1

In the third year of her marriage, Kendra Thompson discovered that her husband was cheating on her.

Not only that, she found out he was cheating on her with her best friend. The woman she trusted more than anyone. The woman who had stood beside her on her wedding day, smiling and holding her bouquet while promising to always be there for her.

Kendra stood frozen outside a locked bedroom door inside Richard's secret villa.

Her heart pounded violently against her ribs, every breath felt painful, she didn't know how to take it all.

She had followed him there after weeks of suspicion. The late nights. The secret phone calls. The strange excuses. The lipstick stain she had found on his shirt.

Each time she confronted him, Richard had twisted the story around until she ended up apologizing.

The voices coming from behind the door made her blood run cold.

"What if your wife finds out about us?" she heard a woman's voice asked nervously.

Kendra recognized the voice instantly, that was her best friend's voice.Her nails dug into her palms as she waited for Richard's answer.

Then she heard him laugh.

"Oh, that dumbass?" Richard said carelessly. "She loves me too much to get angry."

The words struck her like a punch to the chest and her eyes immediately filled with tears. He just called her dumb, she heard him right.

Inside the room, her best friend giggled.

"She's really obsessed with you. Did I tell you she wants to buy some new properties? She even said she's willing to put them in your name."

They both laughed.

"Exactly," Richard said. "She loves me so much she'd do anything for me. God, she's so dumb."

Dumb again! Kendra's lips trembled. After everything she had done for him? After sacrificing years of her life for him?

She pressed a hand against her mouth to stop herself from making a sound.

"When are you going to tell her?" her best friend asked.

Richard was silent for a moment.

Then he answered casually. "I'll tell her eventually."

His voice sounded completely unconcerned, he didn't care.

"As soon as everything is ready."

Kendra felt her stomach tighten.

Everything? What did that mean?

Then he continued. "Besides, Grandma wants a great-grandchild."

Kendra's entire body stiffened.

"And you're not ready for kids yet," he said to the other woman.

A soft laugh followed. "So once Kendra gets pregnant and gives birth, I'll kick her out."

The world stopped.

Kendra couldn't breathe. For several seconds, she simply stared at the door.

Her mind refused to process what she had just heard. He planned to use her, use her body, use her love, use her to give birth to his child, then throw her away like trash.

Tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

All these years, she had believed his lies. When he said they should wait before having children, she agreed.

When he said he wanted to focus on expanding the company first, she supported him. When he worked late, she waited up for him. When he came home drunk, she took care of him. When people questioned his intentions, she defended him.

Before Richard met her, he had nothing, no money, no connections.

She was the one who helped him build his career. She stepped down from her father's company and made him CEO. She used her family's connections to open doors for him. She invested in his dreams. She trusted him with everything she had.

And now he was sitting in a secret villa with her best friend, discussing the best way to destroy her life.

The laughter coming from inside the room continued. Neither of them had the slightest idea she was standing outside listening. Kendra lowered her head, a sob threatened to escape, but she bit her lower lip quickly so hard she tasted blood.

Slowly, she bent down and slipped off her high heels. The cold floor pressed against her bare feet as she held her shoes in one hand, she carefully stepped backward.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, one wrong move and they would hear her but fortunately, neither of them noticed.

When she finally reached the end of the hallway, she turned and hurried out.There were no maids around, no guards, since the villa was a secret. Richard had probably chosen it specifically because nobody would disturb him there.

Kendra reached her car and climbed inside.The moment the door closed, she broke into tears, a sob escaped her lips. Her hands trembled violently as she gripped the steering wheel, she simply sat there, crying, trying to understand how her life had fallen apart so quickly.

Two days ago she was still planning a surprise anniversary trip for Richard. But he has been sleeping with her best friend while she was booking flights.

A bitter laugh escaped her.How pathetic, stupid and blind she was.

She started the engine.The villa disappeared behind her as she drove out, the roads were nearly empty, streetlights blurred through her tears.

She didn't know where she was going, just kept driving, it was better than staying there.

Then her phone rang, the sound startled her. She immediately pulled over to the side of the road, brought out her phone from her bag. Her chest rose and fell rapidly.The phone continued ringing.

It was an unknown number calling. With how broken she was, she didn't want to answer it. But her index finger swiped the green button.

"Hello?"Her voice cracked.

"Am I speaking with Mrs. Thompson?" a man asked.

"Yes."

"This is Attorney Harris."

Kendra frowned, she doesn't know anyone with the name.

"I would like to inform you that the property papers are ready."

Property papers? She wiped her face and pressed the phone to her ear. "What property papers?"

There was a brief pause before he replied."The transfer documents your mother requested before her passing is ready..."

Kendra froze, her mother has properties? She didn’t even really know everything about her mother because she lived with her father, her parents separated when she was just five years old.

"I spoke to you three days ago," the lawyer continued. "Your mother instructed that all her assets be transferred to your name."

Kendra gripped the phone tighter .

The lawyer continued. "Her land, investments, estates, vehicles, company shares...everything."

Fresh tears filled her eyes. Her mother had been gone for two months. Her father died three years ago and tonight she had discovered that her husband never loved her.

The loneliness was overwhelming.

"Mrs. Thompson?"

She blinked. "Yes."

"I apologize for calling so late. I just need clarification on one detail before we finalize everything."

Kendra swallowed hard. "Go ahead."

"Do you have any children?"

Her heart skipped before she answered. "No."

The lawyer cleared his throat. "Would you like to allocate any percentage of the assets to your husband?"

"No, everything stays in my name." she said sharply,if she didn’t find out her husband was cheating, she'd be willing to give it all to him.

"Are you certain, Mrs. Thompson?" the lawyer asked.

"Yes." And that was the last thing she said before the call ended.

Kendra stared at the dark screen, she slowly placed the phone down.

She started the car again, her tears stopped falling, hearing what the lawyer said made the pain vanish a little.

An hour later, she pulled into the mansion.The sight of Richard's car in the car park instantly caught her attention.

Her eyebrows furrowed. He's already home? How?

She put on her heels and got out of her car and walked inside. She took the elevator to avoid the staff, the last thing she wanted was anyone seeing her like this.

When the elevator doors opened, she stepped into the penthouse.

And immediately froze, Richard was sitting in the living room.

His gaze landed on her instantly.

"Where are you coming from?" he asked coldly, as if he had been worried she came home late.

His voice was cold and authoritative, the same voice that once made her heart race.

Now it only made her sick, Kendra looked at him, he's the same man that called her dumb, the man she had sacrificed everything for, the man who betrayed her trust.

A bitter smile touched her lips. "None of your business."

Richard's expression darkened immediately.

She turned to go upstairs, and suddenly his hand shot out.

His fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist.

Pain shot through her arm which made Kendra flinch as she stopped. Slowly, she looked down at his hand then back at him.

His jaw clenched and his eyes were filled with anger.

"I said," he growled, tightening his grip, "where are you coming from?”