Chapter 1

Just to get to know my artist boyfriend a little better, I slipped into an art lovers' group chat, only to spot a photo that looked all too familiar.

Someone wrote: [My boyfriend loves holding my hand and teaching me how to paint. I'm so happy.]

[He says this is the only time he feels truly free, without the burden of money or that pushy old woman who's always trying to buy his paintings.]

[You guys have no idea. Ever since that old woman bought one of his paintings, she's been all over him. She even tried to get him to paint her half-naked!]

[Even if she pays well, I really feel bad for my boyfriend's eyes.]

In the photo, the man's hand was tenderly holding the girl's slender wrist.

The ring on his finger was a splurge, a high-end piece just for him. And that paintbrush he was using? I searched everywhere for that exclusive custom edition.

I let out a sigh and laughed. Without hesitation, I told my assistant to freeze a few of my bank cards.

What a free-spirited artist.

Then I would just use my money to leash the next boy toy instead.

*****

The group chat exploded with messages right after those from the girl nicknamed E&S.

Someone wrote: [If she just bought a painting, she's just a customer, right? How can she be so full of herself?]

Another texted: [Then again, it could be true. Some rich old women today really have some strange tastes.]

Just a customer? I couldn't help but curl my lips in amusement. Seriously, that was a funny way to put it.

Edward Chase didn't sound like that when he was confessing his feelings to me.

Edward once told me, "No matter how many paintings I make in the future, my favorite memories will always be the moments when you're part of my art.

"Joanna, you're not just an audience. You're the one I dream of spending my life with."

He even went down on one knee right in front of me and swore he'd spend his entire life painting for me.

Yet in front of everyone else, I was nothing more than an "old woman" and a client.

Someone texted: [For real? If your boyfriend is so in love with you, why would he ever agree to paint some other woman half-naked?]

Another added: [Exactly. If you're going to flex your relationship, at least make up something people might actually buy. Who do you think you're fooling with this kind of wild story?]

The chat quickly lit up with skeptical replies, but the girl wasn't about to let it go. She just tossed a photo into the chat.

It was a painting of a woman, her bare back bathed in soft morning light, leaning against the side of the bed.

My breath hitched. I never imagined something so intimate would make its way into her hands.

It was after Edward and I had spent a night tangled in each other's arms. The next morning, as sunlight spilled onto the sheets, he got a burst of inspiration and captured my back in his art.

I still remembered how, when he finished, he held me close and kissed me. "You're my muse," he whispered. Edward's words echoed again in my mind.

The girl texted: [Look. This is the painting that old woman forced him to do.]

[But lucky for me, my boyfriend is so loyal to me. He filmed the whole process while painting and sent the video straight to me as soon as he finished.]

I ordered, "Tina, get over to my apartment at Riverside Avenue right now and check if there are any hidden cameras in the bedroom."

I pushed my fury aside and directed my assistant to go straight to the place Edward and I shared.

He actually took the painting of me and handed it over to his side chick, just to twist the story and spread nasty rumors. And on top of that, he had the nerve to sneak hidden cameras into our bedroom and secretly record me.

I finally found out my supposedly "reserved and proper" artist boyfriend had some real talent for backstabbing.

The girl texted: [My poor boyfriend was so upset when he came to me that he actually threw up. He said if it weren't for the money, there was no way he could put up with it.]

[He's just a struggling artist right now, so he basically has to grit his teeth and go through all this for my sake.]

[But every penny he makes goes into buying me gifts. He always calls me his princess.]

[So honestly, I'm still super happy.]

The girl kept spamming the chat with more photos, showing off a whole locker stuffed with luxury goods.

This time, I genuinely found it hilarious.

Watches, necklaces, designer bags, and fancy perfumes...

All of them were gifts I'd given Edward, and he'd simply regifted every single thing to his fling.

He was really meticulous and didn't like taking any losses.

I took a deep breath, watching the chat blow up with envy and curiosity, when Tina called.

Sure enough, they found a hidden camera secretly installed deep in the corner of the nightstand.

Before I could even ask for details, Edward's message popped up.

He texted in anger: [Why did you send people rummaging through our apartment? Didn't I tell you that I never want strangers messing around in my private space?]

[Now the whole bedroom layout is ruined. They've destroyed the atmosphere I need for my art!]

[Do you even get how important this is to an artist?]

I stared at Edward's angry texts and then calmly replied.

I texted: [You're right. Three years, and clearly I still don't understand your so-called art.]

[So let's just call it quits and move on.]