When I didn't stop Gaston, a pleased look flashed across his face as he carried me back to my room and pounced on me like a starving predator.
With rough movements, he ripped my clothes and pulled me close.
For the entire night, I remembered feeling like a boat swept up by tidal waves in the sea, clinging to him, rising and falling.

My long-suppressed desire was finally quenched, and I felt like a parched desert revived by a downpour of relief. Gaston was every bit as powerful as I had imagined.
The lean Stevie was never particularly enthusiastic about intimacy, and his performance in bed felt like he was checking a chore off the list. Six months of his lukewarm affection had considerably dimmed our spark and worn down our passion.
But with Gaston, I finally reached the peak of pleasure and drifted off to a deep sleep after a night of intense passion.
By the time I woke up the next morning, all traces of the night had been erased from the room.
"An emergency came up at the hospital, honey. I'm heading back first."
The text from Stevie seemed to sting my eyes.

Faye was still sleeping, but I didn't bother waking her and took the train home alone. What was supposed to be a fun getaway for four had ended on a sour note.
When I stepped into the house, Stevie was actually in the kitchen, waiting for me with a home-cooked meal and smiling. "I knew you’d be back today, so I cooked. Let's eat, shall we?"
I knew him all too well. The delayed guilt and unease in his eyes stabbed my heart deeply.
When I didn't say anything, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. "I know that I've messed up, Vera. Can we just start over?"

At the thought of the years we had weathered together, I buried my face in his shoulder and cried. It seemed like both of us had crossed the line, so with one betrayal for each of us, I figured that we were now even.
I forgave Stevie, and since he seemed unaware of what happened between Gaston and me, he became even more attentive than ever.
…
One afternoon, the doorbell rang. I answered the door to find Gaston standing outside.
After what happened, I had blocked his number and Faye's, so I had no idea how he had found me here.
Since I refused to shatter the current peace, I coldly tried to shut the door, but he stopped it with one hand and held out a phone. "Aren't you going to take a look?"
A terrible gut feeling crept up my spine. With trembling hands, I took the phone and saw a video of Stevie and Faye recorded from the night before.
Two days ago, Stevie told me the hospital was sending him away for a three-day training course, so he wouldn't be home throughout this period. Now, I learned the truth that he was already in her bed on the first night.
Overwhelming disappointment and fury crashed over me so hard that my eyes were bloodshot. Looking at Gaston, I pulled him into the house and rose onto my toes to kiss him on the lips.
Since Stevie wouldn't stop lying to me, I saw no reason to waste another second of my life away on him. So, with that thought in mind, I wrapped myself around Gaston with a vengeful hunger, and he didn't miss the chance.
We went at it for several rounds before he finally stopped.
"Why are you showing me this?" I asked afterward, holding the phone and watching Gaston get dressed. I couldn't understand what his intentions were.
The video must have been his doing because it was clearly taken in secret from a tricky angle.
He glanced at me and replied, "She's had her eye on Stevie for a while now, and this trip was part of her plan. We've broken up, so I came to you on my own."
"What does that mean? Are you telling me to get a divorce?"
He shook his head and agitatedly said, "Faye isn't what you think. She sent me here to seduce you, then took all my money and left. I want your help to—"
I cut him off before he could finish. "Whatever mess you have with her, keep me out of it, and I'll handle Stevie myself."
Sensing my stubbornness, Gaston gave a resigned, bitter smile. "Fine."
After he left, I collapsed onto the bed as if all my strength had been drained. I knew that there was no point in trying to protect the relationship since Stevie didn't care about what we had been through together.
I had Gaston send me a copy of the video and submitted it to the hospital Gaston worked at, which erupted as the most shocking scandal.
Young, accomplished, and a graduate of a prestigious university, Stevie had always been deemed a rising star. He probably would never have imagined his career to be ruined because of what he had done.
With the exposed scandal, the divorce was quick and efficient. The guilt-ridden Stevie left me the house and the car.
To me, his belated affection was pointless. Witnessing his miserable downfall didn't stir my pity. All I felt was the liberating thrill of freedom.
After what happened, I decided I wouldn't remarry. My savings were more than enough, and living alone felt wonderfully unburdened.
Later, I heard that Faye was caught organizing sex parties. Someone tipped off the police, and the whole ring was busted.
That was when it clicked that this must have been what Gaston was trying to tell me. The wine handed out at the trip had made us feverish, conscious but foggy, and sapped of strength. Such drugs were definitely unavailable on the market.
It struck me that Faye had been involved in shady dealings for a while now, and I could only imagine the games they played behind closed doors. But karma had a way of catching up, so it wasn't surprising that she was destroyed by her toxic choice.
Some time later, I was out traveling with my new boyfriend when I ran into Gaston, whom I hadn't seen in a while. He was not as good-looking as before and had grown noticeably thinner.
Just as he stepped forward, I wrapped my arm around my boyfriend's and walked away.
Now, I had money, looks, and the perfect body, so I would never need a fair-weather opportunist like him.
Without Stevie dragging me down, I started a new, truly happy chapter of my life.