Don't Come Home

The second time I saw Skyla's name was six months later.

I was making a presentation for Chloe's elementary school speech, but my laptop ran out of battery. Aiden wasn't home since he was out for dinner with his department, so I turned on his computer.

While searching for materials online, I accidentally clicked on the cloud drive and saw a folder named "My One True Love".

Aiden was obsessively organized. Inside the folder, 27 subfolders were neatly arranged in chronological order, each labeled by year and month.

Human intuition was a strange thing. Before seeing that folder, I never suspected Aiden of anything, not even the slightest bit.

However, at that moment, as I hovered the mouse over one of the folders, I realized my hand was trembling uncontrollably.

I sat there in silence for two hours.

Inside the main folder was a detailed record of a relationship spanning two years and three months. It was cryptic yet burning with intensity.

They started out as colleagues from different departments who were assigned to the same research project.

Through countless days and nights, they indulged in deep intellectual conversations, exchanging thoughts and ideas.

Slowly, they caught feelings and fell for each other.

They knew their love was forbidden. It was morally unacceptable and would be scorned by society.

So, they made a pact to keep their love pure. They would be strictly platonic, never crossing the line into physical intimacy and succumbing to carnal temptation.

Using this hypocritical facade of moral obligation, they allowed themselves to bask in a little Eden of their own making, freely expressing their emotions and unleashing their love.

Aiden called Skyla the only wife in his life.

"When you walked past me today, I caught the scent that's so uniquely yours, and my heart trembled."

"Most women in this world are tainted, but you… You are pristine and untouched—the one place where my soul can rest. Thank you for cleansing my life."

"Every night, I can only think of your face, repeating your name over and over in my heart."

"I used to mourn my wasted 33 years, but then you appeared, like a vision, and suddenly, every moment leading up to now feels worthwhile."

Skyla called Aiden "Aidie".

"Aidie! My love! My husband!"

"This morning, I lost a few strands of hair. I carefully placed them on your desk. Now, we're bound together by fate."

"In the meeting notes, our names were written one above the other. I couldn't help the joy that crept into my heart. They were the four most beautiful words in the world to me now."

"Aidie, last night, I had a dream I can't even speak of. In the dream, I called your name again and again. When I woke up, all that was left were two streaks of tears soaking my pillow."

"I think of you day and night. My performance at work has hit rock bottom, but instead of firing me, they let Elizabeth go. Aidie, was it you? Did you pull some strings for me? I feel guilty… and yet relieved. You've landed me in an impossible position."

That message was followed by Aiden's gentle words of reassurance. "My love, don't blame yourself. I bent the rules for you willingly. I've never cared for power, but for once, I'm grateful to have it in my hands!"

27 folders, each with 30 documents.

A total of 810 files.

For 810 days and nights, they co-wrote their love story in this so-called Eden, pouring out their hearts and sharing their deepest emotions.