He couldn’t accept being the only one to blame. The illicit relationship they had flaunted, the one they called true love behind my back, crumbled in an instant when their personal interests were threatened. Mark struck back at Jessica. He shouted that she was the one who was always asking for things. Mark revealed that Jessica had threatened to break up with him if he didn’t buy her a new piece of jewelry. They insulted each other publicly, airing each other’s dirty laundry, blaming each other. The scene was both pathetic and cathartic. The two people who had united to hurt me were now tearing each other apart like stray dogs fighting over a bone.
The guests, Mark’s colleagues, watched the fight with their mouths a gape. They felt disgusted watching this cheap drama. They now realized how rotten the morals of their boss and their colleague were. Whispers and mocking laughter began to be heard. Jessica’s reputation as an elegant career woman collapsed in an instant, being labeled a materialistic gold digger. Mark’s reputation as a faithful husband and wise leader also vanished, becoming a stupid, unfaithful, corrupt man. Amidst the chaos, Mr. Harrison signaled his secretary to play a video. It was a recording from the security camera of a luxury restaurant. The screen clearly showed Mark and Jessica on a romantic dinner date holding hands and laughing happily.
The date of the video was our third wedding anniversary. That day, Mark had told me he had a stomach ache and had gone to bed early in our room. It turned out that after I fell asleep, exhausted from household chores, he had snuck out to meet Jessica. Seeing that visual proof, my heart felt as if a giant hand was squeezing it. It hurt. It was bitter. But strangely, I also felt relief. Relief because all my suspicions were confirmed. I wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t paranoid. My instincts had been right. They were traitors.