Don't Come Home

It was just past September, yet the heat of late summer still lingered. Despite that, as I sat in the study, my whole body was cold, as if I were trapped inside an ice cellar.

I rushed out the door, lost in a haze.

Somewhere deep down, I still refused to believe Aiden betrayed me.

I told myself that everything I found on his computer was fake. Someone was trying to set him up. They wanted to frame him.

I called his phone, but there was no answer.

He told me earlier that he was at dinner with his department. So I searched for him, restaurant by restaurant.

I stubbornly wanted to confront him in person. I needed answers.

When I finally spotted Aiden in a barbecue shop, the table was filled with laughter and conversation.

He sat at the head of the table, smiling slightly. He was the perfect image of a cultured, confident, and effortlessly charming man.

To his right sat a woman in a white dress, her long hair cascading down her back. Her eyes shone brightly, and her expression was shy. She was a delicate beauty—soft yet alluring.

My steps abruptly came to a halt. I found myself hesitating, unable to move forward.

The voices of the younger employees rang out in playful banter.

"Mr. Spencer, we admire you in every way except for how whipped you are for your wife. That, we just can't relate to!"

"Yeah, Mr. Spencer, you're always so chill and in control. How could you let your wife, an outsider, meddle in how we do things? What happened to 'strict teachers make great students'?"

It took me a while to register their words.

Then, it clicked. I finally understood why they were saying that.

Aiden was never naturally good at managing people. His approach was to do everything himself since explaining things to others felt like a waste of time to him.

As a result, he exhausted himself, shouldering all the burdens alone, which made him the busiest and most overworked person in the department. It was so extreme that he even didn't have time for Chloe.

So, I suggested that he step back into a proper leadership role and review his subordinates' work instead of doing everything himself. Otherwise, his department's performance would always suffer.

I had no idea how Aiden framed it when he explained it to his team, but judging from their words tonight, they clearly blamed it all on me.

But right now, I had no energy to care about that.

My eyes were locked on the long-haired woman.

She sat in the middle of the crowd, smiling faintly, looking poised and warm. Amidst the noisy, bustling restaurant, she carried an air of quiet elegance, as if untouched by the world around her.

Just then, she smiled gently and said in a soft voice, "Alright, alright. Don't bully Mr. Spencer. If you guys ever need extra help, I'll lend a hand."

The young employees burst into laughter. "Man, if only Mr. Spencer's wife was someone like Skyla. Our department would be heaven. Ah, it's too bad!"

My heart sank.

So, it was true. The long-haired woman was Skyla.

They clinked their glasses, raising toasts to her. Skyla's face flushed a rosy pink, her hands shielding the rim of her glass as she laughed.

Suddenly, Aiden stood up. He took the glass from her hand and downed the entire drink in one gulp. "We don't let women drink in our department. Don't mess with her. I'll drink for her!"

Skyla lowered her gaze, smiling shyly as she and Aiden exchanged a look.

The younger employees cheered and refilled his glass. Aiden, full of bravado, downed another shot.

From across the restaurant, I watched him, my entire body trembling violently. Aiden had a weak stomach. Even the slightest irritation would trigger his ulcers.

For years, aside from taking care of Chloe, keeping Aiden healthy was my number one priority. I searched everywhere for remedies, brewed traditional medicine, and made herbal tea. He wasn't allowed to eat anything too hot, too cold, or too spicy.

Even though I loved spicy food, I never used chili when I cooked. When we had watermelon, I even took it out of the fridge in advance so it wouldn't be too cold when he got home.