I sent Vivian’s photo and the phone number from the gym membership records to my cousin, Franklin. He had some connections and could help me look into her background.

Just as I sent the message, my phone rang. It was my cousin.

"Mia, what happened? Did that bastard Allen do something to you? Tell me, and I’ll bring people over to teach him a lesson right now!"

A warmth spread through my heart. I shouldn’t waste my anger on a man who didn’t love me; I still had family who did, after all.

My cousin had been close to me since we were kids. Ever since he found out I was dating, he had never liked Allen. The first time he met him, he warned me that Allen was untrustworthy. Unfortunately, I had been madly in love back then, brushing off his words as childish jealousy.

Time proved everything—Allen really was just a scumbag.

I stopped my cousin from acting impulsively. "I’ll make him pay. I just need you to help me find out more about this woman."

After reassuring him, I took a hot shower. I sat on my bed as usual with a book in hand, but my mind was elsewhere.

I glanced at the framed photo of Allen and me on the nightstand. Our smiles were so blissful. What a joke.

Getting up, I pulled out a large box and started tearing down every photo of us in the house, stuffing them inside.

By the time I was done, the box was full. I never realized we had created so many beautiful memories in five years, but now they were just meaningless.

I dragged the box to the backyard, struck a match, and tossed it inside. The flames slowly consumed the pictures, turning them into ashes.

"What are you burning?"

A voice suddenly called from the doorway. I glanced at my phone. It was 11 p.m. Allen was back.

By now, the photos had been reduced to nothing but ashes. Keeping my face expressionless, I replied, "Nothing, just some company documents I didn’t need anymore."

Allen grabbed my hand, concern written all over his face. "You should’ve let me handle this. What if you got burned? I’d be so worried."

I almost wanted to applaud his acting skills.

Then, he leaned in, attempting to kiss me. When he got closer, I caught the faint scent of moisture on him. He had just showered at the gym. The thought of his lips being all over Vivian’s just moments ago made my stomach churn. I barely held back the urge to vomit.

"I left some food for you in the kitchen. Aren’t you hungry? Let me heat it up."

I quickly dodged backward, slipping out of his arms and into the kitchen.

Maybe he was exhausted from his workout with Vivian because after eating, Allen fell asleep right away. He even forgot to give me his usual goodnight kiss.

Lucky me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even know how to reject him. At this point, the thought of sharing a bed with him disgusted me.

Grabbing a blanket, I curled up on the couch. Something poked my lower back. I reached behind and pulled out Allen’s work phone.

No wonder Allen had always been so generous, letting me check his personal phone whenever I wanted. I had even done so a few times and never found anything suspicious.

On the other hand, his work phone required a password. I tried my birthday and then his—both were wrong.

Then, an idea struck me. I entered Vivian’s birthday from her gym membership records.

The phone unlocked instantly. The first thing I saw was a photo of Allen and Vivian together.

Then, a message popped up from a contact labeled "Wifey".

I thought I had already come to terms with Allen’s betrayal, but my heart still skipped a beat. In just two weeks, Allen and I were supposed to have our engagement party, yet he had never even called me his wife.

The message that popped up was a photo from Vivian. In the picture, there was a red handprint on her backside.

"It’s all your fault! Look at this huge mark you left on me."

I scrolled up, checking more of their chat history. Aside from their daily flirting and dates, the entire conversation was filled with insults about me.

"Mia is so plain. How do you even bring yourself to kiss her?"

"I know, right? Her underwear looks like something my grandma would wear. I don’t even feel like taking it off. I have to picture you in my head just to get through it with her.

"But she’s obedient. As long as I sweet-talk her a little, she’s willing to buy me anything I want.

"Of course, I’d never actually marry her, baby. I’d rather die than marry her. I’m just going along with the engagement ceremony to keep her happy. Before the wedding, I’ll make sure to get my hands on the inheritance her grandfather left her. Then, we’ll leave the country and live the good life together."

My hands trembled.

So, from the very beginning, he had never loved me. The only thing he ever cared about was my money.

Four years of cheating. Tens of thousands of messages.

Every single word stabbed into my heart like a needle.

They had met at a fitness competition. Back then, Allen was just an ordinary trainer. Winning a ranking in the competition would have boosted his career, so I had encouraged him to enter.

That competition had earned him a title—and Vivian’s heart. That was when their secret affair began.

The most ironic part?

I was the one who had paid for all the expenses for him to attend that competition.

I backed up all the messages onto my phone. As I stuffed Allen’s work phone back into the couch, I noticed Vivian’s latest message.

"Baby, don’t forget—same place as last time. Room 221 at the Rose Hotel, the day after tomorrow. I’ll be waiting. ❤️"

I memorized the address and time.

That night, I crashed on the couch. Just being near Allen for another second was unbearable.

…

The next morning, I left early and went to a cafe. That’s when my cousin called me with news about Vivian.

And wow. The deeper we dug, the dirtier it got.

On the surface, Vivian was just a fitness influencer. However, behind the scenes, she was the mistress of Wesley, one of the most notorious gangsters in Apralis.

Vivian was smart. She knew her place as a mistress and never provoked Wesley’s real wife.

However, Wesley was over sixty years old, fat, bald, and needed bodyguards just to walk a few steps. There was no way he could satisfy a woman like Vivian.

Allen?

He was just one of many lovers.

Almost every night, after Wesley fell asleep, Vivian would put on her skimpy outfit, hit up the bars, and find a new man to spend the night with.

It wasn’t just their bodies she used—she drained their wallets too.

One of her past lovers, a businessman named Ryan Umricht, had embezzled company funds for her and ended up in prison. He swore that once he got out, he’d hunt her down for revenge.

The more I learned, the more deliciously scandalous it became. Well, the dirtier she was, the better it was for me.

Vivian thrived in the shadows, slithering through the filth like a rat. All I had to do was drag her into the light.

And I was going to be the one to do it.

…

Later, Allen texted me, lying again about working late.

I smirked and sent a half-hearted reply. Then, I ordered twenty servings of oysters and dark chocolate drinks to be delivered as his lunch. After all, he’d need the energy for his little “workout” later.

Today, I had a special audience waiting for him.

This time, Allen would finally learn what it feels like to be played.

Because Mia Lemmings’ love was not something you betrayed.

…

I drove to the gym and parked at a distance. From afar, I watched as Vivian strutted inside, swaying like a snake.

Moments later, the curtains of the VIP training room on the second floor were pulled shut.

I pulled out my phone and typed in Wesley’s number. Attached was a photo of Vivian sprawled over a treadmill, panting like a woman lost in ecstasy.

"Useless old fart, do you think you could ever make Vivian look like this?"

I hit "send".