Chapter 2

In the month leading up to my engagement preparations, scandal broke when tabloid magazines exposed Autumn’s relationship with a popular male actor, Seth Price. I took the intimate paparazzi photos to Autumn and demanded an explanation, but she only gave them a passing glance.

She said nonchalantly, “It’s just ordinary gossip. What’s there to make a fuss about? What kind of man are you? You’re so narrow-minded.”

After that, she slammed the door and walked away.

Those words sent a chill down my spine. Nothing could hurt me, but she could.

I began to doubt myself, wondering if I hadn’t given her enough companionship and love. For that reason, I took two days off work and, as a pampered man since childhood, learned how to cook for a woman. If the high society back home saw this, they would surely think it was a joke.

The food was heated up again and again. At dawn, she finally returned home.

I stood up and stepped forward to take her bag. However, I caught a whiff of a man’s perfume.

I froze, my voice trembling slightly. “You’re back late… Where did you go?”

She sat down, exhausted, and massaged her temples. “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask. Why did you take time off the last two days?”

I made her a bowl of chicken soup and handed it to her. “I wanted to spend time with you.”

She suddenly looked at me with disgust. “Mark Dunn, what kind of cheap trick is this to vie for my favor? It’s boring! What is this food? It looks disgusting!”

For the next month, she often came home late or didn’t return home at all, and I kept receiving intimate photos of her with other men. Having lost all hope, I booked a flight home in five days, one that was originally meant for two.

The day before heading home, I visited Autumn’s movie set, hoping to see her. On our fifth anniversary, I wanted to say a proper goodbye to this relationship.

She sent me a message: [I’m too busy. I can’t make it.]

What she didn’t know was that I was standing right under that big canopy, watching her flirt and get intimate with another man. That man turned his head and saw me. He was the male lead from Autumn’s wedding video, Seth Price.

Seth walked straight toward me and mocked, “Oh, the freeloader came all the way to the set.”

By then, Autumn had seen me, and a hint of guilt flashed in her eyes.

I responded coldly, “Speaking of freeloaders, aren’t you one as well?”

Seth’s expression shifted, and he raised his hand, slapping me across the face.

“Who do you think you are? It took you five years just to get engaged. The other day, when I made her call you, did you hear that? That moaning… Tsk tsk, and her sweet panting. Did you–”

Before he could finish his sentence, I threw a punch straight into his face.

The next moment, a panicked figure flashed in front of me and slapped me across the face. It was Autumn.

Her face was grim as she confronted me. “Mark Dunn, are you out of your mind? He’s an actor under my company! How could you hit him? This slap is to teach you a lesson!”

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and looked at her with a cold smile. “An actor? The kind who can humiliate you however they please?”

Autumn slapped me across the face once more and added, “You should be at the office. What are you doing running to set and acting as you please?”

I looked at Autumn in silence. Those two slaps could be considered the final farewell to our relationship.

Seth hid behind her, fanning the flames. “Autumn, you’re engaged to a man like him? A good-for-nothing like him isn’t good enough for you.”

Autumn looked at him dotingly and rubbed his face. “Don’t be angry. I’ve taught him a lesson. Does it hurt?”

Watching that scene made me feel sick to my stomach.

At that moment, a bright and cheerful voice sounded behind me. “Ma’am, that’s my fiancé you hit.”