He stood by the bed, attempting to explain himself. “Honey, after the business dinner, I attended a charity auction. It was late, so I didn’t come home.”
He held up a gift box, his face full of smiles. “Guess what this is?”
“I don’t know,” I replied flatly, uninterested in playing along.
Noticing my lack of enthusiasm, he grabbed my hand, his tone softening, “Don’t be mad, okay? It was my fault yesterday.”
He placed the box in my hands and said, “This is your birthday gift. I saw it at the auction, and the first thing I thought of was you. Oh, and happy birthday.”
If he hadn't mentioned it, I had almost forgotten my own birthday.
I opened the box and saw a rose-shaped coral necklace inside.
“By the way,” he added excitedly, “I’ve booked a hotel tonight to celebrate. Let me put this on you—you’ll be the most radiant rose there.”
I turned my head away. “Let’s wait until tonight.”
What he didn’t know was that Zandra had already flaunted her matching earrings from the same set half an hour earlier.
He hesitated, then put the necklace back in the box. Leaning down, he tried to kiss me.
I dodged.
Undeterred, he leaned closer to kiss my neck. I said coolly, “You should take a shower first. You smell.”
He froze for a moment, then laughed nervously. “Of course. After last night, I must reek. Wait for me, honey.”
He disappeared into the bathroom, and shortly after, the sound of running water filled the room.
Moments later, Zandra sent another message. [Your birthday gift.]
Attached was a photo of an ultrasound scan. She was pregnant.
I saved all her messages as screenshots and printed them out before deleting all her messages. Alongside the evidence, I included the divorce papers I had prepared earlier. I placed everything neatly into a gift box, tying it with a bow.
Setting the box on the coffee table in the living room, I waited.
The sound of water stopped, followed by Leon’s phone ringing.
The shower turned back on. He seemed to be talking while the water ran, but I couldn’t hear him clearly.
A few minutes later, he emerged, his expression anxious.
“Honey, something urgent came up. I need to step out for a bit.”
I nodded, and he leaned down to plant a tender kiss on my forehead.
“What’s this?” he asked, noticing the gift box on the table.
I smiled faintly. “You gave me such an expensive gift. This is my return gift to you.”