Chapter 1

I only found out Jasper Vance had taken a girl from the clubs to be his secret lover when their child was already born.

At the retreat center, a close friend asked him how he planned to explain this to me.

He only gave a cold, dismissive smirk.

"It's only natural for a man to have someone on the side. She has no right to demand an explanation from me."

"Besides, Josie is the jealous type. Let's keep this from her for now, just so her petty heart doesn't find a way to hurt my son."

He and I had been childhood sweethearts. Three years ago, before I left for a spiritual sabbatical in the mountains, he made me a promise.

"One life, one love. I'll marry you the moment you return," he had said.

This time, I didn't cling to him or cry. I didn't even ask why he broke his word.

I simply turned around and left, finally accepting the marriage proposal from the youngest son of the Sterling family.

I was finally done with him.

...... 01

"Jasper, Josie is coming back soon. You can't keep this a secret forever by blocking the news," Xavier said to Jasper in the private lounge.

Jasper was holding a baby boy, teasing him with a look of pure fatherly love.

When he heard my name, his eyes turned indifferent and bored.

"Josie is way too possessive. We hide it to keep her from making life hell for Yara and the baby."

"She's been obsessed with me since we were kids. If I even looked at a waitress, she'd throw a fit."

My hand froze on the doorknob. I stood outside the room, paralyzed.

I had loved Jasper my whole life. Losing my parents young had left me insecure, and I was wary of every woman around him. But back then, Jasper always reassured me.

"You're right. She's always been spoiled. She'll definitely cause a scene," Xavier nodded in agreement.

Just then, a woman walked out from the inner room and called Jasper's name in a sweet, airy voice.

"Jasper, let me hold little AJ for a while."

"Careful, Yara. He's getting quite heavy," Jasper said.

He handed the baby to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.

"You two need to get a room. I'm still here, you know?" Xavier joked.

"I get why you stayed with him, Yara. I've never seen Jasper this soft. It's just a shame your background means you have to stay in the shadows..."

My heart hammered against my ribs. Yara was the girl I had rescued from a rough nightclub years ago. I treated her like a sister, not a maid.

Before I left for the retreat, I specifically asked her to watch over Jasper and keep other women away.

Instead, she crawled into Jasper's bed herself.

I never imagined that I would be betrayed by both my best friend and my fiancé at the same time.

Fury surged through me. I wanted to burst in and scream, but my feet wouldn't move.

What right did I have to confront him? Our engagement was just a verbal agreement between our families. We had never even exchanged rings.

My mind wandered, and I realized he hadn't initiated a single letter to me in over a year.

Every time I wrote to him about my life at the retreat, his reply was a cold, one-word acknowledgment.

"After the wedding, how will you convince Josie to let Yara move into the main house?" Xavier asked.

I held my breath, waiting for the answer.

Jasper's voice was like ice.

"She's an orphan. Being my wife is the greatest luck she'll ever have. What right does she have to refuse my mistress?"

"To be honest, I never loved her. Yara is the one I want."

"The past few years, I just treated her like a little puppy. It was fun watching her wag her tail for even a tiny scrap of my affection."

"It was just a game to keep me entertained."