When the Substitute Lover Unveils the Truth

As I went downstairs in my pajamas to take out the trash, I received a message.

"Thank you for the gift, I love it! Thank you, Nathan!"

Nathan Roland was my boyfriend, but I didn't understand why she sent it to my WhatsApp account.

When I clicked in to take a closer look, the message was retracted, but I remembered her profile picture.

It was Nathan's new colleague, beautiful, with a great figure.

While I stared at the blank conversation window, I saw Nathan's car parked downstairs.

He had told me he was working late and would be home late.

But at this moment, he was sitting in his car, leisurely smoking a cigarette.

He leaned back in his seat, his lips slowly exhaling smoke rings.

I stood there, stunned, watching him through the car window, unable to move for a long time.

After seven years together, two of which we've lived together, I had never seen him smoke, nor had I ever thought that the first thing he'd do after work wasn't to come home and hold me, but to sit in his car and smoke.

At that moment, he felt like a stranger, and I began to wonder, what was he thinking about right now?

Was he thinking about that girl? What gift did he give her? Was it a reward from a leader to a subordinate?

That night was very cold, probably only forty Fahrenheit degree.

Nathan sat in the car for three hours, and I watched him from downstairs for three hours.

During these three hours, he smoked one cigarette after another.

After smoking, he put on his coat, got out of the car, opened the door to ventilate, and finally closed the door and went home.

As he approached, I didn't move, standing there stiffly.

"Molly, what are you doing here?"

He was clearly startled to see me, his expression completely different from just a moment ago.

"Oh, I came down to throw out the trash."

I wanted to ask him why he would rather sit in the car for three hours than come home.

But I held back and didn't ask.

When we went upstairs, he held my hand and found it was as cold as ice.

"What's wrong? Why are your hands so cold? You should wear more clothes even just to take out the trash, what if you catch a cold? I'll be worried."

Nathan scolded me, taking off his coat and draping it over me.

In the past, I would have thrown myself into his arms, acting spoiled. But today, I just looked at him expressionlessly.

"Why are you so weird today?"

"Nothing, let's go home."

When we got home, Coco, our Bichon Frise, immediately jumped onto his lap.

Nathan loved her, petting her affectionately before going to take a shower.

While he was in the shower, I noticed he had left his phone on the living room couch.

There were almost no secrets between Nathan and me; I could look at his phone whenever I wanted, but I never had.

Staring at his phone on the couch for a long time, I finally decided to pick it up and take a look.

The moment the phone lit up, a WhatsApp message popped up.

[Thank you. I had a great time today.]

My heart sank when I saw the message.

It was still that girl. I remembered meeting her once; she had smiled at me.

She was very beautiful, so I was impressed.

But I didn't know her name, and Nathan hadn't saved her name in his contacts.

Just a colleague? Why not even save her name?

I hesitated for a while, then clicked into the chat.

Opening the conversation, I saw an almost full screen of chat records.

The latest messages were from this afternoon at one o'clock.

Nathan had sent her a message: [Happy Birthday.]

[I didn't expect that a busy person like me would remember my birthday. Thanks!]

[It would be terrible if I couldn't even remember your birthday after knowing you for so many years.]

[So, are there any gifts?]

[The gift is on your desk. Didn't you see it?]

[An LV bag? And it's my favorite one! Nathan, isn't this gift too expensive?]

I saw the photo she sent, and the bag was the one I had been eyeing a few days ago.

Although I graduated a few years ago, I never bought such an expensive bag for myself. I was already 28, and the most expensive bag I owned was a Coach tote.

In all the years with Nathan, the most expensive bag he ever gave me was also a Coach.

But why, when giving to someone else, did he choose an LV?

I spent half an hour scrolling through their chat history and still didn't finish.

They chatted almost every day, constantly sharing details of their lives.

From Nathan seeing a stray cat on the roadside this morning, to what I made him for breakfast, he would tell her everything.

After reading for a while, my eyes started to hurt. I felt terrible, and tears welled up.

Coco lay beside me, nudging my arm with her head.

I weakly lifted my hand and petted her head.

"Molly, have you seen my pajamas?"

Nathan finished his shower, came out wrapped in a towel, and saw me sitting on the couch. He came over and pressed himself against me.

"Maybe I shouldn't put on my pajamas. Should we do something first?"

He held me tightly, his firm chest pressing against my back, his warm breath on my ear.

In the past, I would have turned around and pounced on him on the couch.

But now, I only felt disgusted.

I stiffened, biting my lip, my stomach churning.