Chapter 2

I instantly noticed the tattoo on Freddie's collarbone, which was a design of a maple leaf. I had seen an identical one on Zara's lower abdomen. She had explained that she got it to mark the day we first met, when the maple leaves had turned red.

I found it ironic that I was so affected by her gesture back then, when in reality, it was actually a matching tattoo for her and Freddie. If I hadn't bumped into him that day, I would have remained unaware of her long-standing extramarital affair.

I felt a strange sense of clarity amidst my rage. I immediately exposed Freddie, saying, "I happen to know that Zara is married to a Mr. Simm, who bears no resemblance to you whatsoever.

"You're acting incredibly bold for being a homewrecker! You'd better get Zara down here this instant! I'd like to see how she intends to deal with us!"

Freddie was clearly hurt by my jab about him being a homewrecker. He snapped, "You'd better not bring up that useless man in front of me! You ought to know that in a relationship, the one who isn't loved is the real outsider!

"It just so happens that my wife is coming over to see me today, so I'll call her over this instant! You're all in for it now!"

He instantly adopted a cute, whiny voice as soon as the call connected. "When are you arriving, Zara? I'm at the swimming pool right now, getting bullied by two old men! They even called me a homewrecker! You have to come over and put them in their place!

"You should also make this swimming pool private from now on, giving me exclusive access to it! I've just picked up some new techniques in the water, and I'm dying to show them to you!"

He looked even more smug than before after hanging up the phone, saying, "Zara will be here in half an hour. You guys are done for now! She's got more than enough ways to deal with you two!"

I was trembling with rage; the mere thought that Zara had worn a mask of devotion before me while betraying me with another Freddie filled me with such revulsion that I felt on the verge of retching.

Noah, noticing my reaction, grasped the situation. He gritted his teeth with indignation and snarled, "How can Zara be such a disgrace? She's exactly like her mother! I can just as easily reclaim everything I've given her!"

Noah loathed infidelity. His wife had cheated on him with a younger man years ago and had conned him out of every cent, leading to their divorce. He had to rebuild his career while raising Zara alone.

He never imagined that the daughter he had sacrificed so much for would turn out to be a cheater just like her mother. He had recently allowed Zara to oversee a portion of his hundred-plus hotels, but he remained the one truly in control of the empire.

I was able to marry Zara because I naturally had a family background that was no less than hers. It was just that, because of my preference for the arts, the public mistakenly perceived me as a gold digger, not knowing that I was the sole heir to the Simm family.

I was suddenly eager to find out how Zara would try to justify herself to us.

I noticed the pallor on Noah's face just then. I was instantly alarmed. I quickly moved to steady him, intending to help him out of the swimming pool so that he could change into some dry clothes.

Freddie sneered and raised his chin slightly. Wyatt instantly grasped the command, hoisted himself out of the swimming pool, and kicked Noah while he was attempting to exit the swimming pool via the ladder.

I immediately moved to retrieve Noah once again after he abruptly fell back into the swimming pool.

Freddie laughed from the side of the swimming pool. "You two look so pathetic, flailing around like ducks in the water! Didn't you guys enjoy staying in there? You shouldn't come out then!"

He then turned to Wyatt and said, "You have to make sure they don't come up before Zara gets here, Wyatt!"

Wyatt, acting like a total sycophant, said, "You can rest assured that I've got this under control, Freddie! I just hope you remember to put in a good word for me when Ms. Quinlan gets here."

From then on, no matter how hard Noah and I struggled to climb out of the swimming pool, Wyatt would repeatedly kick us back into the water. It wasn't long before our strength gradually drained away, and Noah suddenly started gasping for breath while clutching his chest, too weak to even speak.

I let him lean on my shoulder and called out to those on the pool deck in desperation. "Do you guys really want to get someone killed? Dad is suffering a heart attack right now, so hurry up and let us get out of here! I swear you'll regret every second of this when Zara shows up!"

Wyatt looked nervous and turned to Freddie, clearly afraid of the consequences.

Freddie, however, just laughed dismissively. "You old guys are all the same, always full of tricks! You're actually having a heart attack now, huh? You didn't seem to have a problem a minute ago!"

He then ordered Wyatt, saying, "Go shut off the pool heater. I'd like to see how much longer he can keep up the act!"