After He Protected His Mistress, I Found a Lover

After three years in a marriage of convenience with Julian Vance, Selena Arthur's life was comfortable enough. Even though Julian was cold and distant, he was different from the other men in their circle—his private life was completely clean. Until one day, Selena discovered that Julian was heavily involved with a female college student. ***** When Selena woke up, there was a man in her bed. The catch was, this man wasn't her husband. Selena froze for a second, but she quickly regained her composure, tossed aside the light blanket, and got out of bed. Behind her, a deep, magnetic voice suddenly whimpered, "Are you throwing me away, babe?" Selena turned around to see the man on the bed opening his eyes, staring at her with captivating eyes. He looked to be in his early twenties. Though his words sounded pitiful, a playful, cynical smirk played at the corner of his lips. Seeing Selena staring at him, the man deliberately propped himself up on his elbows. As he did, the thin sheet slipped down, exposing his chiseled abs and the prominent, wild hickeys scattered across his chest. He locked eyes with her, his smile turning slightly provocative. "Or are you afraid your husband will find out?" Selena thought about her husband's whereabouts—he was away on a business trip, accompanied by his mistress. Selena was silent for a moment before saying flatly, "He won't be back until tomorrow." She fished her phone out of the pile of clothes on the floor and transferred ten thousand to the man. "I've sent you the money. You should head back for today." With that, she walked into the bathroom. The hot water poured over her from head to toe, washing away all the sticky residue on her skin. To the sound of rushing water, she began to reflect on everything that had happened recently. She and Julian had been married for three years. Though it was merely a marriage of convenience, they had gotten along reasonably well. After all, in this so-called high society, men typically kept their wives at home while having endless flings on the side. Julian, however, was a rare exception in their circle. Since their marriage, he had never messed around, though he traveled frequently for business. Selena had always believed Julian was actually working on those trips, until two weeks ago when she accidentally discovered he was keeping a female college student! His so-called business trips were actually vacations with her. Selena hadn't believed it at first, but once she uncovered the truth, she was utterly devastated. Heartbroken, she had gone to a bar to drown her sorrows, only to end up having a drunken one-night stand... By the time Selena finished her shower and came out, the man was already gone. She breathed a sigh of relief, got dressed, and left for work. Selena worked as a department manager at Arthur Group. She took some documents to the chairman's office to see her father. To her surprise, she heard a whiny, flirtatious female voice babying him inside, "Honey, everyone at the company is picking on me. When are you finally going to marry me?" Mr. Arthur coaxed her, saying, "You know I have a daughter. I can't marry you without her approval." Disgust filled Selena's eyes; it looked like she wouldn't be going inside today. Mr. Arthur was the textbook example of a philanderer in their social circle. For as long as Selena could remember, her father's mistresses had been endless, and Mrs. Arthur had ultimately abandoned the family and left because she couldn't tolerate his constant affairs. Having witnessed her mother's tragedy, Selena had planned to never marry—until she met Julian Vance. Julian was like an untouchable, pristine figure, maintaining absolute self-control in everything he did. Selena could never have imagined that a man as noble and aloof as Julian would fool around with a mistress just like her father did. Yet, reality had dealt her a heavy blow. All men were exactly the same. A mocking smile touched Selena's lips as she pulled herself out of her thoughts and turned to leave. That evening, on her way home, Selena stopped by a convenience store specifically to buy a box of condoms. The ones at home had all been used up the night before. Julian was returning from his trip today, and she needed to restock them so he wouldn't notice anything suspicious. Back home, just as Selena placed the condoms in the drawer, a cold male voice sounded behind her. "What are you doing?" Selena froze. She turned around to find Julian standing at the doorway. His features were strikingly handsome—defined but not harsh. Clad in an immaculate shirt and trousers, with every button fastened primly to the collar, he exuded an undeniable air of nobility. Selena kept her face neutral and casually shut the drawer. "I was just looking for something. You're back early?" Julian didn't think much of it and handed her a bag. "I got you a gift." Selena took it and opened it; it was the latest Louis Vuitton handbag. Over the past three years, Julian had brought her a gift every time he returned from a business trip. But Selena knew these gifts were merely tasks he delegated to his assistant. Julian didn't love her, a fact Selena had known since the day they married. Although she had managed to endure three years of a polite, distant marriage, the moment she discovered Julian's infidelity, she suddenly found herself unable to bear it any longer. Selena realized this was because she had secretly harbored illusions, illusions that Julian might eventually fall in love with her and remain faithful. Suppressing her emotions, Selena asked as casually as possible, "Did you go on this trip alone?" Julian's hand paused on his buttons. "A friend came along." Selena was slightly taken aback, a mocking smirk tugging at her lips. Technically, wasn't Julian telling the truth? In the dead of night, they lay in bed together. Beside her, Julian was fast asleep, lying perfectly straight with his hands neatly folded over his chest. Selena lay on her side. From her angle, she could clearly see a hickey behind Julian's ear. She clenched her fists involuntarily and closed her eyes to shut out the sight. She thought to herself, 'Right now, Julian is sleeping in the very bed where she had tangled with another man just yesterday.' They were even now. With that thought, Selena rolled over to face the ceiling and drifted into a heavy sleep. When Selena woke up the next morning, Julian was already gone. She freshened up and went downstairs. Mrs. Hudson, the housekeeper, had already prepared breakfast, and Selena sat down at the dining table. But just as she sat down, a loud commotion erupted outside. "Get out of the way! Let us in!" Mrs. Hudson was frantically trying to stop them. "Who are you people? How did you get in here..." Selena frowned. Looking up, she saw a group of about seven or eight girls who looked like college students barging into the house. Selena sized them up. The girl leading them wore the latest Louis Vuitton dress. With her long, flowing hair, she looked quite innocent and pure. Pointing at Selena, she said furiously, "This is the place! Yesterday, when Julian got back from the airport, he didn't take me home. He came here instead!" Selena recognized her instantly. Gabriella Goodwin! She was the college student Julian had been keeping. Selena's face darkened. Before she could speak, Gabriella beat her to it, pointing a finger right at her nose and screaming, "This is the homewrecker who seduced Julian! Get her!"