Chapter 1

My always-devoted husband's cheating odds just spiked overnight.

I hired a PI to find out why, and the photos came back with my stepmother in the frame.

Then, at a family dinner, one awkward handshake froze his arm and drained the color from her face. Suddenly, this wasn't just gossip. It was a blood sport I planned to win.

*****

About six months ago, the likelihood of my sweet, devoted husband cheating suddenly spiked.

Virtually overnight, it jumped from 0% to 50%.

At first, I didn't think much of it. Guys scroll through Instagram models and watch racy videos. It was pretty normal. A little fantasy here and there doesn't hurt anyone.

Even my best friend Abby's cheating odds fluctuated whenever she got obsessed with a new celebrity crush.

But soon, I realized this was different.

The number over my husband's head wasn't going down. It kept climbing.

Within just three days, it hit 68%.

Now THAT got my attention.

Color me curious. Who was the woman trying to steal my husband's attention?

*****

Ethan Quinn and I, Charlotte Landon, were a whirlwind.

He was seven years older than me, handsome, with a great career and a sharp sense of humor.

But his family background wasn't great. His dad was a farmhand, and his mom had chronic health issues. They couldn't afford fancy imported meds that cost thousands a month, so they relied on generic versions from overseas.

His younger sister was no help either. After finishing trade school, she barely worked and spent all day gaming.

My family, on the other hand, was well-off. My dad was a CEO, my mom was a top-tier lawyer. I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth.

When I first met Ethan, I just thought he was hot. We exchanged numbers.

After that, Ethan went all out to win me over.

Ninety days later, we eloped to City Hall.

Mom called it "reckless." The gap between our backgrounds was just too wide.

But I called it "statistics." I had a secret she didn't know. Out of all the guys I'd ever dated, Ethan had the lowest cheating odds. And he was easily the best looking. A catch like him? No way I was letting him slip away.

In the end, my stubbornness wore her down, and she gave in.

*****

After we got married, Ethan really proved himself to be the perfect husband. He handed over his paycheck, helped with the housework whenever he could, and always seemed to know how to comfort me when I was upset or share in my joy when I was happy.

He was consistently polite and respectful towards my family. Even though they had initially opposed our relationship, he never held a grudge. Instead, he treated them with genuine warmth and kindness.

Witnessing his reliability, my mother gradually began to treat him like her own son.

She used her professional connections to help Ethan transfer to a government agency, a move that put his career on a solid upward trajectory.

Then she assisted Ethan's sister, who had recently graduated from trade school, in landing a low-stress job as a librarian.

As for his mother, who couldn't afford brand-name medication and had to rely on generics, thanks to my mom's connections in the medical field, she began receiving premium prescription drugs at no cost. Her health improved steadily.

But I suppose comfort breeds desire. When life becomes too smooth, some people go looking for excitement.

In just one week, Ethan's probability of cheating skyrocketed to over 90%.

Based on my intuition, he was already entertaining the idea.

He was just waiting for the right moment to take the plunge.