Chapter 1

I stared at the loyalty score above Jiang Heng’s head: 87%.

I thought something was wrong with my eyes.

After all, Jiang Heng and I had dated for five years and been married for five.

Ten whole years.

The score above his head had always been one hundred percent.

Jiang Heng noticed me staring at the top of his head.

“What are you looking at so intently?” he asked with a smile.

I came back to myself and said, “Nothing.”

But a heavy tightness settled in my chest.

Our daughter, Xiaoxiao, still had her birthday hat on.

She was holding the boxed doll Jiang Heng had bought her.

Her eyes curved into happy crescents.

“Mommy, look! This is my birthday present from Daddy!”

I crouched down and stroked her cheek.

“It’s beautiful!”

Xiaoxiao sat on the rug and began opening the box.

The loyalty score above her head still showed one hundred percent.

So there was nothing wrong with my eyes.

The problem was Jiang Heng.

Our daughter’s birthday.

A month ago, I had already agreed with Jiang Heng that we would celebrate it together.

He had promised readily enough.

I had reminded him again a week ago.

He had missed her birthday last year. Today, he had to make up for it.

Again, he had said yes.

Even last night, before bed,

our daughter had held his hand and reminded him not to be late tomorrow.

He had gently brushed her nose with his finger and assured her he wouldn’t be.

Then, a little after six that evening,

Jiang Heng suddenly messaged me to say something had come up at work and he couldn’t make it.

Something had come up?

What could it possibly be?

Did he have to handle it himself?

But I didn’t dare ask.

All I could do was tell him to come home as early as he could.

And Jiang Heng did keep that promise.

Just after eight,

he knocked on our front door.

He had brought my favorite milk tea and some durian.

And the Barbie set he had promised Xiaoxiao.

He acted as though nothing had changed.

First, he came in and kissed my forehead.

Then he handed Xiaoxiao her present.

He picked her up and kissed her too.

If the number above his head hadn’t changed,

I really would have believed he’d been working late.

Jiang Heng said he was tired, took off his jacket, and tossed it onto the sofa.

Then he got up and went to the bathroom for a shower.

I picked up his suit jacket.

And found a long hair on the collar.

My hair was short.

This wasn’t mine.

I looked up toward the bathroom.

The door was shut, and water was running inside.

I thought it was time to pack my things and leave.

The next day, nothing changed.

I still got up early and made breakfast for the three of us.

I laid out Jiang Heng’s clothes for the day at the foot of the bed.

Then I woke our daughter, dressed her, and helped her wash.

At eleven,

I packed lunch and drove to Jiang Heng’s office.

He was the company’s vice president.

He always brought our daughter and me to the annual company party.

So most of the employees knew me.

Now, seeing me with the lunch carrier,

they all smiled and greeted me.

The elevator took me to the eleventh floor. I said hello at reception and headed toward Jiang Heng’s office.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw a young woman fresh out of college sitting in his executive chair.

She had a youthful face, with long hair falling down her back.

Jiang Heng had one hand braced behind her and was pointing at the computer screen with the other.

At the sound of the door, they both looked up.

My gaze went to the number above Jiang Heng’s head.

Only three hours had passed.

His score had already fallen from last night’s 87% to 79%.

For a moment he looked startled to see me, then he smiled.

“What brings you here?”

He sounded pleasantly surprised.

“And who is this?”

I looked at the young woman.

“Oh, Lin Mo’s assistant, Xia Qiu.”

Lin Mo was Jiang Heng’s secretary, a very capable woman of thirty-five.

“Lin Mo’s gone home to get married,” he explained. “She won’t be back until next week, so Xia Qiu’s filling in for her.”

“She’s just graduated and doesn’t have any experience. I’m showing her what to do.”

“I had to work late yesterday because she got a set of figures wrong!”

His tone was casual.

As though getting the figures wrong was nothing at all.

The young woman looked at me rather timidly.

“Mrs. Jiang,” she said.

Jiang Heng noticed the lunch carrier in my hand.

“You brought lunch too?”

As he spoke, he called to Xia Qiu.

“Come and eat first! My wife’s an amazing cook!”

He said it so naturally

that before I could even react,

Xia Qiu had already got up and sat down beside him.

Whenever I brought Jiang Heng lunch, I always packed enough for two.

Then I would stay and eat with him at the office.

Even Lin Mo had only eaten the food I brought once.

I thought he meant for all three of us to share.

But to my surprise, he handed the chopsticks straight to Xia Qiu.

The gesture was practiced, his tone easy.

“Go on. We still have work to do after lunch!”

Xia Qiu took the chopsticks and thanked him.

Not once did he ask whether I had eaten.

I sat opposite Jiang Heng and watched the two of them eat.

Something about it felt wrong, though I couldn’t put it into words.

Xia Qiu picked up a shrimp.

After one bite, her eyes lit up.

“This is so good!”

“Mr. Jiang, you’re so lucky to have such a wonderful wife!”

Jiang Heng wore a decidedly proud smile.

Yet that one compliment from Xia Qiu made the number above his head fall another two points.

77%.

That feeling in my chest I couldn’t name

finally had an answer.

The two of them ate and chatted,

acting as though I wasn’t even there.

When they finally finished and put down their chopsticks,

Jiang Heng said, “Yaoyao, you can head home after you’ve cleared this away.”

“I’ve still got work to do.”

I looked at him, my lips twitching in something that wasn’t quite a smile.

“Jiang Heng,” I said, “I haven’t had lunch yet.”