Chapter 1


    On our third wedding anniversary, Bryant Ferguson paid big money to get me the ne I’d been


    eyeing for ages.


    Everyone around us said he was head over heels in love with me.


    Filled with joy, I was busy preparing a candlelit dinner when a video popped up on my phone. In the


    video, Bryant put the ne around another woman’s neck, saying, “Congrats on your fresh


    start.”


    It turned out it wasn’t just our anniversary. It was also the day his first love was finalizing her


    divorce.


    I never in


    imagined something like this could happen to me. Though my marriage to Bryant wasn’t born out of


    a whirlwind romance, he always yed the role of the doting husband in public.


    I sat at the dining table, staring at the cold steak and the trending topic, [Bryant Spends Millions To


    Make His Wife’s Happy.]


    It all felt like a cruel joke.


    At 2 a.m., a sleek ck Mercedes finally pulled into the driveway.


    I could see him stepping out through the ss door, impably dressed in a tailor-made- dark suit,


    his presencemanding yet elegant.


    “Why are you still up?” Bryant turned on the lights, surprised to find me in the dining room. Trying to


    stand up, I fell back into the chair, my legs numb. “I’m waiting for you.” I replied.


    “Missed me?” Bryant gave a casual smile, poured himself a ss of water, and nced at the


    untouched dinner with a hint of surprise.


    He wanted to y it cool, so I suppressed my feelings, reaching out to him with a smile. “Happy


    anniversary. You got me a gift?”


    “Sorry, I was so busy today. I forgot it.” He paused for a second, realizing what day it was, and tried


    to ruffle my hair, which I instinctively dodged.


    I didn’t know where his hands had been tonight, and the thought disgusted me.


    He looked slightly stunned.


    Pretending not to notice, I kept smiling “Don’t try to fool me. You specifically bid on my favorite


    ne, It’s all over the news! Give it to me.”


    “Jane. “Bryant slowly withdrew his hand, his expression unreadable, his voice calm. “I bid


    that ne for Steven.”


    As the inte says, a buddy is always the best shield.


    I struggled to keep my smile. “Is that so?”


    “Yeah, you know how he attracts girls. Bryant’s tone and expression were wless.


    While looking at him in the lights, his perfect features made me wonder if I ever knew this


    man. And I began to question, was this the first time he lied to me? Or had I been too trusting


    before? I wouldn’t have doubted his exnation if it hadn’t been for that anonymous video.


    Seeing my silence, he patiently tried tofort me. “I shouldn’t have forgotten such an important


    day. I’ll make it up to you with a gift tomorrow.”


    I insisted. “I only want that ne.”


    I wanted to give him a chance. The video’s angle didn’t show the woman’s face. Maybe it wasn’t as


    scandalous as it seemed.


    Bryant hesitated for a moment, and I looked at him, puzzled. “Can’t you do this for me? Asking


    Steven to give up one of his flings for your sake shouldn’t be a problem, right?”


    After a pause, he finally spoke, “I’ll call tomorrow. It’s not right to forcefully take what someone


    loves.”


    “Is the someone him or her?’ I wondered.


    I couldn’t press further. “Okay.”


    “Have you been waiting to eat with me?” As Bryant cleared the table, his graceful hands moved


    over the fine cutlery.


    I nodded. “Yeah, it’s our anniversary, after all.”


    When I got up to help, he stopped me with a gentle voice. “Just sit. Let me cook some pasta for


    you.”


    “Okay.” While watching him like that, my doubts momentarily faded.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


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