Chapter 1

I had clearly sent the text message to Solomon Geyser, but for some reason, the reply came from an unknown number instead.

Had the scammers already run out of new ideas?

I was just about to turn off my phone and quietly wait for death. However, the phone vibrated again.

"Ivy, the pills you ate just now weren't sleeping pills. They were just vitamins that Melanie switched out beforehand. She did that so you would make a fool of yourself to drive a wedge between you and Solomon."

I felt a shudder.

Melanie Cosgrove was the name of the woman that Solomon had brought back that day. But if it was all just an evil prank, how did the person on the other end of this line also know about it?

The door was suddenly kicked right open.

My husband, Solomon, stood at the door, livid. "Are you done kicking up a fuss, Ivana Wesley?"

He glanced at the shattered wedding photo on the floor and frowned even harder.

"You know that Melanie and I were only fooling around. Did you really have to go and do this?"

I lowered my eyes, feeling exhausted from everything. Solomon had been "fooling around" way too many times for me to keep count anymore. In fact, it happened so often that I didn't even know who was supposed to be the female protagonist of his life anymore.

Now that it had come to this, there was only one more question I needed to ask.

"You once made an oath that you would love me for the rest of my life. But did you really love me when you said those words to me?"

Solomon acted as though he'd just heard the biggest joke of the century. He answered frustratedly, "Who hadn't made such an oath when they were younger? You were the only one still clinging to it as though it were gospel."

Then, he gave me a thorough once-over.

"Can't you even look at yourself in the mirror, Ivana? Look at how saggy your skin is now. I'd rather just take care of things myself than sleep with you again.

"Also, I'm only sleeping with all those women because of my needs. It's exactly the same as eating food when you're hungry. What's the point of you constantly comparing yourself to these 20-something year-olds anyway?"

Every single word he said sent a shiver down my spine. In the end, my head was completely lowered, and I didn't even want to look at him anymore. Yet, he became even more frustrated when he saw that I was remaining silent.

Suddenly, he caught sight of the pill bottle on the floor. His expression darkened at once. "What did you eat?"

He glared at me. "Are you out of your mind? Come with me to the hospital at once!"

He came over and grabbed me by my wrist, wanting to drag me out while ignoring my protests.

Just then, Melanie's airy voice floated in from outside the door.

"Don't fret, Sol. Can't you see that Ivana's still fine? If she really wanted to kill herself by taking all those sleeping pills, she would have already fallen unconscious by now."

Solomon froze. His eyes were filled with scrutiny when he looked at me again.

I saw Melanie appearing at the door. There was a smug, provoking look in her eyes, as if she was waiting for me to make a fool of myself.

That somehow made me think of the text message I'd just received earlier.

I flung off Solomon's hand and answered calmly, "I'm fine. I just took a few vitamins."

"Vitamins?" he echoed, his brows furrowing.

After checking me over and making sure that I was alright, he turned to Melanie and asked, "And why did you say just now that Ivana was trying to kill herself with sleeping pills?"

Melanie was stunned, her gaze sweeping across me very quickly. Then, her face broke into a smile, and she hooked her arms around his.

"I was just worried because she was taking pills behind a locked door. It's not like she never did such a thing in the past, right?"

Solomon's expression softened as he pulled her into his arms. When he turned to look at me again, there was only tiredness and exhaustion left. "Then, just go to sleep if there isn't anything else."

Right after that, he turned around and left without lingering.

I felt my heart sink as I watched them leave in each other's arms.

I'd known Solomon since high school, and we were married for ten years. After spending 20 years of our lives together, he had already touched and memorized every path and crevice of my body like it was his own. That was why he shifted his sights to other women in the first place.

He kept changing the women by his side, again and again. Somehow, Melanie looked a lot like how I used to when I was younger. She was the 100th person that Solomon had cheated on me with, and she was also the one who had managed to stay by his side for the longest.

I heard giggles and laughter from the hallway outside.

"Come on, Sol. You should be joining me in the shower."

Solomon's low laughter followed.

I sat quietly by the edge of the bed, listening to the sound of water coming from the attached bathroom in the master bedroom.

It used to belong to him and me, but now, another woman's laughter was ringing from it.

To my surprise, my heart didn't seem to hurt anymore.

So, this was what utter disappointment felt like.

My phone lit up again with a text message.

"I'm really sorry, Ivy."

I remained silent for a long while. Finally, I replied.

"Are you really Solomon ten years from now?"