Chapter 1

Marilyn Cortell grabbed at her hair in frustration. "Didn't I already explain to you that what I said back then was in the heat of the moment? Do you seriously have to cling to that matter and refuse to let it go?"

Instead of answering, I simply stared at her quietly.

At that moment, my phone suddenly rang, causing me to instinctively look down at it.

However, Marily seized my hand and cooed in an unusually sweet tone, "Is a phone call more important than me? Could it be that you have another woman on the side?"

I suddenly found her words rather ridiculous. "Shouldn't you know just why I'm so anxious when I hear a phone call?"

Marilyn was briefly silent. "What happened with your mother was an accident. Neither of us wanted that to happen. Besides, I'm already keeping my distance from Henry now. Still, he and I are in the same band, so…"

I finished her sentence in my mind, "So it's impossible for us to not contact each other at all. Can't you be more understanding of my situation?"

By now, I had heard this so many times that I could recite her words in my sleep.

When I remained calm and unaffected, Marilyn abruptly stopped speaking. She slumped on the couch dejectedly.

"Just what do I have to do for you to go back to the Shane Kinsley of before? When you still had emotions and feelings?"

The day Mom had passed away, I had gotten into yet another serious row with Marilyn over Henry Solon.

Marilyn ended up losing control of her emotions and smashing my phone on the ground. Because of that, the hospital failed to get in contact with me when Mom was on the brink of death.

By the time I rushed to the hospital, Mom had already passed away, and I didn't get the chance to see her one last time. The resulting wave of intense guilt had overwhelmed me.

That was the turning point for Marilyn.

From then on, she assured me that she wouldn't have any contact with Henry outside of work.

However, I no longer cared, as I couldn't seem to feel any emotions anymore. It was as though I were completely disconnected from the world.

Dragging my mind back to the present, I leveled an indifferent look at Marilyn.

"I'm not forcing you to choose between Henry and me, nor do you have to maintain a distance from him. Otherwise, rumors are going to spread of there being discord among you and your bandmates again."

As I thought of the time and effort it would take to clear up any scandals, I suggested, "How about you upload a photo of you two together on Twitter right now? Otherwise, the fans are going to wonder why their favorite couple hasn't been uploading anything recently."

Marilyn's expression darkened.

Previously, she would post intimate photos of her with Henry on Twitter every week.

The first time she uploaded a photo of them with their cheeks pressed together intimately, she explained to me that it was at the request of their fans.

No matter how loudly I expressed my displeasure, Marilyn simply answered flippantly, "It's all necessary for our career. Don't be so petty."

Then came the second time, and the third…

By now, Marilyn had posted over 300 photos of her with Henry, yet she still refused to upload anything related to me. Even when I begged her desperately, she absolutely refused to budge.

In this whole three-person play, I was the only one who didn't deserve to be named.

I calmly repeated my earlier question, causing Marilyn to scowl furiously.

She snapped, "Why should I do that? Shane Kinsley, I am your wife! How could you tell me to upload intimate photos of me with another man?"