Chapter 3

My stomach churned violently again, worse than when I had seen the photos.

Cassie tilted her face up to ask for a kiss, and Zane didn't push her away. He just smiled helplessly and tapped her forehead. "Stop playing around. Someone might see us."

Still, she continued swinging his arm and cloyingly whined, "So what if they do? Your fiancee loves you so much that even if she finds out, she'll just assume I'm the one seducing you."

Zane's expression turned cold, and his voice hardened into an icy warning.

"I made things clear before we even got together. I have my responsibilities and boundaries, and Sadie is the woman I'm going to marry. That will never change."

Cassie pouted and pulled out an exquisite velvet box from her bag before holding it out to him. "Fine… Don't be mad. I promise I won't go near her.

"Look at the gift I got you instead. Let's call our ring 'Adored' too, okay?"

For a split second, his expression stiffened. He looked at her, and in the end, he smiled. "You really are a little devil."

I watched Zane take the ring and slide it onto his ring finger. Its design was nearly identical to the ring he had just described to me, which was inspired by my painting.

The last flicker of warmth I held for our 15 years together completely vanished.

After recording this final scene, I tucked my phone away and turned around to flag down a cab.

When I got home, I didn't turn on the lights. Instead, I sat on the couch in the darkness and replayed the video over and over.

I noticed the fleeting hesitation on Zane's face when he put on the ring, and the way he gave in anyway.

None of this was an accident. The laptop and wallpaper were all traps meticulously laid by Cassie, waiting for me, the rightful fiancee, to uncover my husband's true nature with my own hands.

She had succeeded. My world, along with the 15 years of love, had been completely shattered.

After compressing the video and sending it to Renee, I went back to acting as usual and quietly waited for the day of the engagement party.

Perhaps out of guilt, Zane became even more attentive and caring toward me. But the gentler he was, the more disgusted I felt.

The night before the engagement party, he came home excitedly, carrying a delicate gift box. There was a gentle smile on his face as he said, "Come here, Sadie. Look at the gown I had custom-made for you. You'll be breathtaking in it for the engagement party tomorrow."

He opened the gift box as though presenting a treasure. Inside was a champagne-colored mermaid gown, its hem encrusted with tiny crystals that shimmered softly under the light.

Then, he dropped to one knee and opened a velvet box. Inside was a diamond ring with an intricate design, its delicate lines mirroring the composition of my painting, "Adored".

He looked up at me with overflowing love in his eyes. "This is our 'Adored', Sadie. It will be just like my love for you, eternal and unchanging.

"You'll be my wife starting tomorrow. I've waited so long for this day, Sadie."

There was a hint of barely perceptible nervousness in his voice, and his fingertips trembled slightly.

I looked at my reflection in his eyes and saw the woman who used to be so full of joy and hope for the future. Now, she was cold and indifferent.

Instead of reaching out, I simply looked at him and watched the hope in his eyes slowly stiffen into unease. He carefully asked, "Sadie, do you not like it?"

I slowly shook my head and replied in a flat voice, "I like it. It's very beautiful."

He visibly relaxed and reached for my hand to slip the ring onto my finger. But I gently pulled away and took the box from him.

Looking at the winding lines around the ring, I suddenly laughed.

"What will you do if I run away from the engagement party tomorrow?"