After my husband's death, I retained all his personal accounts and our marriage certificate.

Since then, Chuck Smith had been wooing me persistently, declaring that he would give me all his love to overcome the pain of loss.

He would search the entire city for some sweets that I mentioned on a whim, and he deleted every woman's number from his phone while keeping me updated on his location in real time.

But just as his feelings reached me, and I was ready to marry him, I found Chuck getting frisky with his new secretary in the basement parking lot…

"Ms. Adams, are you sure you want to deactivate your ex-husband's accounts? Even your marriage to him will be considered annulled."

Lisa Adams smiled faintly at the question. "Yes, I have found someone I want to start a new life with."

The clerk saw the determination in her eyes and nodded as she finished the procedure to deactivate Hank Locke's user accounts.

Later, as Lisa left the Civil Affairs Bureau, she was holding two revoked marriage certificates and a thin sheet that stated that all of Hank's accounts were to be disabled.

With that done, she returned to the office when she spotted a familiar car in the underground parking lot.

It belonged to Chuck Smith, her current husband.

When he returned five years ago, Chuck wasn't aware of Hank's passing and simply presumed her first love had just dumped her.

After that, he ignored anything anyone said and chased after Lisa for two years—listening to her in everything she said, while guarding her like a loyal knight.

When he knelt on one knee before her, she was entranced as she recognized the affection in his eyes and agreed to his proposal.

When she came to her senses, she realized that she was still registered as married to Hank.

But as she spent more time together with Chuck day after day, even she had to admit that she couldn't stop falling for him.

In between confusion and hesitation, she pulled strings with connections in the government to get a fake marriage certificate with Chuck.

It was something she had always felt guilty about, until today—when she made up her mind to deactivate all of Hank's personal accounts and marry Chuck for real.

Still, just as Lisa was about to get closer to Chuck's car, the man who loved her so fiercely was quickly getting into the car with a pretty face.

As if by instinct, Lisa hid behind a corner where the two could not see her.

The woman then pouted with clear envy. "Can't we go out again next week? All you do these days is spend time with that hag. I mean, she's almost thirty years old soon—or does she taste better than I do?"

Chuck smacked her waist as he looked at her curves pointedly. "How does she even compare? She falls asleep as soon as she comes home from work, and she's such a bore in bed."

Lisa's mind went blank even as she listened to the familiar voice. There was no mistaking it—it was definitely Chuck.

Her fingers trembling, she swiped through their chat history.

Chuck always updated her about his whereabouts and what he was doing on a daily basis, and the last one was two hours ago, with a photo of a meeting attached to it.

The two captions beneath were at once playful and aggrieved.

[I don't want to work. It just gets so tiring.]

[But I can't have my darling think the worst of me! I'll keep doing my best!]

Lisa stared at the messages, while Chuck and the woman kept flirting in the car, until Chuck did something and the woman suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, you naughty boy! We're still out in public!"

Chuck simply chuckled, his voice suddenly deeper as he panted, his hand reaching behind the woman's back and caressing every inch of it.

The car lights turned on even as their voices became muffled with the door closing, but the car never drove out of the parking lot.

Lisa stayed hidden behind the corner, unable to breathe.

She couldn't believe what she had just seen—her mind hardly registered it.

Her beloved husband, who supposedly loved her wholeheartedly and whose eyes seemed to be glued to her all the time, was getting frisky with another woman in the basement parking lot?

And judging from their conversation, the trysts had started long ago…

Nausea seized Lisa even before her nerves registered it, while she tried her best to suppress the urge to vomit and not look at the car that was rocking repeatedly now.

It was a bolt out of the blue.

Eventually, Lisa dialed Chuck's number with trembling fingers.

The call was quickly answered, and she asked bluntly, "Where are you?"

There was silence on the other end of the call for a few seconds, followed by a rustling of movement.

Soon, Chuck answered, "Hmmm? What's up, darling? I was just putting in some overtime, but I guess I'm coming home late tonight... It's that new project—there are some details that need to be confirmed."

He was audibly panting, and his response was punctuated by some strange pauses.

Lisa's heart sank instantly. Her hands were still trembling, but her mind was miraculously calm. "Wasn't everything approved last night? Are there still further issues? Is it serious? I can come to the office to look through it—"

"No!" Chuck responded before he knew it, but he quickly realized he got agitated and said, "It's just some minor… formalities. Moreover, it's a hot day out, and traveling will be taxing. Also, everyone else will belittle me if I have to ask my wife to help with some… documents."

Lisa stayed silent for a long while, and Chuck caved first, quickly saying that he had to work, and hung up.

Lisa's fingers turned pale as she gripped her phone and looked up at the car opposite her that began to rock again, her expression blank.

Chuck's excuse kept looping repeatedly in her mind.

How perfect it was—from the intonation, the excuse… even the obvious submission and flirting.

After all, those were all Chuck's strengths.

Lisa could be a little tough, coupled with outstanding feats in her career. Many men had tried and failed to get goodies from her, let alone tame her—when they did, they just got upset and spread rumors that she had slept with other important men to climb the ranks.

Still, Chuck didn't care about the rumors that seemed to be tied to her for years—he regarded those who slandered Lisa with disdain.

Lisa was touched by his faith, so she didn't think much when he started to work overtime more and more frequently a year ago.

She just thought Chuck was working hard for their future, but now…

So, on those nights when he didn't come home, was he actually working or having a wild night with another woman?

It took great effort to build up faith, but it could also be destroyed with ease.

Lisa's eyes stung, but she did her best to control herself from crying.

She told herself to just treat Chuck's 'love' as an illusion.

Fortunately, she had yet to really marry Chuck, so there was still time for regret.

-

The house was dark when Chuck got home.

Lisa lay on her side on the bed while keeping her back to the door, listening as he washed up before coming to bed.

He had been zealously attentive to the little things in their three years being together, which was why Lisa never had any reason to doubt his loyalty.

Even now, right after a tryst with another woman, he still remembered to close the bathroom door when washing up, so as not to wake Lisa up with the sound of running water.

It was just one of the many examples that showed he remembered every little thing about her and catered to all her eccentricities.

Would he really go through such lengths for someone he didn't love?

Still, it seemed that this love wasn't enough to deter him from meeting his more physical desires…

Nonetheless, Chuck soon got into bed and gave Lisa a goodnight kiss on her cheek—just like he had done every night for years.

Despite the scent of mint toothpaste, Lisa couldn't help wanting to throw up, and she used all her strength to stop herself from avoiding his kiss.

When she thought of his lip pressing against another woman's just a couple of hours ago, she felt the urge to push him away and demand a reason!

Nonetheless, Chuck quickly fell asleep.

After hearing his breaths turn steady, Lisa quietly walked around to the other side of the bed and picked up his phone.

The day they got married, Chuck had Lisa set up her fingerprint as a method to unlock his phone, saying that he wanted her to feel secure with the thought that she would always have access.

After all, he would never cheat on her.

Lisa went into the bathroom, impassive as she swiped through Chuck's chat history expressionlessly.

When the interface loaded, Lisa almost couldn't help wanting to laugh, as Chuck had blatantly put another woman at the top of his list of favorite contacts.

The reason was obvious too—they had been married for three years, but as they gradually learned about each other, Chuck must have realized that Lisa was not the type to look through other people's phones.

The latest message was sent just half an hour ago.

[Doing it in the car was fun, but so taxing… My legs are so weak that I can't walk now~]

There was a selfie of the woman attached to the message, her legs turned inward so that the fairness of her thighs were more apparent. Her miniskirt didn't cover much, but it also made it all the more tempting to look…

Chuck had already replied to it too.

[Then don't beg me for more next time.]

The bottom of the chat log was a blushing emoji from the woman, so Lisa scrolled on.

But it was all the same—flirtatious sexting and selfies from the woman.

Lisa brought her own phone and took pictures of every message in that chat log before putting it back on Chuck's pillow where it had been.

It was only when she lay on the bed again that she dared to let herself breathe again.

That chat log was the final straw—irrefutable evidence that broke Lisa's heart.

Now, she had no choice but to admit that Chuck—who had spent five years convincing her that she could trust him—had been cheating on her a long time ago.

Large drops of tears trickled down the corner of her eyes, dampening her pillow.

As she curled up, she had no idea how long it took for her to cry herself to sleep.

When Lisa woke up, Chuck had already left the house.

Lisa ignored the breakfast and the little note with a pretty heart image that he had left for her.

How sweet she used to find these little things before… and how disgusting they seem to her now.

She sat on the sofa and booked a flight to the UK for three days later.

Acker Corp, the company where she worked, had long been interested in expanding overseas markets.

Ian Locke, the CEO of Acker Corp, had repeatedly encouraged Lisa to head over.

He told her that with her being as capable and well connected as she was, she would be directly promoted as the CEO of the new foreign subsidiary—it was a rare opportunity even for Lisa.

In the past, when she worked overtime and got home late, Chuck would come to her, clinging to her and pouting in grief.

That was why she had hesitated to take the foreign assignment before.

But now?

Smiling wryly, Lisa replied to her boss's email.

Just as she was done, she received a sudden friend request notification.

The verification message shocked Lisa.

[You saw what happened yesterday, didn't you?]

Lisa scowled as she accepted the friend request—the woman on the other end must have been biding her time before sending it, as more messages soon followed, one after the other.

[Didn't you show up at the parking lot yesterday? ]

[Want to know what else Chuck and I did last night? ]

Right after that message came an explicit photo, with Chuck having beads of sweat clinging over his brow. His chest was bare as he reclined against the bed headboard and smoked a cigarette.

Lisa blinked—she thought that Chuck didn't smoke at all, but it turned out that he didn't do it in front of her because she hated the smell of tobacco.

She finally felt a stinging sensation in her heart—it was as if what she had stumbled upon yesterday lit a very long fuse that had only blown up now.

As it turned out, all the deceptions that kept going over the years were just beneath the surface but were now completely exposed.

There were just so many things about Chuck that she didn't know.

On the other hand, because her reply never came, the woman on the other end became impatient and kept gloating.

[Don't even try to turn a blind eye. See you at Basti Road Cafe at 3 PM.]

[Surely you're keen to find out how else your dear husband cheated?]

-

As Lisa waited by the window at Basti Road Cafe, the woman arrived far after 3 PM, but she remained unaffected despite her glower.

"Ms. Adams." She smiled at Lisa as she sat down. "I'm sure you know who I am already, so there's no need for introductions… And there's no need for hostilities. See, Chuck simply chose me over you, and if you're not convinced, I don't mind a fair fight. It's just that..."

Susan Holt trailed off, looking Lisa pointedly from head to toe and smiled contemptuously. "At least learn to dress up when you're this old—the way you look so dull because of work really snuffs out your charm. It's no wonder Chuck is always so enthusiastic in bed."

She wasn't hiding her glee as she gloated and kept studying Lisa, waiting to see rage or even embarrassment in Lisa's eyes.

If Lisa allowed Susan to get to her and started yelling, Susan would suddenly turn into a victim whom everyone sympathized with, winning their sympathy while Lisa would be labeled insane.

So unfortunately for Susan, Lisa didn't—her face was devoid of expression even as she chuckled coolly. "Why hasn't he divorced me and married you if he actually likes you? Or perhaps you're just a toy to him, to relieve his pent-up sexual frustrations?"

These two questions were so piercing that Susan's guard crumbled in an instant.

Her face contorted hideously in rage even as she glared at the ring on Lisa's finger, but for just a moment.

"Nice necklace, Ms. Adams… but it's just a present given without much thought," she said, smiling again, and deliberately tugged on her own earlobes, which were adorned with a pair of sparkling diamond earrings.

The earrings were 70% similar to the necklace around Lisa's neck, but the craftsmanship was obviously much more sophisticated. Even the diamonds were a size larger than the diamond pendant on Lisa's necklace, and the earrings had other smaller diamonds encrusted around them too.

Lisa remembered then that Chuck had given her this necklace on their wedding anniversary last year, but he had to go abroad on a business trip.

Lisa had to cancel their dinner reservations, but he somehow made it back.

It was already eleven at night, but he was standing there at the doorway of her house, presenting the necklace carefully.

At that time, he told her, "It's a new designer item—there's only one in the whole world, just like how you're the only one for me. My love for you will never fade."

He still looked tired from jet lag, but his eyes were as bright as stars, illuminating the room and brightening Lisa's heart.

It was also at that moment that Lisa finally accepted her feelings for Chuck, and she fell deeper and deeper in love with him from then on.

But now, as Lisa looked at Susan's phone wallpaper of herself wearing those earrings from the same designer, her hands trembled every so slightly—every breath she inhaled seemed to turn chilly as well, slowly freezing her heart.

It was that gift that marked her finally falling for Chuck, but that beginning was also the start of a barefaced lie.

Lisa felt as if she had been taken in by an absurd mirage that shrouded her in so many layers that she could never hope to free herself.

Even so, she took a deep breath and fought back the swelling pain and shudder in her throat.

Then, she had to reach up a few times to finally reach the clasp of her necklace.

With a loud clatter, she dropped the necklace audibly on the table.

And Lisa carried on, saying nothing, as she took off her wedding ring too.

As she watched Susan, it took her the years she had spent refining her poker face in her work over the years, that she could even show a flawless smile and push both pieces of jewelry toward Susan.

"I despise gifts stained with filth—just like men," she said calmly. "Since you're that confident you've won, I wish you both a happy life."

As Lisa stood up, she seemed to feel a sharp pain on her empty ring finger, but she thought she had imagined it too…