Chapter 1
I had been married to Lewis Carter for three years.
He was 35, while I was not yet 21—still a senior in college.
I hadn’t decided yet if I wanted to become a full–time housewife.
Then one day, I overheard him chatting with a group of industry elites.
He laughed and said, “Emily’s only asset is her youth. Compared to her, Victoria is far more refined and intelligent.
Honestly, I regret getting married. Keeping a young woman on the side would’ve cost me a lot
less, but divorcing now would be a financial disaster.”
The moment I heard that, I handed him the divorce papers.
When he saw the document in black and white stating I’d get nothing in the divorce, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Then, pretending to be generous, he said, “I’ll transfer twenty million dollars to you, consider it a
parting gift.‘
I smiled and declined.
“I’m still young, I can afford to take the loss.”
What he didn’t know was that my brother, Andrew Johnson, was a scion of New York’s upper
crust.
Everything Lewis had achieved, every step he’d taken into that elite world, was thanks to Andrew’s support.
Now that we were getting divorced, his downfall was just beginning.
***
During my senior–year internship, I made a firm decision to join Lewis’s company, simply so I could see my handsome husband a little more every day
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I was so discreet that Lewis didn’t even realize I had joined the company.
I didn’t want to bother him or become a distraction.
Sometimes, I overheard the other interns from my batch talking about him.
I just listened quietly and never said a word.
“Mr. Lewis is seriously attractive. Thirty–five is a man’s prime.”
“Too bad he’s married. And from what I’ve heard, he married some unknown girl with no notable background.”
“Why couldn’t I be that lucky?”
When I was eighteen, Lewis had made his intentions clear the moment he started courting me.
On the very first day he confessed, he told me he was looking to marry.
He gave me a diamond ring on the spot.
I responded with full–hearted passion.
We dated for a year and got our marriage certificate.
It was impulsive, intense, and sweet.
He gave me a kind of dreamlike love I’d never imagined possible.
The kind of love only a domineering CEO could give—direct, overwhelming, and all–consuming, leaving me so dazed that I couldn’t think straight.
If I hadn’t taken the internship at his company, I might have never discovered what he was hiding.
Victoria Blake—Lewis’s secretary.
Sexy, elegant, the definition of a mature woman.
She accompanied him on all his business trips, and attended every networking event by his side.
She took charge of practically every aspect of the company, sometimes she seemed to know more about its operations than Lewis himself.
Before anyone at the company found out Lewis was married, everyone just assumed Victoria was
his wife.
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Even in the cafeteria, I often heard long–time employees who’d worked with Victoria complain,
“Mr. Lewis must be blind. How could he not treasure a knockout like Victoria?”
“She gave up an executive position at a publicly listed company to become his secretary.”
“Just wait. Once the excitement fades, Mr. Lewis is bound to divorce and end up with Victoria.”
There were plenty of rumors.
I didn’t take them seriously.
After all, Lewis and I were still passionately in love, night after night.
Until one night, during a company dinner, Victoria got drunk and confessed her feelings to Lewis in front of everyone.
Well, it wasn’t so much a confession as it was forcing him to choose.
She asked him straight out if he had feelings for her.
Lewis stayed silent for a long time.
Then she asked again, “If you don’t care about me, why haven’t you approved my resignation letter?”
His face grew heavy, and he finally said one word.
“Yes.”
Then he looked at her with unmistakable emotion and added, “I do care about you. I can’t lose you. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to approve it. Is that reason enough?”
Victoria smiled, finished a shot of whiskey from the table, picked up her bag, and walked out.
The air in the room froze for a couple of seconds.
Then Lewis got up and chased after her.
Everyone at that gathering had been working alongside Lewis and Victoria for years.
I wasn’t there.
But a chubby girl I was close with, Molly Parker, who had a real passion for gossip, secretly filmed
the entire scene and sent it to me.
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She messaged me, [What do you think will happen between Mr. Lewis and Victoria tonight?]
I replied, [Probably nothing… I guess.]
She pushed back, [Come on, they’re both adults, they’ve known each other for years, their bond runs deep, they drank, and she confessed her feelings. You really think nothing will happen?]
I typed out a firm response. [Mr. Lewis is married. He should know where the line is. And I don’t think Victoria’s the kind of woman who would stoop to being a side piece.]
She sent back, [You might be right. But whether something happens or not, we’ll find out
tomorrow.]
I didn’t really understand what she meant by that.
But the moment I closed the chat window, I found out exactly what she meant.
Lewis sent me a message saying he wouldn’t be coming home that night.
He said something work–related had come up at the dinner.
My heart sank, so I called him right away, but no one answered at first. I kept calling again and
again.
He finally answered, “Hey baby, my phone was on silent. I didn’t hear it. What’s wrong?”
I held back my emotions, and my fingernails had already dug into my palm.
“Honey, are you really not coming home tonight?”
“Yeah, the gathering’s still going. Everyone’s here. Can you be understanding, baby?”
I gritted my teeth and pushed further.
“Are there any women at the dinner?”
He paused for a moment, then chuckled.
“Nope. Since when did you start checking up on me? Want me to video call you to prove I’m
innocent?”
While he was speaking, I heard a soft rustling sound in the background.
It was the sound of expensive dress shirts brushing against hotel bed sheets.
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Back when our love had been fiery and wild, I’d heard that sound many times.
Then came a soft groan from Lewis.
“Mmm…”
A low, breathy sound slipped from his throat.
In that moment, everything I had been holding in shattered.
After three years with Lewis, I knew that sound all too well.
It was the kind of release that came after deep pleasure.
He probably didn’t even realize he’d made it.
Perfect.
I didn’t even need to stop him from cheating.
He already had.
I let out a bitter laugh, “Skip the video call… I’d rather not ruin my eyes with what I’d see. Have
fun. I’m going to sleep.”
My heart was completely numb as I prepared to hang up.
Then his voice came through again, low and hoarse.
“Baby, we landed a huge deal tonight. Starting tomorrow, everyone will be working overtime. I might be staying late at the office. Don’t wait for me for dinner these next few days.”
Was he really staying late to work
, or staying late to be with Victoria?
At that point, it didn’t matter anymore.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.