I Attended My Husband’s Office Party for the First Time, but I Never Expected to See His Other ‘Wife’ There

I was curled up on the couch with Oliver, watching a movie, when his laptop pinged. He had stepped into the bathroom, leaving it open on the coffee table. I glanced at the glowing subject line:

“Dear Mr. Oliver, We are happy to announce the New Year party is coming up! Dress code: White Party. You may bring your plus-one (your wife).”

I blinked. His company never allowed plus-ones. I’d heard him complain about it countless times. Yet here it was, in black and white—plus-one, specifically his wife.

When Oliver returned, I tried to sound casual, “Your office is throwing a New Year’s party?”

He closed the laptop quickly. “Oh, yeah. Nothing big. Just the usual end-of-year stuff.”