Part 3The Price of a Betrayal

Mark's cell phone suddenly started ringing in his pocket.

He hastily silenced the call, turned back to me, and that mask of gentle perfection slid flawlessly back into place.

"Babe, what did you just say? I didn't quite catch that."

I pulled my gaze away from his phone and instinctively replied.

"Was that Chloe calling?"

The corners of his mouth twitched upward into a practiced, perfectly polite smile.

"Yeah, it was. That silly girl... she's not feeling well right now, I really need to go check on her. Can you take an Uber home by yourself today, sweetie? Is that okay?"

What a flawless, impenetrable excuse.

If I hadn't seen that Reddit post, I probably would still be completely in the dark, nodding understandingly.

Before I could even respond, he had already turned and practically sprinted out the door.

I sat frozen on the edge of the hospital bed. My phone screen suddenly lit up.

A new notification from the Discord chat popped up:

[Just bought some fun new toys, I really want to try them out with him. His wife is literally in a hospital bed right now, but do you guys bet I can get him over here with a single text?]

And just like that, he went. He went so eagerly, so desperately.

Acting entirely on instinct, I threw on my clothes and followed him. I tracked his location app until I saw his familiar black Audi parked in an empty lot.

Chloe was leaning seductively against the passenger side door. Mark power-walked over to her.

They didn't even exchange a single word before smoothly sliding into the backseat together.

The heavy doors slammed shut.

Less than a minute later, the SUV's suspension began to rhythmically rock back and forth.

I pulled out my phone and accessed the live feed from the hidden dashcam I had installed months ago for insurance purposes.

The explicit, filthy sounds of their heavy breathing blasted into my ear through my AirPods.

"Boss... tell me the truth. Between me and your wife... who do you like fucking more?"

Mark's voice lacked any of the warmth he showed me, replaced instead by a dark, degrading lust.

"You, of course, you little slut! You know all the best positions, you're always eager, and you're younger than her. In bed, she just lays there like a dead fish."

He paused for a second before adding:

"But she is the only one who can hold the title of Mrs. Davis. After all, she comes from old money, she's an Ivy League grad, and her family's connections are the only reason my company is still afloat."

"Besides, don't you think sleeping with a married man is more of a rush? I have endless money to spend on you, and I know exactly how to spoil you."

My nails dug so deeply into my palms they drew blood. If I hadn't heard the audio with my own two ears...

I never would have believed that these words came from the mouth of the man I had loved and been married to for five years.

In my mind, he had always been a quiet, stoic man who wasn't great with words.

But he was brilliant, reliable, and incredibly organized—which was exactly what drew me to him in the first place.

When we first started dating, my parents were vehemently opposed to it.

He grew up in a dirt-poor, rural farming town and was the sole financial provider for his entire extended family.

The crushing financial burden of his family was entirely on his shoulders.

Back then, there were countless wealthy, successful men pursuing me, but I was completely moved by his relentless, devoted pursuit.

I leveraged my parents' connections and emptied my entire trust fund to help him start his tech company.

Once the company took off, we got married.

Even when she brought Chloe into the company to be her "secretary," and I found out she was his "cousin"...

I personally instructed HR to pay her a salary significantly higher than standard market rate to help out his family.

I never imagined it was all a meticulously crafted lie.

A massive, suffocating agony crushed my heart. I lost all rational thought and sprinted blindly toward the rocking SUV.

But the very next second, the engine roared to life!

The heavy SUV suddenly, without any warning, accelerated and slammed directly into me.

The sickening sound of bones shattering was the last thing I registered before the pain dragged me into absolute, suffocating darkness.