The Truth in the Contraceptive

Today is Valentine's Day. I sat in my office, the warmth of coffee still lingering on my fingertips. My phone suddenly rang—it was an unknown number. I answered, secretly hoping it was Hector Carr sending me flowers, and the florist was calling to confirm the address. "Hello, is this Serena Sue?" The voice on the other end was very polite. I smiled and said yes. "This is Well-health Pharmacy. Your husband, Hector Carr, tried to buy contraceptive pills from us, but the payment didn't go through. Could you please remind him to take care of it?" My smile instantly froze, and I almost dropped the coffee cup onto the table. Contraceptive pills? Why would Hector Carr be buying those? I forced myself to stay calm and hung up, but my heart felt like it was being gripped tightly, making it hard to breathe. I opened my mobile banking app, wanting to check recent transactions. A payment record from a pharmacy caught my eye—the amount matched exactly the price of a box of imported contraceptive pills, but the note said "Payment failed, pending payment." I hadn't even recovered from the shock before Hector Carr called me. "Serena, happy Valentine's Day." His voice sounded as gentle as ever. "What about the gift you promised me?" I tried hard to keep my voice from shaking. "Don't worry, I'll surprise you when I get home tonight. By the way, there's an important company event tonight, so I might be late. You should rest early and don't wait up for me." I hung up the phone, but the doubts in my mind only grew stronger. An event? On Valentine's Day? I checked the expense records again, and a hotel booking caught my eye. The date was Hector Carr's birthday, the hotel was a luxury one downtown, and the bill was not small. He said he was meeting a client and working late at the company, but it turned out he spent the night at the hotel. I sat in the chair, my whole body chilled. Did Hector Carr cheat? Once the thought crossed my mind, I couldn't push it back down. I forced myself to calm down and started going over Hector Carr's recent strange behaviors. Lately, he's been coming home late, sometimes smelling faintly of unfamiliar perfume, and his phone is always on silent, never leaving his side. At first, I thought he was just busy with work at the company, so I didn't pay much attention, but now looking back, it was all a giveaway. I opened my computer and started digging into Hector Carr's company. Last month, he hired a new assistant named Stella Scott. I looked over Stella Scott's resume; the woman in the photo had a delicate look and a really sweet smile. Wait, why does this name sound so familiar? Suddenly, I remembered that Hector Carr had an ex-girlfriend ten years ago, and I think her name was Stella Scott. I quickly asked a friend to help me check, and confirmed that Hector Carr's current assistant is actually his ex-girlfriend from ten years ago, Stella Scott. So, they had already rekindled their old relationship. The romantic atmosphere of Valentine's Day instantly felt like the biggest insult to me.