A raspy voice whispered in my ear.

I shrank back, letting out a couple of awkward chuckles.

"It's just a fling. I don't have to be responsible for anything... right?"

The man fell silent for a moment, his arm tightening.

"Oh, but I intend to take responsibility."

I remained silent.

"Avery."

"Yes?" I felt a chill up my spine at the sudden mention of my name.

His hand caressed my waist, pressing gently at my side, ticklish yet soothing.

"Have you forgotten my name?"

"Well..."

I quickly searched through the remnants of my memory, finding a blank where his name should be.

The man sighed, "Emmett."

I nodded, attempting to walk away, but he held me tight in his arms, immobilizing me.

It was not good.

"Also, I'm 31 this year."

"Yeah?"

"I'm older than you, young lady."

Well...

What a stickler for details.

"But I'm married." I admitted.

His hand froze mid-rub on his waist.

"You mean you had dumped?"

"Yeah, I got divorced, but I'm still in the cooling-off period, so..."

"Damn!"

Emmett cursed under his breath, releasing me instantly. He turned around and burrowed under the covers, rustling as he put on his clothes.

Feeling a little embarrassed, I tidied myself up and walked towards the door, but he stopped me.

"It's far from here. Where do you live? I'll take you home."

"No need, I can call a cab."

He got up and opened the door, heading straight for the kitchen.

"Have some food before you go, I'll drive you."

In the car, it was awkwardly indescribable.

I broke the silence first, apologizing.

Emmett's expression twisted for a moment.

"Don't talk," he said. "Don't remind me of being the other man all night."

I fell silent, turning to look out the window.

"It's not really that, anyway. The divorce is inevitable. Our marriage is already broken, just missing the paperwork.

"If he can do it, why can't I?"

Perhaps it was drizzling today. Raindrops streaked the car window, much like my current mood.

Emmett glanced at me, his grim expression softening a bit.

"Did he cheat?"

"Yes, with his secretary, for three months, no, maybe even longer. Do you know how I found out?"

"How?"

"His chat history! He didn't even bother to delete it. He knew I trusted him and wouldn't check his phone, so he took advantage of my trust and flirted with his secretary right under my nose. How ridiculous is that?"

"That's pretty low of him."

"Ten years together, seven years of dating, three years of marriage, and he cheats on me, then comes back and says he loves me. Isn't it hilarious?"

I leaned my head against the car window, looking out at the foggy weather.

"Why are men like this? Both the cheaters and the mistresses are disgusting."

"It sounds like you're scolding me too."

Emmett's expression faltered slightly, and I offered him an apologetic smile.

The car stopped at the entrance of the apartment complex, and Emmett handed me an umbrella.

"Return it next time."

"Thank you."

I walked into the complex with the umbrella.

Only after I entered, my home did the Range Rover downstairs slowly drive away.

I unlocked my phone, and dozens of messages popped up instantly.

Mostly, it was just Arthur talking to himself.

[Avery, I can't be without you! Please don’t leave me.]

[I've made it clear to Lyla that I won’t see her anymore. Can you come back to me?]

[Don't divorce me, okay? I know I was wrong.]

I dried my freshly washed hair and opened my Instagram.

The news of my impending divorce from Arthur was no secret and had spread far and wide. Lyla was already impatient.

She usually only posted some lovey-dovey quotes, but now she had posted several updates of her alone time with Arthur, all of which were quite suggestive.

There were even some suggestive messages like: [The old can't compare to the new, be someone who brings a fresh feeling.]

I chuckled and took screenshots to send to Arthur.

[This is your idea of setting boundaries? Having dinner across the table from Lyla?]

Lyla must have sent them to me on purpose, blocking him from seeing them.

After sending them, the usually chatty Arthur suddenly fell silent.

I didn't bother with him anymore. After exiting the chat, I suddenly noticed a new addition on my screen.

The nickname was a simple character, "E", with a solid black profile picture.

A tall, astonishing figure suddenly sprang to mind, and I tentatively sent a message.

"Emmett?"

"Yeah."

His reply came almost instantly as if he had been waiting for me to message.

I quickly banished the thought from my mind. It couldn't be possible after just one night of knowing each other.

[When did you have my number?]

[Last night. You complimented me and insisted on adding my contact information.]

[Sorry, I had too much to drink.]

[I entirely agree with you.]

I blinked, unsure what he meant by agreeing, and scrolled down to transfer him five thousand dollars.

Emmett: [What?]

Me: [It's a reward.]

Emmett: [What?]

Emmett: [I feel like I've been swept into some kind of shady job.]

[I never said that.]

I smirked, suddenly feeling much lighter in spirit.

Things between Arthur and Lyla seemed to have become a bit tense.

Nora Madison was the one who gossiped about it.

Arthur started a company that contracts writers to produce online novels, and Nora was a top editor at his company. I was the one who recruited her, so we were pretty close.

Ever since she found out the reason for my divorce, she had been furious and had been voluntarily reporting to me on Arthur and Lyla's latest developments.

After Arthur and I signed the divorce papers, he became pretty depressed and often stared blankly at our photo on his desk.

On the contrary, Lyla was visibly excited and strutted around the office with a newfound arrogance.

[Avery, you wouldn't believe it. She acts like she owns the place, bossing everyone around.]

[A homewrecker secretary rising through such shameful tactics, where does she get the nerve? I bet Mr. Ford doesn't even like her.]

She said Lyla had been overly attentive to Arthur recently, even at the company. She would link arms with him and cling to him in front of everyone, coming and going as a couple.

But lately, Arthur was clearly annoyed with her. Employees often saw them arguing in the stairwell.

Lyla tried to kiss him, but he pushed her away so hard that she slammed into the wall, her hair coming undone.

Some employees felt a bit sorry for her when they saw this, but most said she deserved it.

Nora's was gleeful as she gossiped with me.

[A mistress will always get her comeuppance!]

[I've read too many novels about chasing wives till they're cremated, and now seeing it in real life is really satisfying. Avery, let me tell you, Mr. Ford is trying every way to win you back now, and he doesn't want to deal with that Lyla at all.]

I laughed, releasing a sigh of relief.

This situation was within my expectations. Arthur's affair was a fact, but it didn't necessarily mean he was indeed in love with Lyla. After ten years together, seeing my face every day, he was probably just bored and looking for something new.

Lyla was using this as her leverage, but it was clear she was going to lose badly.

I didn't like getting involved in these kinds of things, but I wasn't a saint either. Seeing them suffer brought me more joy than I'd like to admit.

So, I sent Nora a coffee cards as a gift, which she repeatedly refused.

[I just can't stand seeing a scumbag and his mistress," she said. "I hope you're not too upset, Avery.]

[I was pretty heartbroken when I found out, but I'm feeling better now.]

I added: [But I can get you coffee.]

Nora sent a cute emoji and accepted it.

[Thanks, Avery. Mr. Ford's life is going to be miserable without you.]

[Everyone knows half of this company's success is thanks to you. I have no idea what he sees in Lyla.]

I smiled but didn't reply anything.

[But I'm still curious. Lyla graduated from a prestigious university, too. How could she stoop so low? If I were her, I'd be disgusted with myself.]

[Sometimes education doesn't reflect a person's character.]

[You're right, Avery.]

After that, Nora went back to work, and I exited to open Emmett's messages.

Since that day, Emmett and I had grown closer, and he often invited me out under the guise of easing my stress.

After several outings, his friends started giving us knowing looks.

But I didn't refuse. Partly out of a desire for revenge and partly because I didn't know many people in Mayby, nor did I have much of a social life, spending my days under constant pressure from readers to update my writings. Having some diversion wasn't a bad thing.

Moreover, Emmett is indeed very handsome, standing at six-foot-three with a well-built physique, exuding a rugged charm just by being there.

He was exactly the type I go for at this age.

Arthur was handsome and well-built, too, but by comparison, he was practically a beanpole.

I looked down at Emmett's message.

[Want to hang out tonight?]

[Sure.]

Emmett's daily activities fit his tough-guy image perfectly.

The first time we went out, he took me to a boxing gym.

He taught me how to throw a punch, where to channel my strength, and where to hit for a knockout.

I spent a day punching a sandbag until it broke, feeling exhilarated, and Emmett gave me a thumbs up.

The second time, he took me to a paintball range.

We chased each other through dense woods. I was quite the novice, so Emmett pulled me behind him, lifted his gun, and fired away at the opposing team.

He looked attractive when he closed his eyes to aim, his muscles tensing and forming sexy lines. I couldn't resist reaching out and touching him.

His body stiffened for a moment, and he turned his head to look at me. He didn't stop me, but his ears turned red.

At first, I felt embarrassed about my wandering hands, but eventually, I just let myself go.

What did it matter? We had already been intimate.

Once the divorce cooling-off period was over, I was completely free.

But I didn't expect Arthur actually to come to Mayby to reconcile with me.

That night, after an exciting escape room adventure with Emmett, I was still buzzing with excitement, discussing the plot in the car. When we got out, I saw Arthur at the entrance of the complex. I was stunned, and so was he.

Arthur's face turned ashen. He rushed over, grabbed my wrist, and demanded, "Who is he?"

"None of your business."

I tried to break free from his grip but to no avail.

Arthur was furious. "Avery, we're not divorced yet!"

I gave him a cold look and scoffed, "You cheated on me even when we were married."

Arthur's face turned pale momentarily, his mouth opening and closing without words.

"I...I know I was wrong. I never really thought about splitting up with you.

"I do love you, but why would you do the same?"

I tilted my head, amused as I watched him.

Emmett got out of the car, came over, and pried his hand off me, chuckling.

"Love her? Save the lies for your buddies, don't fool yourself too."

"What the hell are you supposed to be?" Arthur spat.

Emmett curled his lip.

"Her lover."

Arthur's face went white in an instant, his lips trembling as he looked at me questioningly.

I nodded with a smile amidst his frantic gaze.

"Avery! Do you really need to demean yourself just to get back at me?"

"What, you can have a mistress, and I can't seek some excitement? Be fair, Arthur."

Arthur's body swayed. "Avery, please don't hurt me like this."

I laughed joyously.

"Once the cooling-off period for the divorce is over, we'll be strangers on different paths. Why should you care what I do? Is Lyla's bed uncomfortable?"

"I never thought about leaving you..."

"But I have, Arthur. You disgust me. Don't learn the hard way. I, Avery, am never the soft-hearted type."

I scoffed, brushing past him, but he grabbed my wrist.

He turned, his eyes rimmed red under the streetlight.

"I don't mind this incident, can we not divorce?"

I glanced at him and pushed his hand away.