Chapter 1

Five years into our marriage, Asher Cooper had handed me divorce papers ninety-nine times, all to protect his first lover, Valerie Foster.

Every single time, I'd lose it, tearing them up right in front of him, crying, throwing tantrums, and threatening to do something crazy. I just hoped he'd finally come back to me.

But then, one day, I accidentally overheard him talking with his friends in a private room at the club.

"Kathy's really shameless. Mr. Cooper keeps pushing her buttons and making her suffer, but she's still totally devoted to him. So, how's your condition these days, Mr. Cooper?" one of his friends asked.

"Kathy will probably never figure it out. Mr. Cooper only married her because he's got emotional apathy. All those years of pretending Valerie was his true love, all that so-called special treatment. None of it was real. Mr. Cooper doesn't love anyone," another friend chimed in.

Asher sat in the center of the sofa, looking every bit the elite, his fingers idly rubbing the diamond ring on his middle finger.

He drawled lazily, "Same as ever. The doctor says I still need a woman like Kathy to keep my treatment going. She's dramatic, always making a fuss, and loves me no matter how badly I treat her."

Standing outside the door, I was frozen in place. It felt like my lovesick obsession was instantly cured, just like that.

When I opened the door and walked in, Asher shot me his usual cold, indifferent glance, barely acknowledging my presence.

Back then, I would've ignored his look of disdain and squeezed in right next to him, clinging to him for dear life.

But today, I just picked a quiet corner and sat down alone.

"Switching up your game today? Playing hard to get?" Asher's voice was full of mockery. He turned and waved Valerie over, pulling her to sit next to him.

"Let's play Truth or Dare," someone suggested.

"Oh, looks like it's Kathy's turn! Your dare is to French kiss any guy here for a whole minute," another teased.

All of a sudden, everyone started eyeing me and Asher, their gazes full of mischief and wicked amusement.

I glanced at Asher, who looked as lazy and indifferent as ever, like none of this had anything to do with him. To provoke me even more, he wrapped his arm around Valerie's waist and pulled her closer.

The crowd started chanting, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

I dropped my eyes, cheeks burning with embarrassment, completely lost for words.

After Asher and I got married, being in bed together felt like nothing more than a routine. There was never any foreplay, and he wouldn't even let me kiss him.

Asher always claimed he was a clean freak, saying he couldn't handle the idea of our germs mixing in each other's mouths.

I reached for a glass on the table, hoping to dodge the dare, but Asher Cooper grabbed my hand before I could escape.

"Trying to bail?" he sneered.

I met his mocking gaze and shot back, "So what do you want from me?"

"If you're in, you gotta play for real. Plenty of guys here, just pick one," Asher replied.

I stared at him in disbelief, rage boiling up inside me.

Of course he wouldn't kiss me, so now he expected me to choose someone else?

Even if he didn't care, even if he'd got no heart, no love, didn't our years together as husband and wife mean anything at all? Was he really going to make me look like a fool in front of everyone?

Before I could even process what was happening, Asher grabbed the back of my head and pushed me right into the arms of the nearest guy, making us kiss right then and there.

The strong, unfamiliar scent of another man filled my senses, and his revolting tongue invaded my mouth. All around me, people jeered and laughed, while my mind went blank from the sheer humiliation.

When it finally ended, everyone just grinned and cheered, moving on to the next round as if it was all just a joke.

I felt like a puppet exposed in front of everyone, with nowhere to run. My dignity shattered.

Asher locked eyes with me, his expression fearless and defiant.

I knew he was provoking me, just waiting for me to freak out, to make a scene, and to prove how obsessed I was with him by going totally hysterical.

But I was tired. Because no matter what I did, I could never reach someone who simply couldn't love.