Chapter 3

Twenty minutes later, I was sitting in a quiet café across from the woman in the photos.

The Sterling heiress Carter had mentioned—Vanessa Sterling.

Surprisingly, I felt entirely calm. Not a single wave of panic or rage stirred inside me.

Vanessa sized me up from head to toe before speaking. "I heard you and Ethan went to college together. A top-tier university grad, right? How did you end up so pathetic?"

"What do you mean?"

I didn't understand. How was I pathetic?

"You caught your husband cheating, yet instead of confronting him, you're sitting across from me playing pick-me games."

For the first time in my life, I was at a total loss for words.

Was this woman insane? Didn't she stage the collision to meet me?

I took a sip of my coffee. "Didn't you pay someone to run into me and drop those photos right in front of my face?"

"You're the one who was desperate to see me. Are you really trying to gaslight me right now?"

Vanessa possessed remarkably thick skin.

Hearing my retort, she didn't look annoyed in the slightest.

Then again, a wealthy socialite willing to be a side piece—and proud of it—needed a spine of steel.

"I had no choice. I dropped hints everywhere trying to get your attention, but you were too oblivious. I had to be direct."

Now that I looked at her closely, she did seem familiar.

I have mild face blindness; unless someone has an unforgettable feature, I rarely remember them.

"Have we met?"

Vanessa gave a cold chuckle. "The cufflinks."

I paused, thinking back, and then it hit me. We really had met before.

Last month, right before Ethan's birthday, I went to a luxury boutique to pick out a gift.

Both of us had eyed the exact same pair of designer cufflinks, the last set in the store.

She said it was for her boyfriend's birthday.

I had thought it was a sweet coincidence, since I was buying them for my husband.

I never imagined her boyfriend and my husband were the same damn man.

I had never cared much about material possessions, so I gracefully let her have the cufflinks and picked an antique pendant for Ethan instead.

"So, how long have you two been together?"

Seeing that I finally remembered, Vanessa smiled. "About three months."

"Have you slept together?"

My voice was deadpan, but my heart ached so sharply my fingertips went numb.

At my question, Vanessa flashed a triumphant smirk.

"Your bed is very comfortable."

A surge of acid hit my throat. I couldn't stop myself from gagging into a napkin. It was utterly vile.