Chapter 1

For six years, Henry Nolan had been stiff and uptight, making married life with him a total snooze.

Even when it came to sex, he acted like he was clocking in for a shift—right on schedule, straight to business, and out the door as soon as it was done.

Everyone around them said a guy like him would never let any woman mess with his head.

But that all changed a month ago, when he turned up with some orphan girl who claimed she'd saved his life.

Her name was Penny Davis, and she was delicate and reserved as hell—totally different from Claire, who'd been pampered her whole life.

Claire's girlfriends warned her, "That girl's got trouble written all over her. You better keep a close watch on your husband."

Claire just flashed a confident smile. "Relax. If Henry could handle me pushing his buttons, he wouldn't give some delicate little flower like her a second glance."

But it didn't take long for those words to come back to bite her.

*****

Within just a month, Henry and Penny were practically joined at the hip. He took her to every public event, showing her off to all his friends.

Someone mistook Penny for Henry's wife, and she didn't correct them. Henry just chuckled and played along.

That night, Henry pressed Penny down beneath him, his eyes full of longing, his voice gentler than ever before.

"Penny, you didn't explain. Do you also have a thing for me?"

Penny pushed him away, her face distant and unreadable as ever.

"My dad only asked you to look out for me, not to tuck me into your bed,' she retorted, her voice icy.

Henry held onto her hand, his tone laced with a rare, almost desperate plea.

"Your dad wanted me to watch over you, but now, it's my own heart that wants you. So, Penny, just give me this chance, will you?"

Penny didn't even think about it. "Absolutely no way."

Henry bowed his head, the powerful man willing to humble himself for her. "Then at least tell me—what would it take for you to ever like me?"

Penny pushed him off her again.

"I don't like your stiff, boring personality at all. No matter what you do, I'll never fall for you," she replied coolly.

Because of those words, Henry started hanging out with the wildest guys in his crew, learning every trick in the book to win a girl's heart.

The whole thing blew up in their social circle, and soon, Claire was the punchline to everyone's jokes.

She'd always been spoiled, so her temper had no limits. Claire fired back with an icy retort, her face stone-cold.

"Instead of wasting time talking about me, you should keep an eye on your own husbands. Who knows—maybe there's a sneaky mistress hiding in your place too."

Nobody saw it coming, but Claire's words ended up making Henry seriously pissed.

Knocked unconscious, Claire woke up to find herself strung up outside the tenth floor of their ocean-view penthouse, dangling dangerously high above the ground.

Henry stood coolly behind the floor-to-ceiling window, his gaze like ice. "Why did you call Penny a homewrecker in front of everyone?"

Claire's heart pounded—her fear of heights making her face ghostly pale—but she still clenched her teeth and insisted, "I didn't call her that."

He never batted an eye when others mocked Claire, but now, just one sharp remark from Claire, and he was so angry with her.

After six long years, Claire still couldn't melt the ice that guarded Henry's heart.

Seeing her denial, Henry sneered and motioned for the bodyguard to loosen the rope—then Claire was hurled straight into the sea.

The icy water hit Claire like a punch to the gut, burning her throat as if she'd swallowed nails.

Just as she thought she was going to drown, she was hauled all the way back up, left dangling on the dizzying heights again.

Soaked to the bone, she widened her bloodshot eyes, wild with terror.

Henry loomed over her, ice in his eyes and irritation clear in every line of his face.

"Claire, do you realize what you've done wrong?" he asked, voice dangerously cold.

Seeing him stand up for Penny hit Claire right in the heart. Wounded and furious, she burst out, eyes blazing, "So what if I said that? Was I wrong? She is a homewrecker stealing my husband."

She'd been married to Henry for six years, yet now she got tossed aside for some girl who just showed up. That was not fair.