Chapter 1

Lilith’s POV

It wasn't even boiling properly.

I stirred the sauce, my anxiety churning alongside the wooden ladle. He was late, again. Theo couldn't even make it in time for our anniversary dinner. Maybe it was traffic. I knew very well how the roads in this bustling city could get.

Three more minutes and the door opened the same time I plated the salmon.

"Honey, you're home."

A huff grunt was his response. He barely glanced at the table. His jacket still on, he took out his phone and leaned against the counter, scrolling.

“You’re late,” I said quietly, trying not to sound hurt.

He shrugged. “Got caught up. What’s all this?”

“Our anniversary dinner.”

“Oh.” A pause. “I already ate.”

I blinked. “You... already ate?”

Theo finally looked up. “Yeah. You never said we were doing anything.”

I stared at him, the heat from the food now mocking me. “It’s our anniversary, Theo. What do you mean I didn’t say anything?”

“I’m tired, Lilith. Can we not do this tonight?” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Actually, I think we should talk. About... us.”

I braced myself for whatever he was going to say.

“I don’t think this marriage is working. I’ve been thinking, we should try an open relationship.”

My mouth parted, but no sound came out.

“I’m seeing someone else,” he continued flatly. “And I think you should be free to... explore too.”

I stood frozen as my heart cracked like dry porcelain. He walked past me, brushing my shoulder, and disappeared into our bedroom like it was nothing.

I quickly followed after him, unsure if I had heard him properly.

I stormed in after him, my fists clenched at my sides. “You are seeing someone else? And you just drop that on me like it’s some casual errand?”

Theo pulled off his tie, unbothered. “Relax, Lilith. It’s not that deep. Most men do it. We’re wired like that, polygamous by nature.”

I blinked, stunned by his audacity. “You married me, Theo. You stood in front of people and swore you loved me. Only me.”

He chuckled bitterly. “I did what I had to do. You had a company, a name, a future. I had to think smart. And now? Selene is hotter than hot. You can’t expect me to pass that up.”

The silence in the room thickened with my shame. My chest rose and fell rapidly, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. “You used me. And now you want a blessing to cheat freely?”

He shrugged. “You’re still beautiful, Lilith. I’m just... expanding. You should try it too. Who knows, it might even fix your mood swings.”

Theo unlocked his phone and swiped a few times, then turned the screen toward me with a smug smirk. “This is Selene. Tell me she’s not drop-dead gorgeous.”

I didn’t move at first. My eyes stayed locked on his face, searching for even a flicker of shame. There was none. When I finally looked down, my lips parted. The woman on the screen was stunning, dark curls, tight waist, a red dress that clung to curves in all the right places.

“She’s twenty-four. Doesn’t nag. Doesn’t throw fits over dinner, gives me sex when I want it, cleans up after me, kisses the very ground I walk on,” Theo added casually, tossing his phone on the dresser. “Honestly, I forgot what peace felt like until I met her.”

I scoffed, crossing my arms. “You’re proud of this? Of showing off the woman you're betraying your wife with?”

Theo laughed. “Oh come on. Don’t act like you didn’t see this coming. You chased me, Lilith. Begged to marry me. I just played along.”

“So everything, every kiss, every promise, you were faking it?”

“I was surviving. You fell for me. I fell for the opportunity. Don’t take it personally.”

I stepped back like he had slapped me. “You really think I’m going to sit here and let you humiliate me in my own home?”

He raised a brow. “You’re free to leave anytime, darling. Or take the offer, open things up. Try a new flavor. Maybe even remember what it feels like to be wanted.”

My jaw tightened. “I won’t allow this.”

Theo pulled on a clean shirt and smirked at his reflection in the mirror. “What are you gonna do, Lilith? Chain me to the bed?”

“I am your WIFE,” I snapped, stepping closer. “You don’t just get to disrespect me and expect me to sit pretty while you rub another woman in my face.”

He grabbed his cologne, sprayed it twice, then strutted past me without any single care in the world. “I told you, you’re free to explore too. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

I followed him, refusing to let the night die like this. “If you walk out that door, Theo, you’re making a choice. A permanent one.”

He ignored me completely, heading to the dining room instead. “Might as well taste the food you spent hours on,” he muttered, dragging out a chair and sitting down.

I stood behind him, arms folded. I wanted to scream. He had just shattered my world, and now he was calmly eating my salmon like none of it mattered.

Then his phone rang.

He answered on speaker without hesitation. “Hey baby,” he said, his voice suddenly drenched in warmth.

“Miss me already?” Selene’s voice purred through the line.

“Like crazy. You left that red lipstick on my...” he glanced at me, grinning, “favorite spot.”

My stomach twisted.

Selene giggled. “You’re so bad.”

“Bad enough to take a quick detour and see you again tonight,” Theo said smoothly, cutting into the fish.

“I thought you were with your wife?” Selene teased.

“She’s just watching me eat. Like a sad puppy.”

I slammed my hand on the table. “I said I won’t allow this!”

Theo rose slowly, his smile dropping. “Don’t raise your voice.”

“You bring your mistress into our marriage like this is a jo—”

Without warning, he shoved me.