Chapter 2

I returned to our cold, empty apartment.

On the wall hung a photo from our engagement.

In it, I smiled—gentle and compliant. Adrian was expressionless.

Darkness swallowed me like a rising tide.

My stomach felt like I'd swallowed lead—heavy and painfully tight.

At three in the morning, I heard the electronic lock beep.

Click. The living room lights blazed on.

The sudden brightness stabbed at my eyes.

"What are you doing sitting here in the dark like some kind of ghost?"

Adrian frowned, his voice dripping with displeasure.

He loosened his tie and tossed his jacket onto the couch.

"Sitting there like a damn phantom. Bad luck."

He walked to the liquor cabinet, poured himself a glass of whiskey, and knocked it back.

"Since you already saw, I'm not going to bother hiding it anymore."

He leaned against the cabinet, his posture lazy.

"Ruby's young. She's vibrant. Being with her, I can actually relax."

"And you..."

He looked me up and down.

"We've been together too long. So long that when I'm having sex with you, I find myself distracted, counting how many new wrinkles you've developed."

My nails dug into my palms as I fought to keep my voice steady.

"So that's your excuse for cheating?"

"Adrian, let's break up."

Adrian stopped mid-sip.

He set down his glass and walked toward me, step by deliberate step.

He bent down, hands braced on the armrests of the couch, caging me in.

"Break up?"

He let out a low laugh.

"Summer, get your head straight."

"Cameron's case goes to trial next week."

"All I have to do is twitch a finger, and that crucial forensic report will conveniently go missing."

His tone was gentle, but his words were vicious.

My pupils constricted sharply.

Rage erupted inside me like a volcano.

I shot to my feet and shoved him away.

"Adrian! You're disgusting!"

Adrian grabbed my chin, his thumb brushing over my lips.

"Shh. Be good."

"You'll still be Mrs. Bennett."

"I need an obedient wife to take care of the house and deal with my family."

"Men need a little excitement, you know."

I jerked my head away and dry-heaved.

Adrian's expression darkened instantly.

He released me with disgust.

"You're killing the mood."

He grabbed the jacket that reeked of Ruby's perfume and threw it over my head.

"Wash this. I need it tomorrow."

"And remember to visit Cameron at the detention center tomorrow."

"Make sure you tell him his brother-in-law is working 'day and night' to clear his name."

"If you don't behave, I might need to take a few days off."

With that, he turned and headed toward the bathroom.

Just then, his phone on the table lit up.

A message from Ruby flashed on the screen.

[Adrian, you're amazing. Does she enjoy it this much too? My legs are still shaking~]

Adrian paused and glanced at the screen.

Not only did he not hide it—he actually chuckled.

"That girl. So naughty."

His tone was like a knife plunging into my chest.

I grabbed the ashtray from the table.

Adrian, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, said coolly:

"Cameron's case file is still on my desk in the study."

My hand froze mid-air.

The ashtray felt impossibly heavy.

Finally, I let my hand drop, and the ashtray rolled onto the carpet.

Despair wrapped around my throat like vines, choking me.