Chapter 2

Chapter 2

My calm voice acted like a spark that instantly set off Luke's explosive temper.

He sat up in bed, his handsome eyes blazing with fury. He snatched the papers from my hand and ripped them to shreds without reading a single word.

"Are you ever going to stop? How many times are you going to pull this pathetic stunt!"

"Sonia, I have told you a thousand times, there is nothing going on between Chloe and me!"

"Can you stop acting so crazy? Stop using this garbage to threaten me and force my hand!"

His voice was laced with exhaustion and a hint of desperate pleading.

It sounded as if I were the one crossing boundaries and ruining our peaceful marriage.

Yet he was the one whose heart had strayed from the very beginning.

I looked at the furious man in front of me, then down at the torn white paper scattered across the hardwood floor. Without a word, I crouched down and began picking up the pieces one by one.

I could not really blame him for losing his temper. After all, I had made this empty threat far too many times in the past.

I still vividly remembered the day Chloe first returned to the States, which was also the first time Luke missed my birthday.

Just like tonight, I had sat alone in front of a table of cold food and an untouched cake from dusk until dawn.

I thought he was buried in business meetings, so I did not dare call him. That was the excuse he had given me, after all.

Until two in the morning, when an unknown number called my phone. The moment I picked up, a sweet, playful giggle came through the speaker.

"Hi, is this Sonia? It is Chloe."

"Luke had a bit too much to drink at my welcome party. He is clinging to me and crying, so could you please come pick him up?"

The words sounded polite, but the tone dripped with pure gloating.

That was the moment I realized his busy schedule had nothing to do with work. It was all because Chloe was coming back.

And I, his lawful wife, was not even deemed worthy of knowing the truth.

My fingers trembled as I gripped the steering wheel, driving through the dark toward the private lounge she mentioned. I still desperately hoped there was an innocent explanation.

When I reached the VIP room at the end of the hall, the door was slightly ajar.

Loud laughter and rowdy cheering spilled out into the corridor.

"Now that Chloe is back, you cannot leave again! You two should just get together, or Luke will be moping around for another three years."

"Stop talking nonsense! Luke is a married man now. Even when I was in London, I heard how sweet and devoted they are."

Chloe made a teasing remark, and their mutual friends immediately laughed, jumping in to defend Luke.

"That was only because you were not here! How does the saying go?"

"Right! If it cannot be you, anyone else is just a stand-in. You two better make it work this time so Luke stops pining after you."

If it cannot be you, anyone else is just a stand-in.

My fingers on the door handle turned ice-cold. I finally understood the true purpose of Chloe's phone call.

Luke was completely sober. She just wanted me to hear those words with my own ears.

What broke my heart the most was Luke's quiet chuckle in response, silently validating everything they said.

I wanted to run away, but my feet felt glued to the floor.

Suddenly, the heavy door swung open, and I found myself staring right into the room.

The loud chatter instantly died into a dead silence.

"Sonia? What are you doing here?" Luke asked, his eyes wide.

"I..."

I was the wife with every right to be angry, but a sharp pain gripped my chest, choking the words in my throat.

I opened my mouth, looking past the stunned crowd to lock eyes with Chloe, whose face was glowing with smug triumph.

"Luke, do you have a minute? We need to talk."