Chapter 1

His hand trembled around the phone. "Other than me, you've been with seven other men. You have a husband, so why do you keep coming back to me?"

Audrey Harper let out a soft laugh. Her cool, detached voice carried a hint of indifference. "He's cold by nature. After being together for so long, things inevitably get boring. I like excitement. At least you're young and fun. It's just a little game."

The client suddenly laughed in fury. "His name is Theo, right? What do you think would happen if I told him you've been sleeping with eight men behind his back? Since you don't love me, let's burn everything down together."

Her voice turned bone-chillingly cold in an instant. "Baby, don't do anything that'll make either of us unhappy. Take advantage of your youth and make some more money off me instead. After all, once you're old and your looks are gone, I won't like you anymore."

The client gripped his phone and gritted his teeth. "You bitch!"

A low laugh came through the phone, followed by her calm voice. "If my Theo finds out you exist, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. I'll make sure you're blacklisted and driven out of the industry. From that day on, not a single director will hire you."

His body trembled violently, resentment blazing in his eyes.

After a long silence, he finally spat out, "You love your husband so much. You're so devoted to him. Then why don't you have his child? Why come to me for my sperm?"

"He's had a vasectomy!" Audrey's voice was frighteningly cold. "Besides, his children would probably be just as stiff and boring as he is. He's deaf in one ear, too. What if the child inherits it?"

My deafness wasn't congenital.

Back when Audrey was starting her business, one of her competitors had grown jealous and hired someone to kill her. I had sensed something was wrong and took the knife meant for her.

The blade had slashed across my ear and left me permanently deaf in my right ear.

At the time, she had cried and told me, "Theo, I'm sorry. I'll avenge you."

Years later, Audrey became powerful enough to shake the entire city of Ravenwood. The first thing she did was ruin the person responsible and leave them penniless and homeless on the streets.

Afterward, she wrapped her arms around me and cried like a child. "Theo, I've avenged you!"

I pulled myself back to the present and looked at the man before me. He was Connor Henderson, a rising young star in the entertainment industry.

"What about my status?" His eyes were bloodshot. "Do you want our child to be born out of wedlock?"

"Of course not. I'll keep the truth from him for the rest of his life. He'll willingly raise this child as his own!" Audrey sounded so nonchalant that she might as well have been discussing the weather. "You can tell my husband right now if you want. Go ahead and try."

Connor suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Between me and your husband, who do you love more? It's me, right?"

"Love you?" Audrey laughed mockingly, as if she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. "If I loved you, would I refuse to give you a proper place in my life? If I loved you, would I keep you hidden away? If I loved you, would I let you be the other man?"

"So you love your husband more?" Hatred surged in Connor's eyes, but it quickly gave way to a smile. "You're generous with money, and you don't give me much trouble. I can't seem to find a reason to leave you. But do you believe me when I say I'll make you fall in love with me?"

"Do whatever you want. As long as you don't bring any of it to his doorstep, I don't care." With that, Audrey hung up.

I said goodbye to my client, then returned to the villa Audrey and I shared in a daze.

I took out my phone and sent her a message.

[Audrey, we need to talk.]

Her reply came almost instantly.

Audrey: [Okay, Honey. I just got off the plane. What does my darling husband want to talk to his baby about? I'm waitinggg.]

Several flying-kiss stickers followed, along with a photo of a tie from my favorite brand.

I clung to the last shred of hope and sent another message.

[You know about my condition. I can't go through another betrayal. The moment I find out you've betrayed me, I'll gradually lose every memory I have of you.]

A business partner had betrayed me once before, and I had nearly lost my life because of it. Ever since then, I had suffered from a psychological response to betrayal. If someone I loved ever betrayed me, I would gradually forget that person completely.

The moment I sent the message, the door opened, and Audrey's beautiful face appeared before me.

She walked over and pressed her face against the side of my neck. "Honey, your darling wife missed you so much."

I looked into her eyes and forced the words out one by one. "Audrey, do you love me?"

She nuzzled against me. "If I don't love you, who else would I love?"

"Then what about the other eight?" I stared at her and let out a cold laugh. "If you gave all your love to me, what are they supposed to be?"