Chapter 1

I turned and froze at the commotion coming from the private room.

Through the wall, I heard my husband’s voice, barely holding back his anger.

“You lost that game on purpose just to get under my skin, didn’t you?”

Laila sobbed and responded, “Well, maybe if you hadn’t ignored me all night and snapped at me for no reason, then I wouldn’t have done that.”

The next moment, heavy breathing came through the wall.

It was intimate, urgent, and completely uninhibited.

Even someone completely clueless would know exactly what was going on in there.

I bit my lip and touched the door handle. My grip tightened and loosened over and over, but I could not bring myself to push it open.

Leonard’s low, guttural groans cut into my heart like knives, over and over.

We had been together for seven years and married for three.

He had always been reserved and controlled when it came to intimacy.

Even under the most romantic circumstances, I had never seen him lose himself like this.

I had always assumed it was just his aloof personality at play, but I never expected he could be so uninhibited either.

The only difference was that I was not the one on the receiving end.

Tears welled up against my will.

I rushed into the restroom and locked the door behind me. Yet those sounds would not leave me alone, echoing relentlessly in my mind.

My stomach churned violently.

I leaned over the sink and vomited badly.

The call on my phone had not been disconnected.

A desolate laugh travelled through the earpiece.

“Heh, can’t handle that? Honey, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

Before her words faded, two familiar voices came from outside the door.

Noelle Grove, my best friend, spoke first.

“I was so nervous for Laila when she went up to Mr. Griffin just now.

“Good thing that idiot Iris was glued to her phone and didn’t catch on.”

My cousin Serena Scott laughed and said, “Right? The second Iris stepped out to take that call, those two couldn’t wait to duck into the private room.

“By now, who knows what they’re already doing?”

My heart sank.

I had trusted Noelle and Serena with my life.

Back when Noelle’s father, Harry Grove, tried to sell her off, I had scrimped and saved every penny to give her all my savings for her tuition and to rescue her from that nightmare.

She had cried in my arms, vowed to be my best friend for life, and would never leave me.

As for Serena, after her parents divorced, no one took care of her.

She had lived with me since childhood, and I treated her like my own younger sister.

Yet all this time, they had been keeping secrets and getting a good laugh at my expense. They even called me foolish.

When I pulled open the restroom door, Noelle and Serena, who had been laughing and chatting moments before, both froze with their smiles plastered on their faces.

Without saying anything, I walked past them and returned to the private room.

Leonard remained seated at the head of the table. He looked elegant and aloof, with a cool, unreadable expression.

The empty seat beside him was meant for me.

While I was away, he had piled my plate high with food. Peeled shrimp, cracked crab, and even boneless fish fillets were all there waiting for me.

Unfortunately, I was allergic to all seafood.

He personally picked up a piece of crab meat and brought it to my lips, as attentive as always.

I did not open my mouth.

My gaze drifted involuntarily towards Laila across the table.

Her lips were slightly swollen. Her collarbones were covered in hickeys. Yet she pretended to be innocent and well-behaved. She put on a look that made others feel pity for her.

I remembered what my future self from ten years had said.

They had been having an affair right under my nose for five years, and I never noticed.

Later, Laila showed up at my door with twins.

By the time I realized what was happening, the company shares had already changed hands.

Everything I had built over a lifetime had been given to her as a gift.

My nails dug into my palm until it bled.

I pushed the plate aside, stood up, and walked toward the door.