All Chapters of The Perfect Wife’s Affair : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

LIE BETTER~SERENA POV~The elevator ride to our penthouse seemed never-ending.I stood in the corner of the small glass box, staring at my reflection in the mirrored wall. My hair was combed, my silk dress smoothed down, but my lips were still slightly swollen. The dull, woodsy scent of Cassian's sandalwood soap stuck to the skin behind my ears no matter how many times I had scrubbed at it in his bathroom.I gripped my purse strap until my fingers ached.I shouldn't have been here. I should have been terrified. But as the elevator chimed and the doors slid open, all I felt was a cold, empty quietness in my chest.I stepped into the entrance. I expected the apartment to be dark. I expected Ryker to be asleep in our bed, clueless.Instead, the lights in the kitchen were already on.Ryker stood by the kitchen island, wearing a grey t-shirt and dark trousers. The rich, dark scent of brewing coffee filled the open living room. He turned at the sound of my heels on the hardwood floors,

THE OLD SERENA~SERENA POV~The chandelier light inside the gallery hall was blindingly bright.I held a glass of champagne, standing beside Ryker as he spoke with a senior investor. He had his hand resting lightly against the small of my back. It was a simple, public touch, but my skin still buzzed under the thin fabric of my black dress.Then I saw them.Walking straight toward us through the crowd was Victoria and her husband, Julian.My stomach turned over instantly.Victoria was the queen of our old social circle. Four years ago, whenever I went to charity galas alone, she was always the first to ask why Ryker was missing. She loved to drop unpretentious insults about my marriage while boasting about her own.‘Julian never misses our family dinners,’ she used to say, smiling sweet as honey. ‘We just prioritize us.’I used to stand there making up stupid excuses for Ryker. I told everyone he was stuck in emergency meetings or out of town on business.When I finally broke down an

~SERENA POV~Cassian had not sent me a text. Not that morning or the night before. I received nothing.He had said he’d stay away if I chose Ryker. He was keeping his word.I sat on the edge of the bed with my hand on my phone on the nightstand. The screen was black. There were no notifications. There were no unknown calls. There were no sharp, arrogant one-liners that made my blood run hot.I had made my choice. I had stood in that gallery, taken Ryker’s arm, and kissed him until the room went still. I had put on the performance of a lifetime, playing the devoted wife so convincingly that Victoria had gone pale.I had reclaimed my pride. I had protected my marriage.And in return, Cassian had vanished."Serena?"The bedroom door opened softly. Ryker walked in, holding two fresh cups of coffee.He was dressed for work, but his dark tie was slightly loose, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There was a lightness in his step, a quiet warmth in his eyes that hadn't been there in years

~SERENA POV~I was halfway down the stairs when I caught myself smiling.It had been a strange few days with Ryker.After what happened between us in the bedroom, I had expected him to retreat. I thought maybe the old Ryker was coming back…the distant one, the man who could spend an entire night beside me without saying more than three words.But he hadn’t.He’d been coming home on time. We’d been having dinner together almost every night. He’d even brought me flowers yesterday….a simple bouquet of white roses he’d picked up because he’d seen them and thought of me.I still didn’t know what to make of it.Maybe my husband really had changed.I reached the bottom of the stairs, pulling my floating silk robe tighter around my body. Underneath, I wore a strapless top and short sleep shorts.The penthouse was quiet. Ryker was upstairs, getting ready for bed. I was about to head toward the kitchen when the doorbell rang.I frowned. ‘Who would come this late?’I walked toward the entrance

~SERENA’S POV~My feet hit the floor as Cassian slowly set me down, but his hands stayed planted firmly on my waist. I leaned back against the cold wall, my chest rising and falling in uneven gasps.Every single spot where his warm skin had touched mine was throbbing, with a desperate heat matching the wild pounding behind my ribs."We need to stop," I whispered. My voice sounded weak, stripped of any real strength, barely louder than the hum of the city outside his floor-to-ceiling windows.Cassian didn't pull away. He kept his hands on my hips, his dark eyes searching my face in the dim penthouse light. "Why?" he asked softly."Because this isn't revenge anymore," I admitted. The truth burned in my throat like swallows of raw whiskey, but I couldn't hold it back. "I can't keep lying to myself, Cassian. I didn't put on this lace dress, cover it with a coat, and drive fifteen minutes across the city at two in the morning just to get back at Ryker."Cassian went completely still. He