Chapter 1

Charles Sterling and I grew up together, and our families arranged for us to marry.

I spent more than ten years by his side before he finally noticed me and proposed.

Three years into our marriage, I found women's stockings and lingerie in his office.

I didn't cry or throw a fit. Instead, I calmly told him to send her away and give me four percent of the company's shares, no strings attached.

Charles glanced at my baby bump and agreed.

For the next ten years, he played the role of a gentle husband and a reliable father.

Right before our daughter's college admission exam, as I was packing her stationery, Charles, who never paid attention to these things, suddenly asked, "Do students all use this kind of pen nowadays?"

I fell silent for a moment, trying to suppress my suspicions. But when I looked up, I saw comments floating in the air: [Is he buying this pen for his kid outside?]

[Seriously? He's been cheating for ten years and she still hasn't noticed?]

[How can she be this clueless? Can these platforms stop recommending me these kinds of stories? If she stays after the cheating, she's just asking for it.]

[The couple on the side are all lovey-dovey, so why are you all so bothered?]

[Honestly, Emily Fields' got it made. She landed Charles as her golden ticket when she was young.]

[Don't you think Emily and Charles are actually a great ship? She may be mean and fake, but Charles loves her. And Emily? She's just the kind of woman you'd want as a wife.]

I curved my lips into a slight smirk, pretending nothing had happened. Looking at our daughter, I responded to Charles, "Maybe it's just what's popular now."

So Charles had a whole other family out there?

Funny thing was, so did I.

*****

While I was packing our daughter Sophia's things for her exam, Charles watched her with gentle eyes.

He drizzled maple syrup over Sophia's toast and handed it to her.

"Sophia, don't worry, just relax. After the exam, we'll celebrate with a big family dinner!"

Sophia nodded with a smile, took a bite of toast, and said, "Dad, I'm going to eat a lot!"

With the college admission exam coming up, she'd been avoiding takeout and restaurant food lately.

Every day, the chef whipped up nutritious meals for her.

Charles picked up Sophia's backpack and caught sight of me in a bodycon dress. His eyes lit up. "Very pretty."

"You too."

He took the stationery pouch from my hand with a soft chuckle. "You haven't been getting much rest lately."

He tapped my furrowed brow with his fingertip. "Once Sophia's exam is over, I've got a surprise for you."

I glanced up at him. He lowered his head a little, and our eyes met.

Charles was in his forties. He had never put on weight, still kept up with his workouts as always.

Tall and imposing, he had sharp, striking features. Those fox-like eyes held a soft, amorous charm.

He noticed the pen I was prepping for Sophia and asked offhand, "Do students all use this kind of pen nowadays?"

Charles never got involved in Sophia's schoolwork.

He always thought it would put too much pressure on her, so he tried to give her whatever she needed and let her be.

I was about to reply, but when I looked up, floating comments appeared overhead: [Even while hanging out with his wife and daughter, Charles is still thinking about Emily.]

[LOL, he's pretending to care about his daughter's pen, but he's actually thinking about the kid Emily had for him.]

[Charles and Emily are seriously the sweetest! Older guy, younger girl—can't beat that combo. Sure, Emily's a gold-digger and totally fake, and she even dumped him, but Charles is just head over heels for her.]

[Who even cares about the main couple's arranged marriage? Charles and Emily's messy, toxic love is way more addictive. Healthy relationships are fine and all, but let's be real, twisted love is just more exciting!]

[How can Julia Wynn be this clueless? She actually thinks Charles loves her? And her daughter Sophia is just as dumb, honestly.]

[The way her daughter clings to her dad with that baby voice makes me sick.]

The comments were everywhere; in a split second, I knew exactly who they were talking about.

I pieced together the plot in my mind.

So Charles was the male lead in this story, I was the female lead, and Emily was the second female lead.

Even though Charles and I were married, we were a picture-perfect couple. The one he really loved was Emily, and they had a secret family on the side.

The comments were still shipping that so-called perfect romance, while some were just frustrated with me for not toughening up.