**Betrayal Proof: A Cold and Exquisite Revenge**
They lived together for thirty-five yearsnearly half a lifetime. James and Evelyn. It all began like an old-fashioned romancedancing in the rain, late-night conversations, shared dreams of a home with a garden. Evelyn was petite, quiet, fragile-looking, yet with a core of steel. James was ambitious, eyes burning with drive, always chasing something more.
They weathered poverty, debt, moves across cities, and losses. When James built his business from nothing, Evelyn held everything togetherhome, children, bills, illnesses. When success finally came, bringing comfort and stability, James fell in love. With his new secretary, tall and leggy, who laughed at his jokes and lingered a touch too long on his arm.
He acted swiftly. He hired expensive solicitors to keep the housethe one built brick by brick, renovated by their hands, where Evelyn had planted rose bushes and embroidered cushions. The home that had once been their shared dream.
The court awarded the house to James. Evelyn had two months to leave. But she was gone in two days. No tears, no drama. Silent. She packed her bags, called the movers. And as her parting gift, she scattered crumbs of boiled codbehind curtains, under windowsills, inside the vents. Leftovers from the farewell dinner shed made for herself, alone at the empty table.
James new love moved into the “dream home” days later. Everything seemed perfect: the light, the space, the fireplace, the balcony. Yet within 24 hours, a putrid stench seeped through the walls. Nothing could remove itnot scrubbing, not air fresheners, not renovations.
The stench grew worse. They scrubbed floors, replaced carpets, left windows open. Bought air purifiers. Useless. Friends stopped visiting. No one could stand the smell.
James tried to sell. But rumours spread through the village. Buyers fled after ten minutes. Estate agents refused to help. The house became a curse.
The couple took on a crushing mortgage for a new place. Money ran dry. Then Evelyn called:
*”How are things, James?”*
*”Awful,”* he admitted, broken. *”The house wont sell. Were ruined.”*
*”How strange,”* she replied, calm. *”You know, I miss that house. Would you sell it to me? For say, ten percent of its value?”*
James nearly wept with relief. He agreed instantly. Ten percent? A small price to escape the nightmare.
The next day, Evelyn arrived with a notary. Papers were signed in minutes. The couple left for their new home. She stepped into the empty house, took a deep breathand smiled for the first time in years.
But the story wasnt over.
The couple took everything from their old homefurniture, curtains, even the curtain rods! Especially the rods. James wouldnt leave a single thing for his ex-wife. He dismantled them himself. And with them, he carried the source of the stench.
In their new home, the smell appeared the very next morning.
Evelyn had known it would. She never called again.
Now, in her home, she enjoys silence, clean walls, and roses in bloom. While James lives under a self-inflicted curse. For betrayal. For pride. For forgetting who stood by him when he had nothing.
