Chapter 1

I came home after a brutal overnight shift at the hospital to find my husband in the kitchen, cooking pasta.

He was a senior software engineer at a tech firm, usually working crazier hours than me, but today he had miraculously taken the day off.

"You must be exhausted, babe. Have some food to recharge," he said with an unusually tender smile.

I took the bowl, but caught a whiff of a scent on his cuff that definitely didn't belong to me.

It was a sickly sweet designer perfume—the kind made to trap men.

I lowered my head to eat, but out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a crumpled, damp tissue in the trash can.

Beside it lay half a slim cigarette, marked with an eye-catching smear of crimson lipstick.

I supposed this meal wasn't just for me—it was his way of recovering stamina after a workout.

Keeping my expression calm, I praised his cooking, turned around, and walked into my home office.

I opened the cloud logs for our smart speaker to check today’s voice recordings.

At three in the afternoon, a breathy, coquettish female voice purred:

"Babe, the view by the floor-to-ceiling windows is amazing. Want to try it there?"

Immediately following was the rustle of clothes and frantic panting.

Expressionless, I downloaded the audio file and forwarded it to my best friend, a cybersecurity expert:

[Help me run a background check on this woman. Her voice sounds familiar.]

[Since she loves making noise so much, I’m going to make sure she becomes famous in our entire industry.]

Mark walked into the office carrying a plate of sliced fruit.

He set it next to my hand, letting his palm rest casually on my shoulder.

"Still working on your paper, Evelyn? You should get some sleep."

I turned around, my eyes landing on his open collar.

Right there on his neck was a patch of skin covered in thick concealer.

A blatant, poorly hidden hickey.

I pointed at the spot. "What happened to your neck?"

Mark reflexively covered his throat, his eyes darting away.

"Oh, that? Company team-building yesterday. We went jogging in the park and a mosquito bit me. Put some concealer on so it wouldn't gross you out."

It was November.

What kind of mosquito leaves a bite that looks like a bruised suction mark in late autumn?

I didn't call him out. I just said mildly, "Must’ve been a vicious bug. Watch out for infection."

"Yeah, totally," he let out an awkward laugh.

"I need to review some patient files tonight. I'm exhausted, so I'll sleep in the guest room."

Mark visibly sighed in relief, instantly putting on a considerate front.

"Sure, you get some rest. I won't disturb you."

Watching him walk away with a light spring in his step, the temperature in my chest dropped to absolute zero.

The next morning at the departmental briefing.

The director of nursing led several new clinical interns into the conference room.

"Everyone, let's welcome our new additions."

A young girl in nursing scrubs stood up.

She looked pure and innocent, with wide, doe-like eyes.

"Hi, everyone. I'm Chloe Vance. It's an honor to learn from all of you."

Her voice was cloying, carrying a practiced whine at the end of every sentence.

My pen froze in midair.

That voice was identical to the one on the smart speaker wanting to "try it by the floor-to-ceiling window."

Chloe seemed to catch my gaze and deliberately stepped right up to me.

"Dr. Cross, I’ve heard so much about you. I look forward to your guidance."

She bent slightly forward, her scrub top cut daringly low.

As she moved, her wrist slipped out from her sleeve.

On it was a diamond-encrusted four-leaf clover bracelet.

A limited edition piece with only ten ever made worldwide—the very one that had "mysteriously gone missing" from my bedroom last week.

I stared at the bracelet, then tilted my chin up to her collarbone.

There, covered with the exact same shade of concealer, was a faint red mark.

A matching pair to the one on Mark's neck.

Noticing my gaze, Chloe didn't hide it at all. Instead, she intentionally flipped her hair over her shoulder.

She flashed me a sweet smile dripping with open provocation.

Right then, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

A text from my best friend: [Found her. Chloe. Fresh nursing transfer at your hospital.]

[What’s even better: she’s also the 'liaison' for medical supplies at Mark’s tech firm.]

[Under the guise of vendor meetings, these two have probably been screwing everywhere.]

I put my phone away and looked back at her faux-innocent face.

So she didn't just take meetings with him—she took him to bed.

At the end of my shift, Mark texted me: [Working late tonight, babe. Won't be able to pick you up.]

I replied: [Okay.]

Walking out of the hospital, I didn’t head to my car. Instead, I stepped back into the shadows near the entrance.

A familiar black Audi sedan was parked by the curb.

Mark’s car.

Chloe had changed into a provocative, skin-tight white mini dress. She practically skipped over, opened the passenger door, and slid inside.

The car didn’t leave. It pulled into a dimly lit alley nearby.

I followed on foot.

Soon, the car began to rock in a steady, rhythmic bounce.

I pulled out my phone and recorded a clear video of the license plate and the rocking vehicle.

Watching the car sway in the dark, the last shred of sentimentality I held for that man vanished completely.

Since you both love cheap thrills so much, I’m going to make sure your next thrill is unforgettable.