ログインThree days after their big fight, Ronan had gone abroad with his daughter and Mia for a short vacation.
Now, he was back. He called one of the housemaids, Hanosa. “Where is Sarah?” he asked flatly while taking off his coat. “Is she in her room? Ask her when I can come in.” Hanosa lowered her head politely before answering carefully. “I’m sorry, Sir. Madam Sarah hasn’t returned yet. She left this morning. Maybe she’ll be home soon.” Ronan only nodded. After the maid left, Ronan walked toward Sarah’s room. After sleeping with Mia at her apartment, he planned to do the same with Sarah tonight. But now, he lay on Sarah’s bed, watching an adult video he had filmed with Mia. His reason was simple—he could never get aroused by his wife anymore. So he started to foreplay himself while waiting for her. But an hour passed. The clock on the wall showed eleven at night, and Ronan was still sitting on the edge of Sarah’s bed with a dark expression. He frowned and stared at the window covered by curtains. Sarah had never stayed out this late before. Her routine was always the same—come home on time, eat dinner quietly, then spend time with Shenina before going to sleep. But tonight was different. The silence in the house made his chest feel tight with a feeling he could not describe—a mix of anxiety and irritation. He finally reached for his phone, intending to call her. But as soon as he opened his contact list, his fingers froze. The list was long, filled with names of business partners, his secretary, even a few women who shouldn’t still be there. But there wasn’t a single name that belonged to Sarah. He frowned, staring at the screen that had no trace of his wife’s number. Only tonight did he realize something so simple that after six years of marriage, he had never even saved his wife’s phone number. Ronan exhaled deeply, holding back a frustration he couldn’t explain. He walked out of the room and went downstairs with heavy steps. Hanosa, the loyal maid who had served since his parents’ time, looked uneasy when Ronan stopped in front of the kitchen. “Hanosa,” Ronan said softly but sharply. “Give me Sarah’s phone number.” Hanosa hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, Sir.” She took a small notebook from the table and wrote down a few digits on a piece of paper. “This is the number Madam often uses,” she said cautiously. Ronan snatched the paper without a word of thanks and went back upstairs. His footsteps were quick and heavy, showing how tense his mind was that night. As soon as he returned to Sarah’s room, he dialed the number. The call tone rang… once, twice, five times. No answer. Ronan clenched his jaw. He tried again, but still no response. His mind began to fill with a mix of anger and something he hated to admit—worry. “Where did that woman go at this hour?” he muttered under his breath. He threw the phone onto the bed, then grabbed it again roughly. This time, he typed a message in all capital letters. “WHERE ARE YOU?” “COME HOME. NOW.” The message was sent, and the screen showed that it was delivered. But an hour passed, and there was still no sign of it being read. Ronan stared at his phone, his face tense. Every second that passed made his blood boil even more. He gripped the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white. There was nothing Ronan Vexler hated more than being ignored. And tonight, the wife he always thought was obedient had dared to ignore him. “How dare you ignore me, Sarah…” he whispered coldly, his voice filled with barely restrained fury. He cursed under his breath and threw the phone back onto the bed. “When you get home, I swear you’ll regret this,” he growled. “I’ll make sure of it.” He began pacing back and forth in the room, his mind full of suspicion. Where could she have gone this late? To her family’s house? No. Sarah would never dare return to the Langford residence. He knew that she hated the scornful looks from her family. Then where? Ronan frowned, his thoughts turning to a darker possibility. Did Sarah have another man? Was she dating someone tonight? His jaw tightened, and his eyes gleamed dangerously. But a moment later, he brushed the thought away with a bitter laugh. “Impossible,” he muttered with a scoff. “Sarah isn’t that brave.” He sat back on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the silent phone. “You’re too stupid and weak to cheat,” he said quietly, half mocking. “Besides, what kind of man would even want a woman like you?” A crooked smile formed on his lips. “A pathetic drama queen. Fragile and pitiful.” Ronan leaned back against the headboard, staring at the ceiling as his eyelids grew heavy. But before he drifted to sleep, one thought crossed his mind—a faint, uneasy feeling he couldn’t shake off. And that night, Sarah did not come home. It was the first time in six years of their marriage that she stayed out all night.“I see it now,” Alex continued, his voice trembling as he held back his anger. “With my own eyes. You are abusing your wife.” Ronan was startled. Instinctively, his hand released the pinch at once, as if burned. Sarah pulled her arm back to her chest, her fingers trembling as she rubbed the aching spot. “Were you following me?” Ronan snapped, his face flushing red. “How dare you stalk us!” His voice rose, loud enough to make several guests in the distance turn their heads, though they were still too far away to fully understand the situation. “That’s illegal,” Ronan added quickly, trying to regain control. “You followed us! We’re husband and wife. This is a private matter!” Alex stepped forward one pace. “You’re forgetting one thing, Ronan,” he said coldly. “This is a public banquet. I wasn’t following anyone. I simply saw a woman being hurt right in front of my eyes.” He glanced briefly at Sarah, then looked back at Ronan. “You’re extremely rough with your wife. Something is cl
“What are you doing to my wife?” he snapped, his piercing gaze locked onto Alex. Sarah flinched. Her body trembled even more as she was pulled. Her breath caught, and instinctively she folded both arms in front of her chest and lowered her head, trying to calm herself. But the shaking would not stop. Ever since Ronan’s slap earlier, her body seemed to have lost all control. Alex raised both hands, his palms open. “No,” he said quickly but calmly. “I’m not doing anything. I was just trying to help your wife. Look at her. She’s shaking.” Ronan snorted, glanced briefly at Sarah, then looked back at Alex with a cold, fabricated smile. “Oh, that?” he said lightly, as if this were nothing more than a small misunderstanding. “That’s because she’s hungry. She hasn’t eaten dinner yet.” Sarah lifted her face slightly, startled. Ronan continued without giving her any chance to object. “We were actually planning to eat and enjoy the banquet,” he went on, his tone sounding convincing. “B
Sarah straightened her back, even though the throbbing pain in her cheek still pulsed like waves that refused to recede. Her eyes met Ronan’s directly, as she tried to gather whatever courage she had left. “I don’t have any kind of relationship with him,” she said at last, her voice low yet firm. “We’re just friends. That’s all.” Ronan let out a short laugh, humorless. There was a sharp note of sarcasm in it. “I don’t care,” he said coldly. “I still don’t like it. Stay away from him.” Sarah frowned. “Why?” she shot back. “Am I not allowed to have friends?” Ronan’s gaze hardened. His jaw clenched, the vein at his temple tightening. “No,” he said without hesitation. “You are not allowed to be friends with that man!” That possessive tone made Sarah’s chest feel tight. She drew in a breath, then smiled faintly—a smile that looked more like a challenge. “Why?” she asked softly. “Is it because he’s richer than you?” The words had barely landed when Ronan moved. SLAP! The sou
Alex greeted Sarah the moment their eyes met. His smile appeared naturally, different from the polite smile he gave to other guests. There was real warmth in it, as if the grand room suddenly shrank until only the distance between the two of them existed.“Sarah,” he said lightly, then without hesitation, he reached out his hand first.The gesture was simple, yet it was enough to make Sarah freeze for a moment. Instinctively, she glanced to the side, toward Ronan.Ronan’s jaw tightened, his gaze sharpening. He clearly did not like what he was seeing. There was restrained anger in his expression, cold but pressing, as if the grip of his hand on Sarah’s arm was meant to remind her of her place and her role tonight.Sarah took a slow breath. Refusing Alex’s handshake would look rude, even suspicious, especially in front of so many important eyes. With a trained, thin smile, she finally reached out and shook Alex’s hand.“Hi,” Alex said, his smile widening. “I did not expect to see you he
The next day, exactly on the appointed night, Sarah stood in front of the mirror in the Vexler family guest room. A long dark-colored gown wrapped her body elegantly, chosen by one of Madam Vexler’s assistants without asking for her opinion. Her hair was neatly styled, her face lightly made up, just enough to make her look proper standing among a noble family.Ronan waited outside the room. When Sarah stepped out, he glanced at her briefly, then gave a short nod. There was no praise. No comment. Only a brief evaluation, like someone inspecting an item before taking it out.“Remember,” Ronan said quietly as they walked toward the car. “Focus. Smile. Do not drift off.”Sarah nodded. “I know.”“And behave like a good wife,” Ronan added, his tone hardening slightly. “Do not make me repeat it there.”The drive to the Hermes family residence was silent. City lights flashed past the window while Sarah sat upright with her hands folded in her lap. She took a slow breath, preparing herself for
Ronan let out a light sigh, as if Sarah were the one asking too many questions. He looked at her with an expression of patience that felt forced.“Because those are two different things,” he replied calmly.Sarah looked at him, confused.“You are my wife,” Ronan continued. “The mother of my child. That position cannot be replaced.”Then he added in a flat tone, “Mia is my happiness.”The words pierced without needing to be raised. Ronan spoke as if dividing roles in his life was something normal and rational.“I want our household to run well,” he went on. “Without drama. Without excessive behavior. You stay in your position, and I will not make things difficult for you.”Sarah gave a small smile, barely visible. Not because it was funny, but because her heart was already too tired to be shocked.“So,” she said softly, “according to you, fixing this relationship means I stay silent, obedient, and pretend, while you continue being with another woman.”Ronan did not deny it. He simply l







