Five Years of Marriage: I Followed My Husband's Wish and Tried His Best Friend

"Five years into our marriage, I discovered a hickey on Adrian's neck - one that didn't come from me. When I confronted him about it, he just laughed it off. "You could try it too, you know. I wouldn't mind. But do you have the guts?" He knew all too well about my feelings for him - how I'd secretly loved him for years before we got together. And he took full advantage of that knowledge, confident I would never leave. He assumed, quite arrogantly, that I would forgive him yet again, tears and all. What Adrian didn't know was that his best friend had been sending me shirtless photos every day. Later, when my body bore marks that weren't from my husband, Adrian demanded answers. I simply smiled and said, "Didn't you tell me to try it? Well, he's got a lot more stamina than you do." Adrian flew into a rage, his eyes rimmed red. "Who gave you permission to take me seriously?!" 1 "Stop hiding and look at me!" Adrian's voice was cold and hoarse, barely containing his anger. Blue veins bulged on his forehead as he forcibly gripped my chin, making me face him. I couldn't move, trapped in his icy gaze. Adrian smiled with satisfaction. "Eight calls a day, even dragging my mother into this... Chloe, you went to all this trouble just to get me to come home. Why act like this now?" I pushed against him as hard as I could. "Is being full of yourself the only thing you're good at?" He still couldn't believe that I was utterly disappointed in him. Gripping my chin tighter, he sneered, "For years, you've always had endless excuses to get my attention. It's annoying..." I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. As he turned away, my palm stung and trembled. Never had I regretted anything more than I did at that moment. I regretted falling in love with Adrian. I regretted marrying him. But Adrian hadn't always been like this. In the beginning, things were different. Somewhere along the way, everything changed. A shrill ringtone broke the tense silence. Adrian answered the phone, his face still cold but his tone suddenly gentle. "Don't be afraid. I'll have Kevin take you to the hospital. I'll be there soon." A woman's voice on the other end sobbed that she was scared. After hanging up, Adrian got up without hesitation. But instead of leaving right away, he roughly pulled me up from the bed and held me tightly against him. Out of nowhere, he said, "Chloe, if you beg me to stay, I will." He seemed to have forgotten that I had begged him before. The first time he left me alone for that female secretary of his. I had pleaded with him not to go: "Adrian, my stomach hurts so much..." But he had walked out expressionlessly, that woman in his arms. That time, I lost my first child. I looked at him, my wet hair clinging to my cheeks. Weakly, I patted his face and asked with a bitter smile, "Beg you? Are you even worth begging?" Adrian's expression darkened. He sneered, "Fine then. Get lost." Despite his wor...