A glance at his phone showed the time . It read 5:30 p.m.
'Huh. Time really flies when you're not paying attention,'
'Better head to the restaurant first. Showing up late wouldn't look good.'
Next up was booking a ride.
While traveling , a message popped up from Effie.
Her message said she would arrive by 7:00 p.m.
The thought of what she might wear made him a little excited, but he held back the grin.
It was just a simple dinner with his step-aunt.
No hidden meaning. Just a celebration, a small way to thank her for everything she did for him.
As the car moved through the city, the driver slowed down because of traffic ahead.
Just as he reached for his earphones, something in his peripheral vision made him pause.
"Stop the car!"
Terrence squinted toward the sidewalk. He wasn't seeing things.
It really was his uncle—holding the car door open for a woman in a red dress. The two of them were heading into a hotel.
'I thought he was on a business trip,'
Every warning bell in his head rang loud.
'I need to know for sure,' he added, keeping his distance as he trailed behind them.
His uncle grew more touchy, his hand resting intimately on her back.
No hesitation.
No guilt.
They laughed quietly before stepping through the hotel's glass doors.
'Pretty sure he wouldn't act like that if she were just a colleague,'
They were already heading toward the elevator, so a business dinner was obviously out of the question either.
'I need to get in with them.'
Fortunately, they stopped halfway.
The woman turned around and walked back to the reception desk—apparently, she had forgotten something.
'A chance!'
Terrence slipped in right after them, keeping his head low. With his shades on and a few other people inside.
The elevator made several stops on the way up, the crowd thinning with each floor.
When it reached the 12th, his uncle and his mistress stepped out.
He followed, keeping a few steps behind. He acted like he was just heading to his own room.
When he saw them stop, he pulled out his phone and pretended to make a call while secretly recording.
They looked really excited. Like animals in heat.
Terrence looked up, just in time to see the woman pull his uncle inside by the necktie.
They disappeared, door clicking shut behind them like a slap.
'I'll beat some sense into him… make him apologize —'
His fist trembled inches from the door, caught between anger and logic.
'No... I need to calm down first.'
The world would fall apart in a few months. Starting a family drama now wouldn't help anyone.
'Damn it,' he clenched his fist as he forced himself to back away.
He stared at the carpet as he walked back toward the elevator, hands still shaking.
The idea of telling her, of showing her what he saw felt right. Like justice.
But what would she do?
Divorce him?
Maybe.
But there was a high chance that she still loved that bastard. That was the worst part.
What if she was just waiting? Still hoping.
And if he shattered that hope now, what would be left of her?
He hated thinking about it. Hated that she might blame herself. That she would think she wasn't enough.
'That cheating bastard doesn't deserve her. If it was me...'