Chapter 1On our fifth wedding anniversary, my husband's buddy asked him with a smirk in French:
"So how's your little assistant in bed?"
My husband sweetly handed me a slice of cantaloupe before casually answering back in French:
"Young. Tender."
"You guys better keep your mouths shut. If my wife finds out, she'd be gone in a heartbeat."
The whole table erupted in laughter, promising to guard his nasty little secret.
I stood frozen, white-knuckling my champagne flute.
What they didn't know? I spoke fluent French.
What they didn't know? I'd already caught him cheating.
But instead of confronting him with tears and drama, I'd quietly submitted my application to the National Research Facility—the kind where people vanish without a trace.
He's terrified I'll leave him?
Honey, in 72 hours, I won't just be gone.
I'll have never existed.
---
Noticing I hadn't touched the cantaloupe, Blake Donnelly looked at me with concern, switching to English.
"Babe, what's wrong?"
Just minutes ago, he was bragging about his side piece, and now he's putting on this devoted husband act. Looking at him stare at me like I was his whole world made me sick.
I couldn't help but wonder just how deep his lies went.
"Nothing. What were you guys talking about?"
Blake naturally squeezed my cheek, flashing that adoring smile.
"Just discussing overseas business. I know you hate work talk, that's why we switched to French."
He must've been so busy screwing around that he forgot I'd studied abroad in France during college.
The air in the room suddenly felt suffocating. I pushed past him.
"You guys keep chatting. I need some air."
Without waiting for Blake's response, I headed straight for the ballroom exit.
Walking through the crowd, I caught bits of whispered conversations:
"That's Mrs. Donnelly. God, she's so lucky—not only did they have that massive wedding everyone talked about, but Mr. Donnelly throws her an anniversary party every single year. Talk about relationship goals."
"Right? Why can't I find a guy like that?"
...
Before, hearing people gush about Blake and me would've made me feel all warm inside. Now? Nothing. Not even a flicker.
Nobody knew that Blake Donnelly—the man who supposedly worshipped the ground I walked on—was cheating on me.
Just yesterday, I'd planned to surprise him with his anniversary gift a day early. So I snuck into his office without telling anyone.
I was dozing off in the storage closet when heavy breathing jolted me awake.
Opening my eyes, I saw Blake—the man who'd sworn I was his one and only—pinning his assistant Sloane Winters against the floor-to-ceiling windows. Two naked bodies leaving streaks all over that pristine glass.
After three hours of them going at it, they finally got dressed and left.
Those three hours? I honestly don't remember how I survived them.
Just the journey from complete devastation to... numbness.
Walking out of that building, I knew my marriage to Blake was OVER.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed, snapping me out of the memory.
"Hey Meredith, good news—you're in. The facility's sending a car for you in three days."
"Might wanna use this time to say bye to your family, you know?"
Family? My grip tightened on the phone.
Ever since my parents died four years ago, Blake was all the family I had left.
But now that he was cheating? He wasn't family anymore.
"Professor, scratch that. Actually, could you have them delete all my info?"
My professor's surprised voice came through the speaker:
"Wait, what?! If they wipe your records, Meredith Cross basically disappears off the face of the earth. You and Blake seem so happy together—what's he gonna do when he can't find you?"
I let out a bitter laugh.
"He's cheating."
Dead silence on the other end. Then I heard a long sigh.
"When you called yesterday, I had a feeling something was up with you two. I just didn't think..."
"Alright. I'll arrange for the record wipe. Use these three days to handle whatever you need to."
Hearing my professor agree, I finally felt some relief. With wiped records, I wouldn't have to waste time on divorce proceedings.
"Thanks, Professor."
The second I hung up, a familiar voice came from right behind me.
"Who's cheating?"
Chapter 2
I turned to find Blake looking slightly panicked as he searched my face.
"Another student's husband," I said calmly.
Blake studied my expression carefully. Once he was satisfied I seemed normal, he visibly relaxed and pulled me close, kissing the top of my head.
"Don't worry, babe. Cheating will NEVER happen with us."
I looked into his sincere eyes and couldn't help asking, "But what if it did?"
Blake shook his head without hesitation.
"Impossible. I only love you, Meredith."
"I said WHAT IF."
Blake thought for a moment, then nuzzled my cheek.
"Then punish me by making sure I never find you again."
"You know you're my everything, right? If I couldn't find you, I'd just... die."
I smiled without answering.
Blake, your punishment's coming real soon.
In three days, I'll disappear from your world completely.
Blake was about to say something else when a female voice interrupted:
"Mr. Donnelly, everything's ready."
Sloane Winters stood there in a tight pencil skirt, all business—totally different from yesterday when she was flushed and breathless against that window.
Blake just nodded curtly and waved her off.
Watching them interact, I felt nothing but disgust. Their acting skills were perfectly matched, right?
If I hadn't caught them yesterday, they probably would've kept fooling me forever.
Blake covered my eyes with his large hands, whispering in my ear.
"I've got a surprise for you, babe."
"Five, four, three..."
After counting down, he finally let go.
The moment I opened my eyes, fireworks exploded across the night sky, forming roses that eventually spelled out the number 10.
Blake wrapped his arms around my waist, sounding nostalgic.
"Ten years together, babe. Time really flies."
I stared up at those numbers, momentarily stunned.
Yeah. Ten whole years.
From nineteen to twenty-nine—a decade that could change everything.
Turn a boy who loved me into someone I didn't recognize.
Turn a real relationship into nothing but lies.
Blake turned to look deep into my eyes, slowly leaning down to kiss me when his phone buzzed.
His face showed clear annoyance as he said:
"I specifically told everyone not to bother me today. Let me see who's got the balls—"
But when he saw the name on his screen, his expression went rigid for a split second.
I caught a glimpse: "Little Secretary" at the top of his messages.
Blake cleared his throat and casually angled his phone away, tapping the screen a few times.
I clearly saw lust flash in his eyes.
Sure enough, the next second he looked at me apologetically.
"Babe, I'm so sorry. Today's our anniversary—I should be spending the whole day with you, but work..."
I didn't want to hear more lies. "I get it. Work comes first."
Hearing my response, Blake looked relieved. Instead of his usual goodbye kiss, he just gave me a quick hug before rushing off.
I stood there for a moment, then had my assistant handle the remaining guests while I followed Blake's path.
Chapter 3
He didn't stop until he reached the underground garage.
The car door opened and Sloane jumped out, completely dropping her earlier poker face as she pouted and threw herself into his arms.
"Mr. Donnelly, that fireworks show made me SO jealous."
Blake tapped her nose playfully, looking helpless.
"Didn't I do the same thing for your birthday a few days ago? What's there to be jealous about?"
"I promised you—as long as you behave and don't cause drama with my wife, you'll get everything she gets."
That's when it hit me—five days ago, there was a fireworks display over the south side of town for half an hour.
Blake had said he was working late that night. I'd even sent him photos, joking about which "hopeless romantic" was trying to impress his girl.
Turns out, that romantic was HIM.
And me? I was a complete idiot.
Sloane huffed, tracing circles on his chest with her finger.
"Can't a girl be a little jealous?"
Blake caught her wandering hand, his voice going husky.
"Didn't you say you had something good to show me?"
Sloane grabbed his tie, pressing her body flush against his.
"Hehe, gonna need those hands of yours to open it~ Trust me, it'll drive you completely... fucking... wild."
Blake's eyes darkened as he scooped her up and got in the car.
Sloane squealed as the windows rolled up and the car started rocking rhythmically.
I leaned against a pillar, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably.
Even though I'd seen them together yesterday, watching it again made my chest ache with that same dull pain.
When we first got married, Blake swore he'd spend every anniversary with me all day long. But one text from Sloane made him forget that promise completely. Was he really that obsessed with her?
I closed my eyes, forcing down the storm of emotions.
Three more days. Just three more days and this would all be over.
I didn't go back to the ballroom. Instead, I went straight home to rest.
Around midnight, I was half-asleep when a loud BANG woke me up.
Blake stood in the doorway looking panicked. Only when he saw me did he let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Babe, why didn't you tell me you came home? Do you have ANY idea how freaked out I was when I got back to the ballroom and couldn't find you?"
I checked my phone: 3 AM. I'd left at 9 PM.
He'd spent six hours with Sloane before even thinking to look for me. How pathetic.
"I wasn't feeling great, so I came home early. Forgot to tell you."
Maybe living with lies for so long had taught me how to lie effortlessly too.
Blake looked shaken as he climbed into bed and pulled me tight against him, like he was afraid I'd disappear.
"Next time you HAVE to tell me where you're going, babe. I'll worry myself sick. If you went missing, I'd tear this whole city apart looking for you."
I closed my eyes without responding.
Because in three days, he'd never find me again.
The next morning, probably feeling guilty about last night, Blake had jewelry delivered first thing.
"Babe, last night was my fault. Please don't be mad."
I glanced at the jewelry set and pushed it aside, picking up another box instead.
"I'm not mad. This is your anniversary gift. Don't open it for two more days, okay?"
Originally, I'd had a custom brooch designed by an overseas artist. But after catching him cheating, I'd thrown it away and put my wedding ring in the box instead.
This would be the only thing I'd leave him.
Blake took the box curiously.
"Yesterday was our anniversary, babe. Why wait two more days to open it?"
I smiled.
"There's a special surprise inside. It'll only make sense if you open it in two days."
Blake's eyes lit up with anticipation.
"Okay, I'll definitely wait like you said."
Right then, the doorbell rang.
I opened it to find Sloane standing there, tears streaming down her face.
