Chapter 2

And then there were the 14th of every month, when Jess always found one excuse or another to avoid seeing me… so that was where she had been. With Sonny.

What else was there left not to understand?

Not far away, the police seemed to finish lecturing them and began to leave.

Sonny took Jess's hand, as if ready to lead her away.

In that moment, I decided to give her one last chance.

I called her.

Sonny noticed. His brows furrowed, and he said irritably, "Don't answer. You promised today was just for me. If it weren't for him meddling, we'd be having a romantic night right now."

Jess immediately coaxed him like a child. "Alright, alright, I won't answer. It's my fault. I'll listen to you."

And just like that, she let her phone vibrate wildly in her pocket without even glancing at it.

The last trace of warmth in my heart faded with each pulse of that ringing.

Still unwilling to give up, I hung up and called again.

This time, Sonny reached straight into her pocket, snatched the phone, and pressed the end call button.

Jess didn't show the slightest hint of anger. Instead, she pinched his cheek affectionately. "You're so jealous. Didn't I tell you already? Everything I have is yours—except the title."

Sonny let out a soft laugh and pulled her closer. "Including your love?"

Jess nodded without hesitation, her voice carrying clearly to where I was.

"I stopped loving Grayson a long time ago. But we've been together for so many years—I can't just abandon him like that. Sonny, don't be jealous of him, okay?"

The two of them held each other tightly.

Sonny lifted his head, looked past Jess's shoulder, and raised his brow in the direction of my car.

He had noticed me long ago.

Which meant everything just now—the words, the performance—had been meant for me.

The last illusion in my heart—that maybe she had her reasons—shattered completely.

I pulled out my phone and called the property management office.

I had them replace the entire smart lock system for my apartment.

All of Jess's access permissions—fingerprints, passcodes, backup keys—were revoked and completely invalidated.

By the time I finished, the elevator doors slid open.

I walked into the empty apartment. Without turning on the lights, I went straight to the study and dropped heavily into the chair.

In the darkness, I tried to make sense of the past ten years.

We had gone from campus couple to wedding plans. The invitations had already been sent. Our parents had long since begun treating each other as family.

How was I supposed to explain this now?

I felt a surge of irritation.

I pulled open the desk drawer, intending to find a cigarette, but my hand brushed against a cold metal box.

Jess had left it there. She'd said it contained work-related items and told me not to touch it.

As if possessed, I opened it.

Inside was a stack of photographs. In them, Jess and Sonny were naked, entangled together—on the large bed in our bedroom.

I flipped through them one by one, my fingers trembling. Until one photograph made the blood in my body run cold.

In the corner of the frame was my sleeping profile.

It hit me all at once—at some point, Jess had developed a habit of bringing me a warm glass of milk every night. She said it helped me sleep.

So that was the reason. Not only had I been betrayed—I had been turned into a prop. A sleeping spectator in their filthy game.

My stomach churned violently. I rushed into the bathroom and vomited until I was dizzy. So this was what it meant to be sick to the core.

Just then, the door lock beeped—the sound of a correct passcode unlocking the door.

I wiped my mouth and stepped out, coming face-to-face with two startled expressions.

"Grayson? When did you get back? Weren't you on a business trip?"

Jess's eyes darted, unable to meet mine.