Chapter 3

Several of the obsessive fans rushed forward and began tearing at my clothes. Their sharp fingernails raked bloody scratches across my body.

It wasn't until the production's security guards arrived that they managed to pull the fans away.

In a thoroughly disheveled state, I was escorted into the greenroom.

When I pushed open the door, I saw Ace gently handing Jolie a cup of warm milk, soothing her in a soft voice, "Don't be scared. It was just some obsessive fans causing trouble outside. They didn't frighten you, did they?"

Jolie caught sight of me out of the corner of her eye and immediately put on the frightened expression of a startled rabbit, shrinking into Ace's arms.

The moment Ace saw what I looked like, the tenderness vanished from his face. He glared at me.

"Alisson, what the hell happened to you? You can't even handle a few fans without turning the whole set into a mess! Don't you know we're about to wrap filming? What happens if this turns into a negative news story?"

I wiped the dirty liquid from my face and looked at him coldly. "Only the team knew my schedule. How did those people manage to find me so precisely and lie in wait for me?"

At that, Ace's eyes flickered evasively for a moment. Then he answered as though he had every right to defend himself. "Maybe someone accidentally leaked it. Besides, the fans only did something irrational because they love me.

"You're my agent. What's the big deal about putting up with a little hardship? Stop making that dead-face expression at everyone."

"A little hardship?" I let out a cold laugh and pulled my tablet from my bag. "Then why did the luxury watch endorsement I spent six months desperately negotiating for you, practically begging everyone I could, suddenly announce Jolie as its brand ambassador today?!"

I'd intended it to be one of the top commercial deals he would secure after winning Best Actor. I'd personally reviewed the contract.

Hearing this, Jolie straightened up and said with a coy smile, "Alisson, please don't be upset. Ace felt sorry for me and said a newcomer like me needed a big-name brand to boost my profile.

"You have Ace supporting you financially, so you don't know how cutthroat this industry is. Besides, Ace and I are planning to work together long-term. I can't keep holding him back, can I?"

As she spoke, she deliberately brushed her hair back, revealing a diamond necklace worth a million dollars around her neck.

I'd seen the charge on Ace's spending statement three days earlier.

I'd originally thought he'd bought it for our wedding anniversary the following week. It turned out to be a gift for his mistress.

The most ironic part was that he'd paid for the necklace with my credit card!

"Jolie's a newcomer. She needs this kind of resource to raise her profile," Ace said. "Securing commercial deals is part of your job as an agent. How I choose to use those resources is none of your business."

Looking at his utterly shameless, self-righteous face, I suddenly found the divorce papers in my bag laughable.

Part ways amicably?

Watching them both fall from grace would be far more satisfying.

"You're right. I should be a little more magnanimous." With that, I turned and left the greenroom.

When I returned home, I didn't bother treating my injuries. Instead, I went straight into the study and opened the portable safe I kept with me.

At the very bottom lay a copy of Ace's medical examination report from three years earlier.

[Diagnosis: Congenital azoospermia]

When the results first came back, the doctor had handed the report to me privately.

Back then, I wanted to protect Ace's pride and keep his career from being affected while it was still on the rise, so I kept the diagnosis a secret.

For the past three years, I'd silently borne the blame for being unable to have children, enduring my in-laws' constant sarcasm and ridicule. I'd thought we could adopt a child and spend the rest of our lives together.

Now that I thought about it, how could a man with congenital azoospermia possibly get a sweet, innocent-looking young actress pregnant?

Ace had been wearing a cuckold's horns without even realizing it.