By the time the sun rose, Alexander still hadn't seen his wife. He had no idea where she was. Despite wanting to search for her, he couldn't—he had work to do.
His shoulders sagged as he left their house. The weight of the unresolved tension between him and Sophia felt heavier with each step. But before heading into work, he made his usual stop. It had become part of his routine, one he had grown used to.
He sat down at his usual spot in the small diner, barely glancing at the menu.
"The usual, please," he told the waitress as he settled into his chair.
Without missing a beat, the waitress nodded and began preparing his order. It only took a few minutes for his food to arrive. Alexander began eating in silence, his mind elsewhere as he chewed, thinking of his wife.
Where did she sleep last night? Is he with his friend again like what my colleague said? Alexander shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought.
"You're looking a bit gloomy today, sir," the waitress commented, snapping him out of his thoughts. She was in her 40s, with a warm but tired face.
Alexander met her gaze, unsure of how to respond. "I had a fight," he said quietly, his tone carrying the weight of the conversation. "With my wife."
The waitress raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised. "You're married? But why are you here, having breakfast alone?" she asked, probing further, not intending to be rude but unknowingly putting him on the spot.
He didn't know how to answer.
Here's an extended paraphrase of the passage:
"Did you know that my husband and I can't stand not eating together?" she repeated.
Alexander didn't respond to the vendor because he didn't feel like saying anything. He also knew that if he joined the Johnson family at the table, they would criticize his wife. To avoid a conflict, he decided not to trouble himself by joining them.
After finishing his meal quickly, Alexander left the place. He walked quietly, with only the sounds of cars passing by and people laughing filling the air. The morning was beautiful, with everyone around him smiling, but he couldn't share in the happiness. He felt a sense of sadness because he was going to work, still unresolved with his wife.
As he walked toward his workplace, he saw a woman at a fine dining restaurant who resembled his wife, eating with another man. After a moment, he shrugged it off, dismissing the thought.
"That can't be my wife. She would never betray me," Alexander thought. "My wife is intelligent and wouldn't do something so hurtful."
Alexander continued walking to Carter Tech Company. When he arrived, none of the guards greeted him, but he didn't care. He just walked straight toward the elevator.
When he entered, the people inside subtly moved away from him, as if he carried a contagious disease. It was nothing new to him—he knew they didn't like him, and he could feel the coldness in the air.
He kept to himself as he rode the elevator up to the 15th floor, where his office was. Once he reached his desk, he ignored the stares from his colleagues and went straight to work. He wasn't interested in engaging in any conflicts.
"Oh, look who's here…" came the sarcastic voice of Jacob.
Alexander shut his eyes tight when he heard Jacob's mocking tone.
Jacob approached his cubicle, carrying some papers. He dropped them on Alexander's desk and said, "Mr. Carter told me to tell you to finish this before he left earlier."
Jacob paused, waiting to see if Alexander would react, but the lack of response only made him more annoyed.
"Do you know who was with him earlier?" Jacob asked, trying to get a reaction from Alexander.
"I'm not interested. Just go back to your station and do your job," Alexander replied firmly. But Jacob didn't take him seriously. Instead, he laughed, dismissing Alexander's words.
"I'm sure you'll be interested in this, nerd."
"I'm not."
"Well, the person Mr. Carter was with earlier was your beautiful wife," Jacob said, laughing to provoke him.
Jacob didn't fail to get Alexander's attention. His lips formed into a smirked.
"Imagine you are his husband and she is eating with someone else," Jacob continue talking while shaking his.
Alexander's eyes immediately turned sharp, and his gaze locked on Jacob.
"My wife wouldn't do that. She's a respectable woman," Alexander said firmly, defending his wife, causing his coworkers who had been whispering to quiet down.
"Really?" Jacob questioned. "Then what about this?" Jacob showed him a picture on his phone of Sophia with his boss, holding hands.
"Isn't that your wife? And doesn't she look happy?" Jacob taunted.
The sight of the photo made Alexander's jaw tighten with rage. He didn't speak, but inside, he felt a burning desire to confront both his wife and his boss. However, he quickly realized that they might have been together to discuss work.
"A decent woman would never eat with another man when her husband is around. If I were your wife, I'd do the same thing because you're an idiot. You're useless, nothing but a—"
Before Jacob could finish his sentence, Alexander punched him hard in the face. The blow landed with full force, causing everyone around them to gasp in surprise.
Alexander stood tall and faced Jacob, his voice filled with anger. "One more word about my wife, and you'll regret it!" he threatened, but Jacob just laughed, making Alexander even angrier.
"You're really a fool," Jacob sneered. "Even with all the evidence, you still won't believe it. Why don't you go home and see for yourself? Go and witness how your wife is betraying you!"
With those words, Alexander punched Jacob repeatedly, his fists landing on Jacob's face until the other man couldn't move anymore. Alexander only stopped when security guards arrived to break up the fight.
His coworkers stood frozen, watching with fear in their eyes.
Alexander paused, looking at his bloodstained hand, still in disbelief over what he had just done. He quickly grabbed his bag and left his workstation, rushing out.
His body shook with anger, and his mind was clouded. He didn't know what to do next. Should he go home? If he did, Sophia would likely scold him, but Jacob's words kept echoing in his head.
He wrestled with his thoughts before finally deciding that he needed to go home to get to the bottom of the situation. He needed to find out whether his wife was really betraying him or if Jacob was simply trying to destroy their marriage with lies.
When Alexander arrived home at the Johnson family's house, his heart pounded loudly in his chest. The silence of the living room greeted him. He scanned the house with his eyes, trying to take in his surroundings.
But just as he was about to move further inside, he froze in his tracks when he heard a woman's moan. It came from their bedroom.
His body shook with a mixture of fear and nervousness as he cautiously made his way toward their room. The moaning grew louder and more intense, matching the increasing speed of his heartbeat.
"Ohh yes! Harder, babe!" the voice cried out.
With trembling hands, Alexander slowly opened the door to their bedroom, and there, to his horror, he saw his wife, naked, with none other than his boss, Jason Carter, on top of her.
"S-Sophia?" Alexander stammered, his voice barely a whisper.
Both Sophia and Jason froze in shock at his unexpected arrival. Sophia was clearly startled by the sight of her husband standing there but quickly regained her composure. She shoved Jason off of her and grabbed the blanket to cover her body.
Sophia flashed a smile at Alexander before speaking. "What are you doing here? You should be at work, like you always are."
In that moment, everything Jacob had told him came rushing back to Alexander's mind, and he realized that it was all true.
He shook his head, unable to hide the pain he felt. He stood motionless, unable to think clearly. What he needed right now was an explanation from his wife, Sophia.
"Why? I thought you two were just friends?" Alexander asked, his voice trembling with confusion and hurt.
"Friends don't fuck, Hale," Jason interjected with a cold smirk.
Sophia didn't hesitate to respond, her words slicing through Alexander like a knife. "Jason can give me what I need in bed. He makes me feel like a woman."
Sophia then turned her gaze to Alexander with a look of disdain. "Jason and I are lovers, Alexander. You? You're just too foolish not to see it."
The cruel truth was laid bare before him, and Alexander's world shattered.