The Price of Disloyalty Chapter 1

My husband went with me to the spa to get a body treatment.

The outspoken spa owner didn't hold back. "Bro, looking at how wide your wife's hips are, she's definitely had a few kids."

"She’s got stretch marks all over, too. What do you mean you guys don't have kids? Is she some retired escort or something?"

"I’ve seen this a million times. They specifically look for honest guys like you to settle down with. You've been conned."

I had explicitly told this owner that my husband and I didn't have kids due to health reasons.

Yet, she was acting completely ignorant, playing dumb. It seemed she wasn't after my wallet; she was after my husband.

Unfortunately for her, she picked the wrong target.

My husband was nothing more than a kept man living off my dime...

...

My husband, Arthur, and I both happened to have a rare day off.

I decided to go with him to pick up the sports car he’d been dreaming of, and then he accompanied me to get a facial.

I frequented this particular spa. The owner was blunt and spoke her mind, and I actually appreciated her straightforward personality.

More importantly, her massage techniques were rumored to be the best in the industry.

If I enjoyed the service this time, I was planning to discuss partnering with her to turn her spa into a franchise.

Arthur dutifully held all the shopping bags from our earlier spree. As I walked into the treatment room, he called out, "Honey, since you've been so great today, I'm rewarding you with a hundred-thousand-dollar VIP card. Where do I sign up?"

Seeing his smug little face, I jutted my chin toward the front desk.

I completely missed the flash of calculation in the owner’s eyes.

During the body treatment, the owner was clearly distracted. Her massage technique was sloppy and unprofessional.

But her mouth wouldn't stop running. "Is that your husband? Wow, you are so lucky. He's gorgeous."

"And he just drops a hundred grand like it's nothing! Where did you snag a rich guy like that?"

For some reason, the word "snag" rubbed me the wrong way.

I replied dismissively, "Yeah, that's my husband. He's just like that."

The owner ignored my annoyed tone and said with a hint of disdain, "Did you hook up with him while you were working retail? I'm telling you, the most important thing for us women is marrying a good man. Look at me..."

I cut her off sharply. "What do you mean 'hook up'? We had a normal relationship. It was love at first sight. Why does it sound so trashy coming from you?"

Since when was this owner so incredibly chatty?

Seeing I was actually angry, the owner pursed her lips. "You know how I am, I just speak my mind. It was a joke! Don't take it so seriously."

"I'll stop talking. I won't say another word, okay?"

Even though she stayed quiet after that, I felt incredibly irritated. The mood for relaxation was completely ruined.

It wasn't until she applied my face mask and left the room that the suffocating feeling lifted slightly.

A little later, I needed to use the restroom and stepped out of the room.

Right as I reached the door, I heard the owner chatting with Arthur.

"Bro, is the lady in there your wife? She’s so lucky. You really don't hold back when spending on her."

"But bro, looking at how wide her hips are, she's definitely had a few kids."

Arthur frowned, clearly unhappy. "What are you talking about? My wife has never had children."

The owner gasped, covering her mouth as if she’d made a terrible slip of the tongue.

"Her hips are so wide, I just assumed she'd given birth."

"What do you mean you don't have kids? Is she a retired escort or something?"

"While I was doing her body treatment, I saw stretch marks all over her. You only get those from having babies, right?"

"Oh, I must have seen wrong. You know me, I have this terrible habit of just blurting things out."

The owner feigned a look of horror, acting as if she had accidentally revealed a terrible truth.

The anger in my chest exploded into a raging inferno.

Children were the absolute most sensitive topic for Arthur and me.

We had been trying for years without success. The doctors said the issue was with me.

Desperate to conceive, I took a bunch of "miracle" supplements my mother-in-law gave me. I later found out they were packed with hormones.

They caused me to gain a massive amount of weight, and I had to work incredibly hard to lose it over the last few years.

My skin had stretched and shrunk, inevitably leaving behind stretch marks.

It was my deepest, most hidden insecurity.

And now, this woman was broadcasting it loudly to my husband. It felt like my entire body was on fire.

The owner kept going. "Bro, you look like an honest guy. I'm a straight shooter, so I'll just tell it to you straight."

"The woman lying in there? She was probably turning tricks a few years ago. Having abortions ruined her body. That's why she's never had a kid but still has all the aftereffects."

"You've been played for a fool, you rich, clueless sugar daddy."

The owner patted Arthur’s shoulder, wearing an expression that screamed, 'I’m just looking out for you.'

I let out a cold, sharp laugh and stepped out. "Oh really? So I found myself a clueless sugar daddy, and now you want to take over?"

"Why don't I just wrap him up in a bow for you!"