Chapter 1

Late at night on a business trip, my phone chimes with an alert from our family health app. "New weight logged: 176.8 pounds."

I stare at the digits, oblivious to the hot ash falling onto the back of my hand.

My wife, Jayda Cohen, is notoriously strict with herself. Her weight is locked at a steady 132 pounds.

None of her friends push past 150 pounds, either.

So who on earth is standing on that scale right now?

Chapter 1

I'd just checked into my hotel room on a business trip when a notification popped up on my phone from our family health app.

"New weight logged: 176.8 pounds."

As I stared at the small text, my head instantly throbbed.

My wife, Jayda Cohen, was five foot five, and for the past five years, her weight had consistently hovered between 128 and 132 pounds.

Her close group of friends barely drank full-sugar bubble tea. They were all skin and bones like paper dolls.

There was no way a 177-pound woman had magically appeared in our home.

That meant it had to be a grown man.

My throat felt parched. I reached into my pack, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.

Smoke slowly drifted through the air-conditioned room as I pulled up WhatsApp and started a video call with Jayda.

It rang for a long time, right up until the final second before it would hang up automatically. Then the video suddenly flickered to life.

The camera shuddered. The background was the light gray accent wall in our master bedroom.

Jayda wore an off-white silk robe, loose at the collar. Her damp hair was falling over her shoulders.

"Honey, why are you calling so late?"

As I looked at her on screen, my eyes unconsciously darted past her shoulder, trying to inspect the bed behind her.

The sheets were slightly rumpled, but given the poor video quality, nothing out of the ordinary stood out.

"I just finished drinking with some clients and got back to the hotel. Thought I'd check in on you."

My tone was entirely normal, carrying a slight touch of fatigue from the alcohol.

Jayda raised the phone a bit higher, showing half of her bare, delicate face.

"Same old. I just got out of the shower and am getting ready to catch up on a show. It's so boring being home alone."

"Do we have guests staying over?" I bit down on my cigarette butt and asked offhandedly.

On the screen, Jayda froze for half a second.

It was just a split second, but then she laughed a little too loudly as she tilted the camera toward the ceiling.

"Are you psychic or something? How'd you know? I was just about to tell you. Jayden had a fight with his girlfriend and ran over to crash here in the middle of the night."

Her brother, Jayden Cohen, had graduated college a year ago. He was tall and solidly built. 177 pounds was a completely plausible figure for him.

The tight, suffocating pressure in my chest loosened slightly.

"Jayden's there? Where is he? Tell him to come say hi."

"Forget it. He's dead drunk and passed out in the guest room like a log."

Jayda's voice carried her usual irritation toward Jayden as she angled the camera back to her face.

"Honey, how are things going on your end? When are you actually coming back?"

I blew out a stream of smoke and looked into her eyes that seemed full of affection.

"The project here is a bit tricky. I'll probably need to stay at the site for another week or so."

I pushed back my return date by four days, extending my original three-day trip.

"What? That's so long…" Jayda sighed and pouted, looking genuinely disappointed.

"Take it easy on the drinking over there. You know your stomach can't handle it. I put stomach meds in your bag. Don't forget to take them."

After I hung up, the room went dead silent.

I looked at my dark screen and shook my head wryly.

After years of dealing with office politics and mind games, I'd started bringing that paranoia back home without even realizing it.

Chapter 2

Jayda had been with me since our college days. We had lived in gloomy basement apartments and toughed it out during times when all we could afford was instant noodles for every meal.

If there was anyone in the world I shouldn't suspect, it was her.

I stubbed out the cigarette, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

The following afternoon, I was having tea at a tea house along Bellweather Street with Simon Austin, a local subcontractor's general manager.

He was a talkative, middle-aged guy. He pointed across the street while chatting about how land prices in Halewyn had shifted over the past few years.

My eyes wandered aimlessly in the direction he was pointing.

Just then, I spotted Jayden walking casually into a dessert shop on the corner, with his arm slung around a woman's shoulders.

It hit me like a bolt of lightning.

Jayden was in Halewyn.

So who the hell was that 177-pound person standing on the body fat scale in our master bedroom last night?

"Mr. Faulkner? Mr. Faulkner, are you alright? You look terrible." Simon waved a hand in front of my face.

I snapped out of it and dug my fingernails hard into my palm. The sharp sting instantly brought me back to my senses.

"I'm fine, Mr. Austin. Just a sudden stomach cramp. It's an old issue."

I picked up my teacup and forced the cold tea down my throat.

I had no idea how I dragged myself through the rest of that afternoon.

I finalized the deal with Simon, reviewed blueprints, and shook hands goodbye.

At 5:00 pm, I canceled the business dinner I had previously scheduled.

I didn't even go back to the hotel or grab my luggage. I just hailed a cab straight to Halewyn Airport.

At the ticket counter, I bought a seat on the earliest flight back to Corvelle.

The two-and-a-half-hour flight felt like a whole century.

Outside the window was a pitch-black night. I stared at my pale reflection in the glass.

I wasn't blind with rage. Instead, every single memory from our five years of marriage kept playing on a loop in my head.

When exactly did this start?

Was it when I got promoted to project director and started traveling constantly?

Or was it after she switched to that cushy administrative job?

By the time the plane touched down, Corvelle was drenched in a torrential downpour.

Out of nowhere, my boss called me. "Why weren't you at the dinner? Mr. Jenkins said he didn't see you."

"Something urgent came up, so I couldn't make it," I explained.

His impatient voice came through the line. "Next time, clear it with the company beforehand. If you blow this deal, how are you going to pay for it?"

"Noted." I hung up directly.

At 11:40 pm, the cab pulled up at my apartment complex.

I walked into the familiar entryway. The sound-activated lights turned on floor by floor with my footsteps.

As I stood in front of my front door, I held my breath.

The hallway light gradually flickered off as the silence settled. Endless darkness swallowed me whole in an instant.

I pressed my ear against the cold door panel.

The room was quiet, but faint male laughter could be heard through the thick, soundproof door.

In that split second, blood rushed straight to my head with a roar.

With trembling hands, I pulled my key from my blazer pocket, unlocked the door, and burst inside.

Chapter 3

The lights inside were blindingly bright.

A steaming pot of beef stew sat in the middle of the living room table, surrounded by platters of mashed potatoes, fresh bread, and a colorful assortment of vegetables.

Five people were scattered across the couch and dining chairs.

Three women and two men all turned to look at me at once.

Jayda stood by the kitchen doorway, holding a platter of freshly sliced watermelon.

"Honey? Aren't you supposed to be back next week?"

A tall guy sitting at the head of the table stood up with a beer can clutched in his hand.

It was Bryce Sharpe, Jayda's classmate from college.

Startled, Bryce paused for a second before bursting into a loud laugh as if realizing what was going on.

"Hey, Cedric! Long time no see!"

The other friends around the table joined in the laughter, instantly breaking the tension.

"Cedric, Jayda was just complaining in our group chat about how you're always away on business trips and never home, and here you come dropping in out of nowhere!"

"Come sit down, Cedric! Perfect timing. The stew just started boiling!"

Jayda snapped back to reality. She set the fruit tray on the table and trotted over to the entryway.

She reached out to take my soaked blazer, her brow slightly furrowed and her eyes filled with genuine concern and gentle reproach.

"How did you get so drenched? Didn't you say you couldn't step away from Halewyn?"

Her warm hand brushed against my cheek, carrying the faint scent of her citrus perfume.

My nerves, stretched so tight they had been on the verge of snapping, suddenly went slack.

A massive wave of exhaustion and humiliation washed over me.

How had I turned into such a paranoid, pathetic madman?

"The project… hit an unexpected snag, so I didn't need to stay on site anymore." I heard my own voice, dry like sandpaper.

"I wanted to give you a surprise, so I didn't call ahead."

Jayda burst into a chuckle, then took my hand and pulled me inside.

I ended up downing a whole case of beer with Bryce and the others.

I threw back drinks relentlessly, trying to drown out the absurdity and self-reproach from moments earlier with alcohol.

The gathering dragged on until past 1:00 am.

Once our friends left, the place was a complete disaster area.

As I helped Jayda clean up the leftover food on the table, I wrapped my arms around her slender waist from behind.

"Jayda, you must be exhausted."

Jayda turned around, teasingly tapping the tip of my nose. "Silly, it was nothing."

She leaned naturally against my chest, listening to my still-erratic heartbeat.

"Jayden ended up going on a road trip with his girlfriend today. I almost went along, but he told me not to ruin his date. I figured I'd be bored at home alone, so I called a few old classmates over."

I buried my face deep into the crook of her neck, breathing in that familiar scent as the final shred of doubt inside me vanished into thin air.

That night, I fell into a deep, heavy sleep.

Chapter 4

Early the next morning, Jayda was already up, frying eggs in the kitchen.

"Honey, it's Saturday. You should stay home and catch up on sleep. I'm heading out for yoga in a bit."

She walked out holding a plate with a bright smile on her face.

I washed my face and changed my clothes.

"The Halewyn project wrapped up, but there are still a few handover files on my work computer. I'll swing by the office for half a day, sign off on them, and come right back."

Jayda walked over to adjust my shirt collar, then tiptoed to plant a gentle kiss on my lips.

"Come back early. I'll make chicken pot pie for lunch."

I drove out of the complex. The early winter morning breeze felt crisp and cool against my face.

After driving for about 20 minutes, I pulled into the company's underground garage and reached into the side pocket of my briefcase.

It was completely empty.

I had tossed the set of spare keys for the company office on top of the entryway drawer last night.

Without those keys, I couldn't get into the archives at all.

I tapped the steering wheel with a sigh. With no other choice, I had to turn the car around and head back.

It was a Saturday morning, and traffic was light, making the round trip just over half an hour.

At 9:20 am, I parked back in my assigned spot in the complex garage.

Jayda's parking space was empty. It seemed she had already left for her yoga studio.

I grabbed my briefcase, walked out of the elevator, and quietly unlocked the front door.

I didn't want to make much noise. I just wanted to grab the keys and leave.

The security door swung open silently.

The entryway was spotless, and the air carried the lingering smell of fresh bread from breakfast alongside the faint scent of incense.

I walked straight to the drawer and picked up the set of keys. The metal clicked together with an extremely faint chime.

In the dead quiet of that morning, a muffled, short gasp suddenly seeped out from the gap under the tightly closed master bedroom door.

The sound was soft, yet carried a slick, rhythmic cadence.

It felt like someone had pressed a pause button on my entire body. Every drop of blood froze solid in an instant.

I didn't move. I stopped breathing altogether.

A few seconds later, that familiar voice drifted out intermittently through the crack of the solid wood door.

"Easy… Are you crazy? What if Cedric suddenly comes back…"

It was Jayda's voice.

It was a hundred times more alluring than the sweet tone she'd used during the video call last night or her gentleness in the kitchen minutes ago.

Immediately after, I heard an all-too-familiar male voice. "So what if he comes back? Does he even have the balls to say a word?"

It was actually him?