On Valentine’s Day, my best friend Cassidy and I decided to do something absurd: rummage through public bins by the waterfront. I didn’t expect to find anything, but then, my fingers closed around a platinum diamond ring. Staring at the ring, an exact replica of the one on my own left ring finger, I immediately FaceTimed my husband, Benjamin. “Where’s your ring? Let me see it.” Ben’s expression faltered for a second, then he raised his left hand, a helpless smile playing on his lips. “Alice, this is our wedding ring. Do you honestly think I’d lose it? See? It’s right here, safe and sound on my finger.” I smiled and ended the call, then glanced at the inside of the ring I held. Our initials, along with our wedding date, were still clearly engraved there. Clutching the ring tightly, I drove straight to Ben’s office. … The university where Ben worked was a top-tier institution. His private office was right next to his lab. I’d visited him there a few times before. But this time, he wasn’t there. Inside, a young woman with a ponytail was sitting at his desk. Seraphina Hayes, one of Ben’s students. She looked startled when she saw me, but the next second, a sweet, gentle smile replaced her surprise. “Dr. Sterling, are you looking for Professor Carter? He’s already gone home.” I looked around the room, getting straight to the point. “If he’s not here, how did you get in?” Seraphina remained calm, explaining frankly, “Professor Carter allowed it.” “Our team has been rushing a research project in the lab lately. He said anyone who didn’t have time to go home could come here to rest. It just so happens that I’m the only one here today.” What a perfectly convenient “coincidence.” Her seemingly innocent composure only made me feel like the paranoid one for even asking. It wasn’t that I was overly suspicious; it was that I knew Ben too well. He never allowed anyone to step foot into his private space. When he wasn’t there, even I wasn’t allowed in that office. Now, someone had become an exception. Seeing me standing still, Seraphina reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Dr. Sterling, why don’t you give Professor Carter a call and see where he is?” The ring on her left ring finger caught my eye. A few small white diamonds framed a brilliant blue diamond, making it sparkle with a unique light. Back when I was trying to convince Ben to wear a wedding ring, I chose the most basic, simple design. But I still wanted the ring to have a special touch, so I specifically replaced one of the white diamonds with a blue one. Blue was Ben’s lucky color. This ring was my custom design. I held my hand up to her, “What a coincidence, our rings are identical.” Her hand flinched, and she subconsciously used her other hand to cover the ring. I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Did you get yours custom-made too?” Her face went pale. She lowered her gaze, biting her lip, and didn’t utter a sound. Her reaction told me everything I needed to know. Any more talk would be a waste of time. I turned and walked out. Back in my car, I took a deep breath to calm myself before calling Cassidy. She answered immediately, asking, “So, what happened? Did he lose his ring and not dare to tell you, then order a new custom one?” I thought I was calm enough, but my voice still trembled uncontrollably. “Cassidy, I need your help. Look into Benjamin’s student, Seraphina Hayes, and Benjamin’s movements for the past three months.” As the best investigative journalist in the business, she understood immediately what was happening. “That scumbag! Alice, wait for my call. I’ll expose him down to his very core.” On the drive home, I imagined a thousand different scenarios of what might happen next. What I didn’t expect was to find Ben waiting for me with a table full of food. He was busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron. When he saw me, he smiled gently. “Honey, you’re home? Go wash up, dinner’s ready.” In seven years of marriage, Ben had only cooked for me once, during our honeymoon phase. Before, seeing this table laden with all my favorite dishes might have touched me. But now, my stomach churned, and I just felt sick. He didn’t notice my icy expression. With his back to me, he spoke casually, “Did you come to the office looking for me earlier? Why didn’t you call? You wouldn’t have wasted a trip.” A cold, sarcastic smile touched my lips. They’d obviously coordinated their stories. Suppressing the nausea, I sat at the table and asked him, my voice flat, “What made you decide to cook tonight?” “It’s Valentine’s Day. I wanted to celebrate with my wife. No need for complicated reasons. Everywhere else would be crowded, so I thought we could have a quiet night in.” No sooner had he finished speaking than his phone, lying on the table, lit up silently. A message with a peach emoji avatar. I subtly tapped to open the photo. It was Seraphina, in Ben’s office, wearing a bunny girl lingerie set, posing suggestively. The next message immediately followed: “Your little peach is ready and waiting for you, hubby.” My fingers tightened around my phone. I looked at the contact listed simply as “Collaborator” and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Ben finally finished, and going through the motions, he poured me some red wine. “Happy Valentine’s Day, honey!” His eyes kept glancing at his phone. Finally, he couldn’t resist picking it up to check. I expressionlessly picked at the food in front of me, looking at the ring on his hand, feeling only mockery. Suddenly, he abruptly stood up, saying to me in a rushed, anxious voice, “Honey, something came up at the lab. I might have to go check it out.” “You go ahead and eat. Don’t wait for me.” Before I could react, he leaned down, kissed my cheek, and hurried out. I scoffed at his retreating back. To sneak off for his little ‘rendezvous,’ he’d become a professional actor. I was just pulling out a disinfecting wipe to vigorously scrub my face when Cassidy’s message came through. “Those rotten cheaters! Alice, get ready to file for divorce. I’ll dig up more evidence for you. We’re going to completely ruin those two bastards.” She sent me their travel records for the past three months, hotel booking confirmations, and all of Seraphina’s social media accounts. Seraphina’s Twitter account had only been created three months ago, named “Mr. C’s Little Peach.” The first photo and text post, dated June 14th, was a set of exquisite wedding photos. The caption read, “To forever with Mr. C.” Among the few comments, someone asked why the groom’s face was blurred. She coyly replied that her husband preferred to keep a low profile and didn’t like being in the spotlight. Even with his face blurred, I recognized Ben’s physique at a glance. So, the wedding photos I’d always asked him to retake with me? He’d already taken them — with someone else. Swallowing the nausea rising in my throat, I clicked open each post, one by one. The subsequent posts documented their honeymoon trip. The time was mid-June, and the location was Tahiti, a place I had already meticulously planned to visit with Ben. They checked off every single spot I had planned to visit, and tried surfing, windsurfing, and snorkeling – all the activities I had intended for us. In the photos, Seraphina was wearing a bikini, smiling brightly. “Thank you, Mr. C, for fully planning this honeymoon trip for me. Your little peach is so happy.” At that time, Ben had told me he was attending a seminar with a collaborator. I let out a cold laugh. So *this* was the kind of collaborator he meant. I was stunned by their shamelessness. Just then, Seraphina posted an update in real-time. The photo showed two hands, adorned with diamond rings, intertwined. “Getting our custom wedding rings today, on Valentine’s Day. So, Mr. C, I guess we truly are destined.” Even though I had mentally prepared myself, each post was like a sharp knife, slicing open my heart and leaving it bleeding. Immediately, someone commented below the post: “OMG, so cute! Manifesting this for myself one day!”
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