Chapter 1

The moment I hung up, I started pacing around the house, phone in hand.

Ever since my best friend, Sebastian Ziegler, had married into a wealthy family, his wife, Natasha Carter, had kept him on a tight leash.

He had to keep her informed of his whereabouts, and she expected him to be reachable at all times. As a result, he never dared to silence his phone.

I'd returned from my business trip without any prior notice. So, if he really was hiding somewhere in my house, he probably hadn't even had the time to get dressed before scrambling for a hiding place. He might not have had the time to silence his phone, either.

But to my dismay, the call rang until it went to voicemail, and I never heard his familiar ringtone.

"What's wrong, honey?" Kiara asked, following me around with a puzzled look.

I looked her straight in the eye. "Is Sebastian here right now?"

My question seemed to have caught her by surprise.

"How is that even possible?" she asked. "He knows you're away on a business trip. I'm the only one home. Why would he come over?"

"Then why is his belt on our coffee table?"

"Oh, that!" Kiara let out a small laugh. "I cleaned up the house after you left and found it wedged between the bed and the wall. Sebastian must've left it here some time ago."

I studied Kiara's expression intently as she spoke, but she seemed perfectly relaxed. There wasn't the slightest hint of guilt on her face.

Just then, my phone buzzed. Sebastian had sent me a new message.

"Haha. Just messing with you! Check out how good I look today!"

I opened the selfie he'd just sent. It was taken in his living room, and he was wearing a different designer belt with his trousers.

Kiara leaned over to look at my screen. "See? Sebastian's at home right now. How could he possibly be at our place?"

Now that I thought about it, perhaps I had been reading too much into it.

"Come on, honey. I'll go change. Then we can head out for a nice dinner."

Kiara went into the bedroom, but I couldn't dismiss my suspicions.

If Sebastian was at home, why didn't he answer my call?

I zoomed in on the photo as much as I could. Then, I finally made out the date displayed on the TV behind him.

The photo was taken on March 31st—but today's date was April 6th.

My grip tightened around my phone.

The moment I started suspecting Sebastian, he'd sent me a photo to prove that he was at home. But that picture wasn't even taken today. Was he hiding somewhere in my house right now, watching my every move?

I glanced around the room.

Where could he be hiding?

In the closet? On the balcony? Under the bed?

My once-cozy home suddenly felt tainted. Everywhere I looked, my imagination ran wild.

Kiara and I had been together since college. We went from college sweethearts to husband and wife, and everyone envied our love story. Sebastian, on the other hand, had been my best friend for over a decade.

Suddenly, I remembered what happened six months ago.

Kiara was up for a promotion at work. She had virtually no chance of getting it, but her company's final decision left her pleasantly surprised. Afterward, Sebastian told me he'd asked his wife to pull some strings as a favor to me.

I was deeply grateful at the time. But now, I felt like an absolute fool.

They'd been sleeping together since then—and they'd even used me to cover up their affair!

Sebastian must've thought that I was an idiot. He'd only dared to taunt me with that message because he was certain I'd never catch on.

I suddenly let out a laugh. Then, I pulled out my phone and messaged both of our families.

Since Kiara and Sebastian had chosen to be shameless, I had no reason to help them preserve their dignity. I hoped they'd still find everything thrilling once they were caught red-handed.

When Kiara emerged from the bedroom, dressed and eager to drag me out for dinner, I didn't budge.

"Kiara, before we go anywhere, I'd like to talk about the affair."