On the day of our third wedding anniversary, Ryan Frost spent a ton of money to buy a necklace that I had liked for quite some time.

Everyone said that he loved me to the bottom of his heart.

I was preparing a candlelight dinner whilst feeling overjoyed, but that was when I received a video.

In the video, Ryan Frost personally helped another girl put on the necklace. "Congratulations, you're reborn."

It seemed that today wasn't only the day of our wedding anniversary, it was also the day that his true love got her divorce.

I had never thought that such a thing would happen to me.

Even though the marriage between Ryan and me wasn't because the two of us fell in love with each other, he still pretended to dote on me in front of others.

I sat in front of the dining table, looking at the steak that had gone cold and the words at the top of the trending searches. "Ryan Frost Spending Millions to Please His Wife."

I felt every single word of that sentence taunting me.

It was two o'clock in the morning when the black Maybach finally drove into the courtyard.

Through the French window, I could see a man getting out of the car. He was wearing a tailored dark blue suit, had a tall figure, and had an elegant temperament.

"How come you're still up?" Ryan was a little surprised when he turned on the lights and saw me sitting in the dining room.

I wanted to stand up, but sat back down due to the fact that my legs had gone numb. "I was waiting for you."

"Did you miss me?"

He smiled casually and walked over to pour himself a glass of water. He was a little surprised when he saw the untouched dinner on the table.

I played along and pretended not to know anything when I saw that he didn't want to tell me the truth. "Happy anniversary! Where's my present?"

"I'm sorry. I was too busy today. I forgot."

It took Ryan a while to realize that it was our wedding anniversary that day.

He reached out and wanted to pat my head, but I subconsciously avoided his hand.

I didn't know what his hand had touched that night, so I was a little disgusted.

My actions caused Ryan to be a little taken aback.

I pretended not to notice anything and looked at him with a smile. "Why are you still trying to lie to me? The necklace that I've wanted to buy for ages has already made it to the top of trending searches! Why don't you give it to me now?"

"Charlotte..." Ryan slowly pulled his hand back and said casually, "I bought that necklace for Tom."

I had read about what Ryan was doing right now. He was using his best friend as an excuse.

I found it a little difficult to maintain the smile on my face. "Is that so?"

"Yep. You know he has a lot of flings."

Ryan's expression and his tone of voice gave nothing away.

I looked at the perfect facial figures under the light and suddenly felt that I had never tried to really get to know him.

This made me wonder if that was the first he lied to me or did I had trusted him too much in the past.

If it weren't for that anonymous video, I wouldn't doubt his explanation right now at all.

Seeing that I wasn't saying anything, he tried to comfort me patiently. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have forgotten such an important date. I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

"I just want that necklace."

I still wanted to give him another chance.

I couldn't see the face of the woman in the video from the camera's angle. Therefore, I felt that their relationship might not be the same as I thought.

A hesitant look appeared on Ryan's face. I then gave him a puzzled look. "Is there something wrong? I think Tom won't mind disappointing a fling or two for you, right?"

Ryan fell silent for a while. When he saw that I wasn't giving up on the necklace, he had no choice but to say, "I'll ask him about it tomorrow. I can't really take it off him if his girlfriend really likes it."

'You mean you'll ask "her" and not "him", right?' I asked inwardly.

I couldn't dwell on this matter anything, so I said, "Okay."

"Have you not eaten anything whilst waiting for me?" asked Ryan as he tidied the dining table. His long and slender figures looked even more beautiful when holding the white plates.

I nodded. "Yes, today is our wedding anniversary after all."

I stood up and was about to tidy the table with him, but he stopped me and said in a soft voice, "Don't get up. I'll make some spaghetti for you."

"Okay." I looked at him and felt less suspicious.

How could a man who was cheating on his wife be so caring?

The strange thing was that Ryan was born into an affluent family, but he was really good at cooking.

However, he rarely cooked.

It only took him around a quarter of an hour to finish making the spaghetti bolognese he promised to make for me.

"It's delicious!" After taking a bite, I couldn't help but compliment his cooking. "Who did you learn cooking from? It's even more delicious than what most restaurants serve."

He became in a little bit of a daze when he heard my question. It seemed that he was lost in his memories. About 30 seconds later, he said softly, "During the two years abroad, I learned how to cook so that I could fill my picky appetite."

I was only asking a casual question so I didn't overthink anything.

By the time I went upstairs and had a shower, it was already three o'clock in the morning.

As soon as I got into bed, Ryan pulled me into his arms. He then rubbed his chin against my neck. "Do you want it?"

His voice was hoarse and his hot breath landed on my skin. All of that made me shiver.

Before I could say anything, he reached out a hand and slid it under my dress.

Ryan had always been very domineering in bed and never gave me a chance to resist.

However, this time, I had no choice but to refuse to have sex with him. "Honey, not today..."

My voice couldn't be any softer, just like my body.

"Mmm?" Ryan kissed my neck gently and continued to explore between my legs with his hand. His words made me feel embarrassed. "You're all wet and welcoming down there already, why aren't you saying no to me?"

"I... I have a stomach ache today."

He finally stopped after hearing my words. He kissed my earlobe and pulled me into his arms. "I forgot your period is coming soon. Get some rest."

After hearing those words, I became nervous again. I turned around and stared at him. "I had my period at the beginning of the month. It was a long time ago."

"Really?" He remained calm and continued to ask, "I probably got it mixed up with something else. Is it serious? Do you need Brenda to go to the hospital with you tomorrow?"

"I've already been this morning."

"What did the doctor say?"

"The doctor said that..." I lowered my head and hesitated slightly.

The doctor said that I was five weeks pregnant. The stomach ache was a dangerous sign of a miscarriage. I needed to take some medicine to increase my progesterone and then head back to do a checkup in two weeks' time.

Finding out about one's pregnancy on the date of their wedding anniversary was by far the best news.

I placed the pregnancy test report inside a small glass bottle and hid it in a cake that I made myself. I wanted to give Ryan this surprise during our candlelight dinner.

However, the cake was still in the fridge and wasn't touched at all.

"It's no big deal. I probably just had too many cold drinks recently." I chose to keep the child a secret from him for now.

If I could get the necklace back the next day, then everything would be fine.

If I couldn't then a marriage with a third party present wouldn't last long at all. Therefore, telling him about the child would have no meaning.

That night, I couldn't sleep at all.

I doubt that any woman would accept the fact that their husband was cheating on them.

What I didn't expect was that the question that I was wondering about soon had an answer.

On the morning of the next day.

When Ryan was still washing up, someone knocked on the door.

I just got changed, opened the door, and saw Brenda pointing downstairs. "Mrs. Frost, Miss Jessica's here. She said she's here to return something."

Jessica Frost was the daughter of Ryan's stepmother and her ex-husband. Therefore, the two of them weren't related at all. Jessica was also two years older than Ryan. Since Jessica's mother married Ryan's father, she could be seen as the daughter of the Frost family as well.

Brenda was arranged by the Frost family to take care of us, so she would call Jessica "Miss Jessica".

I was a little puzzled. Normally, I would only see Jessica during family banquets at the Frost family's house. Other than that, we hardly ever met. Neither had she borrowed anything from us.

"She's here to return something?"

"That's right. There was a fine gift box. I'm guessing it's some kind of jewelry," replied Brenda.

'Jewelry?' I wondered.

I furrowed my brows slightly and raised my voice to ask Ryan, who had just gone into the bathroom, "Ryan, Jessica's here. I'll head down to take a look."

The next second, Ryan quickly walked out of the bathroom. His face was colder than ever. It was an expression that I had never seen.

"I'll go. It's none of your business, go wash up."

The man who had always been calm in front of me suddenly had a trace of emotion in his voice. He sounded annoyed and nervous at the same time.

A strange feeling arose in my heart. "I've already washed up. I was the one who squeezed the toothpaste on your toothbrush, have you forgotten?"

"Alright, let's head downstairs together then. We can't keep the guest waiting."

I held his hand and walked down the stairs.

The staircase was in a spiral. When we were halfway down, I could see Jessica wearing a white dress and sitting elegantly on the sofa.

She also raised her head when she heard us coming down the stairs. When she saw mine and Ryan's hands, her hand trembled a little and she spilled some of the drink that she was drinking.

"Ouch!" Jessica gasped due to how hot the drink was.

Ryan quickly released my hand and rushed down the stairs in a panic. He then took the cup from Jessica's hand. "I can't believe how stupid you are. Can't you even hold a cup properly?"

His voice was sharp and cold, but he still grabbed Jessica's hand and headed towards the sink to rinse the burn with cold water.

Jessica felt helpless and wanted to pull her hand back. "I'm fine. There's no need to make a fuss."

"Shut your mouth. Don't you know that a burn can still leave a scar if not treated properly?" Ryan scolded coldly but still wasn't letting go of Jessica's hand.

I stood on the stairs and looked at what was happening in a daze.

Memories came flooding back into my mind.

After we just got married, I found out that Ryan had a bad stomach, so I began learning how to cook.

We had Brenda in the house, but her cooking didn't suit his taste.

As a beginner, I would occasionally cut myself or burn myself.

One time, I accidentally knocked a pan over and the oil on it splashed onto my stomach. The oil stained my clothes and burned me quite badly.

When Ryan heard the noise, he just walked over and asked me as gently as ever, "Are you alright? You go take care of yourself and leave the rest to me."

He was kind and caring, but also indifferent.

I would occasionally feel that something wasn't right, but I've had a crush on him for many years. Most of my diary was about him.

Being able to marry him already satisfied me.

However, I just felt that he had an indifferent attitude towards most things.

"But I thought I prepared some water with lemon for Ms. Jessica." Brenda's mumbling beside me pulled me back to my senses.

My vision somehow became blurred and my heart seemed to be squeezed by an invisible hand, which caused me to find it difficult to breathe.

Ryan personally took the cup from Jessica's hand, but was so worried about her that he forgot to determine the temperature of the drink in her hand.

I took a deep breath, walked slowly down the stairs, and looked at them with a meaningful smile. "Honey, the drink that Brenda prepared for Jessica was water with lemon. It's a cold drink. She can't get burned. If you continue like this, you might need to worry about frostbites."

I wanted to hold back the sarcasm but couldn't.

Ryan's body froze for a moment and then let go of Jessica's hands. He avoided my eyes and turned to Jessica. "Why did gasp when you spilled cold water on your hand? Don't you think you're overreacting?"

Jessica glanced at Ryan and then looked at me with a gentle gaze. "He's always like that, exaggerating things. You can just ignore him."

As soon as she finished speaking, she walked to the table, picked up a luxurious-looking gift box, and passed it to me.

She smiled gently. "This is back where it belongs."

I took the gift box, opened it, and then dug my nails into the palm of my hand.

A mixture of feelings arose in my heart.

'Jessica's the woman in the video?' I wondered.

When I raised my head again, I hid all my emotions. I wanted to smile, but couldn't.

Last night, I was forcing Ryan to bring the necklace back. The necklace was now in my hands, but I didn't feel at ease whatsoever.

I turned and looked at Ryan. That was when I saw that he was trying to hide something in his eyes. He then reached out and pulled me into his arms.

"Do you like it? Keep it if you like it. If you don't like it, then just give it to anyone you want. It's not expensive anyway. I'll just get another present for you."

"Okay." I pursed my lips and decided to not embarrass him in front of Jessica. Or should I say to not embarrass myself?

For a moment there, I couldn't tell why Jessica was here today.

Did she feel that she really shouldn't keep the necklace, or was she trying to make an announcement?

Seeing my reaction, an expression appeared on Jessica's face, but it was too fast for anyone to see.

She smiled. "I was scared that this necklace would cause a misunderstanding between the two of you. Looks like it hasn't. Well, I should get going now."

Brenda was the one who saw her out.

As soon as the door closed, I broke free from Ryan's arms. "I thought you said you bought the necklace for Tom? Moreover, isn't Jessica married? Since when did she become one of Tom's girlfriends... Mmmm!"

He kissed me without reason and broke me off.

His domineering actions made me feel like he was venting his emotions.

Just when I was finding it difficult to breathe, he let go of me a little and caressed my head. "I lied." He pulled me into his arms. "She's divorced. I didn't want her to be too upset, so I got this present for her."

I was taken aback. I finally understood what he meant by "Congratulations, you're reborn" in the video.

I pursed my lips, but was still a little suspicious. "Is that all?"

"That's all," he replied confidently. He cleared his throat and explained, "You should know that her mother got into that accident because of me. I can't just leave her."

I had heard Brenda talk about this matter.

Ryan's mother died giving birth to him. When he was five, his father, John Frost, married another woman. She was Jessica's mother, Lauren Wood.

Lauren was Ryan's stepmother, but treated Ryan as if he was her own.

She was even willing to sacrifice herself to save Ryan when the latter was in danger. This caused her to be in a coma all these years.

If that was the reason, then I felt that everything made sense.

I immediately felt relaxed, but still reminded, "Ryan, I believe you're just trying to repay your debts and only see her as your sister."

In the end, I threw the necklace into the storage room.

I was still probably a little suspicious and just chose to believe him temporarily. It could all come back one day and by then, I would have lost all trust.

That day came faster than I expected.

My degree was in fashion design. I also became an intern in the Design Department of the Frost Group.

Marrying Ryan had no effect on my career plan.

After four years, I became the deputy director of the Design Department.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming for dinner, Ms. Wilson?"

One day, when I was in the canteen at lunch, my university roommate, Jane Greenwood, walked coquettishly to me with food in her hands and then sat down opposite me.

"I'm in a rush to finish my designs after lunch."

Seeing that she was looking at me meaningfully, I asked helplessly, "What do you want?"

"I've heard the Human Resources Department say that the candidate for the director of the Design Department has been chosen." A smile appeared on Jane's face. "I bet it's definitely you, so I came to congratulate you on the promotion in advance. Let's get rich together!"

"Nothing's for certain until I get the letter of appointment. Keep your voice down."

The director of the Design Department had resigned a week or so ago. Everyone said that I would probably be the candidate for the position.

I was confident as well, but I knew it wasn't for certain.

"What do you mean not for certain? You're the CEO's wife!" Jane lowered her voice for the second half of the sentence. That was because Ryan and I didn't tell anyone about our relationship. The outsiders only knew that Ryan loved his wife, but they didn't know that I was his wife.

Jane then began complimenting me again. "Everyone could see your achievements ever since you began working for this company. You're responsible for both the brand designs and custom designs. Countless other companies want you to work for them. Why wouldn't the Frost Group promote you?"

As soon as Jane finished speaking, both of our phones rang. It was the letter of appointment.

When she saw the title of the email, her eyes lit up, and began reading it excitedly. A while later, she began furrowing her brows and was a little mad. "Who the hell's Jessica Frost?"

I was completely dumbfounded.

I looked at the email over and over again as if I was trying to confirm something.

I wasn’t seeing things.

Jessica suddenly became the director of the Design Department, my superior.

“Do you know her, Charlotte?”

Jane could tell that something wasn’t right. She reached out and waved her in front of my eyes as she tried to guess what was going on.

I put down my phone. “Yes, she’s Ryan’s stepsister that I told you about before.”

After graduation, my roommates went their separate ways. But Jane and I had been good friends throughout university. We promised each other to stay in Jelaston and not go anywhere else.

“Fuck! So she got this position because she’s Ryan’s stepsister?” cursed Jane.

I was rendered speechless.

‘She’s probably more than just his stepsister,’ I said inwardly.

“Is Ryan out of his mind?” Jane continued to complain. “Why does she get to be the director? I’ve never heard of her in the design industry before, but Ryan just gave her the position of director. What about you? What are you to him...”

“Alright, alright.” I interrupted and said softly, “It’s not important at all. He’ll give it to me when he wants to.”

‘There would be someone else giving me this position even if he didn’t want to,’ I added inwardly.

We were in the canteen, so it wasn’t necessary to say some things out loud.

It was to prevent others from using my words to make a fuss.

Jane knew me well enough to know what I was thinking about.

After leaving the canteen, she looked around to make sure that there was no one around us and then asked sneakily, “Have you got other plans?”

I cocked my brows. “Have a guess.”

“Please tell me, Charlotte.”

“Kind of. But I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

I had never switched jobs over the past four years.

The Frost Group was more like my comfort zone.

I needed a strong push or something to happen before I made up my mind to leave.

After returning to my office, I went back to the designing of the New Year’s limited edition and didn’t have a nap at all.

This used to be a director’s job, but since the director resigned, it became the deputy director’s job. I had no choice but to speed things up.

“Charlotte, here’s your coffee.”

When it was nearly two o’clock in the afternoon, my assistant, Nancy Lister, knocked on the door, walked into the room, and placed a cup of coffee on my table.

“Thank you.” I smiled.

She looked at my design and put on a puzzled face. “Charlotte, how can you still be so calm? I’ve heard that the new director didn’t even need to go through any procedures and just took the director’s position. Aren’t you mad?”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or smile and was at a loss for words.

‘Aren’t I mad? Of course, I’m mad. But there’s no way that I would say anything to my subordinates,’ I thought.

“Listen to me, everyone...” The special assistant’s voice sounded outside. His name was Gary.

I could see everyone that was happening outside through the French window.

Ryan was wearing a tailored dark suit with one hand in his pocket. Him standing there alone gave others a cold feeling.

With Jessica next to him, the two of them looked like a perfect match.

She looked elegant and graceful. She looked at the man next to her as if asking for help.

Ryan frowned impatiently, but didn’t say anything.

He then said indifferently, “This is the new director of the Design Department, Jessica Frost. I hope you all will get along with her in the future.”

Jessica then gave Ryan a coquettishly look. “What’s up with the straight face?” She then said with a gentle smile, “Don’t listen to him. I’m very easygoing. I won’t set any strict rules. I’m new here, so if there’s anything that you think I haven’t done well enough, you’re welcome to talk to me.”

With the CEO backing her up, there obviously wouldn’t be any problems.

Nancy couldn’t help but pout her lips. “Looks like she does have friends in high places. Look, is this an awards ceremony or something? Congratulations on winning the 'Getting Something for Nothing' award?”

I was in a bad mood at the beginning, but after hearing her sarcastic words, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Outside my office, Ryan led Jessica to the door of the director’s office.

“Alright, alright, what else have you got to worry about? Who would dare to come over with that cold face of yours around?” Jessica pushed Ryan intimately. Her words might be disdainful, but she still had a big smile on her face.

I picked up a cup of coffee and took a sip. ‘So bitter.’

Knock! Knock!

After being pushed out of Jessica’s office, Ryan came to mine.

I stared at him as if wanting to see through his thoughts.

“I’ll make you another cup of coffee.” Nancy quickly left the room.

Ryan walked into my office slowly and closed the door. He then explained casually, “This is her first job, so she’s a little nervous. That’s why she asked me to back her up.”

“Really?” I asked with a smile. “I couldn’t tell.”

Jessica first asked the CEO of the company to introduce her to everyone and then used some simple interactions to make others think that she had a complicated relationship with Ryan.

Although she said that she was “easygoing”, it was still hard for people to behave casually around her with Ryan backing her up.

“Alright, she’s a few years older than you, but you’re her senior in the company. You’re better than her at designing and people of this department would obey you more.”

Ryan walked behind me and gently massaged my shoulders trying to comfort me. “You don’t need to worry about her. You just have to make sure that no one bullies her. Is that alright?”

This was the first time that I found it hard to control my temper in front of Ryan.

I pushed his hand away, stood up, and asked straightforwardly, “If it’s really like what you said, why is she the director and not me?”

As soon as I said those words, I realized that I had been too straightforward.

Even Ryan, who had been calm and indifferent, was surprised by my question.

During the three years that we were married, we hadn’t been all lovey-dovey, but we still respected each other. We hadn’t argued nor had I lost my temper, so he probably thought I didn’t have any temper.

However, I didn’t regret asking such a question.

If the director was someone who was more capable than me, then I wouldn’t have any problems with that. After all, I didn’t mind someone who was more capable than me being in a higher position than me.

But now, that the position of the director was given to Jessica, wouldn’t it be normal for me to ask about it?

This was the first time that Ryan saw me being so sharp. He pursed his thin lips. “Is this what you’re angry about, Charlotte?”

“Am I not allowed to be angry?”

I could pretend to be calm in front of others, but if I had to hide my feelings in front of my husband, then this marriage would be a total failure.

“Why so childish?” Ryan picked up a remote and turned the French window into ground glass. He then reached out and pulled me into his arms. “The whole of the Frost Group is yours, why do you care so much about a job position?”

“The Frost Group is yours, not mine.”

Only this job really belonged to me.

He raised my chin a little and said seriously, “We’re married, is it really necessary to separate what’s yours and what’s mine?”

“Then how about you give me some shares?” I smiled.

I kept my eyes on him and didn’t want to miss anything.

To my surprise, I got nothing.

He just cocked his brows. “How much do you want?”

“10%.”

This was a really big demand.

After Ryan and I were married, he took over the Frost Group. The company then expanded multiple times under his control. Even 1% of the shares would be worth hundreds of millions.

I didn’t expect him to agree to my request, so I just said a random number.

“Okay,” he said.