Hayes’s confused expression remained. He tilted his head while looking at Lacey until he caught a glimpse of a slender figure walking away from the Bureau of Civil Affairs building.

“Stop it, Lacey,” he softly warned before pinching her cheek.

Lacey slapped his hand and covered her cheeks. “Ouch! That hurt!” she protested.

Her voice sounded gentle and cute. Her blushing face made her look more innocent and charming. Even her frown could melt a man’s heart in an instant.

Hayes stared at her for a while. Without hesitation, he unfastened his seat belt using one hand. Before Lacey could react, Hayes was already brushing his lips against hers.

Lacey’s eyes slightly widened as she froze in her spot. When she felt a sting on her lips, she unconsciously let out a soft whimper. Hayes took it as an opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth.

From afar, Gwen stood and watched the scene. She couldn’t move her body nor take her eyes away from the view.

A series of memories flashed in her mind again.

She knew that Hayes was never the type of man to show affection in public. He was stoic and very strict. He thought a couple should do things privately, not in front of other people.

But looking at them now, it seemed like he loved Lacey so much to kiss her passionately inside the car, where other people could see them.

He and Gwen were married for three years but never did the man even try to sleep with her. Not even a peck on the lips.

The more Gwen thought about the past, the more she felt pathetic and ridiculous.

She needed to stop now.

Gwen removed her gaze from them and continued walking. Far, far away from them. Her chest slowly rose as she breathed, trying to compose herself. She raised her head and looked at the clear blue sky.

Not long after, she finally reached the bus stop.

She and Hayes were no longer married. From now on, the strings that tied them together were already cut.

She spent ten years loving Hayes. Seven years of unrequited love and three years of marriage later, the love she thought she had finally vanished.

She didn’t expect that it would end this way.

She never gave up on him; now, she just made a complete fool of herself.

Gwen had already left Windsor Mansion when her best friend, Callie Cooper, learned about her divorce.

Like what they had agreed, Gwen moved out of the house with nothing. She only brought her clothes, personal stuff, and some she bought with her own money. She didn’t even take any gifts that Hayes had given her before.

Gwen rented a one-bedroom apartment in a neighborhood near the Great Oak Primary School in Merlin City. The place was about forty square meters in size.

Compared to the gigantic mansion she had lived in before, her new apartment was probably only the size of a regular bathroom. Nevertheless, Gwen liked it a lot.

“Am I just hallucinating, or does your place look really small?” Callie murmured when she realized there wasn’t even a space where she could sit.

“Is it too small?” Gwen asked as she poured some water into the glass. “It looks neat and cute, right?”

Callie turned to her smiling friend and sighed. “Gwen… Are you really sure that you’ll end things this way? Maybe you gave up easily?”

Ten long years.

It took ten years for Gwen to give up on Hayes. Not only ten days or months but years of her life were dedicated to that man alone.

“What should I do?” Gwen smiled bitterly. “I couldn’t even make a man fall in love with me in ten years. What else could I possibly do?”

Callie saw what her friend went through all those times. Hence, she couldn’t help but feel that it was unfair to her friend. Although she also felt relieved and happy that her friend finally let things go.

“Ugh! Since you said that, as your friend, I can only support you and nothing else!” Callie rolled her eyes and plopped on the sofa.

“You know what they say, right? The best way to forget your ex is to start seeing other people. Meet and date new guys! This is a great idea, Gwen! You should meet other men and eventually realize how unworthy Hayes Gilmore is!” Callie exclaimed.

Gwen narrowed her eyes at her. “So, you’re saying I should use other people to forget about my ex-husband?”

Callie stood up, beaming. “You, my friend,” she pointed at Gwen. “Was too blinded by your fascination with Hayes that you couldn’t see other men. So, tonight, I will take you out to have some fun!”

Gwen didn’t want to disappoint her friend. Callie really looked enthusiastic to cheer her up. She sighed and smiled at her.

“Okay.”

Deep down in her heart, Gwen knew she was not as carefree or bubbly as she portrayed herself to others.

In the past ten years, she learned many things that turned into habits until time slowly made her carve them into her bones.

One of these was her love for Hayes Gilmore.

Her feelings for him were like a drug she couldn't stop taking. She wanted to quit it now but didn't have the guts to do it yet.

But through Callie's help, she thought that perhaps she could finally end this habit. Meeting a new man sounded right to her.

She stared at the familiar and expensive-looking building in front of her. The first time she went to Grand Oasis, she was determined to end her marriage with Hayes. This time, she was determined to forget him.

Some things in life were really strange in many ways.

Gwen was true to her words when she told Callie that she would drink to forget. Plenty of tequila shots later, she was already staggering as she headed to the dance floor.

She laughed loudly. She had never felt this free and happy!

The lights almost blinded her eyes, but she didn't care. Several bodies squished her on the dance floor, but she continued dancing to the music.

"Woah! You dance so well." A manly voice muttered near her ears.

Gwen turned around, only to find a smiling man dancing behind her.

She tilted her head and stared at him with her intoxicated eyes. The man seemed to be young. Perhaps he was in his early twenties.

He looked attractive as well.

Gwen and the stranger continued dancing together, never breaking their eye contact. Slowly, Gwen's pink lips curled into a smile.

The man smiled at her, too. With just one look or smile, the two instantly understood each other.

This was how clubbing worked. People went there for particular reasons, so it was easy to figure one out.

A few minutes later, Gwen found herself hugging the man's arm as they made their way out of the dancefloor. Even if they were silent, they both stared at the club's exit as they walked.

Still tipsy, Gwen tripped over something and almost landed on the floor. Luckily, the man was fast enough to hold her arms and guide her outside.

By the time they reached the door, someone had bumped Gwen's shoulder with so much force that she almost fell. She stood up straight and looked at the person, but they were already far from her sight. The only thing she saw was blond hair.

She narrowed her eyes and thought that it seemed familiar.

"Let's go?" the man asked her. Gloria retracted her gaze from the dance floor and nodded at him.

Gwen felt soberer as soon as she sat in the man's car. She watched the splendid night view of Merlin City with feelings of confusion and emptiness in her heart.

The man hurriedly swiped the card, and the hotel room door instantly opened. Not even bothering to turn the lights on, he instantly cupped Gwen's cheeks and kissed her.

Gwen went still for a few seconds. Then, she started responding to the man's kisses.

The two of them didn't break their kiss as they traveled to the bed. Their clothes littered the whole place but were too drunk and heated to care.

Suddenly, a series of knocks blared from their door.

The man regretfully broke their kiss. "Wait. I'll check it quickly," he told her as he panted.

Gwen heaved a deep sigh as the man disappeared into the room. Her brows furrowed when she heard some noises from outside.

She sat up on the bed, but the noises suddenly died down. Gwen lay again and stared at the ceiling in a daze.

After a while, someone opened the door. Gwen glanced to see who it was, but the only thing she saw was a tall black figure standing not far from her.

Gwen got out of bed and tried to reach him, but her legs suddenly shook, and she almost fell. The man stretched his hand to prevent her from falling before caging her in his arms.

Gwen raised her head and stared at him. Her drunken eyes sparkled as she stared at the beautiful man in front of her. She let out a soft laugh and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Why? What's wrong? I thought we were having a good time. Want me to teach you some moves?" she whispered alluringly.

The next thing Gwen knew, she was already lying on the bed, with the man hovering over her.

Tears brimmed in her eyes. She stared at the man, but her sight was already blurry.

"Hayes," was the last thing she said before completely losing consciousness.

Gwen woke up with a pounding headache. She fluttered her eyes open and surveyed the unfamiliar room.

Her body froze. Fragments of scenes from last night flooded her mind.

"Are you awake?" A low, hoarse voice muttered behind her.

Gwen blinked, confused why the voice sounded familiar. She slowly turned around and saw who it was.

The sun shone through the windows behind him. The white duvet covered half of his body, but Gwen knew he was naked underneath that fabric. His sleepy gray eyes stared at her face softly. He raised his hand and pressed down on his golden hair.

Before Gwen could open her mouth, he smiled at her and said, "Good morning."

Gwen's eyes widened as her lips parted in shock. As if she had finally regained her senses, she grabbed the blanket and sat up from the bed to cover herself.

Her brain seemed to have stopped functioning as she stared at the man on the bed.

'Oh, God. I'm just dreaming, right?'

The man looked at her innocently, driving her to madness.

"Why are you here?" she screamed.

Gwen still couldn’t decipher how Seth ended up in the same bed with her.

She remembered meeting a young and good-looking man on the dance floor last night, but she didn’t know that it was Seth.

‘How did this happen?’ she thought.

Gwen was still frozen on her spot, still thinking. Meanwhile, Seth transferred his gaze from her face to her body. Gwen mindlessly glanced at him until she saw what he was looking at.

“You pervert!” she hissed and threw the pillow at his face. Her cheeks blushed as she tightly held the blanket on her body.

Seth let out a sarcastic laugh and removed the pillow from his face.

“A pervert? I don’t recall you calling me that last night. Now that I fulfilled your lustful needs, you think I’m of no use anymore, hmm?”

Gwen remained glaring at him. Seth glanced at his shoulder before looking at her again. “What do I have on my shoulders? Hmm… Let’s see. Aren’t these Mrs. Gilmore’s artwork last night?” he teased.

Only then did Gwen notice the red marks on Seth’s shoulders. Some were obviously scratched by nails, and the rest were bitten by a person.

A series of memories from last night popped out of her mind again. She vaguely remembered how she cried and groaned, but the man ignored her pleas. The more she made noises, the more she became a ruthless beast in bed. Hence, the scratches and bite marks on his shoulder were all caused by her.

Gwen glanced at Seth and swallowed hard.

She didn’t want to admit it. Heck, she hoped that she was just having a nightmare.

But the truth was that she slept with Seth Parker last night. Not someone else.

‘But how could I possibly not recognize him from the dance floor? Was I too drunk?’ she thought.

In the end, Gwen could only heave a deep sigh. It had already happened, so thinking about it more wouldn’t erase the truth that she really spent a night with him.

She wrapped the blanket around her body and stood up from the bed. However, it only took a step before a throbbing headache attacked her.

Gwen groaned. When the pain slightly subsided, she turned to Seth, who was still lazily lying on his back and staring at her. She rolled her eyes at him and started to collect her clothes on the floor.

“Why are you so upset, Mrs. Gilmore?” Seth asked in a mocking voice, stopping Gwen from entering the bathroom.

The woman clenched her teeth before turning around. Her piercing eyes instantly met his gray ones. “I’m Gwen Lewis, Mr. Seth Parker. Stop saying, ‘Mrs. Gilmore.’”

That name was just one of the few reminders of how she made herself look stupid in the past ten years.

She put her hands on the side of her waist. “Moreover, I really am upset. I’m actually planning to go to the hospital to have myself checked. Everyone in this city knows how much of a playboy you are. Who knows what type of virus you gave me.”

Seth’s face looked grumpier and grumpier as he listened to her.

Gwen noticed that she almost felt regretful for saying those things. However, she kept her façade by looking at him coldly and angrily.

Suddenly, Seth chuckled and sat up on the bed. “Yes, I’m a playboy. But who are you to treat so lowly? You’re not as pure or innocent as you think, Ms. Lewis,” he mercilessly uttered.

Seth shook his head. “From what I observed last night, it seems like Hayes didn’t satisfy you when you were still married. You were so unrestrained and wild. If only I didn’t know the truth, I would immediately think you had been sex-deprived for years! It seems like you just got divorced, and the first thing you did was sleep with a man. You truly shocked me, Ms. Lewis!”

Rage filled Gwen’s eyes. She threw all her clothes in Seth’s direction with all her might. “Fuck you, Seth! You’re a shameless bastard!” she yelled.

Seth smirked and picked the white lacey bra beside him. “Yeah, I’m shameless. Didn’t you know about that?” he asked while playing with the white cloth.

The word shameless really suited him.

Realizing that arguing with him was useless, Gwen released a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

Not long after, she looked at him again, only to find him playing with her bra as if it was a toy.

“Give me my bra,” she sternly said and stretched out her hand.

Seth tilted his head and smiled devilishly. “You want your bra? Come and get it yourself.”