After His Cheating, A Guy Begs to Marry Me

There was an unwritten rule in the Havenbrook celebrity circle—whenever Eric Harris flaunted his marriage and topped the trending charts, it meant he had cheated again. At first, Scarlett Harris fought with Eric over it. But the man assumed the problem was that the checks he gave her weren't large enough. He tossed her several more checks worth tens of millions each and said, "You need to understand that s*x and love can be separate." Staring at the checks scattered across the floor, Scarlett took no more than three seconds to accept them. Because she knew that the husband who once swore he loved her was long gone. After that, she even came to believe his words. Every time Eric gave her compensation after cheating, she would just go off and have fun with charming men of her own. Older or younger, passionate or playfully aloof, it didn't matter. But she never crossed the line. Everything changed after one night of heavy drinking. When Scarlett woke up, she found a man lying beside her. "Miss, when can I become your official boyfriend?" the man asked. Groggy from the hangover, the unfamiliar soreness in her body told her just how wild last night had been. Instinctively, she reached for her phone to transfer him money, and as she scrolled through her contacts, she asked, "What's your name?" The man's voice turned a little sour. "How could you forget my name, Scarlett?" Realizing this man would be difficult to deal with, she quickly pulled a thick stack of cash from her drawer and tossed it straight at him. "Is this your answer?" His pretty lips pressed into a thin line, and his deep eyes glinted with displeasure. "Then what was last night to you?" "It doesn't matter. What happened last night stays last night." After saying that, she kicked away the flowers by her bed and walked straight into the bathroom. Last night had been her and Eric's seventh wedding anniversary. Eric had splurged on a grand gesture, gifting her a mining vein. Outsiders envied her, but insiders who knew the truth only laughed at her behind her back. Who didn't know that every public display of affection from Eric to his wife was just compensation for a fresh affair? As soon as the anniversary formalities were over, the two got into separate cars and went their own ways. She knew Eric was bringing his new mistress along on his so-called business trip. So she didn't stay idle either; she picked a handsome man to go on a date with. She never expected she would get drunk and cross the line, indulging in one night of recklessness. Scarlett closed her eyes and let the water wash over her entire body. When she finished, she walked out wrapped in a bath towel. Sensing there was still someone in the room, she said impatiently, "If you're not leaving, go buy me medicine." "You're sick?" At the sound of that familiar voice, Scarlett's hand paused midway through drying her hair. She had not expected Eric to return this soon. And in this room... the traces of last night's passion were still there, untouched. Over the years, she had always been careful. Even though she'd fooled around, she never crossed this line, let alone brought someone back to her home. Scarlett froze for a moment, then quickly schooled her expression into calm. What if Eric found out she had brought a man home for the night? What could he really do? She couldn't even count how many times he had cheated on her. Why would he care anyway? This was just how this circle worked, wasn't it? Eric stepped over the scattered petals on the floor, reached out to take the towel off her head, and pressed his warm palm to her forehead. "You're running a fever? I'll call the family doctor over." "No." Scarlett smoothly pulled away from his hand and declined coolly. Eric assumed she was just throwing a tantrum. He glanced at the box on the table and said, "I forgot to give this to you last night. Open it, you'll like it." When Scarlett opened it, she found a piece from a renowned jewelry collection, one that symbolized eternal love. From what she knew of the full set, she had received only one piece. The rest, she suspected, had been distributed to his new mistress, Cassie Scott. Rumor had it Cassie was an artist who openly scorned the "perfect good wife" persona Scarlett maintained. She claimed that if a man cheated, a wife should leave without hesitation and never look back. But how ironic it was for a homewrecker to say such a thing! Scarlett curved her lips into a faint smile, thanked him blandly, and set the box back on the table without a second thought. "Breakfast is ready. Let's go eat together." Eric took her hand and walked with her all the way to the dining room. He paid no mind to the mess in the room and never noticed the discarded condom wrapper lying right by his foot. As they walked down the stairs, Scarlett's sharp eyes caught a red mark on the skin peeking out from Eric's collar. She raised her hand to wipe it away for him, but the second her fingertips touched his skin, he turned his head. "It's dirty," Scarlett explained. Eric tilted his head and only recognized the mark from the reflection in the glass. He rubbed the mark lightly with his fingertip, his eyes swimming with a tenderness she had never seen before, and said casually, "Cassie's young, and she knows quite a few tricks. We're very compatible." Scarlett's heart clenched sharply, and she stared at him wide-eyed. "Eric, you're talking to your wife." The man gave an unconcerned chuckle, lowered his head, and kissed her lips. "You know best what those women outside mean to me. They're just flowers to decorate my life—when one wilts, I just buy another. You're different. You're Mrs. Harris. But to be honest, both in bed and in daily life, you're really not as uninhibited as Cassie." Scarlett's dignity was shattered completely amid his careless taunts. For some reason, she could not help but recall the way the man from last night had nuzzled and caressed her body... The younger man's voice echoed in her mind. "I love your body. There's so much pleasure to be had with you. He definitely doesn't make you this happy, does he? I'll make you fall for how it feels to be with me." When she looked up at Eric's profile again, for the first time, she felt this marriage was just so hollow and boring. If she counted up all the compensation Eric had given her over the years, it would be more than enough for her to live a life of luxury for the rest of her days. She pulled her hand out of his grasp, wiped her lips, and said freely, "Then let's just get rid of the boring one, shall we?"