Tainted Vows

On our wedding anniversary, my CEO husband, Michael Grant, invited me to watch the ocean with him.

Tragically, a typhoon hit. I stood there in the raging wind and rain for over two hours, and he never showed up.

In the end, all I got was a text that he was suddenly going on a business trip and couldn’t make it.

Right after that, his intern, Nora Blake, posted a video on her social feed. It showed my usually pampered husband barefoot while helping fishermen haul crates of seafood.

Her caption read: "Our hardworking CEO loves to get his hands dirty!"

I laughed and commented: "Diligent and enduring—a true role model for us all."

The company Slack channel instantly exploded. Everyone was betting on whether I’d finally blow up this time.

Michael called me, his voice tight with fury, "Lauren West! What the heck did you mean by posting that comment? Are you trying to humiliate Nora in public?

"It was a typhoon. I helped her family move some fish. What’s the big deal? You’re such a pampered little princess who has no idea how hard life really is. Delete that comment now. I’ll take you to the coast another day."

Disgust churned in me. I replied, "Let a man who’s already rolled in the mud take me to the ocean? Forget it."

Yes. Michael was now tainted, and I didn’t want him anymore.

"Lauren West, are you crazy? I’ve explained a hundred times already. Can you stop making a scene?"

"There’s no need to explain. Let’s get divorced." I closed my eyes, my voice flat, almost detached.

"You’re jealous over nothing! I told you, Nora and I are just colleagues. A typhoon hit. What was I supposed to do? Let a young girl work in the storm by herself? The ocean isn’t going anywhere. What if she caught a cold?"

Michael Grant seemed to have forgotten that he'd invited me to the coast. Right now, I was stranded on an isolated strip of shore because of that very storm.

Cold rain lashed my face, whipped sideways by the typhoon. Anger boiled up in me, and I snapped, "I’m still stuck on Seaview Road. The water’s up to my ankles."

The moment he realized I was in danger, Michael’s voice sharpened with urgency. "Wait there. I’m coming to get you right now."

A trip that should have taken him over half an hour took him merely twenty minutes. When he climbed out of the car, disheveled and windblown, his eyes filled with worry and pain the moment they landed on me. He strode forward, scooped my drenched body into his arms, and carried me toward the car.

However, the cheap perfume clinging to his clothes cut through even the screaming winds. It stabbed at my nose, bitter and undeniable.

I opened my mouth to speak, but just then, his phone rang. It was Nora’s custom ringtone.

Without hesitation, he set me down to answer it.

"Michael, I think I’m coming