Just as dawn broke, I smelled the crisp scent of cedar and snow.

It was as clean as the wind on a winter morning.

I kept my eyes closed and tried hard to calm my heart. It was almost leaping out of my throat.

Then, I heard someone come in. He sat quietly by the bed.

A very long time passed—so long that I wanted to open my eyes.

Then, I heard him take a breath. He gently patted my arm.

He said tenderly, “Honey, time to get up.”

I rubbed my eyes. I pretended to be groggy as I opened them.

The moment I did, I found myself looking into a pair of beautiful eyes.

He took my hand and led me to the closet. He asked me which outfit I wanted to wear.

Once I changed my clothes, he took my hand again and led me downstairs for breakfast.

“I had the chef make a bunch of different options for breakfast. Just pick whatever you like.”

His movements were natural and smooth. His acting was so flawless that I could find no fault with it.

What he did not know was that Matteo had never treated me this way.

He had never woken me up. Even when I had work in the morning, he would only tell me to set a few extra alarms.

Matteo never asked me what I wanted to wear or held my hand to go to breakfast. He never quietly paid attention to which dishes I liked.

It turned out Matteo was a bad husband.

I used to think that the way Matteo and I lived was how normal couples got along.

In the evening, Nicola came to pick me up from work.

He wore a dark gray suit. His tie hung loosely beneath his collar.

When he saw me come out, he opened his arms toward me and smiled.

My colleagues who were passing by saw Nicola and whispered among themselves, “Oh my God, Lina’s husband is so handsome! No wonder he keeps himself hidden away.”

The night was beautiful. I ran straight into his arms.

His arms tightened behind my back. His chin rested gently on top of my head. I could feel his powerful and steady heartbeat.

I closed my eyes and buried my face in his chest.

Matteo was the stupid one.

Only an idiot would fail to tell the difference between them.

He gently took my hand, and smiled. He tilted his head and said in a deep, gentle voice, “Honey, guess what’s for dinner tonight?”

I quickly figured it out when I noticed that he had not taken the car. Still, I put on a curious expression and asked, “Hmm... Is it the T-bone steak from my favorite restaurant?”

He raised an eyebrow, reached out his hand, and pinched my cheek. His thumb stayed there for another couple of seconds before he pulled his hand back.

“You’re so smart. You got it in one try.”

We chatted and laughed together in the twilight. However, in my mind, I had already started thinking about what to do in seven days.

After all, I had already become addicted to being with Nicola. I did not want to be apart from him at all.

He intertwined his fingers with mine. I felt a ring on his ring finger.

I lifted his hand and casually looked at it. Sure enough, it was the same forgotten wedding ring that Matteo had tossed into a drawer.

Nicola was wearing it conspicuously on his ring finger.

I turned to look at him. I could not help but want to get even closer to him.

He noticed my gaze and reached out to ruffle my hair.

“What is it, honey?”

I held his hand tightly.

“You’re so handsome. I want to look at you like this every day.”

He brought his face closer and said with a smile, “Okay. I’ll let you look at me every day.”

His smile was my favorite thing in the world. All my worries disappeared in an instant.

I held his hand and walked into the restaurant with him.

The waiter took us up to the third floor.

Nicola did not reserve a private room for us. Our seats were on the small terrace that was only open to premium members.

Beyond the French windows, the night skyline and the distant harbor lights stretched into view.

When we were seated, I heard a familiar voice coming from the stairwell.

“Oh? Lina. You two are here too?”

It was Elena. She was wearing a red dress today. She looked amazing in it. Every move she made was elegant.

She walked over and sat down next to me.

Then, she said to Nicola, who was sitting across from me, “Since we happened to run into each other like this, why don’t you pick up the tab, Nicola?”

After saying that, she nudged me with her leg under the table.

I felt a little embarrassed and gave an awkward smile.

Nicola clearly had not expected this situation either.

I was at a loss for words. Then, I saw Matteo walking over slowly.

He was frowning, and his expression was grim.

That was strange. Was he not already openly together with the person he loved?

Why did he not look happy?

To keep him from noticing that I was watching him, I quietly looked away.

However, the two of them being together at the same time made the atmosphere feel tense. I did not eat anything at all. I had lost my appetite.

I picked up my wine glass and took a small sip.

Just as I did, Nicola had already cut the steak into small pieces.

He forked a small piece and fed me.

His tone was gentle as he said, “Open up, honey. Eat it while it’s hot.”

I opened my mouth almost instinctively.

Just as we were about to finish the steak, Matteo reached out and grabbed his wrist.

Nicola and I both froze.

The fork in his hand stopped in midair.

He looked at Matteo and asked, “What’s wrong... Nicola?”

His smile faded, and he looked at Matteo with a cold expression.

The look they gave each other was razor-sharp.

I quickly tried to smooth things over.

“Maybe Nicola also wants some steak? I’m full. Let’s go home.”

Then, I took Nicola’s hand and stood up. I said goodbye to Elena.

We walked away holding hands. Our two wedding rings were right next to each other. They caught the light and looked bright and obvious.

That night, after I came out of my shower, I heard Nicola talking on the phone. He was speaking to Matteo.

Nicola asked, “What is it now?”

I stopped in my tracks, clenching my towel as I focused on listening.

It was hard to make out what Matteo said. However, Nicola replied coldly, “Weren’t you the one who begged me to pretend to be you? Am I doing a bad job? Or am I doing too good a job?”

Matteo raised his voice. “Nicola, you don’t act like me at all. Lina is going to notice.”

Nicola was unbothered.

“She’s going to notice? I don’t think so. We had a perfectly good day today.”

Matteo was practically grinding his teeth.

“I’ve never cut steak for her or worn my wedding ring. I would never call her ‘honey’ like that. Forget it. Let’s just swap back tomorrow. Don’t touch her tonight.”

Nicola laughed.

“Are you giving me orders? Besides, is this how you two act as a married couple? Isn’t a husband supposed to act the way I do?”

Matteo stayed quiet.

The reason was actually very simple. Matteo had never treated me as his real wife.

Before Nicola could notice me, I turned and went back into the washroom. I came out only after a while.