Chapter 1

Every paparazzo in the city knew that Charles Bennett would rather stir up rumors with a top model than touch me, his legitimate wife.

Question of the day: When was Ailany Adams finally going to lock down her rightful place as Mrs. Bennett?

In front of the media cameras, Charles shot me a casual glance. "If it comes down to it, we can each do our own thing. If you don't like it, feel free to find someone too."

With that, he straightened his cuffs, turned, and walked away, his retreating figure as carefree as if he were declaring victory.

That very night, intimate photos of him and the model once again dominated the top of the trending list.

When everyone thought I would sit alone until dawn, I reached out to a few entertainment reporters I knew and booked a spot on the trending list.

Then I changed out of my conservative loungewear and slipped into the red dress he had once complimented. I took a photo in front of the full-length mirror.

Then I sent it to Charles anonymously. [Bro, she is so hot tonight. Let me know in advance when you two get divorced.]

Less than half an hour after the photo was sent out, the top trending topic became [MrsBennettRumoredToHaveNewLove].

Major media outlets quickly picked up the story, with headlines like [Charles Bennett Linked to Model, Mrs. Bennett Reportedly Finds New Love].

[Marriage of the Elite Is Over in Name Only. Going Their Separate Ways Is the New Norm]

[Speculation Mounts Over Impending End of the Bennett Marriage.]

The comment section was flooded with speculation, saying that we'd been in a marriage of convenience all along, and were waiting to divorce and divide the assets.

As soon as the phone was connected, Charles's mad voice came at me like an explosion. "Ailany, what the hell did you post? Now the whole network is laughing at you!"

My tone was still flat. "Isn't that what you said? Let's do our own thing. I'm making the truth public for you."

He sneered and ordered in a condescending tone, "Delete it. Immediately send a statement to clarify it's fake, and then apologize to me."

Before I could speak, a soft female voice suddenly came through the line. "Charles, you are still on the phone with her? You're ignoring me."

Charles was obviously distracted, and his tone softened in an instant. "Come on, I'm dealing with something."

The woman continued, saying sweetly, "What's so important? You can talk to me first. You haven't told me what you think about the posture I mentioned just now."

His breathing slowed down, and his tone became ambiguous. "Wait a minute, I'll come over after I finish the call."

Then he lowered his voice and started chatting with her about some explicit topics, not even bothering to hide it, even though I was still on the line.

I listened quietly without interruption, feeling cold in my heart.

Once upon a time, I would have been crazy about his distractions, but now I find them ridiculous.

After he finished chatting with the woman, he came back to me and yelled, "Did you hear that? I'm busy. Stop being so unreasonable."

I asked coldly, "What do you mean by busy? Sleeping with another woman?"

He was stunned for a moment, and then let out a sneer, his tone full of certainty and disdain. "Ailany, what tricks do you want to play?

"You post photos and make things public. Don't you want me to be jealous and pay more attention to you?

"Other than using such childish means to attract my attention, what else do you know? Do you think I will look at you more after all this? Stop dreaming. "

He paused, his tone even more arrogant. "You want me to give up other women and come back to you, right? Too bad, that trick is not gonna work on me this time."

I looked ahead calmly, not in a hurry to refute, but simply replied, "Do you really think I did this to make you jealous?"

He snorted, "What else? Didn't you send that photo to get my attention? But the more you pull stunts like this, the tackier you look."

I asked in a low voice, "You can find side chicks. Why can't I hang out with another man?"

He paused, as if choking, and then got angry. "That's emotional blackmail. I'm just playing around, but you have to make it known to everyone."

The woman's voice urged again, "Charles, come on."

He immediately replied, "Immediately."

Then he turned to his phone and said coldly, "I will suppress the news. You'd better stay in line. Or I'll divorce."

I smiled, "Okay, then divorce."

He obviously didn't have the patience to listen and tossed out a dismissive reply. "If that's what you want. Do you think I'm afraid?"

I heard the click of the call ending, followed by the woman's laughter in the background before it cut off.

I looked at the dimmed screen, and there was no emotion in my heart.

Charles, you thought I posted that photo just to make you come back. But you didn't even have the interest to listen to my explanation, so why did you think I couldn't live without you?