I Exposed Her Lie

My name is Frank Collins. For the past two weeks, I've felt a lingering sense of unfamiliarity around my wife, Emily Scott. "I'm going out to buy some soy sauce. Dinner will be a bit late." She changed her shoes without looking up, her voice light and distant. This is the third time this week she's "buying soy sauce," even though there's still more than half a bottle left in the fridge. I leaned against the doorframe, staring at her back. "The supermarket's just downstairs—it shouldn't take more than half an hour, right?" Her hand paused while tying her shoelaces. When she turned around, her face wore a carefully forced smile. "I'll just browse around and see if they have any strawberries Alex likes. You just relax at home—no need to wait for me." The moment the door closed, I could still catch her faint scent on my nose—not her usual perfume, but a crisp men's cologne. Lately, I've been noticing that scent on her coat and in her hair. I grabbed my car keys and walked out. It's not about being suspicious; when a woman's heart changes, her coldness can't be hidden no matter how much she tries. As soon as my car left the neighborhood, I saw Emily Scott's white sedan turning into the shopping center's parking lot across the street. I followed from a distance, parked in a corner, and watched her head toward a black SUV as if she knew it well. The car door opened, and a man in a gray jacket leaned out, wrapping his arm around Emily Scott's waist. Emily didn't pull away; instead, she leaned into him. Then the back door opened, and Alex jumped out holding a doll, sweetly calling, "Hello, Mr. Lynn." Jarvis Lynn. That name pierced my heart like a sudden needle. I already knew him—Emily's first love and Alex's biological father. Emily said he went abroad years ago and they lost all contact. I watched the three of them get into the SUV as the window slowly rolled up. Through the blurred glass, I clearly saw Jarvis Lynn kiss Emily Scott on the cheek. Emily smiled and gently pushed him away, while Alex clapped and cheered beside them. That scene was so warm—it felt like a real family of three. My chest tightened uncomfortably, veins bulging on my hands gripping the steering wheel. I don't know how long I stayed in the parking lot. It wasn't until the SUV drove out again that I numbly started the car and headed home. At eight that night, Emily returned smelling even more strongly of men's cologne, with Alex already asleep in her arms. She put Alex in the bedroom, and when she came out and saw me sitting on the sofa, she froze for a moment. "Why didn't you turn on the light?" I flipped the switch, and the warm yellow light illuminated the fading blush on her face. "You didn't buy soy sauce or strawberries today." I tried to keep my voice steady. Emily Scott paused while removing her makeup, looking at me through the vanity mirror. "Oh, the supermarket was out of soy sauce, and the strawberries weren't fresh, so I didn't buy them." "So, you met Jarvis Lynn?" I asked bluntly. Emily Scott turned around, her face expressionless as she casually took off her earrings and said, "Yeah, he just got back to the country. He wanted to see Alex. Isn't it only natural for Alex to meet his biological father? You're making a big deal out of nothing." "Just a meeting?" I stood up, holding back the anger swelling inside, my voice tight. "I saw you in the parking lot. You were hugging in the car." "What's wrong with a hug?" Emily raised her eyebrows, her tone dismissive and without a trace of guilt. "We were just catching up. It's been years since we last met; it was just a moment of reminiscing. And it was for Alex—to let him feel some kind of complete fatherly love." "Complete fatherly love?" I couldn't help but raise my voice, my chest heaving hard. "Then what does that make me? Haven't you seen how I've treated Alex these past three years?" Emily Scott sneered and tossed her earrings onto the vanity, the sharp clink echoing. "You? You're just a father in name. Don't get a big head. If it weren't for you..." She didn't finish. Her attitude infuriated me, so I stepped forward to argue, but accidentally knocked her bag off the table. Lipstick, tissues, and her phone scattered across the floor, but among everything, a silver-wrapped item caught my eye. I bent down to pick it up, and when I clearly saw the words on it, my hand started shaking uncontrollably. It was a condom. "What is this?" I held it up in front of her, my voice trembling. Emily Scott's face finally changed—a flash of panic crossed her features, but she quickly grew defiant: "It's exactly what you think. Jarvis and I have never stopped." "Never stopped?" I felt my heart being crushed by an invisible hand, the pain making it hard to breathe. "Since when?" "Ever since Alex was born, it never stopped." Emily Scott pulled a folded piece of paper from her bag and slammed it down in front of me. "Look at it yourself! Frank Collins, it's because you can't have children. What's wrong with me turning to Jarvis Lynn? I just want a complete family—is that so wrong?" I picked up the paper—it was a hospital report, with my name printed clearly. In the diagnosis section, the word "Azoospermia" stood out sharply.