Chapter 1

The very first time Julian saw me, his mind already conjured countless intimate scenarios between us.

And tonight, his darkest fantasies became reality.

"Having an affair with me, are you serious?"

In the dim room, the man hovered above me, his voice rough with suppressed desire.

I leaned in, pressing my lips to his.

"Uncle Julian, I'm sure."

"Aren't you afraid Rhys will find out?"

My lips were warm, and Julian's eyes darkened further.

Rhys, my husband.

"You're doing this to use me? To get back at your cheating husband?" Julian's fingers dug into my waist.

I let out a soft gasp, my hand caressing Julian's chiseled jaw, my voice a seductive whisper.

"Uncle Julian, are you hesitant to touch me because you're afraid our affair will come to light and strain your relationship with your nephew?"

"Heh." Julian lowered his head and claimed my lips.

"There's nothing in this world that frightens me."

His kiss was fervent, possessive, his tongue exploring every corner.

"Mmm... Uncle Julian."

"Don't rush it," he murmured, his voice a low growl. "You'll be screaming my name soon enough."

Julian tore my dress, his blazing hand exploring every curve...

Three hours later.

My legs were shaking so hard I could barely walk out of the room.

The party downstairs was still in full swing.

It was Grandpa Hawthorne's eightieth birthday today, and all the Hawthorne descendants had traveled from far and wide to celebrate.

The downstairs was bustling with people, a lively scene.

Julian had been relentless, and now my walk was a little off.

If anyone saw me, they would definitely notice something amiss.

I took another stairway to leave.

The exit led to the dimly lit garden.

"Mmm... Rhys, didn't you say you were breaking up with me?"

A woman's breathless moan echoed from behind a stone sculpture.

My steps froze.

"How could I ever leave you when I love you so much? That was just something I told my wife to appease her. We just need to be more careful and make sure she doesn't find out again."

Rhys's low, husky voice drifted faintly through the air.

"And one more thing, be a good girl. Don't try to let Sera find out. No matter how many women I have on the side, she's my wife, and her position is unshakeable. Understand?"

The man's voice carried a warning.

"Mmm, I understand..."

I stood not far from the stone sculpture, my nails digging hard into my palms.

My heart felt as if it were being brutally squeezed, the pain so intense I could barely breathe.

It wasn't the first time I'd caught him, so why did my heart still ache uncontrollably?

The couple sneaking around behind the stone sculpture was none other than my husband and his mistress.

No one was more familiar with those two voices than I was.

A month ago, I went to Rhys's office to deliver him a nourishing broth and witnessed my husband cheating with his assistant, catching them in the act.

After my initial heartbreak, I dragged our families' elders into it, determined to get a divorce.

But our families, the Hawthornes and the Sterlings, were bound by a strategic alliance, our empires too deeply intertwined to ever break free.

No one agreed. Grandpa Hawthorne simply subjected Rhys to the family's stringent discipline, demanding an apology and a promise to never repeat his mistake.

My own family, the Sterlings, also advised me.

Men will be men, they said. Just turn a blind eye, especially since Rhys promised it wouldn't happen again.

I refused, insisting on the divorce.

Rhys wouldn't agree, kneeling and apologizing to me.

He pleaded for my forgiveness, claiming I was the only woman he loved, and that his assistant had seduced him, making him momentarily lose control.

He promised if I forgave him this one time, he would never make the same mistake again.

No one knew how much my heart truly ached.

Though Rhys and I were in an arranged marriage, we had grown up together and genuinely loved each other.

We'd been together since childhood, dated for four years, and married for three.

I had never imagined that Rhys, who had once rejected countless women for me, would also cheat like other men.

The seven-year itch, it seemed, spared almost no one.

I wanted a divorce. I cried for three days and three nights, begging my family, begging the Hawthornes, begging them to allow me to divorce.

But daughters in these elite families were often nothing more than pawns in strategic alliances.

I cried until my tears ran dry, even went on hunger strike, yet they still wouldn't agree.

The day I woke up in the hospital, Rhys gripped my hand.

"Sera," he said, his voice soft, "if you really can't stand it, why don't you cheat too? We can just call it even."

My eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, and my voice, dry and hoarse, responded.

"Okay."

Rhys hadn't expected me to say that, and he immediately looked a little uncomfortable.

But he quickly dismissed it.

He thought I loved him too much to ever do such a thing.

He assumed I was just angry and said it to spite him.

But I was serious.

No one truly loved me. Everyone sacrificed my happiness for their own interests.

So, I decided to get my revenge on everyone.

By cheating with Julian.

The Hawthornes' golden boy.