Chapter 4

I forced down my anger and took photos of all the evidence. I then organized it with the videos I had taken before and submitted everything to the military with a single tap. The military took soldiers' marriages seriously, and what they had done could be charged under the crime of interfering with a military marriage.

Just as I was done, Maya came out of the shower.

By then, I had already regained my calm. I said, "Let's do what you want for your birthday."

-

On Maya's birthday, everyone showed up to celebrate with the two of them.

During the meal, Randy suddenly stood up and handed Maya a beautifully wrapped gift.

As soon as Maya opened it and saw the sexy lingerie inside, the whole room began cheering.

Randy raised his eyebrows at me. "See how good I am to you? Absence makes the heart grow fonder, you know? So, I'm helping you warm her up."

Then, he turned to Maya and said meaningfully, "Drink more tonight. Don't forget to put it on."

Maya blushed shyly and scolded him for messing around.

Seeing the cold look on my face, Randy put on an exaggerated expression. "What's wrong? No way! You two have been back together for days and still haven't done it?"

Everyone else burst into laughter and started mocking me.

"No way, man. Are you a monk or something? Or are you useless down there?"

"Oh, then aren't you afraid your wife will find someone else? Why don't we help you check?"

My gaze calmly swept across the room as I said coldly, "Then go to prison. Interfering with a military marriage carries up to three years. Since you want to experience it so badly, why not give it a try?"

Everyone's expressions changed, and the room instantly fell silent.

Maya turned to me unhappily. "What are you doing, Eric?! Everyone was just joking! Why do you have to ruin the mood? You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

I sneered and shot back, "Shouldn't you know exactly what I mean? Do you really need me to list everything you and Randy have done, one by one?"

Maya instantly lost her composure. She pretended to be hurt and accused me through tears. "It's my birthday! It's bad enough that you didn't even get me a present. Now, you're slandering me in front of everyone?!"

Randy jumped in to accuse me, too. "I was kind enough to help you look after your home and worry about your relationship over these past two years. I never thought you'd turn around and blame me for it. Maybe you're the one who cheated, and now you're trying to pin it on someone else first!"

Seeing this, everyone else looked indignant and started criticizing me.

"So, he becomes some minor officer in the military and starts throwing his weight around, slandering ordinary civilians. How is Randy supposed to get some justice?"

"Exactly! Some friend you are! You're disgusting! Quick, open the door and let everyone see how he's using his authority to bully civilians!"

In the chaos, someone even slammed into my crotch on purpose and shouted, "It's useless anyway, so let me help fix it!"

Just as the uproar was intensifying, the door opened, and six people in military uniform walked in.

After looking around the room, one of them asked in a deep voice, "Which of you is Randy Long and Maya Palin?"

Everyone froze when they heard that. Then, they seemed to recover and quickly crowded forward, talking over one another as they tried to cozy up to them.

"Oh, Sir, you've come at the right time. We were just about to report that one of your soldiers is defaming a civilian."

"That's right. My friend kindly helped him look after his home, but he accused my friend of sleeping with his wife."

"I think he's the one fooling around, and now, he wants an excuse for divorce."

The soldier leading the way coldly pushed aside the person blocking him and walked toward the only woman in the room.

"You're Maya Palin, wife of Eric Palin, correct? We received a report that you and Randy Long are involved in the interference of a military marriage. The evidence is conclusive. You'll need to come with us now."