Chapter 1

At the company's annual holiday party, my boss, Carter Hayes, suddenly announced that this year's year-end gifts would be drawn via a mystery box raffle.

One colleague won a 50-gram gold bar.

Another won $100,000 in cash.

But when my name was called, I received a sexy, pink lace nightgown.

It even smelled of a familiar perfume.

The entire room erupted into laughter.

But as I stared at the embroidered initials on the lace, I froze.

Wasn't this the exact Christmas gift I had just bought for my wife, Chloe, a few weeks ago?

Late that night, after we got home, I asked her:

"Where's the nightgown I bought you for Christmas? Why don't you wear it? Don't you like it?"

Chloe avoided my eyes, stammering, "I'm so sorry, honey. I accidentally ruined it in the wash, so I threw it away. I was afraid you'd be mad, so I didn't tell you."

In the dead of night, after she fell asleep, I unlocked her phone. I found her SnapChat chat history with my boss, Carter.

Chloe: [Did you hide the nightgown I left at your place last time?]

Carter: [Don't worry, I took care of it. What, can't wait to have me again? See you tonight.]

Chloe: [Not tonight. Let's wait until he goes on his business trip next week.]

The next morning, Chloe sat across from me, sipping her milk. Her hair was loosely pinned up, a few strands framing her face.

She looked beautiful.

If it weren't for that mystery box last night, I would still think she was the best wife in the world.

"Chloe," I called out.

"Yes, honey?"

She looked up, her smile a bit strained. She didn't even dare to look me in the eye.

"Was that nightgown really ruined in the wash?"

I asked casually while peeling a hard-boiled egg. My voice was so calm that I even impressed myself.

Chloe put down her spoon, her fingers nervously twisting together.

"Oh, why are you still asking about that?"

Her voice held a hint of whiny complaint.

"I told you, the lace was cheap. I put it in the washing machine, and it got completely ruined. It was unwearable, so I tossed it."

"Honey, do you not trust me?"

She stood up, walked over behind me, and wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her face against mine.

Her skin was warm.

Before, I would have found this sweet. Now, it only made me sick to my stomach.

"How could I not trust you?" I patted the back of her hand.

"It's just a shame. I spent a long time picking that out."

"I'll buy you a better one next time."

Chloe let out a sigh of relief and gave my cheek a loud kiss.

"You're the best! I'm going to be late for work, got to run!"

She grabbed her bag and bolted for the door, practically running.

She even forgot to change into her favorite high heels.

The moment the door slammed shut, the smile on my face vanished.

I pulled out my phone and opened the backed-up cloud album on my SnapChat.

Those messages stabbed my eyes like needles.

[Don't worry, I took care of it. What, can't wait to have me again?]

The reply timestamp was the exact minute I was in the kitchen slicing fruit for her.

And just a minute before that, she had been complaining to me about how exhausted she was from work and how much her back ached.

So that was why her back was aching.

I stood up and walked to the balcony.

I watched her figure emerge from the lobby.

She didn't walk toward the subway station.

Instead, a black Maybach was idling by the curb.

The window rolled down halfway, and a hand holding a cigarette poked out.

That was Carter's car.

Chloe glanced around like a thief, quickly opened the door, and slipped inside.

The car sped off.

I lit a cigarette and took a harsh drag, the smoke burning my lungs.

Carter Hayes.

The heir to the Hayes Group.

And the only son of Arthur Hayes, the man who had sponsored my college education.

Years ago, Arthur saved me from poverty. To repay his kindness, I had turned down countless high-paying offers from headhunters just to stay at the Hayes Group as an unsung technical lead.

The ultimate "corporate workhorse."

I had rewritten Hayes Group's core database architecture three times and secured countless patents for them.

Arthur used to tell me, "Ethan, you are the backbone of this company. When Carter takes over, we will make sure you are taken care of."

So this was how they took care of me?

Sleeping with my wife and putting her underwear in a raffle box to humiliate me?

I crushed the cigarette butt in the ashtray.

Since they wanted to play dirty, I wouldn't hold back either.