Chapter 1

Having been tricked into marriage with the CEO, Samuel Rivers, I made up my mind to fight back. In a bold move, I took a college lad, Jason Cooper, under my wing.

Samuel, with his characteristic swagger, declared, "Whatever you pull off, I'll put up with it. As for divorce, it's out of the question."

I wasn't convinced. Day in and day out, I played the flirt with Jason, egging him on to get on Samuel's nerves.

Yet, Samuel stayed as cool as a cucumber. "You're just fooling around. It doesn't faze me."

It became clear that a bit of flirting was too tame to ruffle his feathers. I knew I had to up the ante.

So, I managed to entice Jason to a hotel room. I bound his hands and feet and was on the verge of undressing him.

Just as I'd peeled his shirt halfway down, in burst Samuel. The sight of Jason's lips and the condom on the bed made his face turn as gloomy as a thundercloud.

"I told you to keep Anna in check, not to make a cuckold out of me, you bonehead!"

*****

My secret boyfriend was crying again.

I forced myself to be patient and comfort him.

I teased: [Send me a pic of those abs.]

He finally replied after ages: [Selfies are fine, but showing my abs? That's way too much for me.]

Jason was honestly the most uncooperative sugar baby I'd ever met. I tried to lay it out for him: [I'm paying, so if I ask for nudes, you gotta deliver.]

After a ton of coaxing and teasing, he finally sent me a half-naked pic—shirt off, but his pants were hiked up to his chest.

I insisted: [Lower. Show me more.]

Then he hit me with an eye-roll emoji, saying: [Seriously, are all married women this thirsty? Your husband's not doing his job or what?]

I shot back: [He's old, you know... not much action in that department anymore.]

Just as I hit send, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Who are you texting? I got your favorite cake. Come have a taste," Samuel called out.

In an instant, my fingertips began to tremble. Before I could react, my hand slipped and the phone dropped with a thud at Samuel's feet.

Without hesitation, he bent down to retrieve it.

As I took the phone back into my hands, a wave of relief washed over me. Fortunately, the screen had gone black, shielding the contents from his eyes.

He fixed me with a teasing look and a half-smile. "What's all the fuss about? You've been sneaking around on me?"

The guilt hit me like a ton of bricks. My face flushed scarlet, and I started to stutter, "I-I thought you'd be at the office at this hour. What brings you home?"

"I just couldn't stop thinking about you. Had to come see you," he said, reaching out to pull me into an embrace.

But I instinctively stepped back.

His outstretched arms froze in mid-air, and he looked at me, clearly surprised. "What's with the jitters? You'd think there was a secret guest hiding in here."

Trying to provoke him, I retorted, "Well, there is. Why don't you go on a little hunt?"

Rather than getting angry, Samuel gently ran his fingers through my hair. "If there's someone, tell him to make a quick exit. I'll turn a blind eye."

I was left speechless, staring at him in utter shock.

He cupped my face in his hands, his touch tender, but his words were like a dagger to my heart. "I've always said whatever you pull off, I'll put up with it. As for divorce, it's out of the question."

It felt as if I was trapped in an inescapable cage of his making.

All because I'd been so naive, falling for his sweet-talking and getting myself into this mess of a marriage.