Chapter 1

On my 29th birthday, Ethan White was once again called away by a single phone call from his adopted daughter, Lillian Lynn.

Furious, I posted on Ins with privacy settings so only he could see it---practically a marriage ultimatum.

"Goal: Get married before I turn 30!"

The next second, a provocative message from Lillian popped up.

A messy hotel bed, torn black stockings scattered among a pile of used condoms.

The attached video showed a man's silhouette showering behind frosted glass---a figure I'd recognize even with my eyes closed.

He finally couldn't resist. He'd slept with his own adopted daughter.

The moment my phone screen went dark, the world fell silent except for my heartbeat.

I stared at the mango cake on the table with a slice missing, and suddenly laughed.

He'd left in such a rush earlier that I didn't even get to tell him I was allergic to mangoes.

But in nearly ten years together, he could remember Lillian's lactose intolerance yet couldn't remember my mango allergy.

Was this my failure, or had he simply stopped loving me long ago?

Unwillingness grew wild like weeds in my chest.

I grabbed my car keys and rushed out the door.

I set the GPS for New York's most exclusive private club.

Ethan had mentioned this morning that a friend was returning to the country tonight, and he'd be there for a welcome dinner.

Outside the private room, the heavy glass door stood slightly ajar. Noise and the smell of smoke and alcohol drifted out.

Just as I was about to push the door open, a familiar voice made my hand freeze mid-air.

It was Ethan's best friend, Connor Zeller.

The man's voice carried the excitement of alcohol: "Ethan, you just left Natalie hanging to go comfort your adopted daughter. Aren't you afraid she'll blow up?"

Ethan's lazy voice responded with its usual carelessness:

"Natalie?"

He chuckled lightly before continuing: "She's sensible and knows her boundaries. She won't make a fuss over these trivial matters."

My heart plummeted straight down.

See, he understood me so well.

Understood my weaknesses, my tendency to give in.

"But Lillian is different!"

His tone suddenly turned serious, even carrying a hint of helpless indulgence.

"She's young and immature. If I don't indulge her a bit, she might really do something I'd regret for the rest of my life."

Connor clicked his tongue, his tone ambiguous and drawn out: "So... you indulged her all the way into bed? Took the girl's first time?"

As soon as the words fell, knowing laughter erupted from inside the room.

Ethan took a sip of his drink, speaking as if it were perfectly natural: "She attracts too much attention. So many eyes in our circle are on her."

"If some clueless guy took advantage of her, how could I face Mr. Lynn 's deathbed request?"

"Rather than let someone else deceive her, I might as well watch over her myself."

Making infidelity sound so refreshingly noble.

Connor lit a cigarette, laughing through the haze: "Holy shit! But aren't you afraid Natalie will find out? That she'll turn on you?"

"Her!"

Ethan snorted with laughter, his tone absolutely certain.

"She's almost thirty. Besides me, who else could she find?"

The air went quiet for a moment.

As if suddenly remembering something, he added casually: "Although Natalie's only been with me..."

"Whether I was her first, heh, that's really hard to say!"

"Bang--!"

Something exploded in my brain, leaving it completely blank.

Connor immediately caught on knowingly: "Right, right! That whole thing with Mr. Hughes back then!"

"Although Natalie insists nothing happened, a man and woman alone in a private room for that long, her clothes all torn up---who really knows?"

Someone else immediately chimed in with a snide remark: "Medical technology these days is so advanced, getting a hymen repaired is nothing."

"If you ask me, Ethan, you shouldn't have gotten together with her in the first place!"

Another voice carried fawning agreement, delivering the ultimate verdict:

"When it comes to women, you need someone like Lillian---grew up under your nose since she was fifteen, completely transparent."

"Home-grown is cleaner than those wild things with unknown backgrounds!"

Ethan finally spoke up to interrupt, his tone unreadable but carrying a trace of barely perceptible impatience:

"Enough, let's not talk about her anymore."