Guest User: My Marriage's Betrayal

Allison Benson's POV

The doctor's appointment was scheduled for ten in the morning. I needed to download my three-month health report from the smart ring app. Dr. Chen specifically requested a detailed data report covering my menstrual cycle regularity, sleep patterns, and stress levels.

Calvin, my husband, had insisted I wear his company's prototype product-the "Aura" smart ring-claiming it was to "support my IVF journey." He said my data was crucial for optimizing their women's health algorithms.

I opened the Aura app on my tablet. The company's logo flashed on the screen, a glowing, stylized feminine symbol. My finger hovered over the "Download Report" button. Right at that moment, an unexpected window popped up on the screen-"User Selection." It listed two names: my name, Allison Benson, and right below it, another name: Katerina Copeland.

Katerina Copeland. The name struck me like a bolt of lightning. She was a junior product manager at Calvin's company, AuraTech.

I had seen her at a few company events. Young, smart, and always impeccably dressed. But why was her name on my app? This was my ring, my data. An icy wave of unease washed over me.

Almost involuntarily, my finger tapped Katerina's name. A brand-new page loaded. It was her personal profile, detailed and comprehensive.

My eyes scanned the data: cycle records, sleep scores, activity levels. Her data logs stretched back for months, continuous and complete, far exceeding what I saw in my own account.

I kept scrolling, past various charts. The final entry was highlighted in a glaring green. It wasn't a standard cycle log, but a status update, clear and piercing-"Pregnancy Log: Week 24." My vision began to blur. Week 24, six months, a baby. Her baby, Calvin's baby.

My hands shook violently. I quickly navigated back to my own profile page. My data was there, but sparse and fragmented. A few weeks here, a few days there, leaving massive blank gaps.

My cycle logs, my desperate attempts and efforts to get pregnant, had been reduced to these incomplete fragments. I noticed a nearly invisible little tag under my name: "Temporary User. Data auto-clears every 90 days."

A Temporary User, a temporary placeholder.

My mind was in utter chaos. He gave me the ring, saying it was for us, for our shared dream of a family. But in reality, he was just treating me as a temporary data tester, a disposable account that could be tossed aside at any moment.

And Katerina was the "Primary User." All the way to delivery. His system had clearly defined our roles. I was the temporary guest, and she was the permanent resident.

It was absolutely sickening!

Calvin's late nights at work, his sudden "business trips," the absent-minded look in his eyes whenever I talked about IVF treatments.

They had planned it all along, how they were going to replace me.

The doctor's appointment now felt like a sick joke. I grabbed my phone, found the appointment, and deleted it without hesitation.

An intense urge to flee surged within me; I wanted to escape this life.

I looked around the luxurious living room. Every piece of furniture, every decoration felt tainted; I stood up, walked into the bedroom, pulled a small duffel bag from the closet, and haphazardly stuffed a few clothes inside. I had to leave. I needed air.

The sound of the front door opening echoed through the silent house. Calvin was back, earlier than usual. My heart raced, like a drum pounding wildly against my ribcage. He never came home this early unless he thought I wasn't here.

"Allison?" His voice sounded light, tinged with surprise. "You're home?"

He walked into the living room, briefcase in hand, and stopped. His eyes swept the room and finally landed on me and the half-open bag. He frowned slightly. "What's going on? Did you miss your appointment?"

"No." My voice was flat, devoid of emotion. "I canceled it."

He took off his coat and casually draped it over a chair. "Why? Is everything okay? Weren't you really anxious about this checkup?" He didn't wait for my answer, walking straight into the kitchen and tossing his keys onto the marble counter with a sharp clink. "I'm starving. I've been busy all day, didn't even get to eat lunch."

He opened the fridge, looking down to rummage for food, and hastily took a few bites; I watched him. This man was actually sleeping around with another woman!

He returned to the living room holding a bottle of water. "I need a shower, today's meetings were exhausting."

A few minutes later, he walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, drying his hair as he walked. He looked refreshed and completely oblivious. "So," he said, running a hand through his damp hair, "ready to go get some dinner? I was thinking we could try that new Italian place."

"Calvin," I started, my voice perfectly calm, without a single ripple of emotion, "are you going to come with me to my next IVF checkup?"

He paused, the towel still in his hands. His shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly. "Another checkup? Allison, we just did one last week. You know how swamped I am right now; the Series C funding is urgent." His voice was gentle, but I could hear the underlying impatience. "This is a critical time for AuraTech, you understand that, right?"

"This is critical for us too." I raised my voice slightly. "This is for our baby, Calvin. This is our last cycle, and if it fails, we have to re-evaluate everything. You promised you'd be there for me."

He walked over and placed a hand on my arm. "Of course, honey. I'll try to make time. I'll see if I can rearrange my schedule, it's just... work is absolutely crazy right now. You understand, right?"

"No, Calvin. I don't understand why Katerina Copeland is listed as the 'Primary User' on the Aura app, and why her profile says 'Pregnancy Log: Week 24,' while I am just a 'Temporary User' whose data gets wiped every 90 days."

Calvin froze. A flash of panic crossed his usually confident eyes. He took a step back.

"What are you talking about, Allison? What app? Are you snooping through my things again? That is company property, you have no right to look at internal data."

My heart was beating frantically, but a strange calmness settled over me. This was his playbook. Manipulate, deflect.

He had always done this, but today was different. I recalled the countless times he accused me of being paranoid or overreacting whenever I questioned his overly intimate texts with Katerina, or the necessity of him "mentoring" her late at night. He always brushed me off like this.

"She's new, Allison. She needs extra guidance."

"She's smart, Allison. I need her on this project." That was his explanation when I found Katerina's name repeatedly popping up on his personal phone.

And I, like a fool, always apologized for my "insecurities," thinking it was my problem.

"No, Calvin, I was just checking my own health report-the data report on the ring you gave me specifically for the IVF. And I found Katerina's profile, a 'Primary User' account, logging 24 weeks of pregnancy."

His eyes narrowed as he tried to find any sign of wavering on my face. "Allison, that... that's a system glitch. I can explain it to you."

I let out a cold laugh, heavy with sarcasm. "A glitch? A 'glitch' that turns a wife who has poured everything into realizing our dream of a family into a 'Temporary User,' while making your subordinate the 'Primary User'?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Allison, stop talking nonsense. You are my wife. This is just... a technical error. It has nothing to do with us."

"Does it really have nothing to do with us?" A wave of nausea hit me. "Does your 'technical error' also include bringing Katerina home? Into our house?"

His eyes darted around the room, as if looking for hidden cameras. "She... she wasn't feeling well, she got dizzy suddenly. I just brought her back to rest for a bit before taking her home." He stammered.

"And are the 'special notes' in her pregnancy log about 'high risk, continuous monitoring required' and 'prenatal care expenses paid from shared account' also technical glitches, Calvin?"

He exploded. "Allison, you're crazy! This is internal company business! You are clearly unstable and making things up!" He pointed at me, his face flushing red. "I have a board meeting tomorrow, I don't have time to listen to your baseless accusations!"

He turned to leave, fleeing to his usual safe haven-"work." "We'll talk when you calm down. Maybe you need to go see Dr. Evans again and get your stress levels adjusted."

I stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "There won't be a 'later,' Calvin. And I won't 'calm down.' I am leaving you!"

He tried to push past me. "Allison, move! You are being utterly unreasonable!"

I stood my ground, unmoving, but inside, I had completely woken up!