My Husband’s Mistress Thought She Won

There are over thirty people in the group, most of whom are Daniel's childhood friends, along with a few college classmates. After Daniel and I got together, he added me to the group. But since joining, I’ve never said a word, and I’m pretty sure they’ve forgotten I exist.

Daniel didn't respond to the question in the group, nor did he go to pick anyone up last night. After dinner, he went to the study alone and didn't come out all night. This morning, after he left, I opened the study door and was almost knocked out by the smell of smoke. The ashtray on the desk was overflowing with cigarette butts.

All day today, the group chat has been buzzing, mostly discussing the welcome party for Freya tonight. In the morning, a girl in the group posted a photo, reigniting everyone’s excitement. She had secretly taken a candid shot of Freya while they were out shopping. In the photo, Freya was admiring cosmetics at a counter, wearing a fitted red camisole dress that perfectly outlined her delicate figure. Her dense, curly hair fell gracefully over her shoulders, revealing her fair and striking profile.

Someone in the group commented: "Holy shit, is that Freya? Her figure is amazing now!"

"With such killer looks, I wonder if Daniel can handle it."

"I'm already looking forward to tonight's welcome party."

In the afternoon, my mother-in-law, Mrs. Clark, as usual, commanded, "Ask Daniel if he's coming home for dinner tonight." Not fully confident, she warned, "Just send a message, don’t call and disrupt his work!" Ever since we got married, she has steadfastly reminded me every afternoon to text him about dinner. Initially, this interaction was sweet for both of us. When he received the message, he would grin and call back, saying, "Is my wife missing me?" But somewhere along the line, he stopped responding. On bad days, he’d snap, "Dinner, dinner! Is that all you care about? Do you ever talk about anything else?" I explained to him that it was his mother telling me to ask. He didn’t believe me, saying I shouldn’t blame everything on her. So, when I sent the message today, I was quite anxious, especially with all the excitement about Freya in the group making me wonder about his mood.

To my surprise, he replied: "Coming home."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Mrs. Clark is a classic hypocrite. Once, during dinner, my phone rang a few times, and she commented sarcastically that the Clark family was nobility with dining rules, not like some small families who play with their phones at the table. Since then, I’ve gotten used to putting my phone on silent at home. But if her daughter uses her phone during dinner, it's just a child being playful and not yet mature. She forgets that her daughter is only a year younger than me. If her son’s phone keeps ringing, it's because he's busy with business, being the family's primary breadwinner, beyond reproach, and she’d pity him for his hard work.

It seems the Clark family's rules were tailored just for me, meant to constrain me. But I'm beyond arguing about such things. When we first got married, I tried to reason with them but realized they aren't reasonable people. In the end, I was the only one left exhausted and worn out. I’m so tired. I’ve learned that the safest approach with them is silence.

Now, Daniel's phone is buzzing again. Maybe he can’t take it anymore. He finally picks it up and lights up the screen. Whatever he saw made his face change, and he got up and walked out.