Chapter 1

Four years into our marriage, my husband’s flight was reported missing after a horrific crash.

I braved the torrential rain, following the search and rescue teams, digging through the wreckage with my bare hands until they bled.

But in the end, I found him in a hotel bed. He was tangled up with his first love, Elowen, their bodies pressed together in a heat that had nothing to do with a plane crash.

When he saw me standing there, soaked and trembling, he didn't even look guilty.

“Elowen has severe asthma,” Alaric said, his voice steady and cold. “I was afraid something would happen to her in the middle of the night, so I stayed to watch over her.”

Elowen lay there, her face deathly pale, gasping for air as if on cue.

“Don’t blame Alaric,” she whispered. “He’s only doing this for my sake.”

I looked at their discarded clothes on the floor and their bare skin beneath the sheets. A bitter laugh escaped my throat.

“Why would I blame him? I just think one man isn’t enough to look after you. Should we call in a few more?”

1

The group of people behind me couldn't help but snicker at my words. Their gazes toward Elowen Frost became decidedly more suggestive.

I stood there, a complete wreck after three hours of frantic searching. Water dripped from my hair, and my clothes were caked in mud.

The frantic, heart-wrenching anxiety I had felt earlier died a cold death the moment I saw Alaric Sterling and Elowen together.

Alaric’s face darkened, and he glared at me with an icy intensity. I couldn't help but notice the fresh scratch marks on his neck.

“Seraphina, do you not trust me?” he demanded.

I was stunned by the sheer audacity of his question. He was actually trying to play the victim.

“Not trust you?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’m being sincere. Miss Frost seems so ill that I truly doubt one man can satisfy her medical needs.”

Our clothes were scattered across the floor, and they were pressed against each other under the duvet. Yet, he had the nerve to ask about trust. It was pathetic.

Before they could respond, one of Elowen’s friends stepped forward, looking indignant.

“Seraphina, how can you be so cruel? Alaric is a doctor. Do you think he’d lie about a patient’s condition?”

I realized then why this woman had been so eager to lead me here. She knew exactly what we would find.

She spoke with such righteous indignation, as if I were the one in the wrong.

I gave her a chilling look that silenced her instantly. Then, I walked further into the room and picked up a lacy bra from the carpet with two fingers.

“Pardon my ignorance,” I said, looking around the room. “I’ve never heard of a treatment for asthma that requires both the doctor and the patient to be naked in the same bed.”

“Is this some new breakthrough in therapy? Because it looks like Dr. Sterling is struggling. Are you sure you don't need a few more assistants in here?”

Alaric was livid. He pointed a finger at me, his voice booming through the suite.

“Shut your mouth, Seraphina! Elowen and I are perfectly innocent. How dare you humiliate us like this!”

He tried to snatch the lingerie from my hand, but I stepped back and hurled it out the open window.

Alaric stared at me, looking at me as if I were a complete stranger.

It made sense. For years, I had been the doting, submissive wife who never questioned him. He wasn't used to me biting back.

But today, the fantasy was over. I, Seraphina Vance, was done loving him.

Elowen chose that moment to play her part. She pulled a robe over Alaric’s shoulders, her movements delicate and weak.

“Alaric, please, don’t catch a cold,” she murmured, followed by a series of forced, hollow coughs.

The sight of her looking so fragile sent a surge of protectiveness through Alaric. He turned to her with eyes full of tenderness.

“Elowen, how are you feeling? Is it getting worse?”

“I’ll be fine, Alaric. I’m just worried about you,” she replied softly.

He turned back to me, his expression full of moral superiority. “Do you see? She’s genuinely suffering, and yet you’re here throwing a tantrum.”

Watching their little drama, I felt like a fool. All those years of devotion were nothing more than trash.

I clutched my chest, feeling a hollow ache spreading through my ribs.

Elowen gave him a robe, and he was moved to tears. I had spent three hours digging through wreckage in a storm, fearing for his life.

The difference between love and indifference was glaringly obvious. How had I been so blind for so long?

“I don’t care anymore, Alaric. Let’s get a divorce. You can take care of Elowen however you want. No one will stand in your way.”

Alaric froze. His brow furrowed in annoyance as he looked at me.

“Seraphina, enough. I told you it was a misunderstanding. Why are you bringing up divorce over nothing?”

It was hilarious. He actually expected me to just swallow this insult and keep playing the happy wife.

“I’m doing it for your benefit. Once you’re single, you can ‘treat’ her more effectively without any distractions.”

I glanced at the rumpled sheets one last time, a mocking smile playing on my lips.

“Since you two just finished your ‘session,’ make sure to get tested. I’d hate for you to pass something dirty to me.”

Elowen acted as if the shame was too much to bear. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed onto the pillows, feigning a faint.

Alaric lost it. He jumped out of bed, lunged for his clothes, and dressed with trembling hands.

He glared at me with pure hatred. Before I could move, his hand swung out and delivered a stinging slap across my face.

“If anything happens to Elowen because of your malice, Seraphina, I will never let you hear the end of it!”

He grabbed his phone, called for an ambulance, and rushed out to follow the gurney.

I was left standing in the silent hotel room, the mark on my cheek burning.

I slid down the wall and huddled on the floor, feeling like the punchline of a very long, very cruel joke.

I knew for a fact that Elowen Frost didn't have asthma. The whole thing was a lie.

But Alaric didn't care. He wanted to be deceived.

I dragged myself home, shivering from the rain and the fever starting to burn in my blood. I collapsed onto the bed and fell into a dark sleep.

Hours later, I was jolted awake by the sound of the front door slamming.