I was thinking for ages when I got back, before finally sending a message to Lyon, someone whose number I had had for three years but never called. Sofia: [Uncle Lyon. Can we pretend tonight never happened? I was really drunk and went to the wrong room.]

I waited for ages, but nothing came back from Lyon. Frowning, I sent another message.

Sofia: [?]

The instant I clicked, a red exclamation point came up: [You are no longer friends with this user. Please send a friend request to continue chatting.] I clamped my lip. Lyon had unfriended me. He obviously didn't want to speak about this anymore. Glad, at last I had a semblance of peace.

I returned home, it was already past 6:00 a.m.

The instant I entered, I caught sight of Jack lying on the sofa. He turned around from the sound of the door opening, his sleep-deprived eyes. "Where were you last night? I called you dozens of times. Why did you not pick up?"

Jack stood up and walked towards me quickly, with his hand raised to grasp mine, but I pushed him off.

He stood there, ready to say something, but I got in first, my voice cold. "You can stay out all night, but I can't?"

I had always been kind. We had only ever fought a handful of times in our eight years together. This was the first time I had ever addressed him in such a cold manner.

Jack knew something was amiss and saw my red, puffy eyes. His face darkened, and his fist formed at his side. "You know, don't you?"

His tone was even, devoid of guilt or panic, as if he had been waiting for this day to arrive.

Seeing his remorseless face, my long-held anger finally boiled over. I swung my bag at him, my eyes blazing with rage, like a lunatic.

Everything good that we had, every joyful moment, was ruined at once the moment I caught him in bed with another woman. They could never be assembled together again.

"Jack Monroe, why did you do something so nasty for?! You could divorce me if you didn't love me anymore. Why did you have to hurt me like this?"

I had believed no one could ever come between us. But reality was harsh, and it woke me up to the lies he had told me, and turned my love for him into laughter. Sensing my red, tear-filled eyes, Jack's heart stung. He embraced me with all his might and grasped my hand. "Sofia, I'm sorry."

I shoved him away, wanting to laugh but all that would come was tears. "Don't touch me with your dirty hands!

"Is it so hard to be faithful?

"Since I've been married, I've had plenty of wonderful men come my way, and some have even asked me out. But I've never crossed the line. If I can do it, why can't you?!"

Jack clenched his fists when he saw the anger and frustration in my eyes.

"Sofia, I love only you. It was an accident with her."

His apology came out so flimsy that I could not help but laugh and feel sick at the same time.

"So you're telling me that I can sleep with some other guy and then say it was an accident? That I might have cheated on you physically, but my heart is still yours?"

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Jack's eyes. "If you dare, I'll murder you and that man together in bed."

Seeing his icy glare, I experienced a chill in my heart. If he knew that betrayal was unacceptable, why did he keep on betraying me?

I took a deep breath and spoke leisurely. "Do you recall what I said to you when you were proposing?"

I had informed him that if ever he would betray me, I would not forgive him but would leave him.

Jack's expression changed. "I will not let you go!"

I wiped my tears, my face a mix of ridicule and contempt. "Whether you want it or not, I've made up my mind. I'm divorcing you. You do not deserve forgiveness." With that, I ignored his reaction and proceeded upstairs.

Jack looked at my back, his eyes dark.

In the bedroom, I went straight into the bathroom to shower, unable to stand the smell of alcohol on me. When I was applying body wash, I noticed red welts on my chest and stopped. Lyon's hands roaming over my body came into my mind, and I wrinkled my face. I scrubbed marks hard until the skin around them was red, trying to erase his touch. I got out of my shower to see Jack sitting on the bed, his head in his hands, looking very thoughtful. I scowled and decided to ignore him. We were going to be divorced anyway.

Jack looked up and saw me coming out in just a towel. My wet hair poured water, my freshly washed face red like an opening rose with a seductive fragrance. The towel clung barely to my hips, and my pale, long legs were visible. His breath was taken away, his eyes locked on me.

I didn't know about Jack's response. I stepped to the closet to grab my pajamas when a pair of arms hugged me from behind.

"Sofia." Jack's voice was husky, heavy with unbridled hunger.

Jack had been thinking about how to get me to come back downstairs after I went out. The only idea he could think of was to get a child from me. He came up to try and talk to me about it, planning to approach me slowly. He lost his head seeing me when I came out of the shower.

When I was a kid, things like that used to make me angry, but today I just felt nauseated. I spun away from him, pushing him off, my eyes full of disgust. "Don't touch me. I feel dirty."

The hurt flashed in Jack's eyes. He put my hands in his, his expression stern. "Didn't you always want to have a baby? Let's do it now, okay?"

I shook him off his matter-of-fact attitude. "That was before. I might have a child one day, but it will not be yours."

His words enraged Jack. He pushed me onto the bed and pinned me down. "Say that again!"

His eyes were ablaze with rage, but I didn't care. "No matter how many times I tell you. I'm sickened by you. I'd die before I had your child."

As soon as I'd spoken, Jack passionately kissed me.

I froze for a second, then fought wildly. The mere thought of Jack kissing another woman last night was enough to make me ill with anger and revulsion. "Let go!"

My fight was useless against Jack, who held me firmly around the waist.

While I fought, my towel unraveled, and I was exposed. His eyes became dark, and he felt a flash of lust.

Our bodies were pressed hard together, and at once I could see the change in Jack. He was infuriated, so I bit him hard, tasting blood in our mouths.

Instead of letting me go, Jack's other hand crept underneath my towel. I wasn't covered underneath, having just taken a shower. I hardened and struggled even more frantically. "Jack, let me go!"

Jack ignored me, his hands stroking my sensitive places. "Sofia, you need me too, don't you?"

I tried harder and was desperate now. With Jack in position, I closed my eyes despairingly. "Jack, don't make me hate you."

Jack halted in his tracks. Observing me with despair and anguish, as if he were a fragile porcelain doll about to shatter, made him halt. He so desperately wanted me, but there was a voice in his head warning him that if he took me then, it would be the end of us.

He gazed at me, his arm around my waist tightening. He let me go after a couple of tense moments and stood up from the bed, leaving in haste.

The door slammed hard with a loud bang, startling me. I wrapped the blanket tightly around me.

Jack did not come home for the next few days.

I phoned him several times to discuss the divorce, but he didn't pick up.

The weekend was here.

I was in the living room, emailing out job applications when I heard the front door open. Jack came in, his face gaunt.

We stood and stared at each other in silence before I finally broke it, closing down my laptop and standing up slowly. "Now that you're home, let's talk about the divorce."

Jack scowled. "I told you, I won't divorce you. I'm here to remind you that we have to go to the family dinner tonight."

The Monroes hosted a monthly dinner, and since we were married, Jack and I had attended together. The family wasn't kind to me, often treating me poorly. I put up with it because I believed Jack loved me.

After I caught him with someone else, however, I could no longer deny it to myself.

"I don't want to go. Go yourself."

Jack's expression grew impatient. "Sofia, how long are you going to continue doing that?"

He had been ignoring my calls and texts, expecting me to cool down, but I wasn't different.

"I'm not doing anything. I just want a divorce."

When Jack learned the word "divorce," his patience wore thin. He glared at me like I was unreasonable.

"Divorce? You've never had a job since we got married. How would you provide for yourself? Which company would hire you? And what about your dad's excessive medical bills? Can you afford those?" Sofia, you are no longer in high school. You are 28. Be an adult.

"I'm the CEO of Monroe Group. I'm tempted all the time. Sometimes it's hard to resist, but those women will never take your place as my wife. What else do you want?"

Jack couldn't understand why I didn't know that he still loved me, even though he couldn't promise to be with me for the rest of my life.

Watching Jack's superior air, I couldn't reconcile this man with the shy boy who had once blushed when professing love and promising to never hurt me. Maybe this was his true nature—selfish, proud, and superior.

"If maturity is accepting your adultery, then I'm sorry, I cannot do that. Find someone else. Here are the divorce papers I've had drawn up. Sign them when you can." Jack glared at the papers, sneering as he read the section on asset division. "Quite the appetite you have, asking for half my assets. Do you really think that's practical?" "I deserve it. Why not?"

Jack laughed, his tone mocking. "Look at this house. Did you buy it here? I've been paying your father's doctor bills for years. If we tally things up, you owe me. Should I have my lawyer do the math?"

Seeing his sour face, I couldn't help but think I ever loved this man. He had so hid his real self that, prior to catching him cheating, I thought he was an awesome guy.

"Don't forget, were it not for me issuing you that patent, you would not be the CEO of the Monroe Group. And you were the one who instructed me to stay home once we were wed. If I had continued to work on my research, I would have earned far more than what you've given me."

Jack, unflinching, replied, "Who would believe you about the patent now?

"I don't wish to quarrel about money, but if you're set on getting a divorce, we'll have to negotiate. Sofia, if you can just forget the divorce, my money is your money to spend."

"Jack, you're horrible!"

Because he wouldn't divorce, I would have to sue. I began to depart, but he restrained me. "Change clothes. We're attending the family dinner."

"I said I'm not going. Tell them I'm sick."

Jack grabbed my wrist. "Sofia, I'm getting tired of waiting. Don't make me cancel your father's medical expenses."

"You wouldn't do that!"

Jack took out his phone and dialed his secretary. "Cancel my father-in-law's medical payment for next month-"

Furious, I grabbed his phone and ended the call. "You're walking a line, Jack."

"Crossing the line?" Jack's eyes were full of contempt as he dragged me in. "You owe everything you have to me. Do you think it's you who are crossing the line? Get changed, or I have a few ways of making you do as you're told."

Gazing into the iciness of Jack's eyes, I was aware of how blind I had been to fall in love with a man like him.

My eyes seared with unshed tears, but I would not allow him to witness any weakness in front of him. I wrenched my hand loose, took a deep breath, and climbed the stairs. My sole thought was to find a job as quickly as possible so that I could move out and divorce Jack.

I chose an outfit at random, pinned up my hair with a hairpin, and went back downstairs. I was not the type to primp and prim. I had dressed up for the Monroes' parties before in the hopes of impressing. Now, I did not bother.

Jack glanced up at the sound of my footsteps.

I wore a form-fitting white gown, my waist so small it seemed as if it could be encircled with one hand. My hair was tied back with a jade hairpin, revealing my neck, as fragile as it was. I was unbelievably beautiful. The grace that I exuded was precisely as it had been when we first met. But my eyes' warmth was now devoid of any semblance of warmth.

"Let's go," I said to him.

We walked to the Monroe residence in silence.

As we pulled up and were preparing to get out of the vehicle, a black Range Rover sped up and stopped abruptly in front of us.

As soon as he recognized whose vehicle it was, Jack's expression darkened. It was Lyon's vehicle, someone he disliked and feared.

Lyon was known to be wild and unpredictable. He had passed up the chance to assume control of the Monroe Group when Richard had offered him the company, choosing instead to start his own company from scratch. Everybody had said he would fail, but five years down the line, his company was several times more valuable than the Monroe Group.

Jack hated Lyon, partly because he was jealous. A remark Jack made about Lyon once reached Lyon, and in retaliation, Lyon refused to do business with the Monroe Group, costing them millions.

Lyon rarely attended family dinners, and Jack had been trying to avoid him.

My luck was not running high today—we bumped into each other at the door.

He did not notice my stiffened expression when I saw Lyon emerge from his car.

Jack opened the car door and said, "Uncle Lyon."

Lyon glanced at him indifferently, their eyes momentarily locking with the passenger seat before he nodded and went inside.

I breathed a deep sigh. When Lyon faced my direction, I was holding my breath for fear that he would say something inappropriate. He was known to be volatile and do whatever he pleased. Fortunately, he said nothing.

I thought I needed to talk with him privately afterward.

Jack and I went into the living room, and it was already filled with people. Richard and Marie, the family heads, were talking to Lyon. He was that kind of person who naturally drew attention to himself when he was in a crowd of people.

Jack scowled as he followed my eyes to Lyon. "Why are you staring at my uncle?"

I tore my eyes away and replied icily, "None of your business."

His coldness irritated Jack. "Sofia, you know I don't like you looking at other men."

Ever since we began dating, Jack had been extremely controlling, never allowing me to talk to other men. I used to think this was a sign of his love, but now it seemed absurd.

I mocked. "And I don't like you sleeping with other women, but you seem to enjoy it just fine."

Jack clenched his teeth and said, "This is a family dinner. We'll talk about this later."

"If you don't want me to bring it up, then stay out of my business," I retorted.

Jack did not want to cause a scene now because it would affect the Monroe Group and his professional image before Richard, who still had all the company shares.

As we talked, Marie cried out, "Sofia, Jack, you're here! Come sit down!"

I breathed deeply, pretending to smile as I approached them. I might despise the Monroes, but I had common decency.

"Hello, Grandpa, Grandma," I greeted with a smile.

Marie, who had been nagging Lyon to settle down and get married, smiled at the sight of the couple. "Sit down, please."

She faced Lyon with a note of annoyance. "See Jack. He's managing the company well and has a nice wife. They'll have children soon. And you? Almost 30 and still single. If you don't bring a girlfriend next time, don't bother coming!"

Lyon gazed at the couple with a smile. "She is beautiful."

He only wondered how that petite frame would endure giving birth to offspring.

I frowned, uncomfortable with how Lyon was gazing at me.

Jack, also, noticed the inappropriate way Lyon looked at me. It was not an elder's look but a man's look on a woman. His fist was clenched, and his body tensed.

Marie sighed. "My point is, when do I meet a daughter-in-law?"

"Depends. If I meet someone I like, maybe I'll bring her home tomorrow," Lyon replied nonchalantly.

"You're too picky! I've got a good one for you. Date's tomorrow, don't ruin it."

"Then you'll probably have to apologize to another old friend tomorrow."

Frustrated, Marie cried out, "You're going to drive me crazy!"

Lyon turned to Jack. "Jack's been married for years. Why don't you push him to have kids instead of pressuring me?"

Marie nodded, aware that Lyon would not listen. She turned to me and Jack, softening her expression. "Sofia, you and Jack have been married for a few years now. When are you going to have children?"