Chapter 1

I followed my husband's mistress.

She lived a luxurious life. A villa in a wealthy neighborhood, a car worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. She was rich.

Even when meeting my husband, she always went home on time.

She said her father was very strict with her.

To protect my marriage, I secretly took photos and sent a message to her strict father.

"Did you know your daughter is someone's mistress?"

After a long wait, he finally replied.

"I know now."

"I've been betrayed."

Sophia's POV

I stared at my phone screen, confused for a moment.

Why did he say he was the one betrayed?

I was the one who'd been betrayed.

Maybe he made a typo.

After all, finding out your daughter is someone's mistress would shake anyone up.

I patiently corrected him. "I'm the one who's been betrayed. Your daughter is secretly involved with my husband."

After thinking for a moment, I added, "If texting is inconvenient, we can talk on the phone."

He only replied with one sentence.

"Let's meet in person to discuss this."

Before this, I thought Renee's father had to be at least fifty years old.

I didn't expect him to look so young.

Even with money and good skincare, he shouldn't look like the man sitting across from me.

He wore a suit, strikingly handsome, with thick hair.

But this was my first time doing something like this. How should I bring it up?

"I didn't expect you to look so young. You don't even look forty yet."

He raised his eyes slightly, staring at me. "I'm thirty-three."

I froze. "What?"

"Thirty-three." He pressed his lips together.

"...Oh." I quickly took a sip of coffee. At the peak of my embarrassment, I blurted out, "You had kids really early then."

He paused, his fingertip touching the rim of his cup. "Actually, I'm not her... biological father."

I caught on. "You're her stepfather?"

"Something like that." He lowered his head to drink.

I nodded. "No wonder you're so young."

He took a deep breath, glanced at me, then pulled out a business card from his pocket and placed it between us.

"My name is Sebastian Hart. Let's get straight to the point."

He withdrew his hand.

"About Renee and your husband. I want to hear all the details."

I gripped my coffee cup tightly.

"Alright."

...

My husband, Ethan, ran a fairly well-known piano training center.

Renee was his student. She'd been taking lessons for over a year.

I didn't know exactly when they got together. I only discovered them three months ago when I went to see him and caught them kissing on top of the piano.

My heart stopped at that moment.

I wanted to push open that door, but my pride and rationality weighed on me so heavily I couldn't move.

My vision blurred, but my mind stayed cold and clear.

I memorized that girl's face, went to the office, cross-referenced the student files, and found her name: Renee.

She was young and beautiful, tall and slender. She'd enrolled in the premium course, five thousand dollars per session, and paid for thirty two lessons upfront.

A total of one hundred sixty thousand dollars.

"For a girl her age, a hundred and sixty thousand is a huge sum."

Sebastian listened to me expressionlessly.

"Mm. I remember her asking me for two hundred thousand."

So she pocketed forty thousand for herself.

I couldn't help but grumble internally. Having a father willing to spend money on you must be nice.

Since I'd only caught them once, I wasn't sure if it was a fleeting affair or a long-term relationship, so I started following her.

To my surprise, Renee lived an extravagant life.

She didn't work. She slept until afternoon, drove a luxury car worth hundreds of thousands, lived in a villa in a wealthy area, and spent her days having afternoon tea with friends, playing golf and tennis.

I followed her for half a month and started feeling depressed.

"Honestly, I was shocked. Her circumstances are too good. I don't understand why she'd be interested in my husband."

Sebastian's expression darkened, his lips pressed into a tight line.

"Would you mind sharing your husband's financial situation?"

I spoke openly.

"He has a PhD in music. He left academia a few years ago to start his own business. His annual income just reached... seven figures."

"A million?"

Sebastian seemed incredulous at that answer.

He pulled at the corner of his mouth, then looked me up and down, asking with certainty, "So is he extremely good-looking?"

I held out my phone to show him Ethan's photo.

"Actually, he's okay... Not as good-looking as you."

He looked up at me in surprise, narrowed his eyes, and said in a peculiar tone, "You think I'm better-looking than your husband?"

I froze for a moment.

Was that what I meant?

"No, I mean...we're ordinary people. Not like you two, father and daughter, with such superior looks."

He stared at me for a while, then suddenly grabbed my phone, his fingertip tapping the screen lightly.

"He looks very ordinary. You don't."

My heart skipped a beat. I gripped my phone tightly and pulled my hand back.

"Mr. Hart, I came to you hoping you'd control your daughter."

"Of course I'll control her." He nodded, lifting his gaze to meet mine, his tone cool. "But I don't understand. Do you really think doing this will win back your partner?"

His words struck like a heavy blow to my most painful spot.

"Of course not."

I put away Sebastian's business card, stood up, took a deep breath, and looked down at him.

"I just don't want my ex-husband to have the chance to latch onto a rich heiress after our divorce."

Sebastian sat still, tilting his neck back to look at me with interest.

"What's your name?"

I slowly extended my hand toward him.

"Sophia."