"What are you doing here? Get out!"

Clayton scolded her in a low voice, his tone sharp but controlled.

"I missed you," Odessa murmured with a faint smile, her gaze darting to me provocatively before she sauntered off.

Clayton froze, his expression tightening. He hesitated for a moment, but when he noticed the lack of reaction on my face, he exhaled in relief.

"Irene, I’ve got a bit of a stomachache. I need to use the bathroom."

"Don’t wander off. I’ll be back in just a few minutes."

I lowered my gaze, a mocking smile tugging at my lips. "Go ahead."

Without another word, he practically bolted as if escaping some unseen threat.

Barely a minute later, I stood and made my way to the bathroom.

As I approached, faint murmurs of scolding drifted through the door, the tension behind them unmistakable.

"Do you have a death wish? Why did you deliberately show yourself in front of my wife?"

The harsh sound of a belt-tightening against wrists followed.

The girl whimpered, her voice trembling with hurt. "You’ve been with her all this time. I waited for you for so long, but you didn’t come. I had no choice but to check on you..."

"Besides, I was in a waitress uniform. Your wife wouldn’t have recognized me. She won’t suspect a thing."

Clayton let out a cold snort, sharp and dismissive.

Soon, her pleading voice turned soft and tearful.

"I’m sorry... I won’t appear in front of your wife again..."

Their voices mingled, low and intimate, filling the silence.

I pressed my back against the wall, despair gripping my chest as tears streamed down my face.

"Are you wearing it?" her teasing voice suddenly broke through.

Clayton’s sneer carried through the thin wall. "No need. If she gets pregnant, she’ll keep the baby."

Odessa laughed, her tone triumphant.

"Clayton, I knew you loved me. Otherwise, why wouldn’t you ever use protection?"

Clayton’s voice dropped, sharp and scornful. "Irene is afraid of the pain. That’s why I didn’t let her have children. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any of this with you."

A bitter smile curled on my lips, the taste of betrayal thick and suffocating. This wasn’t the man I thought I knew.

Separated only by a thin wall, he used the guise of our anniversary to steal moments with his lover.

Was he so intoxicated by youthful allure? Or was it the thrill of something forbidden that kept him hooked?

I shook my head, heartbreak clawing at my chest and turned to leave. Just as I pivoted, I was suddenly pinned against the wall.

Matias, his eyes burning red with emotion, held me firmly in place.

"Irene, why do you insist on torturing yourself like this?"

It turned out he had been silently watching me from the shadows all along.

"If he’s betrayed you, why not take revenge? I wouldn’t mind being your weapon for payback..." he said, his voice dropping as he leaned in to kiss me.

But I pushed him away before he could get any closer.

A flicker of sadness danced in his eyes before he masked it with a bitter smile. "I knew it, Irene. You still love him, don’t you?"

I shook my head, my voice steady. "Not at this moment."

His gaze lingered on me, searching for something unspoken.

I let out a cold sneer. "I might consider dating you, but only after I’ve divorced him."

A look of stunned disbelief crossed Matias’s face. "You’re serious?"

"Fine. I’ll wait for you."

"Walk with me. I need to sober up," I said.

Half an hour later, Clayton emerged from the bathroom, his expression smug and satisfied. But when he returned to the suite, I was nowhere to be found.

He panicked.

"Irene! Where did you go?"

His calls came through, but I silenced them, letting his desperation echo unanswered.

When he finally found me, I was walking toward the suite door with Matias by my side.

"Irene, where on earth were you? I called, and you didn’t answer. You scared me!" he exclaimed, pulling me into an eager embrace, his relief palpable.

"Good girl, don’t wander off again. You gave me quite a fright."

"Thanks, Matias. You’re such a reliable brother. I owe you a meal for bringing Irene back."

He clung to his fantasy, preferring to believe I had simply gotten lost and that Matias had been my savior rather than confront the truth of his own betrayal.

As we made our way back, I broke the silence. "If I ever disappeared for real, would you be this worried?"

Clayton pulled me closer, his tone sickeningly tender. "Of course, Irene. You’re my whole world."

But three days later, I had a surprise waiting for him.

"Sign here."

I handed Clayton a document with a calm expression.

"This is a donation letter. You know, I’ve been supporting children in impoverished mountain areas for years. This time, it’s a two-million-dollar donation."

"Alright."

Without a second glance, Clayton grabbed the pen and scribbled his name, his trust in me unwavering.

I tilted my head and smiled faintly. "You don’t even read it before signing. Aren’t you afraid I might hand you a divorce agreement instead?"

Clayton chuckled, ruffling my hair with his usual casual affection. "Even if it were a contract to sell myself, as long as it’s from you, Irene, I’d sign it."

When he disappeared into the study, I looked at the freshly signed divorce papers in my hand, and a slow smile crept across my face.

Clayton, from this moment on, we’re done.

As you said, you’ll leave with nothing.

That night, he retired early to bed. "Good girl," he said, his tone soft and reassuring. "I have a business trip tomorrow, probably for three days. I’ll check in with you every day."

I sat lazily on the couch, flipping through a book, and nodded indifferently. "Alright."

Moments later, Odessa’s message lit up my phone.

[Irene, as a woman, you’ve probably figured it out by now. I’ve been seeing your husband.]

[Do you believe he’ll tell you tonight he’s leaving on a three-day business trip?]

[Actually, he’s taking me to a newly opened seaside guesthouse to spice things up…]

I stared at the message without emotion, then calmly took a screenshot and forwarded it to my lawyer.

Clayton would never see it coming.

While he was heading off to his seaside rendezvous with Odessa, I was on my way there, too, with Matias.

He congratulated me on regaining my single status, and that night, we shared wine and naturally ended up in each other’s arms.

After being single for eight years, Matias was far more intense than Clayton had ever been.

He treated me like a rare treasure, and we spent night after night lost in each other.

We turned off our phones and stayed at the seaside guesthouse, indulging in three uninterrupted days together.

On the third day, as I lay in Matias’s arms, I idly reached for my phone and found a series of missed calls, all from Clayton.

I tossed the phone aside without a second thought, sinking back into Matias’s warm embrace and drifting off once more.

By the afternoon, the phone rang again, and this time, Matias answered it.

"Looking for Irene? She’s still asleep. If you need something, you can talk to me."

There was a stunned pause on the other end before Clayton’s voice erupted in fury.

"Matias! You… Are you with Irene?"

"What are you doing? Hand the phone to my wife!"

Matias chuckled, his tone as calm as it was biting.

"But she’s lying in my arms, sleeping soundly. Should I kiss her awake for you?"