Serena smiled demurely. In Kevin's eyes, she was considerate and understanding. But to Henley, it was nothing but blatant provocation.

Isaac's voice sounded from behind Henley. The moment he saw her, the smile on his face vanished.

He asked irritably, "Why are you here? Didn't you say work wouldn't be over until very late?"

Thinking of what he had said on the plane, Henley clenched her hands tightly. Complicated emotions surged uncontrollably in her heart.

She could tell he was annoyed by her presence. In fact, he was resentful that she had disrupted the time they were spending with Serena.

After a brief pause, Henley spoke in a cool, distant voice. "I'm going on a business trip. I just happened to be at the airport. Carry on with what you're doing."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and left without a trace of hesitation.

They could go to the celebration party or Serena's birthday like they wanted. It no longer mattered to her. Soon enough, none of it would have anything to do with her anyway.

Henley returned home alone. All the gifts she had prepared in advance were thrown straight into the trash.

In a daze, her gaze landed on the family portrait hanging in the living room.

When had this once-harmonious family begun to fall apart? Or had she been kept in the dark all along?

She collapsed onto the couch. The scenes from the plane looped endlessly in her mind like a broken record.

After hanging up the call with Edith, she took a quick shower and returned to the bedroom. She lay wide awake in bed the entire night.

At dawn, Kevin came home with Isaac. He was reeking of alcohol. After he came into their room, he stumbled and collapsed beside Henley with his neck covered in what were unmistakably kiss marks.

"Henley, I feel awful," he muttered.

Suppressing the bile rushing up to her throat, Henley turned her head away and avoided his touch.

Noticing her evasiveness, Kevin propped himself up and asked hoarsely, "What's wrong? Did something happen at the company?"

Only matters related to the company could ever sober him up so quickly. Kevin spent lavishly in every aspect of life. Most of his income in recent years had probably gone straight into Serena's pocket. Every time the company closed a deal, he would proactively suggest taking a share of the profits.

Henley stiffened for a moment.

Then, she tested the waters by remarking, "The company's fine. I heard you almost couldn't make it back today."

Kevin froze for a moment before pulling Henley into his arms and saying firmly, "Yes. What scared me the most was that if something had happened to me, what would happen to you and Isaac?"

Truth and lies were mixed seamlessly in his words. He always knew exactly what to say to manipulate her.

Henley smiled faintly, though her hands trembled uncontrollably.

She echoed, "Me and our son? How thoughtful of you to still think about us at the brink of life and death."

She ground out every word through clenched teeth, but Kevin assumed she was just sulking. He tightened his hold on her and leaned his face close to hers with a slight frown.

"Henley, the person I love the most in all my life is you. Our family of three will live a safe and happy life together," he said reassuringly.

Henley let out a short burst of laughter and asked, "If something were to happen to me one day, would you find someone else?"

Kevin sobered up considerably. His gaze was intense, and his eyes full of determination.

"Henley, I swear you'll be my only wife for the rest of my life. Did you hear something from someone? We grew up together. We're childhood sweethearts. What we have can't be compared to anything else."

Henley stared at him deeply. Only after a long while did she look away.

Seeing her expression remained normal, Kevin couldn't fight off his drowsiness any longer. He collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Henley studied him for a long moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out something that made her sick to her stomach. She stuffed the triangular piece of fabric back where it came from. She also noticed that his wrinkled suit was sticky and damp to the touch.

Covering her mouth tightly, Henley rushed out of the bedroom. She leaned against the door and gasped for air like a fish out of water.

Her nails dug into her palms. Blood seeped through her fingers and dripped down.

She walked to Isaac's bedroom door and peeked through the crack to look at his sleeping face. Her heart felt as though it were being crushed. She curled up on the couch and spent the night there.

Early the next morning, Henley prepared breakfast like she usually did.

Isaac was surprised when he saw it.

After a moment, as if realizing something, he spoke timidly. "Today's Sunday. I already made plans to go on a day trip with my classmates. Dad can take me. You probably don't have time, right?"

Hearing this, Kevin scolded him in a low voice, "Watch how you talk to your mother."

Isaac lowered his head slightly and poked his pancakes with his fork. The irritation radiating from his little frame was obvious to see.

Henley placed a fried egg onto his plate and said indifferently, "It's fine. Your dad can take you. From now on, I won't interfere with your grades anymore. You're old enough to know right from wrong. If I keep forcing you, I'll just end up being the bad guy."

Isaac looked up abruptly and stared at her in confusion. He watched her intently, as if he was trying to figure out if there was another person underneath her skin.

After a long moment, his smart watch suddenly rang. The sharp sound drew all three of their gazes.

He turned his back and answered the call sneakily.

Serena's voice came through. "Isaac, I've already prepared everything. When are we heading out?"

Kevin and Isaac both stiffened instantly. When they saw that Henley showed no reaction at all, they quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Isaac responded vaguely and hung up the call. He lifted his head and shot Kevin a glance, and the two of them put down their cutlery at the same time.

After clearing the dishes, Kevin wrapped an arm around Henley, who was still wearing her apron.

He said affectionately, "I'll take Isaac to meet up with his classmates. I'll come back and take you out to dinner tonight. There's a teambuilding event held by the company. They specifically asked us to bring our spouses."

Henley nodded and turned around to ask, "Will all your colleagues be there? Is Serena there too?"

Kevin paused for a moment. Then, he lightly brushed her nose with the tip of his finger and laughed distractedly. "Serena is my colleague and my co-pilot. Of course she'll be there. Are you jealous?"

The smirk on his lips and his teasing tone revealed the great sense of satisfaction he was feeling. To him, Henley's jealousy meant she still cared deeply about their relationship and felt threatened.

In contrast, Henley lowered her gaze and said nothing. She didn't really feel anything inside.

Without another word, she fastened a watch onto Kevin's wrist casually. The design was sleek and new, but what he didn't know was that there was a listening device hidden inside. Her divorce from Kevin was already inevitable, so she needed to collect evidence of his affair in advance.

Kevin admired the watch for a while, clearly pleased.

After he and Isaac briefly said goodbye to Henley, she was left alone in the large house.

She looked down and examined herself from head to toe. Then, she grabbed her bag and went straight to the mall.

Henley was quick. By early evening, she was already back home and waiting for Kevin.

The lights were off in the house. Kevin was inside, but he still hadn't hung up his phone.

"Serena, I feel at ease leaving Isaac with you. I'll pick him up tomorrow. Oh, and don't forget about the teambuilding event tonight. I like seeing you in that white dress. It looks so good on you."

His playful tone continued until Henley coughed lightly at just the right moment. The atmosphere instantly took a nosedive.

"Did you just reach home? Where's Isaac?" Henley asked.

The apprehensive frown between Kevin's brows eased slightly upon hearing her question.

He walked over to her quickly and explained in an apologetic tone, "We might be coming back pretty late tonight, so I let him stay over at a classmate's place."

Henley suppressed the urge to expose his lie and forced a bitter smile instead. "I see. Isaac seems to have a lot of resentment toward me lately. Do you know why?"

Kevin had never involved himself in Isaac's studies. He was always the good cop, while Henley always played the role of bad cop.

Because of that, she became the villain to Isaac. However, Kevin was the one who could light his world up and give him everything.

Before Kevin could answer, Henley walked straight toward the door and called out to him, "Let's go. We're going to be late."

Kevin froze for a second and hurried after her.

They soon arrived downstairs at the venue. Henley's stomach churned violently, and she rushed to the restroom first. As the pain subsided, she stepped out.

What greeted her was the sight of Kevin and Serena kissing.

Their colleagues surrounded them and cheered them on loudly. It seemed that everyone knew about their relationship. Well, everyone except for Henley.

"Kevin, aren't you being too high-profile? Aren't you afraid your wife will find out?"

"Exactly. You're only bold because she's not around, right?"

"Serena is the most beautiful lady in our company. You'd better not let her down."

Serena leaned shyly into Kevin's arms and scolded playfully, "Don't put too much pressure on Kevin. He'll handle things at home properly very soon."

Kevin stroked her head gently and looked at her with eyes full of tenderness.

He said, "Yeah. Henley values the company and money more than her own life. She's so controlling that even Isaac is borderline depressed. We grew up together. I don't even know when she turned into the career-obsessed woman she is today.

"Now, she makes me feel like we're just roommates living under the same roof. We're like strangers, honestly."

Henley's eyes reddened instantly. She stood frozen in place.

This was the first time she had ever seen such an expression on Kevin's face. It was also the first time she had heard him say such words. No matter how many times she had imagined it in her mind, nothing compared to seeing and hearing it firsthand.

After some small talk, the group entered the private dining room together. Henley hid in the restroom. Only when all the voices disappeared did she turn and leave without looking back.

Back when she and Kevin had just gotten married, they had nothing. She had worked herself to the bone by running around to secure contracts and sponsorships. Bit by bit, she built the company into the successful enterprise it was today.

Along the way, she had knelt before others, been slapped across the face, and even drunk until her stomach bled for a business deal. She swallowed every hardship silently without complaint.

In the end, all Henley had done for their family was reduced to her being obsessed with her career.

Henley's entire body trembled as she stepped outside and hailed a cab home.

When Kevin didn't see her return after a long time, his call quickly came through. "Henley, where did you go? The waiter said you took a cab and left. Are you feeling unwell? Should I come back and stay with you?"

His concerned voice echoed through the empty room.

Henley answered weakly, "There's something urgent back at the company. Please apologize to your colleagues for my absence."

Before he could reply, she ended the call firmly.

Soon after, Edith sent her a message. She wrote, "Ms. Johnstone, the death-faking pill is ready."

Henley gripped her phone tightly and slowly typed her reply. "I'm at home right now. Bring it to me."

Edith acknowledged her message and rushed over without delay. She brought all the instruction manuals along with the drug.

When she arrived, she hesitated. The hand she had lifted halfway withdrew abruptly.

She said, "Ms. Johnstone, maybe we should get someone else to test the pill. The company can't function without you holding things together."

Henley shook her head. She took the pill from Edith and slipped it into her pocket.

Just as she was about to speak, Kevin came rushing back in a hurry. Serena was right behind him with takeout boxes from the restaurant.

Seeing that Henley seemed to be discussing something with Edith, he tactfully said nothing. However, his gaze remained fixed on Edith.

Henley waved her hand, signaling Edith to leave first.

When only the three of them remained in the house, Serena walked up to Henley politely. "Henley, I'm Serena, remember? I'm Kevin's co-pilot."

Henley glanced at her dispassionately before shifting her gaze to Kevin. "Why did you suddenly come back? And why did you bring your colleague home?"

Kevin bent down so that he met her eyes. He looked at her face with affection.

He said, "You didn't eat anything tonight. I was worried about your stomach. Serena has experience with this kind of thing, so she insisted on coming back with me to look after you."

Henley nodded. Kevin turned and went into the kitchen to heat up the food.

Once he disappeared into the kitchen, Serena finally revealed her true colors. She looked around like she was the lady of the house. Then, she fixed her disdainful gaze on Henley.

"You saw us kissing, didn't you? I knew you would see it. That's why I did it on purpose. You've been married for so many years. Kevin got bored a long time ago. You're no longer attractive as a woman. How could you possibly keep a man's heart?

"Besides, Isaac always tells me he hopes I'll be his mom. Father and son really do think alike. Kevin marrying me is only a matter of time. If I were you, I'd leave early so that I won't be an eyesore."

Kevin suddenly poked his head out of the kitchen. When he saw Serena smiling brightly, he assumed the two women were getting along well. He quickly retreated back inside.

Serena's lips curled into a provocative smile as she called toward the kitchen. "Kevin, I think Henley's fine. I'll head out first. Don't forget that we have a flight together tomorrow night."

With that, Kevin reluctantly walked her downstairs. Unable to help themselves, the two lingered together in the stairwell for quite some time before finally parting.

When Kevin came back, Serena's scent hadn't faded from his body yet as he pulled Henley into his arms.

He said, "Henley, do you want me to take time off and go to the hospital with you? Or we could spend some time together tomorrow. Just the two of us. Ever since we had Isaac, it feels like it's been forever since we had time to ourselves."

Henley gently pushed him away and rejected his suggestion.

Saying that they were busy with Isaac was nothing but an excuse. They had had plenty of chances to spend time with each other. It was only that the person he wanted to hang out with had never been her.

A marriage that existed in name only was utterly devoid of the love it once had.

She brushed Kevin off with a few perfunctory words and went to bed early. After all, she had many things to take care of the next day.

At dawn, Kevin left first. Henley didn't bother asking where he went. She drove to the company and gathered all the senior executives for a meeting that took up the whole morning.

After handling the company's affairs, Edith laid out all the insurance policies in front of her. She examined them carefully and signed the ones that named herself as the beneficiary.

Henley terminated all the other policies in advance. She didn't want Kevin and Isaac to profit even a cent from her fake death.

By evening, she rushed back home and burned all the mementos of their relationship and their clothes. Since she was leaving, there was no point in leaving anything behind.

Henley had never been the type to lose her mind over love. She had told Kevin more than once that if he stopped loving her one day, all he had to do was say it, and she would leave.

They could have parted ways amicably. Yet, he kept it from her and let her discover the truth herself. It was a disgusting experience.

The flames rose high into the air. When Kevin returned and saw the scene, he was alarmed.

His voice rose an octave as an uneasy thought occurred to him. "What's the matter, Henley?"

With a blank expression, Henley answered coldly, "I just burned some things that are useless. There's nothing to make a fuss about. Next time you come back, take care of your clothes beforehand."

His white shirt was covered in lipstick marks of varying shades, but he seemed completely unaware.

Kevin said, "I talked with my superiors today about a promotion and had a few extra drinks. Soon, I won't have to fly around every day. I'll have more time to spend with you and Isaac."

He was bright-eyed when he said that. But to Henley, those eyes held nothing but deception and lies.

She held the death-faking pill tightly in her hand, and her eyes reddened slightly.

Going against her true feelings, she answered, "Alright."