I had aphasia. But my husband has never looked down on me. I always thought I was the apple of his eye, his most cherished treasure. Until one day, I caught a whiff of another woman's perfume on him and overheard his cruel words, “Who wants to spend time with a mute?”
Only then did I realize how laughable my previous thoughts had been. When I decided to change my identity and become another man's wife, it was then that he began to regret everything.
——
[Are you really sure you want to divorce Nathan and choose to marry me?]
When I read the text message, I didn’t hesitate for even a moment. “I’m sure. As long as you help me settle everything right here.”
“Alright.”
After receiving his reply, I turned off my phone, feeling an unexpected sense of relief wash over me for making this decision.
Sometime later, the doorbell rang. I went to answer it. Just like I always did. Nathan Leach, my husband, holding a cake in front of his face like a prize.
My husband, Nathan Leach, held up the cake he was carrying, raising it right in front of his face so that it was the first thing I saw instead of him. “Look! I made you a strawberry cake. I made it from scratch with my own hands,” he said cheerfully, his face beaming with excitement.
I smiled sweetly at him and nodded.
“I knew you’d open the door,” Nathan said warmly, his eyes filled with affection as they met mine. “It must be tiring, waiting for me to come home every day and opening the door. Why don’t you let the maid handle it? I don’t want you wearing yourself out, Honey.” His voice was gentle as he shrugged off his jacket, a small smile playing on his lips.
I instinctively reached out to take it from him, but he stopped me with a soft touch on my hand.
“You don’t have to do this, Love,” he said, shaking his head slightly.
I paused for a moment, then raised my hands to sign, “I don’t mind doing things for the man I love.”
He chuckled, a low, affectionate sound that filled the quiet entryway. “I’m so lucky to have a woman like you as my wife,” he said, leaning in to place a tender kiss on the corner of my lips.
As he carried the cake into the house, my eyes followed his retreating figure before drifting down to the garment in my hands. Unable to resist, I brought it close to my nose and inhaled deeply.
There it was—the unmistakable scent of another woman’s perfume, clinging to the fabric like an unwelcome guest. My heart sank, its weight pressing down harder than ever. Though I already knew he was seeing someone else, the sharp pang of betrayal still caught me off guard, as if it were the first time.
I stood frozen in the doorway, the jacket dangling limply in my hands. My chest felt tight, the air heavy around me.
“What are you doing, Honey? Come over here and give a taste of this cake,” Nathan’s voice broke through my daze, calling from the dining room.
Hearing his voice, I quickly set the coat aside and walked over.
Nathan eagerly waited for me. When I arrived, he cut a generous slice of cake and placed it in front of me, “Here, try it. See if I am good at baking.”
I nodded without betraying any emotion and took a bite. The sweetness of the cake spread across my tongue, but it tasted bland to me. Using sign language, I told him, “It’s delicious. You’ve work hard for this. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Nathan grinned, clearly pleased with himself. “But honey, you don’t have to thank me for small things like this ever again. We’re married. You don’t need to be so formal with me.”
Just as he finished speaking, his phone, which lay on the table, started ringing. Nathan glanced at me briefly before lowering his gaze to the phone screen. I immediately looked down, pretending not to notice.
After observing him for so long, I knew that he set a specific ringtone for her—the other woman. Nathan picked up the phone and a growing smile lit up his face.
A mix of emotions washed over me as I sat quietly across from him.
Pulling out my phone, I opened Twitter. There, I saw her latest post. The first photo showed her, eyes closed, making a wish in front of a cake. In the second photo, she smiled brightly, alluringly, holding baking tools. Her intense gaze was clearly directed at the man who wasn’t in the photo. He, too, held a tool in his hand, though only one hand was visible.
The caption read: “Happy birthday to me and may the one who’s with me always be happy too.”
