Chapter 1
It started after Edward Shaw, my heir boyfriend, proposed to me on our trip to Northern Lights Island. I somehow stumbled into a private group chat for wealthy socialite wives.
One day, the conversation drifted to how to make a wealthy marriage work.
The group admin spoke up with a smug, cryptic air, "If you want your marriage to go the distance, you first learn to turn a blind eye."
"Let your husband fool around all he wants. Our place as the legal wife is solid. Those girls out there are nothing but disposable flings. They will never set foot in the family home," she added.
With that, she dropped a candid side-profile pic into the chat.
She said, "This is my husband's side piece. She grew up in the foster system. One Louis Vuitton bag was all it took for my husband to lock her down. She's been sleeping with him for free for well over a year."
I tapped the photo open.
It hit me like a ton of bricks.
It was the exact candid shot Edward had snapped of me in Northern Lights Island.
Moments after he took that photo, he proposed to me with quiet tenderness.
*****
My body went numb.
My mind went completely blank.
My hand instinctively rested on my lower abdomen.
Edward knew nothing about it.
This very morning, the pregnancy test came back positive.
I thought this baby was a gift from heaven.
But now, it all seemed like a cruel joke.
Messages kept popping up in the group chat.
"Aren't you worried your husband might end up with a secret kid out there?" someone asked.
Julia sent a smiley.
She answered, "We've got three ground rules. No illegitimate children. That's non-negotiable.
"Our families' businesses are so intertwined. Any reckless move will trigger a chain reaction. He knows not to mess with that."
A flood of flattering comments followed.
"Julia, your attitude is so impressive."
"Taking notes now. This is exactly the poise of a legal wife."
Julia chuckled, covering her mouth. "Men are overgrown kids. They always come back after they tire of playing. We gotta keep our eyes on the big picture and let the little stuff slide. Who cares about romance anyway?"
Her words echoed in my head, and a ringing sounded in my ears.
My fingers brushed the diamond ring on my ring finger.
The scenes from Edward's proposal on Northern Lights Island flashed through my mind.
Under the shimmering Northern Lights, Edward got down on one knee, presenting the diamond ring, his voice thick with emotion."Rose, you once told me you longed for the love of family and a home that could keep you safe from everything. Let me be your safe harbor. Marry me."
His eyes were red with emotion, filled with tender concern for me.
I covered my mouth in surprise.
I nodded through silent tears, unable to speak a word.
At that moment, I felt like the happiest person in the world.
Still unwilling to accept the truth, I tapped on Julia's profile picture.
Her social media feed only showed ten photos to strangers.
I clicked through each one.
Edward was nowhere to be found.
All I saw were elegant society parties and group selfies with her girlfriends.
It felt like I was drowning, reaching for anything that might save me.
A thought crept into my mind, one I knew was me fooling myself. Maybe Julia was not telling the truth?
Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open.
Edward's voice came from behind me. "Honey, what are you looking at? You're so absorbed."
I quickly put my phone away, but he noticed my red-rimmed eyes.
He frowned, "Why are you crying? Who made my Rose upset?"
He put one hand on my shoulder and gently wiped my tears with the other.
"It's nothing. I watched a sad video earlier," I said.
He chuckled and pulled me into his arms. "My little crybaby, already got your eyes all red? How will you hold up at our wedding?"
Tears welled up in my eyes again.
"Are we going to get married?" I asked softly, looking into Edward's eyes.
Edward's breath caught, for a moment.
Then he reached out, gently cupping my face in his hands, his tone solemn. "Of course we will. When have I ever lied to you, Rose?"
His eyes were smiling.
There was a pure, genuine sincerity in his gaze.
Not a single trace of anything fake.
"Okay." I managed a weak smile.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, and a flicker of evasion crossed his eyes.
"Still getting work calls at this hour?" he muttered. He rose and headed out to the balcony.
The balcony door blocked out all the sound.
I couldn't hear a word he said.
But I could see the smile on his face. He looked totally relaxed, not the slightest bit annoyed.
It was a stark contrast to his usual tense, serious expression at work.
A moment later, he hung up and hurried out.
"Rose, something came up at the office. I need to go handle it," he said.
Before heading out, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Be good and get some sleep early tonight. Don't wait up for me. Leave the light on if you are afraid of the dark."
The moment the door clicked shut, I opened the car tracking app on my phone, with trembling hands.
Last month, when I took his car in for maintenance, the staff accidentally registered my phone number to his car's system.
With the app, I could track his car's movements in real time.
After a long wait, the car on the screen finally started creeping forward.
Half an hour later, it stopped at a luxury villa complex in the city center.
"Rosewood Estate," I whispered the name to myself.
My heart skipped a beat.
I opened Julia's social media feed.
One of her posts was clearly tagged at Rosewood Estate.
My vision kept going dark.
I had to see it with my own eyes.