A Love Called Retribution

My name is Ruby Larsen, and I've been married to William Murphy for five years. To outsiders, we looked like a perfect match made in heaven. William Murphy was a wealthy heir. When he courted me, it took him a full three years. During those three years, no rumors surrounded him; his eyes were only on me. Everyone said marrying William Murphy meant I had married right—our marriage was the talk of the elite circles. I believed that too, thinking I was the happiest woman in the world. During the first few years of our marriage, William treated me well—thoughtful and gentle. But I never expected that kindness to fade so quickly. In the fifth year of our marriage, everything changed. That day, I was scrolling through my cell phone as usual when a trending topic suddenly popped up. The headline was so shocking it made my heart stop—William Murphy, CEO of the Murphy Group, caught intimately with a mysterious woman. Clicking on the photos, the man was unmistakably William Murphy. But the woman beside him—I had never seen her before. Later, I found out her name was Fiona Lloyd, a technician at a foot massage parlor. The pictures were crystal clear, showing them holding hands, embracing, even kissing. Once the news broke, the internet instantly exploded. Everyone was talking about it, and I became the focus of all their gossip. Some people pitied me, while others mocked me, saying I couldn't even keep my husband. Those cruel words stabbed at my heart like needles. I held the cell phone, my hands shaking uncontrollably, tears streaming down my face. I didn't know what to do; my mind went completely blank. It wasn't until William Murphy came home that night that I barely managed to calm down. I threw the phone in front of him, my voice trembling as I asked what was going on. William looked at the photos without a hint of panic, and without saying a word. He just looked at me calmly, then admitted it without hesitation. He said he had fallen in love with Fiona Lloyd. I couldn't believe my ears and kept asking him why. We've been together for so many years, been through so much. How could he just say he doesn't love me anymore? William Murphy's answer crushed me even more. He said that after all these years with me, he'd never been as happy as he was these past few days with Fiona. Those words stabbed through my heart like a knife. I looked at this familiar yet strange man before me and suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of irony. Three years of chasing, five years of marriage, and it turned out that in his eyes, none of it was worth more than a few days spent with a stranger. At that moment, I knew our marriage was over.