Chapter 3

I figured Gideon would spend the next few weeks glued to Talia’s side.

Surprisingly, he came back at midnight.

He stormed straight into the study, aggressively flipping through stacks of paperwork.

At the same time, he didn't forget to complain about me.

"Where did you put the contract for the Miller account?" he snapped.

"I swear, I don't know why I keep a lazy wife like you around. You can't even manage basic house chores!"

It was painfully ironic.

Years ago, Gideon was the one who practically begged me to stay home.

He said he couldn't bear to see me stressing over a 9-to-5 job.

I remember him holding my hand, making me sign my name on his joint bank accounts and property deeds.

"I'm working my fingers to the bone out there so you can have a perfect life," he had promised.

"If being a stay-at-home wife makes you feel insecure, you can control all our finances."

"As long as..."

As long as what?

I couldn't remember.

It probably wasn't anything important anyway.

Most likely, it was just another broken promise.

Being woken up so abruptly left my head throbbing.

I pulled my throw blanket tighter around my shoulders and turned to walk back to the bedroom.

"You told me never to touch your study," I reminded him flatly.

"The last time I tried to clean it, you blew up at me."

Back then, I thought he was just overwhelmed with work.

I assumed the stress made him snap, so I let it slide.

Thinking about it now, the truth was obvious.

He was probably terrified I’d find proof of his affair with Talia.

At first, they were so careful, terrified of getting caught.

I don’t know what happened to make Gideon’s attitude do a complete 180.

I was too tired to care.

I covered a yawn, ready to go back to sleep.

Suddenly, Gideon grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks.

"Wait, aren't you going to make me some food?"

Before, whenever Gideon worked late or had business dinners, I worried about his health.

Every time he came home after midnight, I would have a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup and a mug of chamomile tea waiting for him.

Over time, it just became a habit between us.

But now? I just smiled.

Honestly, I had completely forgotten how to even make chicken noodle soup.

It seemed that in the short days we spent apart, Gideon had done plenty of things to betray me again.

The System was steadily wiping away my past.

I shook off his hand and said coldly, "I don't have time."

"If you want food, go ask Talia to make it."

Over the past ten years, I had cooked countless meals for Gideon.

Some of those meals ended up in the trash; others were probably fed to the dogs by Talia.

Since no one appreciated my effort, why should I keep torturing myself?

I slammed the bedroom door shut with a loud bang.

I left Gideon standing alone in the hallway, completely stunned.

With fewer things to care about, my sleep quality actually improved.

That night, I slept like a baby.

Gideon, however, didn't sleep a wink.

By morning, the company's Slack channels were blowing up.

A major client had suddenly canceled their partnership, citing terrible product quality.

Millions of dollars in inventory were instantly frozen.

Gideon was running around like a headless chicken.

He was desperately trying to call in favors to plug the massive financial hole.

Things got so bad that he even had to postpone his upcoming wedding with Talia.

Out of curiosity, I called up the System interface.

[Luck Value: Plummeting... Current: 30%]

[Wealth Aura: Rapidly Declining.]

[Bond Severance Progress: 80% / 100%]

[Countdown to Complete Erasure: 12:00:00]

In just half a day, his luck had crashed to a pathetic 30%.

This invisible stat was just like our relationship.

It took years of my life and all my System points to build up.

But destroying it?

That only took three days.

I got dressed and headed out for breakfast.

In the past, my whole diet revolved around Gideon's strict tastes and his obsession with our new status.

Bagels and cream cheese were strictly forbidden because of the carbs.

And grabbing a simple breakfast sandwich from a local deli? He called it "cheap junk" and embarrassing for a CEO's wife.

He only wanted me seen drinking twenty-dollar organic green juices.

Today, I was finally going to treat myself.

I ordered a massive Bacon, Egg, and Cheese on a toasted everything bagel from the nearest corner deli, paired with a huge iced vanilla latte.

With that first sip, my whole body felt warm and alive.

After eating, I headed back home to grab my ID for a follow-up doctor's appointment.

But the moment I pushed the front door open, I froze in my tracks.