Chapter 1

In a dimly lit room, two people were entangled together. The thrusting, moaning, and panting that they let out filled up the room. The heat from their activities made the windows fog up.

Natasha Sullivan's eyes were damp as she subconsciously scratched her nails across Joshua Grayson's toned back.

The heated atmosphere lasted for a long time. Eventually, she listened as whoever had been standing outside the room left.

Natasha looked at Joshua, who seemed somewhat drunk. She panted slightly as she turned away from Joshua's sweaty face. His breathing fanned over her delicate collarbones, making her tremble.

"Grandpa's gone …" she reminded him gently.

They didn't need to keep the act up anymore.

Joshua didn't seem to hear her. He stared at her dazedly, the look in his eyes unfathomable. "Natty …"

His voice was deep and hoarse. It made one tingle.

He slowly reached out a hand to caress Natasha's face.

She didn't have any makeup on, but her lips were still particularly red. Her nose was dainty and slightly flushed around the edges, probably from their romping in bed.

Joshua's breathing and voice enveloped Natasha; she heard him repeating the name "Natty". It belonged to another woman.

She looked at Joshua and took in his familiar, handsome face. She leaned close to him, almost as if under a spell, and snaked her arms around his neck. She pulled him close and kissed him.

Natasha didn't care about anything. She seemed almost bewitched as she stared into his deep eyes. The memory of the man who'd starred in a countless number of her dreams suddenly came to mind.

She snapped back to her senses. A hint of something odd welled up in her as she stared at Joshua's face from up close. Suddenly, she felt a little disgusted.

Before Natasha could push Joshua away, the dazed look in his eyes disappeared. His gaze was clear as he shoved her away.

Natasha was caught off guard by this and didn't have time to react. She staggered forward, almost falling to the floor.

Joshua realized he'd acted out of character. He reached out to hold her steady but recalled what had happened earlier. His hand stopped in mid-air, and his expression became gloomy. Then, he retracted his hand and started straightening out his crumpled shirt.

Natasha wasn't too bothered by Joshua's actions. Her gaze remained gentle as she steadied herself. There wasn't a trace of anger in her eyes.

"Are you okay, Josh?" Despite being shoved away, she still couldn't help being concerned about Joshua's health.

She could take everything Joshua did to her, be it good or bad. It didn't matter how nasty Joshua was—Natasha always looked calm and collected. She never got mad and always forgave him.

Because of this, everyone knew she was madly in love with Joshua.

At the same time, everyone knew Natasha was nothing but a substitute in Joshua's eyes.

Natasha was the butt of everyone's jokes. The way they saw it, she was willingly acting as a substitute because of how desperately in love she was with Joshua. Unfortunately, she would never win his heart. It belonged to his first love.

Of course, everyone also pitied Natasha for being kept in the dark. She had no idea Joshua only thought of her as a substitute.

Natasha was a woman whose heart was filled with hope for her relationship. She'd long since forgone her dignity, and it made her everyone's laughing stock.

When Joshua was done straightening out his clothes, he suddenly said, "Natasha, let's get divorced. Natty's back, so we shouldn't have anything to do with each other anymore."

Natasha didn't respond.

Joshua didn't bother looking at her expression. There was no way she would agree to this. In fact, she would probably vehemently refuse to go through with it. What he had to do now was think of a way to make the divorce happen.

He'd made a promise to Natalie Lovelace. As a man, he had to keep his word.

He couldn't help feeling that he'd perhaps used too harsh a tone with Natasha. She was an orphan, and it was rather cruel to treat her like this. She'd been on her own this whole time. Now that she had a family, she'd probably be terribly hurt by his sudden demand for a divorce.

Besides, Natasha had loved him for so many years. She wouldn't agree to a divorce so easily. He probably had to take a gentler approach if he wanted this to work out …

Joshua softened his tone as he said lowly, "I'll give you a blank check as compensation. You can fill in any sum that you want. I don't know how much money it'll take to make things up to you, so just write as much as you want."

This was an incredibly tempting offer to any regular individual. There was no way Natasha would turn it down.

"I didn't ask you to get a job after you married me. If you want one now, you can pick any position in any of the companies belonging to the Grayson family," Joshua continued.

If a career was what she wanted, the Grayson family was more than capable of providing her an avenue. He would do anything to make the divorce happen!

Natasha had been a tender, responsible wife since they'd married. He knew she could do a good job.

She was graceful, understanding, gentle, and humble. She did everything with elegance and class. Whenever they attended any banquets or functions, she made the other women seem tacky.

Natasha was basically perfect. She'd done so much and suffered in silence for so long. Even if Joshua hadn't been the best to her, she'd still loved him so deeply.

Still, she wasn't Natalie. Now that Natalie was about to return, it was time for Natasha to leave.

Joshua knew Natasha would burst into tears and refuse to go through with the divorce. She would beg him with everything she had, and this would devastate her. But he genuinely didn't have any feelings for her …

"I can satisfy any wishes or requests you may have, no matter what. You—" Joshua looked at Natasha with a hint of confidence. But he was interrupted by a gentle, firm voice before he could finish his sentence.

"Okay," Natasha said.