Chapter 1

The Gibson family had one unforgivable rule: no wife was ever allowed to visit her own family without her husband's approval.

On our wedding day, Jerry was urgently called back to the research institute. He never came home after that.

As a result, I hadn't seen my parents in three years.

It wasn't until my father became critically ill and I begged my mother-in-law that she finally agreed to let me go home

The moment I arrived in Parew, my car was rear-ended, and the impact sent me crashing into the vehicle in front.

The driver of the car I hit stormed over, cursing and ready to throw a punch.

Meanwhile, the woman who had rear-ended me stepped out, holding her phone as she apologized in a soft, gentle voice. "Please don't blame her. The accident was entirely my fault."

The furious driver took one look at her face, and his anger instantly disappeared, replaced by a fawning smile. "Mrs. Gibson, it's an honor to have my car hit by yours.

"I hope you'll put in a good word for me with Mr. Gibson someday."

Seeing the confusion on her face, he hurried to explain, "Everyone knows that if you want new bedroom tricks, you go watch Mr. and Mrs. Gibson at the floor-to-ceiling windows of Harbor Tower.

"I've seen you there myself, so of course I recognized you."

The woman pouted playfully at the person on the other end of the call. "It's all your fault. You embarrassed me."

Then she held the phone out to me with an apologetic smile. "My husband wants to speak with you.

"Don't worry. He just wants to make sure I wasn't hurt."

I stared at the phone in her hand, frozen in disbelief.

The wallpaper on her screen was a wedding photo of her and Jerry. The groom was my husband.

I took the phone in a daze, and in the span of a heartbeat, my mind spun through a thousand wild possibilities.

Maybe her husband's last name was Gibson by chance, or maybe it was someone who looked like him, or maybe the photo had been photoshopped.

Completely thrown off, I blurted out, "What's your name?"

The next second, a familiar voice came through the phone. "It's Jerry Gibson."

I was shaking so hard I could barely hold the phone.

My husband, who hadn't come home in three years, had a new wife back in the place I wasn't even allowed to go home to.

He didn't even realize it was me.

Jerry continued, "I'm working on getting a flight back to Parew. My assistant will handle the compensation. Please don't give my wife a hard time.

"She's a bit fragile and easily scared. Please do me a favor and take her to the hospital.

"Rest assured, once you make sure she's unharmed, I'll make sure you're well rewarded."

I could barely keep my voice steady. "There's a man here. He'd probably be better to take her."

On the other end, Jerry let out a cold, dismissive laugh. "What, are you single or something?

"If you've ever been loved, you'd know that no guy would ever trust another man to take care of the woman he loves.

"Not my assistant, not the driver, and absolutely not some stranger."

It felt like my heart had been yanked out and thrown out into the cold.

Last year, when I had my appendix removed, Jerry couldn't make it back, so he sent the family driver to look after me at the hospital.

I tried everything to refuse, but he chuckled and tried to comfort me, "Come on, I don't mind. Your health is what matters most."

So, the reason he didn't mind was simply because he didn't care at all.

Before I could say anything, he cut me off and gave a direct order. "That's it. We'll meet at Parew Hospital later."

After hanging up, I took a deep breath and tried to steady myself. Guess it was finally time to face him.

"Your husband said I should go with you to Parew Hospital to get examined for injuries," I said to the girl.

The girl slipped her arm through mine, giving me a bashful smile. "Sorry. My husband's just way too protective.

"I already told him I'm not hurt, but he still insists on bothering you.

"It's really hard to get a cab around here. My husband's car just arrived. Since I'm the one who held you up, if you don't mind, let me give you a lift?"

I didn't turn her down. "My dad's in the hospital at Parew Hospital, so it's on the way."

As soon as we got in the car, the girl started introducing herself. "I'm Andrea Jenkins. Sorry about today, but I guess we were meant to meet. Want to add me on WhatsApp?"

I opened her profile. Nearly every post was filled with steamy, intimate photos of her and Jerry.

Andrea's cheeks flushed instantly. "Miss, don't make fun of me. I didn't even want to post that.

"I lost a bet with my husband: whoever begs for mercy in bed first has to do whatever the winner wants.

"He's got endless energy and way too many moves. I held out for two hours before I finally caved, and he made me post that.

"And he won't even let me delete it. He's so childish."

A wave of bitterness and jealousy crashed over me.

For three years, Jerry kept telling me how much he missed me, how lonely and cold he was at the research institute, and how he dreamed every night of having me in his bed

But in reality, the second he hung up the phone, he was already getting hot and heavy with another woman.

Andrea gave a bashful smile. "Miss, you seem a bit older than me, so I bet you're married too, right? If you are, then you can't tease me about this.

"Us girls need to be showered with love by our husbands every night. That's the secret to getting prettier."

I managed a bitter smile. "Yeah, I'm married too, but we've been living apart. I haven't seen him in three years."

Andrea leaned in, eyes wide. "Sis, you're way too trusting.

"Seriously, no man can go three years without action. If he hasn't touched you in all that time, someone else is definitely keeping him satisfied."

She slapped a hand over her mouth, instantly apologizing. "I was talking nonsense. Of course there are exceptions.

"You're so pretty. Your husband must be head over heels for you."

I gave a self-deprecating smile. All these years, I put myself on a pedestal.

I thought our love was unbreakable and I was the exception. It turned out I was a joke.