Chapter 1

I retreated to my bedroom, suffocated by despair. My mind drifted back seven years, to the accident where I risked my life to save Kael. When he awoke, he had poured his heart out, laying his soul bare. He proposed, swearing I was the love of his life. His vows still echoed in my mind, clashing violently with the cruel, resolute thoughts I had just overheard.

Was I trapped in a nightmare? How could Kael, the man who once saw me as his salvation, be as hard as nails?

"Dear? Why do you look so pale?"

I looked up to find Kael standing there. He must have entered silently, his face a mask of concern. His fake affection sent a sharp pang through my chest.

Suppressing the bile rising in my throat, I forced a smiling face, "I'm fine."

Kael scooped me up into his arms, a routine from our marriage. Glancing at his watch, he murmured, "Good night, honey. I have some business to handle. I’ll be back soon."

I nodded, letting him press a kiss to my cold forehead before he walked out. The moment he left, I scrambled to the door, only to witness a scene that shattered my world.

The sounds of their intimacy drifted from the room. My face drained of color. I wanted to scream, to burst in and stop them, but my throat constricted, silencing me. Kael was betraying me, right under my nose.

Staring at the wood grain of the door, memories from three years ago flooded back. That was when Luna arrived. I had just lost sensation in my legs, but this was a secret I kept even from Kael. Heartbroken, he had scoured the earth for doctors. When they failed, he learned to care for me himself. Terrified of leaving me alone, he hired Luna, a professional caregiver.

I still remembered how he used to rattle off endless instructions for me, so protective that I teased him for being dramatic. Now, those memories only fueled my tears. Luna’s hiring had been a testament to his love, yet she was now the instrument of his betrayal.

Driven by a masochistic need for closure, I crept closer to Luna's room. Soon, Luna's coquettish voice pierced the air. "Honey, why so late? Tell me… between me and Iris, who is your choice?"

Kael's husky voice seeped through the cracks. "Of course you, honey. Otherwise, why would I be here? I just had to wait until Iris fell asleep so she wouldn't get suspicious. Don't worry. She won't be disturbing us tonight."

Kael’s His words were red-hot needles, piercing my eardrums and stabbing straight into my heart.

Silence eventually fell over the house, but I lay awake, tormented by agony until the harsh morning sun spilled through the curtains. Kael didn’t return until then. He looked thoroughly satisfied as he prepared to change.

Catching me awake in bed, Kael froze. A flicker of awkwardness crossed his face.

"Iris, why are you up so early? I was just…exercising downstairs."

It was a clumsy lie, but I lacked the energy to tear it apart. I simply turned my back to him, my voice a cold whisper in the empty room.

“Kael, I will give you exactly what you want.”