My Husband Abandoned Our Dinner for His Mistress

On our fifth wedding anniversary, I stumbled upon plane tickets to the Alps tucked away in Grayson's drawer. I thought he was planning a surprise for me, but by evening, all I got was a straightforward comment about his upcoming business trip.

Unable to sleep that night, I scrolled through Instagram and stumbled upon a post from his first love: "After seven years of dreaming about watching the sunrise over the Alps with my true love, the universe finally answered." The accompanying picture showed Grayson and Tiana kissing at the summit.

I didn't make a scene or bombard him with messages for explanations. After pursuing him for so many years, I was worn out. I opened Nathaniel Owens's chat and told him I was ready to accept the transfer to Australia.

When Grayson came back, I was in the midst of packing my suitcase. He paused, "Esme, where are you going?"

"On a business trip."

"Oh, here's your fifth-anniversary gift." Grayson handed me a women's watch, the same model I’d admired in a magazine before. "I was so busy the day before yesterday, I forgot to give it to you," he explained, fastening it around my wrist. "Do you like it?"

"Thank you. It’s beautiful." I continued packing my clothes into the suitcase. Grayson appeared taken aback, as though he had expected the usual barrage of questions and demands for a satisfactory explanation.

I had always thought that confronting Grayson's infidelity would unravel me. On our anniversary, discovering those two tickets to the Alps filled me with excited anticipation. Visiting the Alps was a plan we had made for our honeymoon but postponed due to his work commitments. I assumed Grayson wanted to surprise me. I even bought roses and decorated the house, waiting for his return.

But when he came home, he barely acknowledged me and headed straight to the bedroom. After packing his things, he simply said, “There’s a last-minute company arrangement, I need to take a trip,” and left, taking the tickets along.

It hit me that he never intended for us to travel together. He had completely forgotten our anniversary. As I looked at the decorations, they felt like a harsh joke. I sat by the window, worn out, gazing at the moonlight.

By six in the morning, sleep still eluded me. I opened Instagram again and saw a picture of Tiana Rodriguez. The location tag read the Alps. Her caption read, "After seven years, my dream of watching the sunrise with my love is finally a reality." The photo was of her kissing Grayson at the summit.

My phone slipped from my grasp. So Grayson was there with Tiana. That’s the reality, isn’t it?

I sat in the living room, lost in thought until the afternoon. “Why does the living room smell like coffee?” Grayson asked as he passed through.

“I didn’t expect you back.” I had avoided coffee for years because he disliked the smell, even substituting it with tea during business dinners. But