Life's North and South Rarely Meet Again

My husband and I had been married ten years, always polite and considerate with each other.

He was an investment prodigy, forever off doing field research in one city or another.

To pass the time, I opened a caf downstairs from his company.

He'd once teased me with a smile.

I move a finger and I make more than you do in a year.

I only took it as a joke and let it go.

On Valentine's Day, some of his employees came into my shop for coffee.

"Kay Finch, haven't the roses your husband ordered for you shown up yet?"

I pointed at the bright roses in the vase on the counter, my face full of happiness.

"After all these years, he still pulls the same routine every time."

The employee who'd asked scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"Weren't they supposed to be nine hundred ninety-nine, for love that lasts forever? Why's there only one?"

Something cold slid through me, a bad feeling.

The employee gave an awkward laugh, paid, and left with his coffee.

I opened my secret account on the short-video app and found my husband's own hidden account in my following list.

"Nine hundred ninety-nine roses. Forever, and never to fail you in this life!"

So somewhere along the way, without either of us noticing, we'd come to a crossroads.

When I'd first stumbled onto my husband Scott Gilbert's secret account, I was thrilled.

I thought it was a sign of how in tune we were, so I quietly followed it.

On that account, Scott said things he never said to me, posted little moments I'd never gotten to see.

But he had never once posted a video about a woman.

In the video in front of me, Scott had his arm around a bright, striking woman.

The two of them stood inside a heart shape laid out from nine hundred ninety-nine roses.

His face was all adoration, hers all soft tenderness.

More than a hundred thousand likes. Over fifty thousand comments.

Mr. Gilbert is so handsome! I'm so jealous of that woman!

I know her, that's Samantha Henson, the heiress of Henson Industries!

By that logic, he's got the talent and she's got the looks, a match made in heaven!

My phone started to buzz. Scott was calling.

"Kay, I've got a really important meeting tonight."

His voice was always so gentle, so easy to be swept up in.

"I ordered a table of food at the riverside restaurant, all your favorites. It should get there soon, all right?"

"Fine. Got it."

I kept my voice even and agreed.

Before he hung up, he asked in that perfectly caring tone.

"You don't sound like yourself. Are you coming down with a cold?"

"No. Probably just sat under the AC too long."

I put the phone away and sat by the floor-to-ceiling window facing the street, watching the rain come down in sheets.

Half an hour later, my best friend Myra Floyd called.

"Kay, where are you? Off being romantic with your man again?"

I twisted my lips into something like a smile and answered, my voice rough.

"No. I'm still sitting here at the shop."

"Your voice... something's wrong. I'm coming right now"

Myra hung up before she'd even finished.

A dozen or so minutes later, a black Maserati pulled up outside the caf.

She pushed through the door out of the pouring rain, and by the time she reached me her face was stunned.

"Did something happen at Scott's company?"

I didn't say a word, just looked at Myra, tears sliding slowly from the corners of my eyes.

She stepped closer and pulled me into her arms.

"It's okay. It's okay..."

The more she tried to comfort me, the harder I cried.

I don't know how long it went on before I wiped away the snot and tears, past caring how I looked.

"My husband's cheating."

Ten years of marriage. I knew him too well.

Some things didn't need to be asked out loud for me to know exactly what had happened.

Myra's mouth opened and closed, and she asked me in disbelief.

"Has he lost his mind? How could he dare?"

To understand Myra's question, you have to go back to how Scott and I first met.

The year I graduated, I chose to stay on at the university, and not long after I became a lecturer in the finance department.

The school ran a finance seminar made up of working professionals, and Scott was one of them.

"I told you when you got married, the two of you weren't right for each other! That man is a schemer, and you just wouldn't listen!"

Myra laid into me without holding anything back.

"Where's the proof he's cheating? Show me. I want to know which little tramp has the nerve to pull something like this!"

I quietly opened Scott's secret account. Myra looked, then snapped a photo of the screen.

"She doesn't look like anyone decent. Let me ask around, see if anyone knows her."

Before I could get a word out, the video on Scott's secret account was suddenly gone.

I tapped back into his profile to check again. Gone, for real.

"Do you think there's any chance it's a misunderstanding?"

Even I thought it sounded ridiculous coming out of my own mouth.

Myra looked me up and down, then flicked me on the forehead, exasperated.

"Are you an idiot or what?"

A second later, a text came in from a number I didn't know.

Miss Finch! You're past your prime. You're not good enough for him anymore. Please let go!

My eyes narrowed, and I dialed the number straight back.

She hung up on me and sent another text.

I'll be waiting for you on the seventeenth floor of Skyline Crown. If you don't have the guts, then forget I said anything.

Myra blew up on the spot.

"The mistress is acting like she's the wronged one? Oh, I have got to see this for myself!"

I hung the closed sign on the door, and Myra and I drove straight to Skyline Crown.

When we reached the seventeenth floor, a server stopped us at the entrance.

"I'm sorry, ladies. This floor has been reserved privately."

Myra had just started to pull out her black card when I raised a hand to stop her and showed the server the text on my phone.

"Right this way."

More than five thousand square feet of luxury dining room, dozens of staff on the floor.

And only two people eating there.

One was Scott. The other was the woman from the video.

"Kay, Myra, what are you two doing here?"

Scott's expression was flawless. Surprise first, then warmth.

"Let me introduce you. This is the eldest daughter of Henson Industries, Samantha Henson."

"Miss Henson, this is my wife, Kay Finch. And this is my wife's best friend, and a good friend of mine as well, Myra Floyd."

"If you don't mind"

"Sorry, I do mind."

Samantha didn't let Scott finish, refusing him with a smile.

"For me, today is a very important day. I'd rather not have other people here."

"Ha"

Myra let out a cold laugh and pointed at Samantha, demanding an answer.

"You sent that text just now, didn't you? Brave enough to throw down the challenge, but not brave enough to own it?"

"Other people might be scared of your Henson Industries. The Floyds aren't."

"Myra! What are you doing?"

Scott stood up, frowning.

"And Kay, didn't I tell you I had an important funding deal to discuss today?"

"Would you two please stop making a scene here?"

In that moment Scott felt like a stranger, and it ached.

His expression, his voice, even the way he movedI knew all of it so well.

And yet I could see it plainly, the distance between us that could never be closed.

"Scott, who exactly is stirring up trouble here?"

My body was trembling as I said it, low.

"Don't you know how clumsy your lie is?"

"Miss Finch."

Samantha called my name, taking her time.

She stayed seated where she was, arms folded across her chest, not a flicker of guilt on her face.

"The text was from me, yes."

"I hear you've been Mrs. Gilbert for ten years now. But in all those ten years, how much have you actually helped him?"

"From what I understand, your world runs from your caf and back, and the only person you socialize with is this Miss Floyd."

At that, Samantha rose slowly and crossed to stand in front of Scott.

"Now, I'm different."

The next moment she slid her hand around Scott's arm.

"With Henson Industries behind it, Gilbert Investments will move beyond Riverton and reach the international stage."

"You've shared a bed with him for ten years. But do you really know him?"

I kept my eyes fixed on Scott, waiting for him to step up and deny it.

"Miss Henson and I are business partners."

His explanation fooled no one, and yet he delivered it as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"As my wife, you were always meant to carry more pressure than other women."

"For ten years I've stood out there shielding you from the wind and rain, never letting you suffer the slightest grievance."

"Everything I've saidit's true, isn't it?"

"You're shameless!"

Myra lost her composure and swore.

"Do you even hear yourself? Without Kay, would you be where you are today?"

"Because of one word from you, Kay quit her job at the school"

I quickly pulled her back.

Facing Myra's confusion, I shook my head.

"There's no point saying any of this to him."

I raised my hand and pointed at the necklace at Samantha's throat.

"The Sky-Blue Heart. The wedding gift you once gave me. A one-of-a-kind piece, limited worldwide."

"Scott, tell me. Why is it here?"

In the best years of my life, Scott had come crashing into it.

He'd chased me relentlessly, and then he'd put up every asset the company had to win that Sky-Blue Heart at auction.

In his own words back then,

"This is everything I have to give."

All those sweet memories turned into silent blades now, driving into my chest.

"After we married, I told you to put it up as collateral. What did you say to me then?"

"You swore over and over that the moment the company recovered, the first thing you'd do was buy this necklace back."

He had bought it back, all right. And then he'd given it to another woman.

"Lovely story. Lovely scheming. Lovely little tricks."

Samantha praised it three times over, admiration all over her face.

"No wonder you held onto the Mrs. Gilbert seat this long. But there's one thing you've got wrong."

"I think I owe it to you to point this out. The Sky-Blue Heart is limited worldwide, yesbut not to one. To a thousand."

"If you had a little more experience of the world, you'd never have made such an absurd mistake."

Scott opened his mouth to speak, and Samantha lifted her hand and pressed it to his lips.

"Leave it to me, all right?"

He hesitated a moment, then nodded.

I gripped Myra's hand tight and watched Samantha come around in front of the two of us, circling us once.

"Your level works on other people. On me, it's nothing worth mentioning."

"Let me give you a piece of advice, straight from the heart."

Her eyes were full of sincerity.

"Divorce Scott on your own, and I'll see that you get the wealth and the standing you deserve."

"And you get to keep your face while you're at it."

"Miss Henson, you're going too far!"

Scott stepped forward with a show of anger, scolding in his words while his face stayed perfectly smooth.

"This is my family business. You don't need to concern yourself with it. Otherwise, I'd sooner walk away from my investment in Henson Industries."

"Are you sure about that?"

Samantha arched an eyebrow.

"My family isn't short on investment. What we're short on is a partner who'll stand with us through thick and thin."

"And you should understand, there's a whole line of people out there waiting to invest. We don't need you specifically."

Scott shook his head firmly. The words were for Samantha, but his eyes were fixed on me, full of tenderness.

"Kay and I have been through ten years together, side by side. Nothing external can tear that apart."

"I hope Miss Henson will give my terms some more thought. We'll be taking our leave."

With that, he reached out his hand to me, and out of habit I slipped mine into it.

Scott led me toward the door while Myra stood there with her mouth hanging open.

"I'm not dreaming, am I?"

I felt like I was dreaming too.

Could it be that what I'd seen on that secret account, and what I'd just heard him say out loud, were nothing but a mirage, a fantasy?

"Scott, I'm giving you three days."

"Miss Finch, if you truly care about Mr. Gilbert, you shouldn't let yourself become a burden to him."

Samantha's haughty voice echoed in my ears.

Standing in front of Scott's black car, though, I hesitated.

"You don't doubt me, do you?"

Scott smiled and pulled me into his arms.

"When I bid on that Sky-Blue Heart, I really did believe it was the only one of its kind in the world."

"Don't you want to see for yourself where it is?"

As if some spell had come over me, I nodded, and Myra, who had followed us out, grew frantic.

"Kay Finch, you can't be this foolish, can you?"

"Ten years. In all that time have you never learned to see through his sweet talk?"

Scott drew a deep breath, turned to Myra, and spoke with a grave expression.

"Myra, I honestly can't figure out where I ever wronged you."

"Ten years ago, when Kay and I got married, everyone approved. You were the only one against it."

"I hope you can recognize your place. You're Kay's friend, but don't go making decisions for her."

Scott finished, opened the rear door, and waited beside it.

I shot Myra a look and got into the car.

On the way home, Scott drove and kept up a conversation with me.

"I know Myra's a good friend of yours. What I said back there might have been a little harsh, but she really did cross a line."

"Look at all those big shots out there. Which one of them isn't juggling women on both sides?"

"But ask yourself honestly, all these years, have I ever gone after another woman?"

In the rearview mirror I watched the faint smile tug at the corner of his mouth, and my heart only turned colder.

I'd seen those things with my own eyes, and he could still talk as if nothing had happened.

Scott wasn't the man he used to be.

Back home, he had me sit and wait in the living room.

"Give me a minute. I've got a surprise for you."

I took out my phone. Myra had sent me a message a few minutes earlier.

Kay, whatever you do, don't believe him.

I just asked a friend. He and Samantha have declared it in public more than once

A video was attached below. Before I could open it, Scott came out of the bedroom.

He was holding an exquisite brocade box in both hands, and he knelt on one knee in front of me.

"The Sky-Blue Heart. I wanted to save it for our tenth wedding anniversary."

I took the box and opened it. The crystal-clear necklace lay quietly inside.

"Scott, if you want a divorce, I can agree to it."

He was stunned in an instant.

"Kay, what are you saying?!"