My marriage to Naomi solidified my position within William Investment Company.
In particular, Naomi and I managed the same investment division, and our investment success rate reached one hundred percent.
We continued to thrive.
But Chairman Niall’s death became the starting point of the crack that formed between Naomi and me.
Naomi succeeded Niall as chairwoman.
Because of that, the time we spent together gradually grew shorter.
“Honey, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard these days?
You’re getting home way too late.”
“Being the chairwoman isn’t as easy as it looks.
There are meetings everywhere.
If waiting for me is too much, you can head home first.
I’ll try to adjust my schedule so we can leave together whenever I can.”
But she came home later and later.
Recently, she’d even started traveling to other states for meetings, and the number of nights she didn’t come home kept increasing.
Our marriage slowly grew cold.
Eventually, we started sleeping in separate rooms because we were both “too tired.”
Then one day, Naomi came home earlier than usual.
As she looked at her phone, I caught sight of a text message from someone I didn’t recognize.
Why did you go home so early today?
You could’ve stayed with me a little longer.
I already miss you.
The sender’s name was Ralph L.
Who the hell is this?
“Naomi, who’s Ralph?”
“Oh, he’s the CEO of a company we’re investing heavily in these days.
Why?”
“Hm?
No reason.
It just came to mind.
Have you been seeing Ralph a lot lately?”
“Yes.
We’re investing another fifty million dollars into his company, so I end up meeting with him quite often.”
“Don’t overwork yourself.
What if you ruin your health?
Maybe we should make time and go on a trip somewhere.”
“That sounds nice.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to make time, but I’ll ask my office to clear some space in my schedule.”
The next day, I quietly visited a private detective agency.
“So you want us to follow Chairwoman Naomi?”
“That’s right.
I want to know who she meets…
And what she’s been doing.”
“The cost might be…”
“Fifty thousand dollars up front.
Another fifty thousand when the job is done.
And I’ll cover all expenses.”
“Haha.
You’re quite a client.
Understood.
Starting tonight, we’ll report every one of Ms.
Naomi’s movements.”
One photo had been taken in Kirkland.
It showed Naomi smiling happily beside a man at a lakeside villa.
I had to force myself to suppress the rage building inside me.
It’s a coincidence.
It has to be.
The next day…
Naomi was supposedly on a business trip to New York.
But another photo arrived.
She was at the same villa in Kirkland.
Ring.
“Naomi, how’s the business trip going?
New York’s pretty far.
Must be exhausting.”
“No.
The flight was tiring, but it’s work.
I’ll finish everything here and come home tomorrow evening.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
I hung up.
Betrayal and humiliation made my entire body tremble.
Step.
Step.
I opened a wooden lockbox.
A Model 442.
Also known as the Centennial.
A five-shot compact revolver.
I’d bought it in case a burglar ever broke into the house.
I slipped the Centennial into my pocket.
Loaded.
Kirkland wasn’t far from Seattle.
I drove there alone.
Soon, a villa beside a quiet lake came into view.
It matched both the address and the photographs the detective had sent.
Knock.
Knock.
“Who is it?”
A man’s deep voice.
Then a woman’s voice came from behind him.
“Ralph, who is it?”
It was Naomi.
Once again, rage, betrayal, and humiliation surged through me.
My grip tightened around the revolver in my pocket.
My hand was damp with sweat.
The man opened the door.
I brushed past him and stepped inside.
“Who the hell are you?
You can’t just walk in here!”
“I’m the husband of the woman you’re sleeping with.”
Without looking back, I walked straight toward the living room where Naomi was.
Dressed in little more than her underwear, she had been sitting on the sofa.
The moment she saw me, her face froze.
“Luke?
How did you get here?”
I thought I was driving to New York.
Somehow I ended up here instead.
So this is the meeting you’ve been talking about all this time?”
Naomi stared at my hardened expression.
She tried to calm me down.
Or perhaps…
She was buying time until Ralph got there.
“Luke, listen to me.
Don’t get worked up.
Ralph and I aren’t in that kind of relationship.”
“Ralph!
Where are you?
Come explain this to Luke!”
“Ralph.
Ralph…
Who the hell is he that you’re calling for him in front of me?
At a time like this?”
Suddenly, behind me…
Ralph shouted,
“Hands up!
Move and I’ll shoot!”
Naomi immediately ran to him and hid behind his back.
There was a handgun in Ralph’s hand.
A faint laugh escaped me.
“So you didn’t feel guilty about sleeping with another man’s wife.
You actually hated me.
Enough to want me dead.”
At that instant…
Ralph’s gun…
And the gun in my pocket fired at the same time.
Bang!
Bang!
Ralph was hit in the chest.
I was hit in the stomach.
We collapsed at the same time.
Ralph would die instantly.
Pressing my left hand against the blood pouring from my abdomen, I rolled onto my side, enduring the overwhelming pain.
“Ugh…”
A groan escaped my lips.
My vision blurred.
With eyes that could barely focus, I searched for Naomi.
Screaming…
She was pressing both hands against Ralph’s chest.
Then she turned and looked at me.
Her tear-filled eyes…
Were filled with fear as well.
I quietly whispered to Naomi.
“You humiliated me…
Right until the very end.”
Bang!
My vision slowly faded into darkness.