Chapter 2

The doting smile on Zane's face cracked and slowly crumbled away.

He stared at me blankly, and it took him a few seconds to find his voice, which carried a trace of bewildered absurdity. "What are you talking about, Sadie? Where did you hear that name from?"

In just a split second, that familiar face I knew so well slipped back into a look of hurt and helplessness. He reached out to touch my face, and his voice sounded low and aggrieved.

"Sadie, Cassie is just a new intern in my team. There was a problem with a project today, so I just helped her out a little."

The hurt in his tone, like he had been wrongly accused, was perfectly measured. I would have thought I was being unreasonable too, if I hadn't seen the photos with my own eyes.

Zane tried to pull me into his arms, and his voice softened further, as if he were soothing a child throwing a tantrum.

"Are you just stressed because the wedding is near?

"Stop overthinking. We've been together for 15 years. Don't you trust me?"

I looked at his face so close to mine and instinctively pushed him away. The look of hurt in his eyes deepened at my movement, and his voice carried a faint, barely perceptible tremble.

"What's exactly going on with you, Sadie? Did someone tell you something?"

Just as I was about to grab the laptop and hurl the sordid evidence in his face, the handphone, which was flipped face down on the desk, vibrated again. This time, it wasn't from a call, but a message.

He instinctively reached out to grab it, but I was faster. I caught a glimpse of a calendar reminder popping up on the screen.

"Today, 5:00 pm. Pick up 'Adored'."

My heart violently clenched.

"Adored" was the name of the first painting I had ever sold.

Back in my freshman year of college, my work hung in the campus gallery and went completely unnoticed. In the end, it was purchased by a mysterious buyer.

It wasn't until much later that I discovered the buyer was Zane. He hung the painting in our future home, pointed to my messy signature on the painting, and told me, "In this lifetime, I'm marrying you and no one else."

That painting was the starting point of our love and his promise to me of a unique, loyal devotion.

When Zane saw that I had noticed the reminder, a flash of chagrin crossed his face before melting into a look of helpless tenderness. He tapped the note attached to the reminder on his phone.

It read, "Sadie's wedding ring, inspired by her paintings and named with love."

He sighed and wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin in the crook of my neck.

"I wanted it to be a surprise for the day before our wedding, but you found out early.

"I found a Faelorian designer to incorporate elements from 'Adored' into the ring. Sadie, our rings are the only ones of their kind in the world."

His voice carried a hint of a smile, and his warm breath fanned across my ear.

"Don't be mad anymore, okay? I'll admit that Cassie followed me around and talked to me, but I turned her down. There's no room in my world for anyone but you."

He paused and kissed my forehead.

"I'll pick up the ring now. It's freezing outside, so stay home and wait for me. I'll be back to keep you company soon."

I pulled my hand back and replied in an unnervingly calm voice, "Go ahead."

The moment Zane left, I picked up the phone and checked the resale platform transaction history. The seller's name was Cassie Tate, and the address was a luxury apartment in Westfield.

Zane had once pointed at a billboard for that apartment and told me, "Sadie, I bought a small unit here for you. You now have a quiet place to paint!"

I had been overjoyed then and believed that it was another testament to our love. But now, it felt like the biggest joke.

I tapped on a ride-hailing app and entered the address. Half an hour later, the cab pulled up at the gates of the complex.

I immediately spotted Zane's familiar black Cayenne.

Instead of going inside, I stood in the shadows across the street.

Before long, the building doors opened. Zane stepped out with a petite figure beside him, and I immediately recognized her as the woman from the photos—Cassie.

She intimately clung to his arm, practically hanging off him. Then, she tiptoed and kissed his cheek.

As for Zane, he looked down at her and smiled dotingly, just like how he had smiled at me for the past 15 years.

My hands and feet went ice-cold, but I instinctively raised my phone and aimed the camera at them.