Finally, Lacey had no choice but to instruct Adrian to go.

"Adrian, go buy me a box of birth control pills. We might need them tonight."

...

Adrian's clenched fists cracked at the knuckles. Not a single person in this group had a shred of decency.

He had seriously underestimated Lacey. They had known each other for three years, and she had always struck him as the picture of innocence — a sweet, well-behaved girl.

She used to say that cheating was the one thing she despised most in this world. But her mouth said one thing while her heart believed another.

Turns out she was the very kind of person she claimed to hate.

He lifted his head, eyes blazing with rage, and locked stares with the still-laughing Lacey. The moment she caught the sudden chill in his demeanor, panic flickered across her face.

"Adrian, wh-what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

She reached out to touch his forehead. Her body still carried another man's saliva. Disgusted, he flinched away.

"Lacey, I think we may need to postpone the wedding."

Now truly alarmed, she grabbed his arm.

"Adrian, what's gotten into you?"

He pried her hand off and forced a bitter smile. "Relax. I'm fine. I just worry that tying the knot too soon might hold you back. We're still young. Why don't you enjoy yourself a while longer before we bring up marriage again?"

Lacey broke into a pleased smile, wrapped her arms around him, and buried her face in his chest. "I knew you were the sweetest. Thank you for always putting me first."

She had no idea he had already started letting her go. In her triumphant haze, she shot a smug look at Kevin and her friends.

"Tsk. What a rare, devoted fool."

"Bet his ancestors are spinning in their graves."

They all mocked him — called him worthless, a clueless idiot.

He didn't care. Let them laugh. Because anyone who made a joke out of him would soon become the joke themselves.

He turned and went out to buy the pill for Lacey. The moment he stepped outside, they were already tangled up together, kissing.

"Damn, you're playing hardcore. Getting serviced by two guys at once."

"Please, like you're any different."

"Alright, I'm out. My dream guy's already cleaned up and waiting for me at the hotel."

Hearing that, he quickened his pace to leave.

Rain poured outside, soaking his clothes and adding to his disheveled look.

By the time he returned with the pill, laughter was booming from the private room again. They all looked at him—faces bold, hearts steady—and launched into Portuguese.

"How about we go mushroom picking tomorrow?"

"Ugh, no. Too tired."

"A little field action won't tire you out. Haha, I'm just looking out for us."

Kevin nudged Lacey with his foot, and she perked up instantly.

Everyone laughed as they stared at him, still treating him like the perfect fool.

The next day, Lacey took him out, claiming they were going mushroom hunting in the mountains outside the city.

At the foot of the mountain, her friends started joking around.

"You've really outdone yourselves. Bringing Adrian along for a field romp? Aren't you afraid he'll catch you?"

"You don't tell, and they don't tell. Who's going to point it out to him?"

"That's exactly why we love it—the thrill and the panic all at once. Haha!"

No sooner had the words left their mouths than Lacey led Adrian up the mountain to look for mushrooms.

Soon enough, she claimed she had to relieve herself and told him to stand guard so no one would come near.

His heart ached—a numb, wrenching pain. He couldn't believe the woman he loved could be so shameless.

She carried a backpack. Inside were all kinds of kinky things.

The night before, while pretending to be asleep, he had heard her sneak out of bed to pack, all while whispering to Kevin on the phone about what positions to use tomorrow.

He hadn't slept a wink. Instead, he had texted his boss.

He had made up his mind: go overseas to take over the branch office, settle there, and never see Lacey again.

Lacey couldn't wait to slip away. Watching her hurried figure disappear, a bitter ache filled Adrian's chest.

He followed close behind and hid beside a large tree, where he witnessed Lacey and Kevin rolling around on the grass with his own eyes.

Lacey pulled out a sexy nightgown. Kevin insisted on putting it on her himself.

The two of them giggled shamelessly, then began doing things too explicit to describe.

Lacey kept kissing Kevin passionately, complaining that the grass scratched her skin.

Kevin laughed and bit her ear. "Everyone has to try something for the first time. Isn't this thrill amazing?"

"You're so bad!"

"Haha, that fool has no idea what we're doing behind his back. He's still standing guard for us, completely clueless."

"You're terrible. Absolutely terrible. Making me go along with such an outrageous request. If Adrian finds out, you're dead meat."

"Oh please. You wouldn't dare hurt me. If anything happened to this, you'd lose your happiness."

Adrian stood frozen, a look of disbelief spreading across his face. Hearing about it was one thing. Watching Lacey cheat with his own eyes—that pain was something no one else could ever truly understand.

"Okay, hurry up. Adrian is waiting for me to come back."

"Not yet. I'm not done having fun."

Adrian had never seen Lacey act so wanton with anyone else. He couldn't bear to watch any longer. He turned and walked away.

Overwhelmed, his foot slipped, and he tumbled down the mountainside. Fortunately, his reflexes kicked in, and he grabbed hold of a vine.

He shouted for help at the top of his lungs, hoping Lacey and the others would hear him and pull him up.

No one answered. Clenching his jaw, he held on to the vine with one hand and fished out his phone to call Lacey.

Dozens of calls went unanswered. She was still lost in her drunken stupor.

Just as he was about to give up, she finally answered, but her voice dripped with annoyance.

"Adrian, I'm still taking care of business. Don't bother me with calls right now. My stomach hurts like crazy. Must have eaten something bad last night."

He didn't waste time on small talk. He told her to come help him immediately, saying he was about to fall off the mountain.

Lacey heard him but didn't budge.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. This mountain isn't even that steep. You city people make a fuss over everything."

He couldn't hold on any longer. The vine snapped. He tumbled down the slope, rolling dozens of times before slamming into a hard rock. Blood covered one of his legs. The pain nearly knocked him unconscious.

Through it all, the phone call was still connected. Every now and then, he could hear Lacey's soft moans. She had heard his cries of agony, clear as day—and still, she didn't care.

Between love and lust, she chose lust.

In that moment, his face went pale as ash. He closed his eyes. There was nothing left to hold on to.

…

Night fell. Lacey never came looking for him. Never once wondered if he might be hurt.

He dragged his severely injured leg down the mountain, one agonizing step at a time. Only then did an ambulance finally arrive to take him away.

Lacey and Kevin had left the mountain long ago, but they hadn't given him a single call.

It wasn't until deep into the night that Lacey remembered Adrian.

When her phone rang, she launched straight into complaints.

"Adrian, where are you?"

Hearing that, he gave a bitter shake of his head.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? Stepped out to 'take care of business' and disappeared without a trace? Anyone would think you were up to something else."

The anger he had suppressed for so long finally began to seep out.

"What are you implying? That I did something to betray you? I came back to find you after I was done, but you were gone. I searched everywhere. Then my phone lost signal. I was beside myself with worry. I even hurt my leg trying to find you."

Lacey claimed she had hurt her leg looking for him. How ironic.

He told her where he was. Within half an hour, she limped into his hospital room, followed by Kevin and her insufferable friends.

The moment she saw he was genuinely injured, Lacey's face filled with guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Adrian. This is all my fault. I never should have taken you mushroom picking."

She paused, her eyes fixed on his leg. "Does it still hurt? I won't leave your side again. I'll stay right here with you."

But he didn't want to see her anymore. He couldn't stand the thought of her touching him.

Lacey refused to let go. She clung to him tightly, as if she truly understood her mistakes and regretted them.

He couldn't push her away, so he finally said, "You're hurt too. Let go of me."

"No. My injury doesn't matter. All I care about is you."

She was so relentless that he gave in. Taking his silence as forgiveness, she released him and began peeling an apple.

While feeding him slices, she chatted with her friends in Portuguese.

"Good thing I'm clever. I pretended to hurt my leg so I'd look pitiful. Otherwise, I'd never have found a decent excuse for my little affair."

"Tsk. Always the smart one, aren't you?"

"Of course. Look at Adrian—he's already forgotten all about yesterday."

"What a pathetic simp. Forgiving you that fast."

"Because Adrian loves me."

Adrian's body stiffened. His breathing turned uneven. Why did she have to lie to him every single moment? For a second there, he had actually believed she had hurt her leg. He had almost started to forgive her.

He was wrong. This woman was beyond trust.

Right in front of him, she began describing how much fun she'd had sneaking around yesterday.

They just kept shamelessly trading stories of their wild histories, not forgetting to throw a smug look back at him.

By the time Adrian was discharged, their engagement day had arrived.

Lacey wore a sexy evening gown. Kevin followed behind her.

He grabbed her hand, visibly agitated.

"Lacey, are you really going to marry him? What about me? What am I to you?"

"A hookup."

"But I love you too."

"And I love Adrian more. After we get married, I'm cutting you off. I want to turn over a new leaf and be a good wife."

Adrian watched the surveillance feed on his screen while packing his things and talking to his boss on the phone.

"The plane takes off in about two hours. I should head out soon. See you in Parlise."

He hung up, zipped his suitcase, and walked away without looking back.

Before leaving, he decided to leave Lacey one last big gift.

Downstairs, Lacey grew anxious as she waited. Adrian was nowhere in sight.

She pulled out her phone to call him, but his best friend cut in, walking over with a wine glass and a broad smile.

"Haha, congratulations! My buddy here takes relationships seriously. Don't you worry—he'll show up right on time."

He took a sip, then added, "Oh, and he does have one flaw. He hates betrayal more than anything."

Lacey forced a tight, wooden smile and nodded.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, his friend slapped his forehead.

"Almost forgot — we're all from the same hometown. Adrian too. Our village was right next to yours."

He pulled out an old ID card. "See? This is Adrian's old address. I'm not lying. Here, I'll even say a few words in Portuguese for you — then you'll believe me."