I woke up at midnight to find my husband out of bed. I called his number, but there was no answer.

I searched everywhere and realized he wasn't around. The young nanny had disappeared as well.

I barely reached the garage when I heard muffled wanton noises inside.

I stormed over, trying to catch the infidel pair in the act.

When I opened the door, my husband was standing there with a surgical kit. He was about to head out in his car. He explained, "Honey, I need to catch a flight to Silverport. A patient there needs immediate surgery. You should go to bed without me."

I sighed in relief, feeling ridiculous to have doubted him. Suddenly, a few comments rolled before my eyes.

"That was so close! They almost got caught! Luckily, Ava had cleverly hidden in the trunk. That bitch will find nothing once Ethan drives away."

"My heart is swelling just from watching them! A stoic, genius doctor and a cheery, adorable nanny are a perfect match! Tonya stands no chance against Ava!"

I glanced at the shut trunk and slid into the driver's seat with a smile, offering, "Honey, why don't I give you a ride to the airport?"

First Step

I blinked at the rolling comments before focusing my sights on the calm Ethan. Then, I realized I wasn't seeing things.

I turned back to Ethan. "Honey, why didn't you tell me you're heading out?"

He let out a chuckle and gently explained, "I don't want to wake you, so I left without saying anything."

I walked over and opened the car's door. "Good timing. Since I'm awake now, I'll send you to the airport."

My offer caught him off guard.

When he came to his senses, he stretched an arm out to block me. "I can drive there myself. I hate the idea of you driving home alone at night. You should go to sleep, really. I promise I'll be back with your favorite cake tomorrow night."

My smile widened. "I can't sleep anymore. Besides, it's only a two-hour trip. I can catch up on sleep later."

"Honey." He abruptly held my hands. "I don't want you to get tired from the drive. There's no one home to take care of you."

I nonchalantly reminded him, "We have a nanny at home, remember? I wonder where she's gone. Let me give her a call."

I fished out my phone and called Ava's number. I heard a ring coming from the trunk, but it was cut off as soon as I heard it.

It was barely audible.

I would've missed it if I hadn't paid attention to the trunk.

The comments materialized before my eyes again.

"Tonya nearly discovered them! It's a good thing Ava muted her phone in time."

"That's my smart girl! All Tonya has is a rich family. She can never hope to beat Ava."

I tilted my head in confusion and stared at the trunk pointedly. 'Honey, did I mishear it? I think I heard Ava's phone ringing in the trunk.'

Panic flashed across Ethan's face as he blurted, "Yeah. You must've misheard it. I don't hear anything at all."

I hummed thoughtfully before saying, "She didn't answer my call. Maybe I should try again."

He bit his lip before stopping me. "She might be asleep at this hour. Let's not wake her. We should head out to the airport now, or I'll miss the flight."

The comments gloated over his dilemma.

"I can't with Ethan. He had to swallow his pride and let Tonya send him to the airport just to prevent Ava from being discovered."

"What did Ava even do wrong? All she did was wear a revealing outfit to set the mood when making out with Ethan in the car. But now, she can only hide in the trunk."

I glanced at the trunk again, an idea forming in my mind.

If what the comments said was true, I definitely wouldn't be going anywhere tonight.

I wanted to know just how long she could stay hidden from me.

Secret Affair

I opened the car door and slipped into the driver's seat while Ethan remained standing out there with a frown. "I'll drive, honey."

I fastened the seatbelt and said, "I insist. You can't possibly think about performing a surgery after a flight. You'll be exhausted."

He nodded, no longer protesting, and took the passenger's seat with his surgical kit.

I hit the gas and steered the wheel.

Before the car drove out of the garage, I deliberately turned the steering wheel, hitting the pillar with the trunk and drawing a grunt from the trunk.

Blood drained from Ethan's face. He got out of the car before it was pulled to a stop.

I casually left the car and trailed behind him. There was a dent in the rear.

Ethan growled, "Look what you've done!"

I protested innocently, "It's just a minor dent. Why are you so worried about it? I'll get it repaired tomorrow."

He was still upset. "It's not about that! Did you see the dent? Can't you be more careful in the first place?"

A shadow darkened my expression. "Are you for real? The first thing you cared about after getting out of the car wasn't my well-being but the car's condition? Are you suggesting that you've hidden something in there that's worth more than me?"

He choked on his words and struggled to excuse himself. "Honey, I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm sorry I lost my temper."

I steeled my expression. "If you're so worried, you can just open the trunk and check on its condition."

He changed his attitude when I moved to open it. "It's fine! It's dented anyway. Let's not waste any time. We should hurry."

The comments flooded my vision.

"Say, does Tonya know that something is up? Why do I get the feeling that she did it on purpose?"

"No way! A wicked and petty woman like her would've caused a scene if she discovered their infidelity."

"So what if she knows? She's the home-wrecker in this situation. If she hadn't forced Ethan to marry her to repay his debt, Ethan and Ava wouldn't have broken up in the first place."

The revelation stunned me.

My parents were Ethan's benefactors as he was an orphan. That was why he worked at my family's hospital after he graduated from university.

He was the one who pursued me, not the other way around.

At the beginning, I turned him down because my parents and I had agreed that my spouse had to take my surname.

When he learned about our decision, he went to my parents and begged for their approval.

He declared his love for me and expressed his willingness to take my surname.

My parents were moved by his determination. They also knew I had feelings for him, so they granted his wish.

"Honey, what do you think about Ava?" I gauged his reaction.

He shot me a wary look upon hearing my question. "Why do you ask?"

My expression betrayed nothing as I answered, "I caught her slacking off a few times. I'm considering firing her and finding a new nanny."

He exhaled in relief and casually said, "I'm the breadwinner, while you're the homemaker. You can decide what to do with our home."

The comments were filled with laughter.

"I bet you that Ethan would lose it if Tonya fires Ava."

"Oh, absolutely! I bet he's cursing her out in his mind right now."

"Ethan and Ava always have a tryst in the next room after Tonya falls asleep. If she fires Ava, it's going to be so much harder for Ethan and Ava to meet up."

"Remember the time Tonya left for a business trip? Ava wore Tonya's lingerie and seduced Ethan. He was so aroused. He called her a vixen, and she replied that he liked that side of her."

I felt nauseous seeing the comments share their excitement about the pair's secret affair.

If thrill was what they were after, then I would gladly grant these adrenaline junkies their wishes.

Like a Roller Coaster Ride

I stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped out.

It startled Ethan, who was observing the trunk through the rearview mirror. He instinctively clutched his seatbelt. "Honey, slow down! You're going too fast!"

I answered calmly, "We're running late. We need to rush to catch the flight."

Then, I stomped my foot on the accelerator.

There was a speed bump ahead, so I finally slowed the car down.

Still, he lurched in his seat.

He tightened his grip on the grab handle. A wave of unease went through his face, and I could tell that he was green at the gills.

If this were how he was feeling, I could already imagine how badly the one hiding in the trunk was suffering.

The thuds sounded from the trunk were a symphony to my ears.

I glanced at the pallid man who was trying his best to keep his eyes on the road. Then, an idea occurred to me as I asked, "Honey, did you hear something? I think a mouse has snuck into the trunk."

As soon as my words left me, the noise in the trunk immediately stopped.

Ethan was looking anywhere but at me. He forced a chuckle and tried to gaslight me. "Is that so? I only hear the engine roar. You must've misheard."

I frowned deeper. "No, I didn't. Something's inside our trunk! I'll park over there to check it out."

When he saw that I really was going to pull the car to a stop, he couldn't hide the look of panic on his face. "Honey, I'll miss the flight if we stop now. How about you drop me at the airport first and send the car for repair later?"

I only said those things to light a fire under his ass. Since he decided to play the denial game, I might as well play along. "Fine. Sit tight. I'm speeding up."

His only response was to blanch and clutch the grab handle tighter.

The comments were outraged.

"Poor Ethan. Poor Ava. She's bruising everywhere. Tonya really is a wicked woman."

"There's no need to get upset. Once Tonya's money goes to Ethan, he'll make her pay for what she did."

"I can't wait for Ethan to divorce her and throw Ava a grand wedding!"

I arched my brow, barely hiding a sneer.

'What a greedy little man. He wants to take my wealth by using me as a stepping stone? Well, pigs will fly before that will ever happen.'

There was a crossroad ahead, and I didn't hesitate to gun down that winding road.

Ethan frowned at my choice. "Honey, it's difficult to navigate the road. Why don't you switch routes?"

I brushed him off. "It's a faster route."

The car swayed on the winding road. He kept bumping against the window.

Heavy thuds kept coming from the trunk.

"Let me take over the wheel." Ethan forced through gritted teeth, his hand still holding the handle.

I shook my head. "It's impossible to stop on the highway. Don't worry. We're arriving at the airport soon."

Before he could protest, I added, "Stop distracting me with your voice. What if we get into an accident?"

He immediately straightened his posture and smiled bitterly. "Thanks, honey. Slow down. There's no need to rush. Your safety is my top priority."

I nodded in perfunctory fashion, but my foot remained pressing on the pedal.

Ethan was as white as a ghost, but he kept observing the trunk through the rearview mirror from time to time. He was clearly worried about the person inside there.

I sneered.

It seemed like he still didn't understand the gravity of his current situation. Since that was the case, it was time to bring out the big guns.

I slammed on the brakes, causing the speeding car to skid to a stop with a painful screech.

It caught Ethan off guard, causing his head to bump onto the roof of the car.

I deprived him of the chance to berate me by hitting the accelerator and sending the car sliding across the road.