Chapter 2

I leaned back in my seat, staring blankly at the river under the bridge.

My facade of strength and coolness was fading, and emotions were starting to take over.

Jason and I had known each other for ten years, been in love for eight, and married for six.

We had built everything from scratch, from having nothing to our company being on the verge of going public.

We had seen so many broken marriages among our relatives and friends.

I always believed that Jason and I were the perfect soulmates.

The only flaw was that we had been sleeping in separate beds for all these years.

But that was Jason's choice.

He said love was just love, the purest and most sacred human emotion.

Anything done in the name of love was moral blackmail against love itself.

I believed him, but now?

A single strand of hair shattered my eight years of self-deception.

"Damn it! Lily, if you dare cry, I swear I'll drive this car straight into the river!" Rachel exclaimed dramatically.

My carefully cultivated emotions instantly crumbled. I glared at her, annoyed.

"Can you please act like a normal human being? I just got cheated on, can't you let me wallow for a bit?"

Rachel scoffed, twisting her mouth in disdain.

"Remember when we were the two campus beauties back in law school? So many guys chasing after us, but you wouldn't give them the time of day. Then you fell for Jason from the Finance department. What did he have going for him besides his looks?"

"Being handsome is the biggest advantage. Even if he did nothing but lie in bed, just looking at his face was enough to make me happy."

Rachel let out a loud "Fuck!" and tossed her sunglasses into the backseat.

"You're hopeless. Think about it - he had a bombshell like you by his side for eight years and didn't sleep with you. I bet he's impotent."

I let out a cold laugh. If he was impotent, how could he cheat?

Hiding hair in his underwear and playing such dirty games - I was utterly disgusted.

"Maybe I've become ugly now, and he can't get it up for me anymore."

Rachel's jaw dropped in shock, and she reflexively slapped the steering wheel.

"Damn that Jason! What kind of twisted ideas has he been feeding you? If I were a guy, I'd drag you to the backseat right now."

True friends are the real deal.

"Just focus on your driving," I spat, continuing to stare out at the river.

It wasn't until Rachel slammed on the brakes that I realized we weren't at my villa in the south of the city.

Jason and I had bought a villa there in my name.

We had planned to invite his parents from the countryside to live with us after the New Year, but now it seemed that wouldn't be happening.

"A nightclub? It's too noisy, I don't want to go," I said, looking at the large, flashing neon sign that read "Light Years" at the entrance.

"Miss White, you're here!" A tall, skinny young man with green hair, wearing tight pants and loafers, came out of the club and greeted Rachel intimately.

Rachel turned off the engine and got out, tossing her keys to him from a distance.

"Two tasks: first, get that beauty out of the passenger seat; second, park the car in the garage."

"You got it." The green-haired young man caught the keys mid-air, opened the driver's door, and sat down.

Then he turned to look at me, leaning in closer.

"Sister~" he called out, his voice dripping with charm and coquettishness.

I pulled my coat tighter around me. "I'm getting out now."

Rachel saw how flustered I was and chuckled, hooking her arm around my neck as we walked in.

It had been years since I'd been to a nightclub after marrying Jason.

Just like I remembered, as soon as we pushed open the glass door that seemed like a barrier, deafening music flooded my eardrums.

I frowned and turned to leave, but Rachel held me tight.

I had no choice but to cover my ears and follow her inside.