his family was bound to explode.

After seeing Julia off, I sent Ian a reply.

[I've been busy lately, so I won't be coming.]

After thinking for a moment, I transferred him two thousand dollars.

Ian: [?]

Me: [Just take it, I'll explain later.]

It took a while, but Ian eventually accepted the money.

I let out a sigh of relief before blocking and deleting Ian's contact, all in one smooth motion.

Our relationship had always been fleeting. Without WhatsApp, there's no way he could ever find me again.

After deleting Ian, I hid my WhatsApp profile and set my phone to block all unknown numbers.

I was completely focused on my divorce battle with Luke.

Insults, misunderstandings, and gossip spread like wildfire. Luke's family even sent people to my mom's place, accusing me of being malicious and greedy, saying I deserved to be childless for the rest of my life.

My mom got so angry that she ended up in the hospital. She wouldn't let me come visit, saying I had embarrassed the family.

But the more they kicked up a fuss, the more Julia raised the settlement amount I was asking for.