My wife has a ton of guy friends. I kept telling her to keep her distance. But she’d just say, “Why are you so petty? They’re all like brothers from the old neighborhood!” Fine. I immediately called my female friend who’d just returned from overseas. My wife wasn’t happy about that. My wife stayed out all night again. I scrolled through SnapChat and saw a new video posted by Asher Hayes, one of my wife’s guy friends. My wife was in a crowd of men, glass in hand, beaming. I didn’t feel a flicker of anger. 0I turned off my phone, didn’t call her incessantly like I used to. I slept straight through till morning. The next day, my wife came home with breakfast, her heavy, smudged makeup still on. She looked at me, trying to be sweet, and started to explain. “Darling, I’m so sorry. Asher just got back, so everyone gathered for a reunion. It got super late, and I didn’t want to disturb your sleep, so I just stayed at a hotel with them. But don’t worry, honey, I didn’t share a bed with any of them this time.” She specifically emphasized that she hadn’t slept in the same bed as Asher. Last time she stayed out, we had a huge fight. I was furious that she was a married woman, yet she had absolutely no boundaries. Out drinking with guys every other night. But my wife cried, calling me petty. She swore they were all like brothers from the old neighborhood, her “best guy friends.” Just thinking about her “best guy friends” made my blood boil. Asher Hayes was the one I resented most. Asher was Maya’s childhood sweetheart, they’d grown up together. In today’s terms, Asher was Maya’s closest male confidant, her male bestie. But to me, their relationship had no boundaries whatsoever. More than once, I’d seen a drunk Maya snuggled into Asher’s arms, playfully whining. They even shared the same drinking glass, completely unbothered. At first, My wife would patiently explain things to me. She’d reassure me, give me peace of mind. But as time went on, she grew increasingly impatient. She’d just throw one line at me. “Asher and I have absolutely nothing going on. If something was going to happen between us, it would have happened already. You wouldn’t even be my husband.” Of course, her guy friends all chimed in to “reason” with me. “We grew up together, we’ve always treated Maya like our little sister, so don’t take it the wrong way, alright?” “We’re just like family.” Family? What kind of brother and sister sit on each other’s laps and feed each other? It made my stomach churn. I told my wife countless times that I was uncomfortable. I didn’t like her going out with them at night. Later, I don’t know how it reached her guy friends’ ears. Suddenly, her “good brothers” started making snide, passive-aggressive remarks about me. “Oh, Maya, don’t drink anymore. Your husband will blame us for getting you drunk.” “Dude, Maya’s all yours now. We wouldn’t dare take her home anymore.” They said all these things right to my face. Gradually, they all started to think I was petty, Not a “real” man at all. My relationship with my wife also started to cool. Snapping back to reality. My wife handed me a freshly made coffee. She wrapped her arms around me from behind. “Husband, are you still mad? Don’t be mad, please! They’re just friends to me. You’re way more important.” I didn’t say anything. “Don’t be mad. Let’s go on a trip next week! Just the two of us, a romantic getaway. Haven’t you always wanted to go hiking? I’ll go with you.” I’m an outdoor enthusiast, I love hiking. I’d tried to get Maya to go with me before, but she had absolutely no interest in it. Her friends even laughed at me when they found out. “Hiking? Is that what old people do?” “Our Princess Maya can’t get a tan on a mountain!” Gradually, I stopped bringing it up. Now, my wife was actually suggesting it herself. A flicker of hope ignited inside me. Seeing my expression soften, my wife beamed. She immediately promised she’d arrange everything for the hiking trip. 0
My wife had been well-behaved these past few days. She hadn’t gone out to parties at night. But today, I saw Asher post his hiking photos. It was the exact mountain I wanted to climb! And in the corner of one picture, I spotted a pair of hands. The ring on one hand was unmistakably Maya’s. I grabbed my phone and confronted my wife with the photo. “You went hiking with him?” Her face immediately flushed with embarrassment and panic. “I was just scouting out the trail! I mean, I’m going with you in a few days, right?” It was the first I’d ever heard of needing to “scout” a hiking trail. Didn’t her friends call hiking “old people’s entertainment”? Why were they all so enthusiastic when my wife said *she* was going hiking? “I asked you to go before, and you refused. But now you’re all over it with Asher? Maya Harrington, how can I *not* overthink this?” Seeing me get angry, My wife’s own temper flared. “I *told* you I was just scouting the trail! If you’re so bothered, let’s go right now! You want to hike, right? We’ll go together right now!” She pulled my hand, dragging me toward the door. I yanked my hand away. “No need.” I walked into the bedroom and started packing my suitcase. My wife stared at me, shocked. “What are you doing?” I kept packing, not looking up at her. “My mom’s sick. I’m going home to see her.” I’d married Maya right after college. Since she was an only child and couldn’t leave her parents, I’d moved a thousand miles to settle in her city. But I was an only child too. Now my mom was sick, and I couldn’t even be there for her immediately. Maya froze for a moment. I saw several emotions flash across her face. A silent, suffocating tension filled the air. “Why didn’t you tell me? Honey, I’m sad that Mom’s sick too. Do you need me to come back with you?” I bent down, packed the last item, and closed my suitcase. “No need.” Anyone who truly wanted to go wouldn’t ask. That night, I took a direct flight to City B. Counting the time, it had been two years since I’d gone home to see my parents. Looking at my mother in her hospital bed, an unexpected wave of guilt washed over me. “Leo? Why are you here? Where’s Maya?” “Mom, I came to see you. Maya… she’s pretty busy with work.” My mother didn’t have many wishes, only that our family life would be harmonious. “Good, good. It’s nothing serious, you don’t need to worry about me. You didn’t have to come. What a waste of your time!” I spent the next few days taking care of my mom. Maya, on the other hand, was checking in on me constantly. Every day, she’d ask when I was coming back. After my mother recovered, she urged me to return to City A. So I told my wife the date of my return. The day I landed at City A airport, A luxury sedan pulled up in front of me. My wife sat in the passenger seat, shouting, “Honey, over here!” I looked closer; the driver was Asher Hayes. My wife naturally got out to greet me. Asher gave me an insolent smirk. “Leo Sterling, you can handle your own bags, right? I won’t bother getting out.” I didn’t reply, just put my suitcase in the trunk myself. My wife linked her arm through mine affectionately. “Honey, you’re finally back! Asher heard you were returning and offered to pick you up himself!” I opened the back passenger door, expecting my wife to join me, but she casually opened the front passenger door and got back into the front. Asher, with a cheeky grin, casually put his hand on Maya’s shoulder, then glanced at me and immediately explained, “Leo, seriously, I just wasn’t comfortable with Maya coming to pick you up alone.” *What a pathetic man, always relying on his woman. He’s totally beneath me.* My wife’s face showed a hint of awkwardness. She quickly changed the subject, opening her phone to show me a group chat. “Honey, Asher really did offer to pick you up, okay? Don’t misunderstand. I’ve been so good these past few days, waiting for you at home every single day.” That group chat had all their old neighborhood friends in it. Everyone but me. I pressed my lips together. “It’s fine.” 0
I ignored the barely perceptible challenge in Asher’s eyes. He always said he was afraid I’d misunderstand. Yet he constantly did things that *made* me misunderstand. How many nights had she stayed out? How many times had she been drunk somewhere else? Ever since news of my fight with my wife got out, Asher’s overtly inappropriate touching of my wife had turned into subtle, sneaky touching. Normally, what had just happened would have infuriated me. But now, I didn’t care anymore. I couldn’t be bothered with the two of them in the front, with their complete lack of boundaries. “Can you wait a few minutes? I’m waiting for a friend.” A stunning woman walked toward us. Chloe Vance, clicking in her heels and dragging a suitcase, hurried toward me, waving as she ran. “Leo! There you are, I finally found you!” Chloe pouted playfully at me. “You’re so inconsiderate, not waiting for me! Do you know how long I dragged this suitcase around looking for you?” Chloe opened the car door and slid onto the seat beside me, intimately linking her arm through mine. “This is my first time in City A. I don’t know anyone, so you’ll have to take responsibility for me!” This scene made Maya Harrington and Asher Hayes freeze simultaneously. They didn’t understand what stunt I was pulling. Maya immediately became alert, her brows furrowed so deeply it looked like she was trying to pinch something between them. “Honey, is this who you were waiting for?” Before I could reply, Chloe introduced herself to both of them boldly. “Hi everyone, I’m Chloe Vance, and Leo and I grew up together!” “Grew up together?” Maya’s tone was sharp. “Yep! We’re best buddies, right, Leo?” Chloe hooked her arm over my shoulder, saying it to Maya without a care in the world. I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Maya, who was in the passenger seat. Maya was completely stumped. In contrast, Chloe chattered away with me the whole ride. “Oh my gosh, Leo, it’s so beautiful! Look!” “Leo, do you remember when we were kids…” “Leo…” Compared to us, the front of the car was eerily quiet. It wasn’t that Asher wasn’t talking. Normally, whenever we went out, Asher was the most talkative person there. He’d always pull Maya into conversation, going on and on. From childhood anecdotes to the latest gossip from their old neighborhood. He’d always talk about things I couldn’t possibly join in on. But now, Asher was still trying to start conversations, but Maya’s responses were always terse. After dropping Chloe off at her hotel, Maya immediately told Asher to pull over. Then she opened the car door and joined me in the back seat. Her face was black with fury. “Why did you move to the back?” Maya snorted. “What, I’m not allowed to sit here? What exactly is that woman to you?” I closed my eyes, feigning sleep, deliberately avoiding the question. “I’m really tired. Let’s just go home.” 0
Maya walked into the house without a word. I’d just finished changing my shoes when I saw her sitting on the sofa, arms crossed, her face a mile long. I pretended not to notice and started unpacking my luggage. After a while, She finally spoke. “What exactly is your relationship with that Chloe Vance?” She stared at me intently, desperate for my answer. “I told you, she’s a buddy!” “A buddy? You’re calling a woman your ‘buddy’? That woman was clearly all over you! Were you seeing her the whole time you were home? Were you two together all those days?” Her questions came like a machine gun, and the more she talked, the angrier she got. She stood up and threw a cushion at me. I dodged it, ignoring her rage. I said calmly, “She’s a good person. As a friend, what does it matter if she’s a man or a woman?” “Of course it matters! You’re married! How can you be calling another woman your ‘buddy’?” I retorted, “Oh, really? Aren’t you married, and you’re still calling all those men from your old neighborhood ‘buddies’?” Maya was so shocked she couldn’t speak. I’d never seen so many expressions cross her face at once. Shock, shame, and regret. Finally, after a long pause, she squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth. “They’re different! I grew up with them, I know everything about them…” I cut her off directly, mimicking her usual words. “Chloe and I are childhood friends too! What’s so different about that? Can’t you trust me?” Maya was completely stumped. For days, she gave me the silent treatment around the house. I simply pretended not to notice. That weekend, We went to Mrs. Harrington’s parents’ house for dinner, as usual. At the dinner table, Mrs. Harrington noticed the tension in the air between Maya and me. “Maya, Leo moved away from his hometown for you; you can’t keep acting like a spoiled princess.” Then she looked at me kindly. “Leo, Maya’s been spoiled since she was little, she can be a bit delicate. Don’t take it too seriously. Married couples have their ups and downs, but they always work it out. You have to be more understanding.” Maya, as if begging for peace, clasped my hand. “Husband…” She was about to speak when someone interrupted her. “Maya, why didn’t you tell me you were coming for dinner?” Asher Hayes had arrived. Asher immediately hooked his arm around Maya’s neck. Maya awkwardly pushed his hand away, glancing at me with a hint of embarrassment. Asher noticed me standing there and let out a dismissive “tsk.” He said casually, “Oh, Leo’s here too!” As he spoke, a whole group of people came in behind Asher. These were all Maya’s “guy friends.” “Maya, you’re here! Why didn’t you invite us to hang out?” “It’s rare for everyone from our old neighborhood to be together like this.” Maya’s face indeed lit up with anticipation. Maya looked at me, pleadingly, hoping I would agree. The other guys also looked at me, As if they were practically glaring daggers at me if I didn’t agree. Even though Maya and I had been married for three years, I still wasn’t close to any of them. They were always somewhat distant toward me. And, of course, I couldn’t integrate into their circle. They couldn’t relax when I was around. “Husband, how about you come hang out with us?” Maya affectionately linked her arm through mine, asking sweetly. For a moment, the entire room fell silent. Everyone was looking at me. Some of the guys exchanged glances. Everyone was waiting for my answer. They didn’t want *me* there, but they desperately wanted Maya. Since that was the case, I’d give them what they wanted. I wiped my mouth and replied coolly, “Okay.” They stopped talking. The atmosphere was incredibly strange. A few minutes later, Maya cautiously spoke, “Then I’ll… be back early.” Then she added, “You don’t have to come pick me up later; they’ll take me home. I’ll definitely be home early this time.” She gave me a reassuring promise. But I just smiled, quietly eating my dinner. Maya stood up and left with them. Before they even walked out the door, I heard someone say, “Did Leo change his mind? He’s actually letting Maya go out with us?” 0 After they left, Mrs. Harrington apologetically took my hand. “Leo, please go pick Maya up tonight.”
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