It was the third Valentine's Day after our marriage. Samuel was complaining to his friends about me, "Noelle's very uptight. She's so boring in bed. It's like doing it with a blow-up doll. I'd never have married her if she wasn't rich."

I went to a club and got a model with an eight-pack to please me. Enraged, Samuel demanded an explanation. I eyed him and snickered. "Look at you. You're so flabby. I'd never have married you if you weren't at least good-looking."

Cheaters

I was standing at the entrance, holding a new phone and a bouquet of flowers, happy as a lark, but then I heard Samuel on a call, complaining to his friends about my performance in bed.

Samuel Lawson, my husband, was smoking on the balcony. He muttered, "See you at the club tonight."

I backed off quietly, my heart aching. Samuel courted me back when he needed money to get through a hurdle. I gave him my money and helped tide his company over. Then, he started getting busy.

We'd been married for three years, and life was nothing but peaceful, albeit boring sometimes. Samuel would buy me gifts sometimes. At the time, I always thought I was the happiest girl in the world.

It was shocking that he found me to be rubbish. Three years in, and he was already showing signs of cheating. Well, two could play the game. I tossed the gifts into the bin and went straight to the club. It was just money in exchange for fun, after all.

The sun was already setting, but the heat of love was still raging on. There was an air of lust hanging about. Brochures and promotions for Valentine's Day were abundant, and couples filled the streets.

I stopped my car, and the club's manager greeted me. "Alone today, Ms. Croyford?"

"Yes. Get me someone young, hot, and down for anything." Before I got married, I would always wine and dine with my clients in this club. It was a good place.

The manager took me into a parlor, and then a row of models came in. Six feet tall, eight packs, yeah, they were all handsome. Guess they knew what women liked. I eyed them all and was about to appoint one as my playmate, but a young man came barging in.

The young man took up the tail of the line. He was flushed, and his eyes were clear and filled with innocence. I pointed at him. "This one."

Everyone left, and the lad stayed. He introduced himself, "I'm Ronald Weeks, lady. Twenty-three years old, and I've just graduated from college. Oh, here's a gift for you."

He took out a pot of mint, apparently from out of nowhere. The smell sobered me up, and I was half-amused. "It is Valentine's Day today. And you gave me this?"

"Yes. I bought this for you," said Ronald earnestly.

"Why?"

"You're a beautiful woman, and yet you still came to this place on Valentine's Day. I'm sure you know that this place can give you something better than a relationship."

No arguments against that. I grabbed Ronald's hand and asked him to drink with me. When I sobered up once more, it was already the next day. I found myself in an unfamiliar bed, and it jolted me awake.

The air was filled with the aroma of food. I looked around and found myself in a clean apartment. My clothes weren't changed, thank goodness. Someone texted me. Samuel.

'Working overtime tonight. Happy Valentine's Day, honey.'

I scrolled through TikTok. Samuel probably had no idea that I knew his secret account's details. He had a short uploaded. That bastard was having fun with some ladies. They looked fresh and innocent. He had a good eye for them, I guess.

I downloaded the video and wondered when I should confront him. Then, someone opened the door, and Ronald stuck his head in. "Oh, hi. I made some soup. You want some?"

He'd just finished showering, and water dripped from his hair. His T-shirt clung to his pecs tightly, and I thought he must be a good seducer.

"Hey, Ronald. I need you to put on an act with me. I'll give you thirty grand. Sound good? And I'll also put in a recommendation letter. I'm friends with the boss of the company you want to work with."

Ronald was stunned, and he smiled. "I don't need the money. I just need you to be my girlfriend for three months. Is that alright?"

Huh, that was an interesting offer. He had a deal. I sincerely hoped Samuel would be able to handle the missile going his way.

The Show Begins

I got Ronald a job at Samuel's company. My family funded it, but I didn't like to be bound to anything. So, I set up a designing hustle at home after I got hitched. Sometimes, I'd forget to eat when I got busy. I made good money from this hustle, and my family was well off. All in all, life was great for me.

I brought Ronald in and told HR, "This is my guy. Get him a job. Maybe start as an assistant." I figured if I was going to do it anyway, I might as well go for broke. I would make sure everything he had in the company was scrubbed away.

The first step to my master plan was to position a pawn of my own inside the establishment. Ronald was a present I wanted for Samuel, so he had to know about the lad.

The HR manager was a little hesitant about letting me go to the office. I noticed that, and I knew something was up. There was nothing to worry about unless Samuel was up to something.

I ignored the manager and made a beeline for the office. The manager whipped his phone out, and I pretended not to see it. A few moments later, I knocked on the door and went into the office. Samuel was shocked to see me. I tasted perfume in the air. "Oh, honey, what brings you here?"

I smiled. "I wanted to check on you," I said.

Samuel chuckled. I had to hand it to him. Even though I'd made it clear, he still didn't believe the jig was up. He stood up and kissed my cheek. How disgusting. Gods knew what he did with these lips the night before.

I dodged his kiss, and Samuel arched his eyebrow. "You changed shampoo?"

Oh, right. I forgot that Ronal's shampoo was mint-scented while mine was rose-scented. "Yeah, got a sample. I thought it was fine."

There was lust in his eyes, but it only flickered for a moment. I snapped my fingers. "Oh, I got a newbie for you." Ronald came in.

Samuel was stunned to see him. I said, "He's a fresh graduate looking for a job, so I thought he could start with us."

"Yeah, sure."

Ronald smiled. "Thank you, Noelle. Thank you, Mr. Lawson." He left.

Samuel was upset, and he put an arm around me. "He calls you Noelle? Well, I can see he's closer to you than me. I guess you dote more on him now, eh?"

I arched my eyebrow. "I mean, he's my junior back in college, and now he's your employee. He can't be all friendly and close to you at work. What do you want him to call you, then?"

"Samuel. Or Sam's good too."

I heard something move under Samuel's desk, and I smirked. 'Heh, I don't think he's going to be that friendly with a soon-to-be ex of mine,' I thought.

I tugged on Samuel's tie. "Will you be there for dinner tonight?"

"No. I have to meet some clients."

"I see. Oh, my ovulation's in two days, remember that," I said. Samuel's mother has been bothering us about getting a child. I was really reluctant about it at first, but things were different now.

More importantly, I could choose the child's father. I only brought it up to find out how important his mistress was to him.

Samuel mused over it and nodded. I knew he'd thought about all possibilities during the brief silence. He seemed to be struggling with his decision, but I ignored it.

I then left the office. Samuel saw me off, but he didn't come after me. I knew he was hiding someone under his desk.

Confrontation

The mistress was cautious, but she was also bold, and she couldn't hold back any longer, so she had to make some noise. I noticed how nervous Samuel was, and I strongly considered going straight back to catch them in the act, but I decided against it. This was a man I could not hold on to any longer. Best let him go.

After I returned, I made some calls and told the guy to find out how far Samuel and his mistress had gone in terms of their affair. The PI sent all the files to my email an hour later. When I saw the woman's photos, I chuckled.

Samuel loved women like her. Shining, glimmering, alluring, and passionate. It was no wonder he lamented my lack of passion, but I would not show that man what I had in store. Beauty always had its privileges, after all. We had options.

Since they were having an affair under my nose, I knew there was no need to hold back anymore. Most of Samuel's money was under my control. He was having an affair so brazenly just because he thought I trusted him.

I went to the extremes for him when we were dating. My dad disagreed with us dating, but I refused to see anyone else. He got me, and he did not appreciate me. He did make a vow during our wedding, though. He hugged me, too.

"I swear you're the only one I love, Noelle. If I ever find someone else, then I'll lose everything I have."

Well, then, I'd love to see that happen, especially what he would do when he lost everything. He didn't come back that night, but I got the photos and the videos.

I was utterly unfazed when I texted Ronald and told him I’d go find him that night. If they wanted me to get knocked up, I'd rather have a hot specimen warming my bed. No one else mattered.

Ronald was like an excited pup. The moment he met me, he hugged me. "God, I spent the whole day watching your husband going at it. Felt like I might go blind."

I chuckled and patted his head. "Well, here I am. Hope that helps your eyes. What do you think of Samuel?"

"A fool, and a blind one at that."

I chuckled. Men could talk sweet if they wanted to. Alas, I was no longer a young and gullible woman. Sweet words weren't enough to make my heart flutter. Still, Ronald hugged me and murmured, "It's true, Noelle. He doesn't appreciate you at all, and that woman only cares about his money."

That much was obvious. There was no way she was after his personality. I suppose he was more than passable in terms of looks, and he was well off. That woman would never have hunted him down otherwise.

I was about to say something, but Ronald pulled me closer and sealed my lips with a kiss. It was a long, loving kiss, and then one thing led to another, then…

He was a gentleman for not doing it when I was drunk, but now I wanted to see what he had to offer. He was an excellent lover, and I felt the kind of ecstasy I never felt before.

I woke up at midnight and left to wash his marks off my body. Ronald gave me a sad look. "Leaving so soon, Noelle?"

"Be a good boy. There's work tomorrow, and I have to go back. Just go on as planned."

Resigned to his fate, Ronald nodded. However, he was clearly reluctant to see me leave. I left quickly, too afraid to meet his gaze.

When I got back home, Samuel was there, much to my surprise. He probably had a little something to drink. When he looked at me, he sneered. "You're out late. I've been waiting."

"Really? Anything you want?"

He came up to me and grabbed my hand. "You showered elsewhere?"

"What's it to you?"

My indifference irked him. "Who do you think I am, Noelle?"

I laughed and decided enough was enough. "No, who do you think I am? Yeah, the answer's the same for both questions. Fair is fair."

His face fell as I flung his arm away. Just when I was about to get some sleep, he dragged me back and pinned me on the bed. Then, he tore my clothes away.

I looked at him and said coldly, "I'm not ovulating today."

"Doesn't matter."

"I don't want you touching me when you've just had your fun with Melissa."

His hand shivered.

"Oh, I'm so sorry that you had to endure my lifeless performance in bed. Yeah, you can forget about having a child." I pushed him away and left. It was a bit early for the confrontation, but my disgust got the better of me.

"You sent a PI after me?"

I turned my head, looking at him. "No, you said it yourself. I heard everything. Let's get divorced."