Chapter 2

The cabin fell dead silent.

The lust in Julian's eyes instantly evaporated, replaced by sheer shock.

"Chloe, what kind of nonsense are you spewing?"

Maya, on the other hand, clapped her hands in unbridled delight.

"Awesome! I won!"

She shamelessly held out her open palm toward Julian.

"You lost, Julian. Hand over the card."

Julian finally snapped out of it. His brows knitted tightly, and his face turned grim as he glared at me.

"Over a damn game, you’re embarrassing me in front of all my friends?"

I looked down at him.

"So you realize how pathetic this looks."

Julian gritted his teeth, snatched the black card off the table, and shoved it hard into Maya’s hand.

Maya happily tucked the card into her designer bag, throwing me a taunting smirk.

"Julian, you look like a sore loser."

"Want another round? Double the stakes this time—forty grand."

Julian kept a cold face, not answering.

He had always been arrogant. Losing face publicly tonight made him seethe.

Maya leaned in, whispering close to his ear.

"Are you really that scared of Chloe?"

That hit Julian's sore spot dead-on.

He snapped upright, whipped another card from his wallet, and slammed it onto the glass table.

"Fine. One more time. I refuse to believe she’s actually going through with a divorce."

He glared daggers at me, his voice laced with warning.

"Chloe, know when to stop. If you want to save face, you'd better think carefully about your answer this time."

Looking at his smug face, convinced I was just playing hard to get, a wave of disgust washed over me.

"No need to test anything. My answer is still divorce."

Maya cheered again.

"Julian, you lost again! Forty grand, please."

Julian's expression darkened like thunder.

He slapped his palm down on the card, glaring coldly at Maya.

"The round hadn't even started. That doesn't count as a loss."

"The first round was a heartbeat test. The second round has to be harder."

Maya’s eyes sparkled, dripping with seduction.

"Then let's do the blindfolded ice cube pass. Whoever drops the ice loses."

As she spoke, she picked up an ice cube with the tongs and slipped it into her mouth.

Julian glanced at me. Seeing me completely indifferent, he let out a scoff.

"Since Maya is so eager, who am I to spoil the fun?"

He picked up the scarf, tied it over his eyes, and slightly tilted his head back.

I stood less than three feet away, feeling the blood in my veins freeze.

They were actually going to engage in blatant infidelity right before my eyes.

The next second, Maya stepped forward.

She cupped Julian's face in both hands and pressed her crimson lips against his.

The ice cube passed between their teeth and tongues, accompanied by sickening, wet sounds.

Julian’s hand expertly slid around the back of Maya’s neck. Instead of pulling away, he deepened the pass into a full-blown kiss.

Maya’s hemline hitched up to her upper thighs, and melting ice water soaked into Julian’s dress pants.

Their practiced ease proved this was nowhere near the first time.

Without a flicker of emotion, I took my phone out of my clutch and hit high-definition video recording.

The camera steadily locked onto the two figures tangled on the couch.

The surrounding friends shifted uncomfortably, exchanging awkward glances. Someone tried to step forward to stop me.

I cast a razor-sharp glare at him, and he instantly froze in his tracks.

I recorded for two full minutes, until the ice had completely melted between their mouths.

Maya pulled back, catching her breath, and wiped the moisture from her lips.

Julian ripped off the blindfold, his cheeks still flushed.

He looked at me with open defiance.

"Chloe, are you satisfied now?"

I pressed stop, saved the video, put my phone back into my purse, and turned toward the cabin exit.

"Enjoy yourselves. I'm going home."

Maya called out after me in a drawn-out, whiny tone.

"Chloe, don't be such a party pooper! We're family!"

I didn't look back.

Leaving the yacht, the biting sea breeze hit my face. I immediately backed up the video across three separate cloud drives.

Then, I dialed a familiar number.

"Attorney Davis, sorry to call so late."

"I'm filing for divorce. I have the evidence ready."

On the other end, Rachel Davis's voice was crisp and professional.

"Understood, Chloe. Start compiling a list of assets immediately, especially any jointly owned businesses."

After hanging up, my phone buzzed.

It was a message from Maya.

In the photo, Julian leaned against the sofa, his tie loosened and askew.

The caption read: [Julian says younger bodies just have so much more stamina.]

Staring at the screen, a cold smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

The real game was just beginning.