Chapter 1
The night Steve Reed returned from his business trip, he and Claire Lynch had s*x for a full two hours.
He asked breathlessly, "Did you miss me?"
Claire moaned softly, but before she could gasp "yes," she heard him say, "Honey, why does your waist feel thicker?"
That casual remark made Claire smell the scent of his infidelity.
Later, without making a sound, she carefully peeled back the layers and finally found evidence that Steve was cheating.
That night, he said there was a company event, and he'd return late.
When she arrived at the Dusk Bar, she saw familiar faces—mid-level and senior employees from Steve's firm. But Steve was missing, along with Irene Scott, his new secretary, who had been hired less than a month ago.
Claire had been Steve's secretary until a month prior, when he declared that being a secretary was too tough for Mrs. Reed and persuaded her to become a full-time wife. That was when Irene took over as his new secretary.
At first, Claire didn't overthink it, until she discovered this business trip involved only him and Irene...
"Where's Steve?"
Her sudden appearance startled the group.
"The boss is... uh, discussing business upstairs..."
"Discussing business?"
It didn't take a genius to guess what kind of "discussing" this was.
The private booth's door was slightly ajar. Taking a deep breath, she was about to push it open when a familiar voice drifted out.
"Mr. Reed... don't..."
It was Irene's voice, heavy with desire.
"Don't what? Don't stop?"
Steve's voice was hoarse, laced with a recklessness and languor Claire had never heard before.
"Irene, your waist is so slender..."
Through the haze of dim lights, she saw Steve lounging on the sofa, Irene perched on his lap...
Watching them, a wry twist came to Claire's lips. No wonder Steve had commented on her waist. A girl in her early twenties, with a narrow waist and full curves—naturally, she couldn't compete.
Fingers playing at his throat, Irene purred, "Do you like me, Mr. Reed? How do I compare to Mrs. Reed?"
Steve arched a brow, his hands growing rougher. "Her? Even the finest meal palls."
As if doused with icy water from head to toe, Claire stared at the man's delighted expression through the door c***k, her entire body going numb with cold.
'Bored with me already? After just three years of marriage, he is tired of me.'
She first met Steve five years ago. At a business cocktail party, she sat quietly in a corner wearing a white gown, standing out against the surrounding glamour.
That was when Steve came to greet her. She knew exactly who he was.
Steve was the infamous playboy in their circle, whose collection of private club VIP cards could cover a table. She also knew the women by his side changed more often than his shirts.
So she ignored him and began avoiding him. But the more she avoided him, the more obsessed he became, chasing her relentlessly for two years.
Even when Jason Reed, Steve's grandfather, threatened to cut ties with him, he refused to back down.
In the end, he captured Claire—and trapped himself—with a lavish, storybook proposal and a diamond ring.
For the three years of their marriage, Steve treated her like a queen.
He had reined in his wild ways. He never set foot in those private clubs again. He deleted and blocked every woman's contact information from his phone. He would wake up early to cook the congee she loved and bring it to her bedside. He would jot down her preferences in his phone's memo app. He even kept better track of her period than she did.
