Chapter 1

Darling chats in French with another man every night.

She thinks I can't understand, indulging freely.

They discuss the kitchen, coffee table, balcony...

Even planning their next outdoor rendezvous.

Each time she chats, I send her a number.

She once asked what it meant. Drunk, I joked: "Every time you chat with another man, I keep count. When it hits 100, I'm done with you."

At 99, she didn't take it seriously.

At 100, coincidentally our fifth anniversary.

I tricked her into signing divorce papers hidden in house purchase documents.

She doesn't know I've accepted a job offer in France. I'll be gone in a week.

From now on, I'm done with her for good...

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"Mr. Grey, we've intercepted these photos from the media. They might impact your and your wife's reputation. The other party is asking for five million. If we don't get the money within a week, they'll release the originals to the public."

I lowered my gaze to the photos before me, my heart filled with bitterness.

Seraphina, wearing a swimsuit, was sitting in a man's lap, the two of them passionately kissing in an outdoor pool.

My assistant held his breath, not daring to make a sound.

After a moment of silence, he couldn't help but cautiously ask, "Should we notify the PR team to handle this...?"

I suddenly snapped back to reality, shifting my gaze from the photos to the dense data on my computer screen.

Work that I once handled with ease now seemed impossible to focus on.

Struggling to control my emotions on the verge of collapse, I coldly replied, "No need."

My assistant was momentarily stunned, almost in disbelief: "Sir...?"

I gripped the mouse tightly, lowering my eyes slightly to prevent my assistant from seeing my reddened eyes.

After a long pause, I gave another instruction—

"Prepare divorce papers for me, and also..."

"Inform the office in France that I'm willing to take the position at headquarters."

After receiving the divorce papers, I walked out of the building like a zombie.

The autumn wind was bitter cold, cutting to the bone.The contract in my hand was crumpled beyond recognition. I lifted my head in a daze, looking around at the diverse crowd, and let out a bitter laugh.

Just then, Seraphina's call came through—

"Honey, why aren't you here yet? Didn't we agree to celebrate our wedding anniversary today?"

Her voice on the other end of the line was sweet and coy as always.

Every word, every inflection was perfectly laced with affection.

I parted my dry lips and answered, "I'll be there soon."

When I arrived at the door of the hotel's private room, I found it slightly ajar. A voice drifted out—

"Seraphina, why did you bring him along too?"

"Aren't you afraid your husband will find out?"

Inside the room, a mixed-race man sat beside Seraphina.

He had a high, straight nose and chiseled features, with silver-white hair, looking like he'd stepped out of a computer-generated model.

He seemed to have trouble understanding the conversation in the room, leaning intimately on Seraphina's shoulder, occasionally playing with her fingers, his eyes full of adoration and attachment.

I recognized him immediately as the man from the photograph.Seraphina wearily raised her hand to pat the man's head, which was obediently resting on her shoulder. She said with resignation, "There's no helping it. He's too clingy. Knowing I'm planning our wedding anniversary, he just had to get involved somehow."

After speaking, she pushed the man away. "My husband will be here soon. Don't stand so close."

Her best friend covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. "You should be more careful. Keep playing with fire, and you're bound to get burned one day."

"Don't forget, Gunner said he won't tolerate betrayal. If you ever cheat on him, he'll leave you for good."

"If Gunner finds out and decides to divorce you, you'll regret it big time."

At the mention of my name by her friend, the smile at the corner of Seraphina's lips faded.

She warned with a hint of sternness, "I've kept this well hidden from my husband, and I won't let him find out. You all need to keep this secret for me too."

Her friends were taken aback for a moment, then quickly chimed in with playful agreement. "Of course, of course. Who doesn't know that Gunner is your true love and your everything? You finally caught your dream man, so naturally, you'd cherish him with your life, right?"

As I stood at the doorway, listening to their mocking and teasing voices from inside, my body froze. It felt as if thousands of needles were piercing my heart, the pain almost suffocating me.It turns out everyone knew Seraphina had a change of heart, but they all chose to keep it from me.

I stared at the doorknob in front of me, summoning every ounce of willpower to resist barging in and confronting them.

Just then, a hotel waiter pushing a food cart passed by.

Seeing me, he curiously asked, "Sir, are you also a guest in this private room?"

The laughter inside abruptly ceased, and the door to the room swung open. Seraphina shot to her feet.

Her face was stricken with terror, as if all the blood in her body had frozen in that moment of panic.

Finally, she asked me in a hushed, breathless voice, "Honey, when did you get here?"

"You didn't... hear anything just now, did you?"