The Lie of Marriage: Leave Him, Be Me

Percy’s voice was raised, his anger palpable as he pointed at Selene. “Didn’t I tell you not to come to my house?”

Selene, undeterred, took a step closer to him, her expression teasing and confident. Without a hint of shame, she reached for the belt of Percy’s bathrobe and gave it a playful tug.

“This is your anniversary, Mr. Klein,” she purred. “You should enjoy yourself. But let’s be honest, she didn’t give you that fluttering excitement tonight, did she?”

Percy stared at her, his disbelief and hesitation clear. “Selene, we always do this at your villa. That’s why I bought it for you—to keep things discreet.” His voice was tight, almost pleading, as though trying to reason with her.

“I know,” she said, her tone light and mocking. “But from what I’ve heard, you’ve brought plenty of women into this study before. Why can’t I do the same?”

She tilted her head, her grin widening. “What’s the matter? Do you like your one-night stands more than me?”

Hearing that, my hand shot into my mouth, suppressing the scream that threatened to escape, not believing that I had been deceived over and over again.

“It’s not like that, they are just giving me pleasure, but you, you are special,” Percy answered, almost pleading.

Her smirk deepened, her voice dripping with insinuation. “Then, when I bring you a midnight snack at a time like this, you wouldn’t refuse, would you?”

Selene paused, feigning thoughtfulness. Then, with deliberate slowness, she removed her jacket, revealing a provocative lingerie outfit underneath.

Percy’s silence was deafening.

Selene stepped closer; her voice soft but laced with temptation. “Besides, isn’t it more exciting to do it here?”

I felt my heart sink as I watched Percy’s resolve crumble. The camera feed showed him standing there, unmoving, as Selene closed the distance between them.

Then, without another word, Percy leaned into her, their lips crashing together in a passionate kiss.

Within seconds, he was lifting her onto his desk, their bodies pressed together as if they could not care less about being caught.

Tears blurred my vision, but instead of closing the feed, I found myself clicking through other saved footage.

My heart tightened as I scrolled through timestamps, each one marking a different night, a different betrayal.

One by one, I watched. Percy with other women, some nameless faces and others familiar—always in his study, always with the same smug confidence that I would never find out.

My chest tightened unbearably, but I forced myself to continue. I needed that proof.

Something irrefutable to take to court, something that would ensure I could cut ties with him completely.

But the more I watched, the more unbearable it became.

The desk that I had once admired as a symbol of his success had been defiled countless times. And our home had been turned into a playground for his selfish desires.

The pain overwhelmed me. I slammed the laptop shut, my chest heaving as sobs wracked my body.

That night, I made my decision.

I would go directly to the court the next morning. There was no longer anything to salvage, no reason to hesitate.

Percy Klein did not deserve my patience or my loyalty any longer.

**

When I finally got the divorce paper, I went to his study.

The moment I came in, I could still smell Selene’s fragrance last night. It cut deeper in my heart, but I should face it.

Everything in the desk was still in place, even if last night they made it messy.

I took a deep breath and opened the drawer. I gathered all the letters I had ever written to him and stuffed them into a bag.

The love and devotion I had poured into those pages over the years felt meaningless, discarded like my trust in him.

So, I decided to burn it all later.

“Only one letter that will come to you this year, Percy,” I muttered.

It was not a declaration of love or a poetic expression of pain. It was a simple letter containing the divorce papers I had drawn up.

On the envelope, I wrote a short note, [Make sure you read this. Happy Anniversary.]