Chapter 2

I sprang into action, peeling off Yvette's coat and handing her the warm water I had prepared, guiding her to the couch for a massage.

I figured no woman could turn down that level of pampering. I was right.

For a moment, guilt flickered across Yvette's face, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Eugene, you've been great with Charles today. I've got more work later, so you head to bed early," she said.

The same old lip service, pretending to care while keeping me at arm's length.

There was a time when Yvette was my everything, and I never once questioned her love for me. However, I saw a voice message from someone named Pax on Yvette's phone.

Trying to sound nonchalant, I asked, "Honey, who's Pax?"

Yvette seemed rattled as she replied, "Oh, he's just a younger guy at work, that's what everyone calls him."

"Really? He must be well-liked. Why's he contacting you so late?"

I pressed on, keeping my face calm, curious to see what tale she would spin.

However, what I did not expect was for a few simple questions to set her off.

"It's just work stuff! We're colleagues, so it's normal for him to reach out, isn't it? Why are you always so paranoid?" she snapped.

Before I could respond, Yvette stormed off into her study, leaving me to stare at her retreating figure, my heart growing colder by the second.

'If you can be heartless, Yvette, don't expect me to play the saint,' I thought bitterly.

I had a paternity test done at the hospital.

Deep down, I had my suspicions, but seeing the proof that Charles and I were not related hit me like a lightning bolt.

I was frozen in shock.

Just the day before, while massaging Yvette, I had stealthily taken a strand of her hair. The test confirmed that Charles was indeed her child, but not mine.

For a decade, I was the fool, raising another man's child, toiling away while someone else reaped the rewards.

What a joke.

It was no wonder Yvette was so adamant about our kid taking her last name when we were picking out names.

It turned out that the kid was not even mine. She was probably worried my family name would somehow spoil her precious little one's lineage.

I could not even recall how I had stumbled out of that hospital.

Staring blankly at the sky, I was haunted by the promises Yvette made on our wedding day.

"Eugene, I swear, you're the only man I'll ever love, my one and only husband."

I let out a bitter laugh. "My one and only husband..."

It all clicked. She needed a husband for show, to keep up appearances, while her heart and fun times were reserved for her lover.

However, she had made a big mistake, starting right then.

Little did Yvette know that the company she had been so proud to work for was actually mine.

She had come from nothing, and to keep her from feeling small, I had kept my wealth a secret, quietly smoothing out her path.

Her life was a breeze, and it had gone to her head.