Chapter 1

In high society, there was an unspoken rule: every wife just assumed her husband had a kept woman on the side.

As long as the drama didn't land on her doorstep, she'd simply look the other way.

When Eliza Carrington first heard about this so-called rule, she couldn't help but find it absurd.

Xavier Delacroix, the guy who'd hold her hand at every business event, tilt the umbrella her way even if it meant getting drenched himself, and treat her like the only splash of color in his black-and-white world, actually kept a mistress on the side.

Now that was a joke.

Eliza immediately knew that Xavier had fallen for her when she saw a fresh college graduate land the job as his personal assistant. He had always been very picky about who worked with him.

Peeking through the office blinds, Eliza watched as the girl with shoulder-length hair clumsily wrestled with the printer, while Xavier stood right next to her, patiently showing her what to do. The two were standing awfully close.

"Mr. Delacroix, am I just really slow? You've been teaching me forever and I still can't figure it out..." the girl mumbled.

But instead of the impatience Eliza thought she'd see, Xavier just kept calmly helping her, as patient as ever.

"No worries, take it slow. You just need to press this button," he said gently.

Eliza remembered Xavier mentioning her once. Her name was Dahlia Winters.

Eliza stood in the doorway, sunlight slanting across her.

As soon as Xavier spotted her, he set down his papers and hurried over, his voice gentle but with a hint of reproach.

"Why did you come by all of a sudden? It's scorching out there, and you didn't even let me know," he said.

Eliza looked up at him, her eyes flicking past his shoulder to the girl by the printer.

Dahlia kept her head down, nervously twisting the hem of her shirt with her fingers.

"Just passing by," Eliza said softly, her eyes landing back on Xavier's face.

Xavier reached out to take her bag, his fingers brushed her palm, a nervous habit of his.

"Is that the new secretary?" Eliza asked, making it sound offhand.

"Yeah, she just started last week," Xavier replied quickly, his voice lower than usual.

He stepped in the way so Eliza couldn't see, then reached up to gently tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Are you hungry? There's a new place nearby with the kind of food you like," he said.

Eliza caught her own reflection in Xavier's light-colored eyes.

For a split second, Eliza found herself drifting back to that rainy day years ago.

Back then, Xavier had stood at the art studio doorway, born with a visual impairment that made his whole world nothing but black and white.

But she had burst into his life, red umbrella in hand, bringing color into his world for the very first time.

He used to say she was the only color in his black-and-white world.

But now, it felt like she wasn't the only splash of color in his world anymore.

"Sure," Eliza finally smiled, reaching out to straighten his slightly crooked tie.

As they stepped out of the building, the bright morning sun had given way to heavy clouds.

Eliza stood on the steps, her mind drifting back to something Xavier had said in college.

"If the price of seeing color is losing you and if you just become one of the millions of colors out there, I'd rather stay in my black-and-white world forever," he'd told her.

Back then, she'd stood on her tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth.

But now, she wasn't so sure anymore. Was she still the only color in his world?

Xavier always made sure to give her his full attention when they ate together. No matter how busy he was with work, he never let anything else distract him.

But today, he was clearly distracted, kept glancing at his phone over and over.

When his phone screen lit up, Xavier set down his napkin, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Something came up at work. I need to head back. You go ahead and eat, don't wait for me," he said.

Eliza's fork froze in midair.

She clearly saw Dahlia's selfie pop up on his phone screen.

Xavier's work contacts never used selfies. His group chats were all full of stiff, professional profile pics.

"Is it that urgent?" Eliza asked calmly. "You hardly ate anything."

Xavier was already up, grabbing his coat in a rush.

"The tech department ran into some issues. Tonight's server upgrade might get delayed," he explained.

He bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I asked the driver to wait for you downstairs."

Eliza nodded, watching his back as he hurried away.

She chewed on a piece of lettuce, but all of a sudden, it left a bitter taste in her mouth. 'Guess that's what heartbreak tastes like,' Eliza thought to herself.

On impulse, Eliza settled the bill early, headed downstairs, and slipped into the car. "Follow Mr. Delacroix's car," she told the driver.

The black sedan crept after Xavier's car, and Eliza clung to the leather seat, a knot of anxiety twisting in her chest, making her feel sick.

Relief washed over her when she saw they were really heading toward the office. Her racing heart eased up a bit.

'Maybe I'm just overthinking it. Maybe that girl's profile picture was just...' Eliza thought.

Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt.