One Access Card, One Big Secret

I recognized the man. It was Howie. In his hand was the access card that had gone missing.

Susanna sprang up from the couch with a flirty look on her face, one that I hadn't seen in a long time.

Howie carried himself with ease, as if he'd returned to his own home. He didn't even switch into the guest slippers but put on my silk slippers instead. That pair had been a birthday gift from Susanna, which I usually treasured too much to wear.

"Susie!" Howie called sweetly before pulling Susanna right into his arms.

She cupped his face and kissed him. "What took you so long, you brat? I've missed you like crazy!"

"I had to get my hair done first," Howie whined as he ran his thumb along her collarbone. "Besides, that old fart won't be back for an entire week anyway. We've got plenty of time."

"Then let's get started on a week's worth of fun," Susanna said with a giggle before pulling Howie toward our master bedroom.

I stared at my phone screen, my nails digging almost painfully into my palm. She was really cheating on me!

I had the instinctive urge to call Susanna and confront her about it. However, the moment I pulled up her number, my fingers paused.

If I confronted her now, I would only be tipping them off and giving them time to cover their tracks. There was no way I could let them get off so easily!

The next few days of the business trip seemed to drag on endlessly. I forced myself to focus on work during the day. At night, I hid in my hotel room, torturing myself by watching the security footage.

Howie was already acting as if he were the master of the house. He wore my pajamas and drank the wine I set aside.

He even fooled around in bed with my wife.

What disgusted me the most was the way he'd stomped on my box of expensive cigars, crushing them solely for his own amusement.

Susanna simply watched from the side. Not only did she not stop him, but she even lit one of them for him.

Seeing this, I slammed my fist against the table.

After splashing cold water on my face, I looked at my sullen reflection in the mirror, my gaze hardening. Since they were being so shameless, they couldn't blame me for not showing any mercy.

I downloaded and saved all the security footage from the past few days, backing it up to the cloud storage.

Then, I called my lawyer, Peter Hurst. "Draft a divorce agreement for me, Mr. Hurst. I want her to leave with nothing."

After ending the call, I checked the calendar. It was my birthday tomorrow.

Susanna had originally said she wanted to have a celebration for me, but it was clear she had long since forgotten about it. Since that was the case, I'd just have to throw myself a "spectacular" birthday party.

I packed all the work into five days, finishing it ahead of time before booking an early ticket back home.

Once that was done, I sent out three messages. The first went to my parents and Susanna's mother, Caroline York.

"Mom, Dad, since it's my birthday this Saturday, Susanna wants to throw a party at home. She wants everyone to come and have a fun celebration."

The second went to Susanna's close friends and colleagues, including a few of Howie's rivals at the company.

"There's going to be a party at Susanna's place at 10:00 am this Saturday. There will be good food and plenty of booze, so I hope you guys will all come and join in on the fun!"

The last message went to the apartment's property manager.

"I'll be upgrading my home security system this Saturday morning. Please assign two security guards to come to my unit for assistance. I might need their help moving some things."

Everyone happily agreed to come.

The next morning, I headed straight home once my flight landed. Through the security feed, I could see that the two of them were still all wrapped up in each other's arms in bed.

Susanna reached out and ruffled Howie's hair. "Wake up, babe. Are you hungry? I'll order us some takeout."

"I don't wanna move…" Howie mumbled. "Can't you cook for me, Susie? I wanna have some of your pasta."

"Oh, alright. I'll make it for you."

Susanna kissed him affectionately and went to the kitchen.

At 9:50 am, the doorbell rang.