Chapter 1

Noriava City. Building 12 on Oramus Avenue, top-floor luxury penthouse.

Today was the day Callum Turner officially registered his marriage. It was also his wedding night with Victoria.

Right now, Callum was busy fixing up their new home. Thanks to his careful efforts, the apartment was decked out in festive decorations, making the whole place feel warm and full of celebration.

After seven years of love and devotion, he had finally married the woman he loved more than anyone.

Two years earlier, he had quit his job and thrown himself completely into running their household and helping Victoria build her career.

As the female CEO of Summers Group, Victoria Summers was constantly buried in work. Callum had willingly chosen to give up his own future, turning his back on a six-figure salary to quietly support his wife from behind the scenes.

Back in university, Victoria had been the campus goddess. Countless guys had tried everything to win her heart, but none had succeeded.

Only Callum had truly made it into her heart.

After they got together, Callum often felt like he must have saved the world in a past life to end up with such an incredible wife in this one.

Thinking about how tonight was their wedding night, anticipation slowly stirred in his chest. Just as he started wondering how he should "inspect" his wife later—

His phone suddenly rang.

When Callum saw the caller ID, his beautiful bride's name lighting up the screen, he immediately answered with a smile.

"Hey honey, I've already finished decorating the house, and I even made us a candlelight dinner—"

Victoria's cold voice cut him off.

"I might be home late tonight. Something important came up at the office."

A hint of disappointment crept into Callum's voice.

"Late? …Alright. Work comes first."

For some reason, he felt like something was off with her today. Her voice sounded tense, almost guilty.

But after thinking it over, he told himself she probably just felt bad about not being able to make it home because of work. That was only natural.

The moment he hung up, he suddenly got a message.

It was from Victoria's best friend, Haley Jenna.

Haley: [Callum, your wife is out on a date with another guy. Looks like the chairman of the Hayes Group's son.]

Callum froze when he saw the message.

He immediately dismissed the idea.

After seven years together, he trusted Victoria completely.

Callum: [No way!]

Haley: [Image][Image][Image][Video][Believe it or not]

The photos showed his wife, Victoria, having dinner with another man inside an intimate couples' restaurant, the whole place dripping with romantic vibes.

The guy was even serving her food… and wiping her mouth for her.

'No way.'

Callum's mind went blank with a loud ringing sound. His brain shut down instantly, like he'd been hit by lightning. He stood there frozen, unable to speak for a long time.

Photos can be doctored. But what about the video? Could it really be AI face-swapping? Was that even possible?

If Haley had just sent screenshots of chat logs, Callum never would have believed her. But she sent a full video recording. And the date was today.

In the video, his wife had even called him just moments earlier, and every word lined up perfectly.

There was no mistake. She was secretly having dinner with another man in a couples' restaurant behind his back.

Callum slammed the wine glass in his hand onto the floor. Red wine splashed everywhere as shards of glass scattered across the room. His face went dark—scary dark.

This wasn't the first time she'd secretly gone out with another guy.

Before, she could still claim her family had pressured her into going on blind dates. But now? They were already married. And she was still pulling this crap?

Every time he found out, Victoria would accuse him of being too petty. In her eyes, she was just eating and chatting with another man, and he was always blowing things way out of proportion.

Callum had thought she finally understood the problem and would never make the same mistake again.

But after seeing those photos, his heart sank right back into total despair.

Screw this.

Did she really think that just because he treated her well and put up with everything, she could betray him behind his back like this?

The thought of divorce crossed his mind instantly.

And this time, the urge was overwhelming.

A relationship built on lies was never going to turn into a happy marriage.

And betrayal would never lead to loyalty.

He ripped the festive decoration off the doorway and threw it straight into the trash.

Callum muttered, "Fine. Let's see what exactly you're trying to pull."

Callum: [Thanks. Send me the address.]

Haley: [Location shared]

Callum decided to see for himself what those two cheating bastards were up to behind his back.

…

Meanwhile, inside Love Season Restaurant.

An incredibly beautiful woman sat at the table, wearing a tight black dress paired with sheer black stockings. The outfit perfectly showed off her stunning curves, and her long legs wrapped in those silk stockings were enough to make anyone's heart race.

Her figure and her face were absolutely flawless.

At only twenty-six years old, she already had the mature allure of a woman in her prime.

Sitting across from her was a sharply dressed man in a tailored suit, looking around twenty-five.

He was Julian Hayes, the only son of the Hayes Group's chairman.

He was also Victoria's childhood friend. The two had grown up together, but he had later chosen to study abroad and had only recently returned to the country.

Julian took a gentle sip of his wine and then asked with concern, "Victoria, are you sure it's okay not to go home early on your wedding night?"

Victoria gave a soft smile.

"Julian, don't worry. My husband loves me very much. Even if I don't go home tonight, he won't get mad. Besides, we haven't seen each other in so many years. Now that we've finally reunited, of course we should spend more time together."

Pretending to be thoughtful, Julian said, "I'm just worried it might cause problems in your marriage. Wouldn't your husband be upset if he found out?"

Victoria couldn't help but complain.

"He's a little too sensitive when it comes to things like this. If he knew, he'd definitely make a big deal out of it, which is why I told him I was working late at the office. I didn't want him overthinking things. Honestly, I don't get why a grown man has to be so petty."

Over the years, Victoria's family had set her up on a lot of blind dates. And every time Callum found out, he would get furious.

Julian sighed.

"If it were me, I'd cherish you, Victoria. I'd never lose my temper over something this small."

Victoria felt a flicker of warmth in her heart when she heard that.

"Julian, you really do get me. It would've been great if Callum were more like you. But don't worry—so what if he finds out? We haven't done anything wrong."

Then she smiled confidently.

"Callum can't live without me. He loves me way too much. There's no way he'd leave over something this minor. Even if I told him to be the second man in my life, he still wouldn't walk away."

"It's just annoying when he makes a big scene about it," she added with a helpless tone.

Julian gently took Victoria's hand and said tenderly, "Victoria, don't be upset. Your husband doesn't understand you, but I do. Guys are like that. The easier something is to get, the less they value it. If it were me, I'd treasure you completely."

His gaze suddenly turned emotional.

"If I hadn't left back then… the person standing by your side right now would've been me."

Victoria instinctively tried to pull her hand away.

But after hesitating for a moment, she stopped resisting and let him keep holding her soft hand.

Since Victoria had booked out the entire restaurant, combined with Julian's intimate moves, the atmosphere instantly became charged.

Their eyes met.

Victoria's gaze unconsciously drifted away in embarrassment.

And right at that moment, a cold, furious voice suddenly cut through the air.

"You two been holding hands long enough?"

The second she heard that familiar voice, Victoria's face changed completely. She yanked her hand back and turned toward the sound.

A strikingly handsome man stood there, staring at her coldly.

His eyes were filled with despair… and furious disbelief.