My husband Antonio stormed in as I tossed my takeout containers.

After the miscarriage, the doctor advised me to stick to a light diet this month, but I didn't listen.

Since today marked our fifth wedding anniversary, I got discharged early and went home.

I had specially booked a hotel for a candlelit dinner with him.

I waited all day for his reply. If I hadn't seen Valda's post right before leaving and received that call, I'd probably still be sitting in the hotel like a fool.

Antonio glanced at the empty dining table, his brows knitting in displeasure.

"No dinner?"

"Thought you ate out."

My thumb kept scrolling the screen.

In the past, no matter how busy I was with work, I would always come home early to prepare dinner for him.

When he slightly furrowed his brow, I felt like the sky was about to collapse.

All those acts of devotion could never buy reciprocal love. Too bad I realized this too late.

Antonio didn't even notice something was wrong with me.

He directly walked up to me and opened the cake he had wrapped.

"I specially brought this for you. Didn't you say that you wanted something sweet?"

Soon, a cake that had clearly been picked over appeared in front of me. The dents and small holes on it showed where several pieces of fruit had once been, but now they were gone.

I glanced at it briefly, then returned my gaze to my phone.

He didn't expect my cold response and frowned in annoyance.

"Grace, what's your problem? I went out of my way to bring this back for you, and now you're throwing a tantrum?"

"I don't eat leftovers. They disgust me."

As I spoke, his phone pinged with a message notification.

He looked at it, a barely noticeable smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

No need to guess whose message it was.

When he looked up, his expression was cold, but there was a hint of delight in his eyes.

"Fine, fine! I'll go out and buy you a new one! I'm so busy with work, and I still have to deal with your cold face. Am I owing you?”

He said this and turned to leave the house.

I remembered that I had rushed out of the hospital that day and didn't have time to pick up my medication.

So, I stood up and put on my shoes to follow him out. When our eyes met, I noticed the anger in his gaze.

I spoke in a low voice, "You go buy it. On the way, drop me off at the pharmacy, I need to buy some medicine."

He bristled like a startled hedgehog, every nerve on edge.

"I'm going to buy you a cake, and you still want to follow me? Are you crazy? Why don't you just put a leash on my neck?"

I understood his frustration.

Because in the past, when he went out at night, I would worry and ask him over and over again.

This time I sighed. "There's a pharmacy just one street away from the community. Just drop me off there, I'm not interested in following you."

Once we got in the car, I saw him hurriedly order a blueberry cake on his phone.

When we arrived at the pharmacy, I got out of the car directly.

Behind me, his eyes showed a hint of surprise.

He spoke with none of the previous fury.

"Buy your medicine, then wait here for me to pick you up."

With that, the car sped past me, splashing mud and water onto my legs. I wiped it off irritably and walked into the pharmacy.

After buying the medicine, I waited at the door for two hours. My body was becoming stiff, and I still hadn't seen him.

A thunderclap in the night sky startled me awake. Before I could take a taxi, a downpour soaked me completely.

Thinking of the doctor's instructions, I hurried into a convenience store and bought an umbrella.

But it was too late.

The sharp pain in my abdomen made me instinctively crouch on the ground.

If it hadn't been for a passing car seeing me and kindly taking me back to the community, I probably would've had to get into an ambulance.

By the time I got home, dried off, and took my medicine, Antonio slammed the door so loudly that it shook the house.

"Why do you come home and don't tell me? Do you know how many circles I went in the rain? I searched for you for a whole hour! Do you think it's funny to mess with me?"

I paused with the water glass halfway to the dishwasher.

I was utterly baffled.

He blocked my number yet blamed me for not contacting him.

I waited two hours, barely home five minutes, yet he claimed to have searched for an hour.

I couldn't stomach exposing his lies.

"Want me to call?" My voice frosted over. "Unblock me first."

His jaw muscle twitched.

Storming to the living room, he slammed a rain-sodden cake on the counter - no box, just plastic wrap clinging to matcha frosting.

"Shops were closing. This was the last one."

My phone lit up with Valda's new post: a pristine blueberry cheesecake.

Caption: "Blessed by an angel boss by day, cherished by my love by night."

The irony tasted like battery acid. My lips refused to twist into anything resembling a smile.

"Thanks." I pushed the soggy dessert away. "Trash it."

His eyes burned crimson.

"You're fucking insane! I drove through hell for this!"

"Throwing a tantrum over birthday bonuses? I'm the CEO! And you DMed Valda like some jealous—"

I massaged my throbbing temple. Rainwater still chilled my bones.

"Not jealous. Just... tired."

"Bullshit!" He smashed a fist against the fridge.

"You're thirty-fucking-two! Acting like some clingy college girl! Fresh meat's everywhere—"

We'd danced this waltz before.

In the past, I would've begged him to say, "You're my only."

But now I knew better.

Why the hell should grow-ass adults waste breath on love that needs interrogation?

"Think whatever." I stood. "Your delusions aren't my responsibility."

Then I walked to my bedroom.

He hurled the cake into the bin.

Snickers leaked as he scrolled.

When bathroom pipes groaned twenty minutes later, I hauled spare bedding to the guest room.

He blocked the hallway, damp hair dripping on my pillow stack.

"What's this bullshit? Separate bedrooms now?"

"I'm tolerating your disgusting hospital stench, and you pull this? Think you're still some nubile twenty-year-old?" His laugh turned jagged. "Wouldn't touch you with hazmat gear!"

"Insomniac freak. Don't text me at 3 AM again!"

The deadbolt clicked.

In the past, every midnight he strayed, I would toss in sweat-soaked sheets, bombarding his phone until dawn.

He'd slammed a prescription bottle of Ambien on the breakfast counter the next morning.

Then, I learned to swallow those little white lies nightly.

Now, fearing drug interactions with the divorce attorney's antidepressants, I discovered sober sleep.

The monsters under the bed turned out to be paper tigers.

Dawn found me reviewing divorce attorney profiles.

Antonio's company page was updated simultaneously - a victory reel.

Champagne geysers.

Valda's delighted shriek as he shielded her from the spray.

The soaked navy suit was last year's anniversary gift from me.

This year's planned gift - a Patek Philippe - now sat in a returns warehouse.

My thumb hovered over the power button when Antonio's call invaded.

"Check your texts. Picking you up in twenty."

The "surprise" he promised tasted like an impending disaster.

Before I could decline, the line died.

My unblocked status felt like cosmic irony.

Antonio's Tesla idled below when I finished swallowing antibiotics.

I pulled on sweatpants and descended.

His smile died at the sight of my bare-faced pallor.

"Jesus, Grace! You look like a corpse! Can't even throw on lipstick for appearances?"

Valda's sequined evening gown shimmered from the passenger seat.

She rolled down the window with a kittenish pout.

"Oops! Forgot to tell Grace about the dress code."

Her unblocked account notification glowed in my inbox.

I shrugged. "Real men don't need wives as arm candy."

"Besides, Valda's glitter should blind everyone sufficiently."

Valda stayed rooted in the front seat leather. I climbed into the backseat prison.

Valda's prattle filled the Tesla.

"...and then at my birthday party, Tony made it rain hundred-dollar bills! You should've seen—"

Every red light brought Antonio's rearview mirror glances. Every ignored attempt at eye contact tightened his grip on the wheel.

The Tesla halted under hotel marquee lights. Valda slithered out, arm instantly threading through Antonio's.

I trailed behind, gaze scraping their linked arms like rusted nails.

The hotel valet bowed to Valda. "Welcome back, Mrs. Kaufman."

Antonio's mouth opened. Closed. That was hilarious.

Everyone waited in front of the elevator.

They froze at Valda's arm through Antonio's.

Shareholder Chad Mathis rushed to salvage the scene. "Ms. Parrish! The Zurich deal wouldn't exist without your negotiation!"

"Just doing my job." I adjusted my ponytail.

"Who knows what position I'll take after Geneva."

Antonio froze mid-stride.

"Geneva?" He wheeled around, face contorting.

"Since when do you make decisions without me?"

Our eyes met.

The tension, just beginning to ease, instantly froze.

A waiter materialized to thaw the frost. "Your private dining room is ready."

Valda claimed Antonio's flank like a conquistador planting a flag.

I glanced at her, said nothing, and took a seat across from him.

Cigar smoke choked the air within minutes. I fled to the hallway frescoes.

But Antonio followed behind me.

"I didn't forget our anniversary."

His grip bit my wrist.

"This team dinner is your gift."

His panic smelled like overpriced cologne. My laughter startled us both.

"I'm not mad. Don't overthink it."

I turned and walked toward the restroom at the end of the corridor.

Splashing cold water on my face, I felt more alert.

When I returned to the private room, a new female employee was busy toasting Antonio.

At the sound of footsteps and the awkward silence around the table, she slowly turned her head to face me.

"Oh, Grace! I was just—"

The girl scrambled up, wine sloshing on the tablecloth.

Before I could speak, Valda waved her hand airily.

"Grace's not some insecure twenty-year-old! Tony always says how mature she is.

"Otherwise, why would he give me an advance on my birthday bonus? My friends are so envious they want to quit their jobs and join our company!"

She winked at me playfully.

The room was suddenly filled with sharp intakes of breath.

Chad's whiskey sour halted mid-sip.

In the past, he could subtly cover for Antonio.

But today, the blade gleamed. It was time to sheath or strike.

I reclaimed my chair through the girl's stammered apologies.

Valda smiled, walking towards me with wine.

"To the woman behind the man! But darling, maybe lay off the sweatpants?"

She pointedly glanced at my casual outfit.

"I don't drink alcohol. I'll have water instead," I said coolly.

Antonio's knife cracked against the table.

"You don't drink? What kind of joke is this, Grace? Is this your idea of not being mad? This isn't the place for your tantrums."

Valda ignored me and filled my glass with wine.

I pressed my lips together, suppressing my anger, and said, "I said I can't drink today. I'm still on medication."

Valda forced the shot glass into my palm.

"One sip won't kill—"

The liquor arced in slow motion, drenching her décolletage.

Clear sounds rang out.

Blood jeweled her instep.

The room fell silent.

Antonio vaulted up, tableware clattering.

He shot to his feet, slamming his knife on the table.

"You've crossed the fucking line!"

"Valda has already apologized!"

Valda's eyes glistened with unshed tears.

I felt a cold smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"Apology? Which word was an apology? Are my ears playing tricks on me, or is your brain addled?"

Infuriated by my nonchalant attitude, Antonio roared, "Don't you understand human speech? I'll toast you myself!"

Before anyone could react, he grabbed my neck, forced my head back, and poured the wine from his glass down my throat.

I was caught off guard and coughed violently from the strong liquor.

Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision as Antonio lifted Valda into his arms.

In a fit of anger, he threatened, "Apologies to Valda right now, or we'll get a divorce! I can't stand your madness for a minute!"

Just as everyone braced for a scene, I came to and nodded, my face flushed.

"Fine, let's get a divorce then."

Antonio was stunned into immobility.

I grabbed my coat, draped it over my shoulders, and left, but suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed to the side.

A pool of crimson liquid spread beneath me.