Chapter 1

Serena and I had been a loving couple for seven years.

Everyone in our circle saw how well she treated me.

I truly thought our happiness would last forever.

Until the day I caught her keeping another man on the side. Only then did I realize that my entire marriage had been a lie.

Heartbroken, I decided to ask for a divorce.

Serena didn’t look guilty at all. She just stared at me coldly and said:

"In the Vance family, there's no such thing as divorce. Only widowhood."

What she didn’t know was that I was truly dying.

Walking out of the hospital, the doctor's words were still ringing in my ears.

"Your condition has reached the terminal stage. Even with aggressive treatment, the prognosis isn't good..."

"How much time do I have left?"

"Six months at most."

Crushing the medical report in my hand, I pulled out my phone and called Serena right away.

In our seven years of marriage, everyone knew how devoted she was to me. We were the envy of all our friends.

I was terrified she would collapse if she heard the news.

Right now, I felt like a drowning man, desperately trying to grab onto the only lifeline I had left.

The phone rang for a dozen seconds before connecting. Serena's singing voice came through, but it sounded distant.

She wasn't the one holding the phone...

I held my breath, waiting in the heavy silence.

"Who is this?" I asked.

"If you want to know, come to VIP Room 403 at The Drop."

It was a man's voice.

Then, the call went dead.

I looked up at the setting sun.

The sky burned crimson, but my whole body was trembling uncontrollably.

Following the man’s directions, I arrived at the lounge.

Room 403 was Serena’s private booth at The Drop. She had loved the party scene ever since college and came here often.

The door wasn't fully closed. Through the crack, I saw Serena sitting right in the middle of the large sectional sofa.

She was leaning back in a strange man’s arms, a smug smile playing on her lips, looking like an untouchable queen.

She looked so foreign. So foreign that it suffocated me.

I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and typed a message.

"Serena, where are you?"

A minute later, my screen lit up.

"Still at the office, babe. I'll head home soon."

Suddenly, a roar of male laughter erupted inside the room.

"Serena, is your hubby checking in on you again?"

"What do you know? I like letting him think he has me on a leash!"

"Right, right! Having someone keep tabs on you is one thing, but knowing where home is is another. Our Serena knows how to keep business and pleasure separate!"

Hearing that, Serena reached up and stroked the cheek of the man holding her.

Just then, a waiter carrying drinks walked up behind me and pushed the door wide open.

Someone spotted me first. In an instant, every pair of eyes turned toward me, and the room fell dead silent.

Serena shoved the man away immediately and stood up, walking straight toward me.

I took a deep breath, forcing down the urge to swing my fists, and asked coldly:

"Are you having fun?"

"No, I'm not. Honey, let's go home. I'll make your favorite glazed pork ribs."

She reached out and gripped my hand tightly.

As we turned to leave, a drunken guy in the back sneered, "Ethan, back the hell off! Serena’s got money and looks. So what if she has a drink or two on the side? Don't make trouble out of nothing!"

I didn't say a word. But Serena turned around, grabbed a liquor bottle, and smashed it over the man's head. Glass shattered everywhere.

"If I ever hear you talk about my husband like that again, it won't just be a bottle!"

Even now, she was still putting on a show.

On the drive home, Serena came clean.

His name was Mason.

She had met him while on a business trip. He had been working as a bartender and got into a brawl with some local thugs; she just stepped in to bail him out.

Ever since, he had stayed by her side.

I gripped the car door handle, my stomach churning.

"Everyone knew about him, didn't they?"

"Did they?!"

"Yes."

Serena pressed her lips together.

I let out a bitter laugh, my eyes burning red.

Everyone knew. I was the only fool kept in the dark!

"Honey..."

"How long have you two been together?"

"Three years."

I snapped my head toward her in disbelief.

My eyes suddenly caught on a men's watch hanging by the rearview mirror. It had appeared about two weeks ago. Serena had claimed she just bought it on a whim.

Now I knew Mason had bought it.

If Mason's watch was in this car, did that mean he had ridden in it? Had he sat in this very passenger seat...?

The thought made me gag, bile rising in my throat.