I hadn't responded for more than a minute when Alice called.
"Don't play dead. Did you hear what I said? Are you refusing to move into the north room? You should see the tiny partitioned space Mike is living in—he's way worse off than you."
"If I come back and you haven’t packed up, I’ll throw your stuff out myself. Don’t get mad at me then!"
It was hard to believe that these words came from someone I'd known for over twenty years, yet they were real. I took a deep breath. "Fine, let him move in."
The moment I finished speaking, she hung up without another word. I decided to go back to the house we once shared. I had left in a hurry last night and had forgotten some small things. The wedding photos in the master bedroom also needed to be dealt with.
As I stepped into the bedroom, my eyes were drawn to the chaotic mess inside. The quilt lay crumpled on the floor, the sheets were wrinkled beyond recognition, the single-seater sofa had been shifted out of place and to my disgust, a pair of men's pants were carelessly tossed onto it. The trash can overflowed with crumpled tissues and as I stepped closer, I noticed a familiar dark-colored box tucked inside. It was then that the unpleasant smell in the air hit me fully. I was instantly nauseated, clutching the wall as I dry-heaved uncontrollably.
Alice, is this the 'work' you were talking about? What kind of job is this?! At that moment, my disappointment in her reached its peak.
Expressionless, I pulled out my phone and recorded everything. Then, I turned to the wedding photo on the wall. In it, we were hugging, smiling sweetly. Looking back now, this was the only photo we had taken together in the past two years. Since then, she had refused to even be in the same frame with me. I took it down, ripped it to shreds and tossed it—along with the frame—into the trash bin downstairs.
On my way back to the old house, I called my boss. "Boss, doesn't the country branch always need extra manpower? Can you send me there?"
He sounded surprised. "I thought you didn’t want to leave the City? Why the sudden change? Did you two fight?"
I forced a smile. "Thinking about it, my career matters more."
The boss agreed to my request. In two months, I would leave for the country. That was enough time to finalize my divorce from Alice. Just as I returned to the old house, Alice called again.
"Adam, what do you mean? It’s so late—where are you fooling around? Mike just moved in and as the man of the house, is this how you treat a guest? Do you have any manners?"
It seemed she hadn’t even noticed the missing wedding photo—or that I had moved out altogether. I didn’t bother pointing it out and simply replied, "I’m busy. I won’t disturb your two-person world."
"Why are you being so nasty? Mike was living in terrible conditions, so I just wanted to help him out a little. Where do you think—"
I hung up before she could finish. Not wanting any more interactions with her, I directly mailed the divorce agreement to her address.
For the next two days, there was no communication between us. However, Mike frequently updated his social media, flaunting his intimate daily life with Alice. Alice, who had never once cooked for me, was now donning an apron, preparing a 'love breakfast' for him.
Mike snapped a photo of her napping, positioning himself beside her while making a playful peace sign for the camera. They even played poker and when Alice lost, she stripped down to just two pieces of clothing. It was as if they were the real couple—and I was just an outsider. But none of it mattered anymore. I was leaving soon.
Still, I silently took screenshots of everything. I needed leverage for the divorce. Near the end of the workday, Mike suddenly sent me three messages in quick succession.
[Brother-in-law, you’ve seen it all, right? Alice is so good to me. She agrees to whatever I ask.]
[I heard she say you two have never even slept together. Really? she smells so good—how did you hold back? You're not a eunuch, are you?]
[Will you give her to me? She doesn’t love you at all anyway.]
I decided to go back. Opening the door, I immediately saw them. Mike was assisting Alice with yoga and she was dressed in an extremely revealing outfit.
"Mr. Vein, you finally came back. You have no idea how lonely she has been without you," Mike said meaningfully.
I strode over in a few steps, grabbed him by the collar and landed a solid punch to his face. One punch. Two punches. Three punches. Blood trickled from his nose and lips before I finally threw him to the ground.
Even that wasn’t enough to cool my rage—I raised my foot to kick him again. But before I could, a sudden, sharp impact struck the back of my head. My vision blurred, pain searing through my skull. I turned my head slowly, barely able to register what I was seeing. Alice stood there, gripping a small, round fish tank.
There were no fish in it. I had bought a few and carefully looked after them, but she had flushed them down the toilet, saying they were an eyesore.
Now, she looked at me with icy indifference. "Mike is my brother. I forbid you to bully him."
Her gaze was as if I were her enemy. My head throbbed violently. My consciousness blurred as I slumped against the sofa, barely keeping my eyelids open. I watched as Alice hurriedly helped Mike up, her hands gentle and caring. I couldn't hold on anymore. Everything faded to black.
And Alice? She didn’t even look back as she supported Mike out the door. "I’ll take you to the hospital. You’ll be fine."
At that moment, the last shred of pride I had in this marriage perished completely. When I woke up, it was already morning. The back of my head throbbed, the sofa stained a deep red where I had bled throughout the night.
It was then that I noticed Alice’s tablet, left forgotten on the table.
I had no intention of checking it—until the screen lit up with a notification, revealing the lock screen wallpaper. It was an intimate photo of her and Mike. She was wearing next to nothing, their pose unmistakably suggestive.
The tablet had no password. I opened the album, my stomach churning. Dozens—no, hundreds—of photos and videos of their secret moments. Passionate embraces. Provocative snapshots. In the videos, she called him 'husband' in a voice so sickeningly tender it made my skin crawl. I copied everything to my phone before heading straight to the hospital.
At the entrance, I saw Alice holding onto Mike’s arm as they walked out. Spotting me, she frowned. "Are you here to apologize to Mike? At least you still have a little conscience."
I smirked bitterly. "Did you forget? You were the one who smashed my head open yesterday."
Her face paled. "I—I'm sorry... I was just too anxious..."
But before she could say more, Mike winced in pain and she rushed back to comfort him. At that moment, I felt nothing but numbness.
"Today is Mike’s twenty-second birthday," Alice said. "We’re celebrating at home. You’re coming, right?"
I forced a smile, my grip tightening on my phone. "Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world."
