The Annual Report Chapter 1

My husband started tracking expenses on his phone. One day, I curiously opened his annual spending report from a popular finance app.

The first few pages were lighthearted and fun, and I was smiling as I scrolled. Until I saw two lines of text:

[Your most frequently used note is: "Extra cilantro, extra green onions."]

[Your longest note is: "Boss, please make sure this bouquet is perfect. Confirm the address. Do not mess this up."]

I don't eat cilantro. I don't eat green onions.

And I have never received a bouquet from him. Not once.

I scrolled down further.

[February 14th, Valentine's Day. Total spending: $540. Largest single transaction: $299 at the Hyatt Regency, King Suite.]

I remembered Valentine's Day clearly. I was out of town on a business trip.

Before bed, we had a quick FaceTime. We even lamented that it was our first Valentine's Day apart.

He was lying in our bed at home when we spoke.

I opened his order history. I couldn't find any of these transactions.

I checked his messages, calls, contacts. Nothing suspicious.

He walked by just as the screen returned to the spending report page. He laughed.

"Find anything interesting? Did you confirm your husband is indeed the perfect man?"

I nodded and played along. "Truly perfect."

I turned away and used his phone to send a message to his "Bros" group chat:

"Guess who I'm with tonight?"

* * *

I sent the message right in front of Mark.

He gave me a teasing look but didn't say much.

Replies came in fast:

"Who else would you be with? You whipped simp!"

"Bro, showing off again? You're blinding us single dogs. Can we still hang out later?"

"I swear, man! Only you let your wife control you like this."

"Kick him out of the chat. I can't take it anymore. Add him back when I get married so he can send a red packet."

Mark smiled, a look of indulgent resignation on his face. "Happy now? They're going to roast me again. They already call me a 'wife slave' every day."

He didn't notice my hands were shaking.

The realization that "Mark cheated" hit me like a physical blow. I was completely unprepared.

We never had secrets. We shared passwords for everything.

I never thought this day would come.

I always believed that when feelings fade, there's a process. It shouldn't be a sudden, bludgeoning strike like this.

The fact that he handed me his phone so confidently meant he was extremely confident in his cover-up.

If I kept digging now, I'd expose myself.

So I handed the phone back, pretending to be relaxed. "Congratulations, you passed the organization's test. You're clear for now."

He looked a little smug. "Yes, ma'am! I'll keep up the good work. Mission: Happy Family Life is a go!"

His expression was too natural. His performance was flawless.

If I hadn't seen that annual report with my own eyes, I wouldn't have suspected him at all.