Ethan's anger flared even hotter.

"Do you hear that? Ava is ten years younger than you and she's more sensible! She's crying her eyes out and still apologizing to you. And what do you do? You just keep attacking her. You’re really something else, acting all high and mighty!"

I gritted my teeth, trying to control my temper.

"Am I the one in the wrong here? My husband takes wedding photos with another woman, and I'm not allowed to be angry or even say anything about it, is that right? Maybe you should have married someone deaf and mute, then your wife would never know what you've been up to!"

With that, I hung up the phone.

Ethan didn't come home until almost midnight, and when he did, he didn't say a word. This was his go-to cold war tactic.

After all these years of marriage, I knew him too well.

Whenever I upset him, he’d resort to the silent treatment, no words, no communication, until I caved.

He probably thought I'd apologize like I always did; after all, I loved him so much.

To be with him, I’d given up the comfortable life my family had planned for me, insisting on leaving our hometown of Bay City with him for Riverton.

He’d said back then:

"In Bay City, I'll always be living under your parents' shadow. Any success I have, people will say it's because of your family's connections. I don't want that."

Looking at his determined, handsome face, my heart melted completely.

So, I fought tooth and nail with my parents for a year until they finally relented and let me go with Ethan.

We started in a dingy basement apartment, eventually moving into the most expensive gated community in Riverton.

I thought we had everything: status, money. Ethan treated me wonderfully; his world revolved around me.

I believed my happiness was firmly in my grasp.

But no one ever told me that happiness has an expiration date.

It started when I found a pair of high heels under Ethan's desk in his office. I knew then that something had quietly shifted.

I picked up the heels and looked at Ethan.

He looked a bit awkward, yet there was an unconscious hint of indulgence in his eyes.

"Ava, that scatterbrain, changed her shoes in here the other day and forgot to take them with her."

A secretary, changing her high heels in the CEO's office?

I laughed, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Ethan, be careful not to cross the line."

He just chuckled and called me petty.

But slowly…

I noticed the charm hanging from his car's rearview mirror changed from the good luck charm I’d gotten for him to a sparkly crystal young girls liked. The throw pillows in his car went from understated, luxurious silver-gray to brightly colored cartoons…

I knew Ethan's vows were starting to fade.

This time, he was trying to use the silent treatment to make me back down again.

But I was tired. I didn't want to.

The next morning, Ethan was waiting for me.

He stood by the dining table, his expression cold. "You're coming to the office with me today."

I looked at him without a word.

He said, "To apologize to Ava. You're Mrs. Presley; don't do things beneath your station."

"Getting jealous of a young secretary? That's really classy of you."

I placed my glass of milk on the table and looked at him.

"Alright. Let me just grab a gift. That will show I'm sincere."

Ethan's expression softened slightly, and his tone became much gentler.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you'd been this reasonable yesterday?"

When we got to the office, Ava stood up immediately upon seeing me, calling out "Eve," in a timid voice.

Her eyelids were slightly swollen; she must have cried a river in front of Ethan yesterday.

A few other secretaries nearby were silently watching, ready for the drama.

I smiled and stood in front of Ava, then glanced at Ethan.

"Yesterday, when I said you two looked great together, I meant it. Your Mr. Presley asked me to apologize to you, and I thought about it, and decided a gift would be most appropriate."

Ava shook her head. "No, no, it was my fault, I messed up."

Ethan gently comforted her, "Your sister-in-law Eve is apologizing. You should accept her gift."

I patted Ava's hand, opened a jewelry box, and took out a ring.