Chapter 9

hys took Chloe to dinner, and then, naturally, drove her home.

Two hours later, Rhys disentangled himself from their passionate encounter and went to the bathroom to shower.

He made sure to leave no scent of another woman on him, to avoid me discovering it when he returned home.

Once he entered the bathroom, Chloe glanced at the plush toy on the windowsill.

A hidden camera was inside, having recorded their entire intense tryst.

A smile played on her lips as she sent the video to me.

At that moment, I had just left the movie theater with Julian.

I didn't know what this man was thinking; after leaving the airport, he didn't eat but dragged me to watch a movie first.

It was a two-hour art-house film, and I was half-asleep, yet Julian seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it.

As soon as I sat in the car, my phone buzzed.

It was an anonymous sender, a short video clip lasting several tens of seconds.

I opened it and watched.

In the video, my husband was having an affair with his mistress.

I gripped my phone tightly, my face turning pale.

Immediately after, a provocative text message popped up.

[Sera, you knew Rhys never broke up with me, didn't you? We just finished sleeping together. You're probably still waiting for him at home, aren't you? Poor lonely wife.]

[What about your twenty years of history? He's still completely obsessed with me. Rhys doesn't love you anymore. He only stays married because of your family status. Every time he sleeps with me, he complains about how bored he is with you, says sleeping with you is like a tedious chore, not nearly as satisfying as being with me.]

[If your family went bankrupt, he'd dump you without hesitation and marry me.]

[Oh, by the way, I have good news for you. I'm pregnant, and Rhys says he wants to keep it. When the time is right, he'll bring the child into the Hawthorne family under the guise of adoption, to raise our child himself. You get to be a mother without the pain. Happy?]

Immediately following that, an ultrasound report was sent.

It showed Chloe was four weeks pregnant.

This was her confidence in openly challenging me.

I took a deep breath, gripping my phone even harder.

"What are you looking at?"

Julian sensed my distress, leaned over, and looked directly at the content on my phone.

I quickly pressed the screen, taking a few deep breaths to suppress the surging emotions.

"Nothing."

"You look unwell." Julian cupped my face, examining it closely. "Are you feeling sick?"

I grabbed his hand, slowly pulling it down.

"Then, Uncle Julian, do you want to check on me?"

To get pregnant, I had to go all in.

"What, you want to try some car sex?" Julian's hand slowly moved to the back of my neck, pulling me closer.

I looked up at him, my beautiful eyes shimmering with seductive charm.

My hand rested on his chest, slowly tracing circles. "Would you like to try it, Uncle Julian?"

"Anything you want to play, I'm in." Julian lowered his head and kissed my lips.

I don't know how long passed, but just as the tension in the car reached its peak, my phone received a FaceTime call from Rhys.

I lay on the reclined seat, my face flushed, my soft hand almost unable to hold the phone.

I wanted to hang up.

His fiery chest pressed down, tight against my back, and his husky voice whispered in my ear.

"Sweetheart, answer the phone."

He pressed the answer button for me.

Rhys's voice immediately came through.

"Sera, it's so late. Why aren't you home yet?"

"I..."

My voice was already strained as I spoke.

"I... I need to take care of my friend."

The man behind me, as if afraid of not being discovered, continued his relentless movements.

I tried my best to hold back, but my voice still came out fragmented.

"I... won't be back tonight."

"What's wrong? Your voice sounds strange."

An unsettling feeling swelled in Rhys's heart, and a terrifying thought crossed his mind.

"Does it? Maybe it's just the wind being too strong outside. Anyway, I have to go now."

The call ended.

Rhys stared at the phone screen, an inexplicable, intense unease washing over him.

And that terrifying suspicion.

During the call, he had heard an unusual sound, very much like... *that* sound.

Could I really be having an affair with another man?

No, it couldn't be.

Rhys immediately dismissed the thought.

He refused to believe it.

I loved him so much and was a very traditional woman; how could I possibly cheat?

That was something rebellious women did. I was a well-bred woman; I wouldn't do such a thing.

He must be overthinking it.

Rhys reassured himself, put down his phone, and rested.

That night, he had a dream. He dreamt of seeing Julian at the airport again.

He was desperately curious about what Julian's girlfriend looked like.

Just then, a gust of wind blew, lifting the woman's hair and revealing her entire face.

She looked exactly like me!

Rhys suddenly woke up. At that moment, the bedroom door opened.