Countdown to the End of Us

Her Cunning Against Her Husband

Sometimes, when I scrolled through my socials, I'd notice the photos she took with her best friend. She'd be in the corner, walking with another man, and they were hand in hand. I knew that face. I saw it in her gallery.

During work one day, the company's partner called me. "Grab your designs. We're signing a contract with the client. Heard he's Ms. Claude's rumored lover."

I nodded, though my mind was elsewhere. Even though they were my business partners, they had no idea I knew Lauren. They had no idea Lauren and I were secretly married.

The client's place was right at the bottom of her company. I knew this was the new company Felix started after he came back. Claude Group invested in that company.

The finance world would not stop talking about the old flame between Lauren and Felix.

I walked into the CEO's office and saw Lauren. Of course she was there. She was handing over a beautifully packaged present to the man in the chair.

It was Felix.

The look on Lauren's face froze the moment she saw me. Everyone here knew something was off.

Felix was looking at me. There was mockery and disdain in his eyes. "And who is this?"

Lauren fell silent. She was choosing her words carefully. I, however, put on a smile and introduced myself to everyone. "I'm Samuel Dyson, the designer for this project. Ms. Claude and I are…"

Lauren and I spoke at the same time. "College friends."

I clenched my designs tighter, my knuckles turning white. My fingertips left marks on the paper. This was not my first time covering for Lauren. It was not her first time refusing to tell anyone who I really was.

The secret marriage hid our relationship, and it was the biggest sign that this relationship would only sink in the end.

The talks did not go as smoothly as anyone wanted it to. Lauren resumed her business elite status and represented Felix in the negotiations. She was relentless and refused to back down. "Another 10% discount."

She pushed the prices down to the absolute lowest we could accept. My partner mused over our options and reluctantly agreed to the deal. "You're as smart as they say you are, Ms. Claude. You know where our bottom line is."

Lauren turned her head away. Guilt was gnawing at her, and she could not look at me.

Yes, smart and cunning and cutthroat as they came. And she used all her cunning on her own husband.

Felix did not say anything, though he was giving me a challenging look. Then, he unraveled the box on the desk. "Have some cake, everyone."

Lauren, who'd been so calm and cunning during the negotiation, snatched the box. "Don't move, Felix. You're allergic to peanut butter. I need to check the ingredients."

The scene stabbed through my chest like a knife, and it shredded my heart apart. Everything around me turned into a blur.

Five years. Five years we were married, and this woman forgot our anniversary and my birthday. She forgot every single thing I asked her to do—as if they did not matter. Yet she remembered my allergy. My peanut butter allergy.

That delighted me. Perhaps the other details she ignored proved that she did not love me at all, but at least she cared about me, no matter how minute it was.

And that care was fake in the end. It was just a coincidence.

The project was moving fast, but not fast enough for Lauren. More than once she kept telling my partner, "This is Felix's first project since his return. I don't want it to be a failure."

I watched the clown show unfold, though I was indifferent.

After we got home that day, Lauren sat on the couch, musing over something for a long, long time.