Used to Love, Now Fails

As I watched them disappear together, leaning closely, I felt a wry sense of clarity. Perhaps my earlier words were misplaced, Konstantinos didn’t have to spend his anniversary with his wife. His youthful, attractive assistant seemed to suit him just fine.

I sat through the rest of the show on my own, then returned to the hotel, freshened up and quietly changed my flight. He never returned that night.

The next morning, right as I was about to board, he called. I silenced the phone and turned it off without hesitation.

After landing, I found a flood of messages from him, all asking why I’d left without notice. Not one, however, explained why he hadn’t come back.

I left his messages unanswered.

Once home, the first thing I did was draft a divorce agreement. Yet, deep down, I knew this divorce wouldn’t be simple.

Konstantinos and I had spent seven years together before marriage. In those years, I’d been by his side through thick and thin, enduring hardships, sharing stale bread and even sleeping in cars.

To buy him a decent suit, I lived on pickled vegetables for an entire month.

Once, I even came close to being assaulted by a boss at a part-time job.

Perhaps because of these struggles, Konstantinos was always compassionate toward young employees finding their footing.

Fortunately, the hardships proved worthwhile.

With the rise of new media, we rode the wave and within a year, our assets soared to nearly ten million.

When the company was officially established, Konstantinos proposed, slipping a diamond ring onto my finger and promising to love me forever.

As a gesture of sincerity, he even transferred most of the shares to my name as pre-marital property, despite my decision to step back.

When did I first start feeling that something wasn’t right with him?

It was about ten days ago.

A longtime company employee had offhandedly mentioned that Konstantinos had brought on a new assistant, a woman who’d been around for two months already.

They said she was fair-skinned, beautiful, a campus beauty from a humble background.

A wave of discomfort washed over me, so I waited for him to return that evening, ready to ask why he hadn’t told me about her sooner.

He had indulged in a few drinks that night, his brow furrowing as he yanked off his tie. “What’s the fuss about changing an assistant? She’s clumsy and timid, always shedding tears over the slightest mishaps.”

He added, “If President Quinlan hadn’t insisted on pushing her into my company, I would have never hired someone so inept.”

Konstantinos was typically precise with his words, so his unexpected agitation left me feeling uneasy.

I helped him hang up his clothes and gently inquired, “So, does President Quinlan have a special connection with this assistant?”

In a sudden burst of anger, Konstantinos snatched the towel from my hands. “Iris, why are you acting like a gossiping housewife, filling your head with such nonsense?”

He shot me a look of disdain before storming into the bathroom and slamming the door behind him.

I stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

My instincts whispered to me that our marriage might be approaching its end. Three days later, Konstantinos returned from his trip, but he didn’t come home.

Instead, he sent Calliope to retrieve some fresh clothes for him. I handed her the packed suitcase, feeling a weight settle in my chest.

She flashed a smug smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Mr. Fowler while he rests at my place.”

She dragged the suitcase behind her, then paused to glance back. “Oh and Mr. Fowler mentioned he loves your squirrel fish. Could you be so kind as to send me the recipe?”

Her eyes gleamed with delight as she savored the anger she hoped to provoke within me.

In the past, such provocation would have ignited a fire in me, compelling me to teach her a lesson in decorum.

But now, I felt nothing but indifference.

Lifting the corner of my mouth in a slight smile, I retrieved my phone and added her as a contact.

Calliope appeared taken aback by my lack of reaction, glancing back at me twice as she made her way out.

Once she left, I realized I had forgotten to hand her the divorce papers, prompting me to decide to deliver them myself.

As I entered the company, Konstantinos’s other assistant, Aphrodite, hurried toward me, her face lit with surprise. “Mrs. Fowler, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here? Mr. Fowler isn’t in right now.”

“Where’s Calliope?” I inquired.

She hesitated, clearly uncomfortable, before adding, “She’s not here either.”

I responded with a soft smile. “That’s perfectly fine. I simply came to drop something off for Mr. Fowler.”

Stepping into Konstantinos’s office, I was immediately taken aback by the dramatic makeover.

His desk was a colorful medley of playful figurines and vibrant succulents, while a pair of whimsical cartoon couple mugs adorned the coffee table.

Even the cushions on the sofa had been replaced with cheerful pink fabric, exuding a sense of joy and lightheartedness.

It was clear that Calliope had left her charming stamp on this space.

The decor struck me as tacky, yet it boldly asserted her presence.

Aphrodite seemed embarrassed. “Mrs. Fowler, this…”

I cast a glance around the office. “Sometimes, a shift in taste can be quite refreshing.”

I settled into Konstantinos’s chair and input the combination for the safe.

Fortunately, it opened with ease.

I tucked the divorce papers inside and requested that Aphrodite remind Konstantinos to review them.

After that, I made my way out of the company.

Once I aimlessly roamed for a while, I returned home and noticed Calliope had shared a new update on social media.

The photo depicted a squirrel fish, poorly plated yet brimming with character, accompanied by a caption that read, [First time making it, almost burned it, but luckily the boss didn’t mind and devoured it all!]

[Thank you to my beloved boss for his patience with a crybaby like me!]