Five years later, driven by the lure of a wealthy woman, he orchestrated a despicable plot, framing a homeless man to tarnish my innocence and resorting to any means necessary to divorce me.
All those vows of eternal love were scattered by the winds of time.
We could never reclaim the innocence and love that once defined us.
As Henry retreated to the shower, his cell phone lay abandoned on the living room's coffee table.
An invisible force seemed to draw me towards it.
In five years of marriage, I had never once snooped through his phone, a testament to the trust I believed should exist between partners.
But that trust had been shattered the moment he chose to harm me.
I unlocked the phone, and my eyes were immediately drawn to a pinned chat labeled "Ms. George."
The latest exchange was a chilling revelation.
Henry: [Failed.]
Ms. George: [Henry, if you wish to join my family, you must prove your sincerity.]
Henry: [I'll file for divorce as soon as possible. Just let her go, alright?]
A voice message from the other end dripped with disdain, "I want to see your sincerity, not just in loving me but in not loving her. I want her to suffer. Do you understand?"
My fists clenched involuntarily.
The depth of their deceit was staggering.
Their affair had begun a year ago at a cocktail party. Selena, smitten with Henry, had orchestrated a drug-induced one-night stand with Henry.
Since then, she had held this over him, summoning him at her whim.
Gripped by the dread that I might uncover his affair with Selena, Henry had reluctantly complied.
After a year of being entangled in the relationship with Selena, Henry fell for her. He even harbored thoughts of severing his marital bonds with me for her.
When I read the final message, a chill was settled in my heart.
Henry: [I understand.]
The cascade of water from the bathroom ceased abruptly. With a surge of panic, I hastily returned the phone to its original place.
As if on cue, a fresh message blinked into existence on my screen.
It was a warning from Jerry. Jerry: [Don't attend the dance in three days. They're plotting against you.]
My heart raced.
Henry's ominous "I understand" echoed in my mind.
In my past life, they had succeeded in destroying my innocence and reputation through a homeless man.
This time, I had evaded their scheme, only to find a larger one looming.
Henry emerged with a bathrobe clinging to his muscular frame. His hair was damp.