Chapter 1

They say a woman who is six years older is like holding two bars of gold.

Asher Thorne always smiled and told me, "I'm so lucky. I brought two bars of gold home."

I truly believed we would be happy forever.

Then, a notification popped up on his phone and tore the mask off everything.

"Asher, tell me, who is tighter in bed? Me or that old woman?"

"Don't be silly. She smells like mothballs and dust. She can't even compare to you!"

Yet, his love for me seemed as intense as ever.

How can a person love one woman while sleeping with another?

If that was the case, I would tear this illusion to pieces and leave.

"Since she has one little boy like you obsessed with her, she can definitely find countless others. You're dirty now, so I'll just find a clean one to keep me company."

1

"Babe, I bought you a treat from that bakery you love. Come here!"

I smiled and jumped into his arms, giving him a quick kiss.

"Whose good boy is this? Bringing me my favorite cake?"

He looked at me with pure adoration. He lifted me up and set me gently on the sofa.

He was as attentive as always, taking the cake out and pouring me a drink.

"Go ahead, you little glutton. I'm going to hop in the shower first."

I nodded casually.

The second the cake hit my tongue, I spat it out.

I stared at the man in the bathroom, my mind spinning with confusion.

The filling was made of mango.

The last time I ate mango, I went into anaphylactic shock and ended up in the ER.

It had terrified him so much that his eyes turned red. He swore he would never let me touch a mango again.

I tried to calm myself down. Maybe he just didn't know there was mango in this specific cake?

But he was such a meticulous person. A cold knot of dread began to tighten in my chest.

I walked into the bedroom and saw his clothes tossed on the bed. I reflexively started to fold them for him.

Ding!

His phone lit up with a new message.

"Baby, that mango cake we picked out together today was so good! Yum! Kiss, kiss, love you!"

The contact name was "Little Glutton."

I stared at the screen, frozen. After a long moment, I used his usual passcode to unlock it.

It opened instantly. He probably never imagined I would actually check his phone.

I opened his messages. Aside from me, there was only one other person pinned to the top.

It was her.

I scrolled to the very beginning of their chat.

The oldest messages were from a month ago. He must have deleted the ones before that.

The very first message I saw felt like a punch to the gut.

"Asher, my love, come spend the night with me tonight, please!"

"I'll spend the night... really well. Just don't tell me you can't handle it later!"

"Oh, you brat! Stop it, or I'll ignore you!"

"My bad, babe!"

I paused, my breath hitching, and continued scrolling.

Then I hit the conversation that finally killed my heart.

"Asher, tell me, who is tighter in bed? Me or that old woman?"

"Don't be silly. She smells like mothballs and dust. She can't even compare to you!"

Tears blurred my vision and dripped onto my hand. I wiped them away quickly.

I forced myself to stay calm for a few seconds. I grabbed my own phone and began photographing every single message.

A few minutes later, Asher walked out of the bathroom.

He saw my pale face and rushed over with concern. "Babe, was the cake not good?"

I thought about it for a second. I nodded, then shook my head.

He looked confused and reached out to pull me into his arms.

Just before his lips touched mine, I looked away. "My period started. I'm not feeling very well."

Asher froze. A flash of disappointment crossed his eyes.

I picked up my tablet and pretended to read, silently counting the seconds.

Sure enough, ten minutes later, Asher gripped his phone with a worried expression.

"Babe, something came up at the office. I have to head over there right now."

I felt a cold laugh bubbling up inside me, but my face remained neutral. "Go ahead. Drive safe."

Lately, every time I felt sick or couldn't be with him, he always found an excuse to leave.

I had never doubted him once. Looking back, I was incredibly naive.

The moment he pulled out of the driveway, I got into my car and followed him.

Ten minutes later, his car pulled up in front of a luxury villa.

A cute girl in a maid outfit came running out to greet him.

They didn't even wait to get inside. They fell into each other's arms right there in the driveway.

I fought back the urge to vomit and took several clear photos of them.

On the drive home, the tears finally broke free.

We met at a friend's gala. He had pursued me with an intensity I'd never seen.

Because of our age gap, everyone assumed he was just playing around.

Even I thought he was just chasing the thrill of someone new.

But he used time and devotion to prove his sincerity.

When I said I loved organic bone broth, he spent weeks learning how to make it perfectly.

When I had cramps, he made me custom hot chocolate and brownies.

If I worked late, he showed up at my office with midnight snacks.

I once mentioned that the Hamptons were beautiful. He cleared his entire schedule to take me there.

When I had a fever, he stayed by my side all night without sleeping.

To give me peace of mind, he blocked every girl who had ever flirted with him.

I told him I liked ambitious men, so he worked himself to the bone to build his career.

Eventually, as a rising star in the business world, he spent a fortune on a drone light show.

He proposed under a sky full of fireworks, promising he would never change.

I was moved. I finally lowered my guard and let him in.

Time passed. I never imagined that all his effort and pursuit would end in betrayal.

Did Asher change, or did I never truly know him?

I sat in my car as his name flashed on my phone screen.

I answered, but there was only silence on the other end.

I thought he had pocketed-dialed me and was about to hang up when I heard his voice.

"Didn't I feed you enough last night? You're so greedy today!"

The girl giggled. "I just hate that my Master has to go back to that boring old woman."

I heard the wet sound of them kissing.

Asher's voice was low and husky. "Take good care of me, and I might just stay the night."

They were into some pretty twisted games. It was enough to make my skin crawl.