Chapter 1

Even after marrying Matthew Perry for the third time, I still hadn't learned my lesson.

When I saw his secretary, Lilith Mason, in our kitchen making breakfast again early in the morning, I marched over and flipped the table.

Suddenly, a barrage of comments appeared in my mind.

[Lilith is a total badass. With a few clever moves, she made Sandra self-sabotage and get divorced three times in a row. She's unstoppable.]

[That drama queen, Sandra, is always bossing Matthew around and threatening divorce whenever she feels like it. This time, she's finally drained all his patience.]

[After the fourth divorce, Sandra is still foolishly waiting for Matthew to grovel and beg her to remarry him like before.

[But she has no clue that Lilith has secured her spot by having his child, and in the end, Sandra dies alone and sick in a rented room.]

I was momentarily stunned.

But before I could stop myself, I slapped Matthew right across the face.

*****

There was a loud smack.

But the slap didn't land on Matthew's face.

Lilith rushed forward and took the hit for him.

I froze for a second, about to say something.

Lilith bit her lip hard, her voice trembling as she looked at me. "Mrs. Perry, if you want to vent your anger on me, I'll take it. But why ruin breakfast?

"It's fine that I spent two hours cooking, but Mr. Perry's stomach is sensitive. If he skips breakfast, he'll be hurting later."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "I was going for Matthew, not you. Who told you to take the hit for him?"

Lilith choked up, her eyes instantly filling with tears.

Right then, Matthew stood up.

He walked over and stepped between us, looking down at me with a calm expression.

He said, "Not feeling like eating pies all of a sudden?"

I scoffed and turned my head away, ignoring this guy who never knew when to back off.

Matthew was quiet for a moment, then said, "Why don't you head out first?"

I turned to leave with a cold face, but Matthew stopped me.

Lilith froze for a second and nodded, looking all pitiful. "Mr. Perry, I'll do as you say."

Before she left, she turned back with a gentle look and softly reminded him. "Mr. Perry, we have a meeting with Mr. Parker from Talop Group at ten.

"I'll go prepare the documents. Once you're finished here, please come over right away."

Matthew finally turned to glance at her. "Okay."

They were exchanging glances right in front of me.

They seriously thought I didn't exist.

I was instantly pissed off.

[Matthew's face is as dark as the bottom of a pot. It's obvious he's furious after seeing Lilith take the hit, and he's got zero patience left for Sandra.]

[That's why he told Lilith to leave first. He's worried that the crazy Sandra might lose it and go after her again. He's so protective of Lilith.]

[Even after getting hurt, Lilith is still focused on work. No wonder she's a true boss lady who can stand side by side with Matthew, unlike Sandra, who's got nothing going for her except her looks.]

[Wait. Sandra will bring up divorce, and Matthew will agree instantly. The real drama's about to kick off.]

My heart gave a sudden jolt.

Right now, I was so pissed that I was ready to demand a divorce.

I wondered if these strange comments were for real.

Had Matthew already fallen for Lilith and was waiting for me to step down?

But I couldn't understand why he kept coming back, asking me to remarry him.

Before I could figure it out, Matthew had tied on an apron like he'd done it a hundred times.

He asked, "What do you want to eat? I don't have time for anything fancy. I've got stuff to do. How about some toast and fried eggs?"

[Why hasn't Sandra brought up divorce yet? Now Matthew's stuck making breakfast, waiting for her to say it, and he can't leave with Lilith. Ugh, this is so annoying.]

[That toxic Sandra keeps using the fact that she's the daughter of Matthew's mentor to play the victim and guilt-trip him every chance she gets.

[Poor Matthew. He's divorced her three times and still can't get rid of her.]

[That's why Lilith could never stand Sandra. The moment Lilith got a second chance at life, the first thing she did was steal Matthew and give him the love he deserves.]

Staring at Matthew, still so cold and distant, I felt a sudden sting in my nose. Tears threatened to spill.

I said, "I'm not eating. Go and focus on your work."

I pulled my hand free from his grip and headed back to my room.

Not long after, I heard a car engine start up outside.

Matthew left without saying a word.

I was so mad that my head was pounding.

Even lying in bed, I couldn't shake the heaviness in my chest.

I didn't get it.

Matthew and I were the truly married couple.

I didn't understand why all those weird comments were rooting for Lilith, who knew she was the mistress and still shamelessly went after my husband.

Was it because Lilith was the main character, and I was the side chick?

I was born after a tough labor.

I'd always been a little slow-witted.

When I was a kid, whenever my relatives got together, they'd laugh behind my back, saying I was so clueless that I'd probably be grinning like an idiot if someone sold me off.

I was lazy, too. Whenever something didn't go my way, I wanted to give up.

Truth was, sticking with anything was seriously tough.

But quitting was a piece of cake.

Luckily, I had a badass dad.

He was the director of the Academy of Sciences.

My dad had mentored more students than I could count, and they were all crazy talented.

And Matthew was the one everyone remembered, the best of the best.