Chapter 1

I looked at the expensive, hand-tailored suit Adrian was wearing. He looked more like the star of the evening than I did, even though I was the husband.

It seemed everything had been planned long ago, so I handed Adrian the cue cards for the speech I had been preparing to give and left the banquet without paying attention to the people around me, who were waiting for a show.

After leaving the banquet hall, I walked all the way to the parking lot, but my wife, Claire, never came after me. Apparently, my leaving had gone exactly the way she wanted.

If that was what she wanted, I had no objections. I had been busy with the banquet since morning and hadn’t even eaten a proper meal.

The moment I left, I headed straight for Harbor City’s most famous restaurant, Rose Pavilion. It used to be my favorite place to eat. Right after we got married, Claire would come there with me every week.

But at some point, I disappeared from Claire’s eyes, and all the affection we had built over so many years vanished along with me.

Claire hated dealing with troublesome things and thought organizing a banquet was a huge hassle, so I had started preparing two months ago to make sure every detail was flawless.

From the smallest things, like the flowers and food, to the major ones, like the guest list, venue, and schedule.

When we got married, we had taken a honeymoon trip based entirely on Claire’s preferences. I had always longed for a ceremony witnessed by everyone, so this anniversary banquet was supposed to be the second wedding she was giving me to make up for that.

I had poured so much effort into this banquet that I knew without having to think about it that the video had not been replaced by accident.

I had spent a long time editing that video myself. It contained every record of our relationship, from when Claire and I first started dating to our fifth wedding anniversary.

We had walked together from our young, innocent days to where we were now. It would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt.

But after too many disappointments had piled up, I had become numb. That was why I had been able to leave the banquet so calmly today.

I swallowed the last bite of my meal, along with the last bit of my grievance, and finally made up my mind.

When I got home, I took a shower and was about to get some sleep when Claire called.

“Ethan, where are you? I didn’t know what came next in the banquet program. I almost made a fool of myself!”

Her voice was full of disgust and impatience, as if I were nothing more than a servant who could be summoned and dismissed at will.

I deliberately asked her:

“I came home a long time ago. What’s wrong? Do you need me to go back?”

There was a brief silence on Claire’s end.

“Forget it. The banquet ended perfectly anyway, so you don’t need to come.”

With that, she hung up.

Of course, I knew she wouldn’t want me to go back. Now that the banquet was over, she probably wanted to enjoy some private time with her young heartthrob. Why would she want me there to interrupt them?

I slept soundly at home. I had lost quite a bit of sleep over the past few days while preparing for the banquet.

By the time I woke up fully rested, it was already the middle of the night, and Claire had come home.

She had changed out of her formal dress and was wearing a light, casual dress. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked to be in a good mood.

But the moment she saw me, her pleasant expression faded slightly.

“Why didn’t you answer my calls or messages?”

I stretched and answered casually:

“I was asleep.”

Claire narrowed her eyes and stared at me for a long moment before asking impatiently:

“Are you seriously throwing a tantrum over what happened earlier? Be reasonable. I did it for work.”

“Everyone at the company knows Adrian and I work perfectly together. We’re the company’s golden couple. If those business partners think we’re a couple, they’ll definitely be more willing to support us.”

Right, the two of you were the golden couple. So my wedding anniversary banquet had turned into your engagement party?

I laughed coldly to myself, wondering whether she had gotten so carried away by today’s excitement that she had lost her mind.

I didn’t want to deal with her, so I shrugged.

Claire seemed very dissatisfied with my attitude. Her gaze became more searching, and just as she was about to say something else, the front door opened.

Adrian walked skillfully to the bedroom door, as familiar with the house as if it were his own. He was carrying a bag and gave Claire a shy, affected smile.

“Claire, you forgot your clothes, so I brought them over.”

“Ethan’s here too. I hope I’m not interrupting you.”

Claire had even registered Adrian’s fingerprint with the smart lock, so he entered our home as naturally as he would his own.

Claire didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. She gently took the paper bag from him.

“I’m sorry to trouble you by coming all the way here so late. You could’ve just waited until I came to pick them up.”

The two of them exchanged a look so intimate it seemed as though their eyes were physically connected. A wave of revulsion ran through me, and I couldn’t help shuddering.

Claire seemed to have found another reason to mock me, and she looked at me with even greater confidence.

“Honestly, can’t you learn something from Adrian? He’s younger than you, yet he knows how to behave better than you in every way!”

“At the banquet today, he handled so many guests all by himself without breaking a sweat. But you? The moment something happens, you hide like a coward.”

“The end of the banquet was such a mess. If Adrian hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have known what to do! But you just abandoned everything and went home. Anyone who didn’t know better would think…”

She had only gotten halfway through her sentence when I finished it for her.

“I was wrong.”

The next second, both Claire and Adrian froze.