Karma Wears My Wedding Ring

A careless slip

I pursed my lips and smiled, realizing I had watched too many TV shows that evoked such ridiculous thoughts. When I laid back in bed, I still thought about the fleeting figure on the i********: live.

I must have been thinking about Jaxson too much. Also, the windbreaker looked familiar as it was the one I had ironed for him before his business trip to New York City. That meant the man in the live stream here in Paris wore the same one, which confused me.

Jaxson returned from his trip to New York City two days later and brought many delicious treats for Nyx. He hugged us both affectionately, creating a heartwarming atmosphere. I rushed to the kitchen happily to prepare several of his favorite dishes as a reward.

Jaxson glanced at me as we sat to eat and casually said, "There's a strong smell of oil here. Why don't you go take a shower?"

I calmly sniffed, then smiled proudly, saying, "That's the smell of good food. Don’t you like the smell of food?"

He chuckled as he lovingly ruffled my hair. Then he stuffed some food into my mouth and gave Nyx a piece too. "All right, my sweethearts. Let's all eat!"

After dinner, I quickly put Nyx to bed and then showered. I inched closer to Jaxson and flirtatiously asked, "Do I still smell like oil?"

Jaxson smiled and affectionately pinched me. "I've missed you so much, sweetheart!"

He pulled me toward the bed right away without giving me a chance to respond. Also, he seemed particularly enthusiastic today.

When we finished, I smiled and watched his tall figure approach the bathroom. As I was about to clean up, his phone on the bedside table flashed, indicating he had received a w******p message.

I glanced at it and froze.

The message on the screen was from a contact saved simply as "Sienna."

Below the name was a photo of a luxury hotel bed, with a man's coat draped carelessly over the armchair in the corner. Right underneath the image, a text read, "You left your jacket behind last night. I can still smell your cologne on it. When are you coming back to get it?"

My fingers trembled as I reached out to tap the notification, desperate to see the rest of their chat history.

Before my fingertip could touch the glass, the bathroom door clicked open. Jaxson walked out drying his hair with a towel, and his eyes immediately landed on my hand hovering over his nightstand.

His footsteps paused for a fraction of a second before he walked over with an easy smile and picked up the phone. "Did someone message me?"

"Someone named Sienna just sent you a photo," I said, keeping my eyes fixed on his face to catch any hint of panic. "She said you left your jacket in her hotel room last night."

Jaxson glanced at the screen and let out a helpless laugh. Without hiding the phone, he tossed it onto the bed and sat down beside me, wrapping his warm arm around my shoulders.

"Oh, that's Zane's fiancée, Sienna," Jaxson explained smoothly, his tone completely natural. "Zane drank way too much at the business reception in New York last night and ruined his suit. I lent him my spare jacket so he could get back to their hotel without freezing. Sienna must have used his contact list to message me so I'd know where to pick it up."

I stared at him, caught off guard by how quickly and calmly he answered. "Why didn't Zane just message you himself?"

"You know how Zane gets after a heavy night of drinking. He's probably still passed out cold," Jaxson sighed, leaning in to kiss my forehead affectionately. Then he pulled back slightly, his dark eyes softening with a trace of hurt. "Wait... Lyra, did you think I was hiding another woman?"

Seeing the genuine disappointment on his face made my chest tighten. "I didn't mean that. It's just that seeing a message like that so late at night startled me."

"Sweetheart, have I not given you enough security?" Jaxson pulled me tightly against his chest and rested his chin on my head. "Now that things are settled at the office, I finally talked to a top event planner about throwing you the grand wedding ceremony I've always owed you. How could I ever do anything to hurt you?"

Listening to the steady beat of his heart melted away the sharp edge of my suspicion. I leaned into his embrace and murmured softly, "I'm sorry. I think I've just been overthinking things."

"Don't apologize. It just means you love me," he whispered warmly, pulling the blanket over us. "Go to sleep now, okay?"

The next morning, Jaxson woke up early to make breakfast for us and cheerfully offered to drop Nyx off at preschool on his way to the office. I stood by the front door and watched them drive away, waving until his car disappeared down the street.

When I walked back into our bedroom to tidy up, my gaze fell on his black leather travel bag sitting by the closet.

Normally, I would just unpack his clothes and throw them straight into the laundry basket. Today, however, a lingering instinct made me walk over, kneel beside the travel bag, and unzip all the compartments one by one.

As I reached my hand deep into the inner zippered lining of the bag, my fingers brushed against a folded piece of stiff paper.

I pulled it out and unfolded it under the light.

It was a VIP payment receipt from St. Jude’s Private Hospital right here in Paris, dated the exact night he claimed to be away on his trip in New York City. My eyes dropped to the department listed at the top Obstetrics and Gynecology and right at the bottom, signed in bold black ink, was Jaxson's signature.

I stared at the patient's name printed above his signature, and the blood drained completely from my face with shock...........