Chapter 4

A few days later, his best friend Caleb came over to give me a checkup.

"She's recovering wonderfully. You can stop the medication now."

"If she's recovering so well, why did she throw up? Did you check her thoroughly?"

Caleb joked, "Maybe she found out about your little affair and was disgusted by you."

Ethan's voice grew dead serious. "She won't find out."

"Don't be so sure. You're playing with fire right under her nose. It's only a matter of time."

"You chased her so hard back then. You even quit smoking just to prep for pregnancy. It's only been three years—have you really lost feelings for her?"

"I haven't lost feelings. It's just that marriage gets too boring. I need some excitement."

Caleb shook his head.

"Just don't ruin yourself. Once a woman's heart is completely broken, she can detach in a heartbeat."

"Anyway, on a serious note, the old man is fading fast. I estimate he only has a few months left."

"Once he passes, the Vance Group's board meeting will be called immediately."

Ethan fell silent for a few seconds.

"I'm sending Delilah away today. At this crucial moment, nothing can go wrong with my marriage."

Hearing the car engine start downstairs, I opened the security app again.

But I realized that Delilah had already been standing outside the door, listening to their entire conversation.

An ominous feeling crept into my chest.

I walked over to my desk and made a phone call.

In reality, besides the will, Grandpa Arthur had given me another trump card.

The next morning, Ethan woke me up in a rush.

"Grandpa is dying. We need to go to the hospital to see him one last time."

When we got down to the car, Ethan opened the passenger door for me.

But I froze.

The image of him and Delilah fooling around in this very car flashed through my mind.

Ethan suddenly slammed the door shut, trapping me between his body and the car.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you think I'm dirty? Are you repulsed by me?"

"Rowan, you know about me and Delilah, don't you?"

My breath caught in my throat.

In the next second, Ethan pulled a medical report out of his pocket.

"Honey, we've been married for three years. I know every single one of your habits."

"When you're angry, you stop talking. When you're moved, your eyes get red. When you lie, your breathing hitches."

"You've never rejected my touch, but last night and right now, you instinctively shrank away from me."

His rough thumb brushed against my cheek. "Why that face? Guilty?"

I swallowed hard, then suddenly laughed.

"I'm not the one who cheated. Why should I feel guilty?"

"Since you know, good. After we see Grandpa, we're getting a divorce."

"And what if I say no?"

"Then I will leak the footage of you and Delilah to the media."

Ethan let out a dark laugh and shoved me into the car.

"Rowan, I really underestimated you."

"You want a divorce? But you are such a brilliant wife. I can't bear to let you go."

The car sped toward the hospital, but we still didn't make it in time to see Grandpa one last time.

As we walked out of the hospital, Ethan forced me into his car, drove me to a secluded suburban villa, and locked me inside.

"Until the board meeting is over, you aren't going anywhere."

I ran toward the door like crazy, but he violently dragged me back.

My fists rained down on his chest.

"You are the one who betrayed me! How dare you think you can control me?"

My fist grazed his jaw. He wiped his lip, his eyes turning icy.

"Because I am now the head of the Vance family, Rowan. Women are better off when they're obedient."

"Your father's company relies on the Vance Group for almost all of its major projects. And you gave up your own career for me. If you leave me, where do you think you can go?"

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Is that your justification for cheating? Because you think I have no choice but to stay?"

He smiled carelessly.

"Silly girl, what man doesn't stray?"

"As long as you accept Delilah and stay quiet as Mrs. Vance, I promise she will never show her face in front of you."

"Even if she has a baby in the future, it won't affect your status."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and asked:

"If you break things off with her completely, I'm willing to start over with you."

But Ethan pulled my hands away without hesitation.

"Rowan, she gives me the thrill that you never could."

"I'm not like my grandfather. I don't care about 'pure bloodlines' to inherit the company."

"The more children, the better. Even if they're born out of wedlock."

Suddenly, footsteps echoed from downstairs.

A smirk played on my lips. "Ethan, do you remember the vow you made on our wedding day?"

He froze, then smiled. "Of course. I said I'd love you forever."

"Not that one."

"You said if you ever betrayed me, you would walk away with absolutely nothing and spend the rest of your life in regret."

In the next second, the door was kicked open.

Grandpa Arthur sat in a wheelchair, with a crowd of Vance Group shareholders standing right behind him.

"We will hold the board meeting right here today!"