Tessa Curme was a strong, kind, and hardworking woman. She and her boyfriend of eight years, Mark Crossley, were about to get married, which would have been the happiest day of her life. But the eve of their wedding day turned into a nightmare when she returned to the house she bought for their marriage to pick up the veil she unwittingly left behind.

Mark was on their bed cheating on her with another woman. But what broke her the most was that it wasn't just anyone. He was with her best friend, Martina.

"Mark, what would you do if Tessa found out you were doing me here, in your bed, the night before your wedding?" she heard Martina ask.

"Well, I didn't intend to get married so soon anyway," Mark answered, piercing her heart.

And as if that wasn't enough, she discovered they had been cheating on her for five years and had a three-year-old son.

Devastated, she wasted away at a bar, drowning her heart in alcohol, which might have been a bad idea if it wasn't for a fateful encounter.

Driven by her sorrow, Tessa recklessly cornered the helpless man into a dark room and jumped on him.

"Get your hands off me, woman!" The man warned in a struggle.

"Stay with me, handsome," Tessa whispered sultrily, tightening her hold on him and drawing closer.

Little did she know the man she tried to put her paws on turned out to be the president of LBL Corporation, Phil Scott.

One embarrassing encounter after the other, Tessa and Phil often ran into each other in the most awkward way possible.

However, each time, Phil's interest in her grew. To the point that the line dividing his instincts and rationale was thinning. It was the first time he felt like letting his desire loose toward a woman. Still, something just kept drawing the two apart.

"Tessa. Don't date his kind of man. Because when you do, you'll only end up suffering your whole life. Someone like him is better suited for an arranged marriage. He doesn't seem like the man who'd love a woman with his heart," said her friend, Sara.

Tessa knew her friend was right, but what could she do when he already had her captivated?

Defeated in the trials of the heart, would Tessa find her true love this time?

Be it desire or not. Could there be a chance that Phil might fall in love?

Tessa Curme was a strong, kind, and hardworking woman. She and her boyfriend of eight years, Mark Crossley, were about to get married, which would have been the happiest day of her life. But the eve of their wedding day turned into a nightmare when she returned to the house she bought for their marriage to pick up the veil she unwittingly left behind.

Mark was on their bed cheating on her with another woman. But what broke her the most was that it wasn't just anyone. He was with her best friend, Martina.

"Mark, what would you do if Tessa found out you were doing me here, in your bed, the night before your wedding?" she heard Martina ask.

"Well, I didn't intend to get married so soon anyway," Mark answered, piercing her heart.

And as if that wasn't enough, she discovered they had been cheating on her for five years and had a three-year-old son.

Devastated, she wasted away at a bar, drowning her heart in alcohol, which might have been a bad idea if it wasn't for a fateful encounter.

Driven by her sorrow, Tessa recklessly cornered the helpless man into a dark room and jumped on him.

"Get your hands off me, woman!" The man warned in a struggle.

"Stay with me, handsome," Tessa whispered sultrily, tightening her hold on him and drawing closer.

Little did she know the man she tried to put her paws on turned out to be the president of LBL Corporation, Phil Scott.

One embarrassing encounter after the other, Tessa and Phil often ran into each other in the most awkward way possible.

However, each time, Phil's interest in her grew. To the point that the line dividing his instincts and rationale was thinning. It was the first time he felt like letting his desire loose toward a woman. Still, something just kept drawing the two apart.

"Tessa. Don't date his kind of man. Because when you do, you'll only end up suffering your whole life. Someone like him is better suited for an arranged marriage. He doesn't seem like the man who'd love a woman with his heart," said her friend, Sara.

Tessa knew her friend was right, but what could she do when he already had her captivated?

Defeated in the trials of the heart, would Tessa find her true love this time?

Be it desire or not. Could there be a chance that Phil might fall in love?

It was already eleven o'clock in the evening, and the streets of the Arlington Suburbs were now desolate. With only a few street lamps illuminating the sidewalk, Tessa Curme soon arrived in front of the gate of a simple yet modern house with a big glass fountain at the garden's center situated in a great location.

Tessa knew right away the first time she laid her eyes on it that this would be the perfect house to build her own family. She liked it so much that she even had to bargain with the real estate agent to lower his offer.

After getting the deal, she painstakingly designed it, down to the minor details. She wanted it to be perfect when she and her would-be husband moved in after the wedding. Tessa had been waiting for that day all her life, and tomorrow would be her last day of waiting as they were finally getting married.

But tradition had it that they should not stay together the night before the wedding. So, they had arranged Tessa would spend the night at her friend Sara Daniell's place, and Mark would stay in their newly furnished house.

However, upon their last-minute checking, Tessa discovered that her wedding veil was missing. She started freaking out but recalled putting it in the master's bedroom at their new house. She thought about going back to pick it up for a while. After all, they had a tradition to commit to. But the wedding was more important at this point.

Thinking about how perfect their wedding tomorrow would be, Tessa returned home to get the veil without informing Mark.

She giddily opened the gate and wanted to surprise him. Who would have thought it was her who would end up being surprised?

Tessa entered the house and discreetly walked into the silent living room. But the silence was soon shattered by a woman's high-pitched moaning.

For a second, Tessa initially wondered whether she had come to the wrong house. But when a familiar masculine voice rang out from their bedroom, her heart sank in agony and dread. With each heavy step, Tessa strode towards where the lewd sounds were coming from and soon stopped in front of the slightly opened door.

Through the door's crack, Tessa saw a pair of black high-heeled shoes and a woman's dress scattered on the floor. Ignoring the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Tessa raised her shaky hand and weakly pushed the door open.

Tessa quickly regretted her actions as she witnessed a scene she would never forget for the rest of her life. Mark, her soon-to-be husband, was holding a woman in the bed, both naked and in an ambiguous position. Furthermore, the woman Mark was with was Tessa's college roommate and long-time best friend, Martina Lindsay.

The scene unfolding before her eyes had her dumbstruck and incensed that she could do nothing except stare at the two closest people in her life betraying her with pleasure. Even though she had never engaged in such intimate activities, Tessa was not innocent, so she knew what the two were doing.

Nevertheless, Tessa still couldn't accept that her best friend and fiancé were having an affair!

With her facing the door, Martina obviously saw Tessa's sudden arrival. Still, she didn't even look surprised and flustered. In contrast, she boldly met Tessa's eyes and gave her a taunting look.

Anger surged inside Tessa as she witnessed the audacity of her so-called best friend. Tess was so enraged that her breathing became ragged as she fought the urge to lash out at this cheating couple.

Meanwhile, when the woman in his arms suddenly became silent, Mark curiously glanced at Martina before asking hoarsely, "Baby, what's the matter?" His deep voice echoed in the quiet house with lust.

Martina looked at Tessa meaningfully before slowly wrapping her arms around his neck and coquettishly asking, "Mark, what would you do if Tessa found out you were doing me here, in your bed, the night before your wedding?"

"You are so naughty! Why did you suddenly bring her up? Am I not satisfying you enough?" Mark teased, smiling obscenely as his hands continued to caress her chest.

Disgust and pain flickered across Tessa's eyes. She didn't expect her always dignified fiancé to act like this to another woman.

Martina furrowed her eyebrows at Mark and playfully glanced in Tessa's direction before responding coyly, "But what if Tessa suddenly comes here now and catches us..."

Before Martina could finish her words, Mark interjected, "Baby, you're overthinking. I drove Tessa to Sara's place in person, so it would be unlikely for her to be here."

Earlier, when he returned home, Mark spotted a scantily dressed Martina waiting for him and leaning against the gate of their newly furnished house. Even though he was getting married the next day, he couldn't possibly turn down a woman who approached him on her initiative.

Martina pouted her plump lips and pretended to ask in concern, "Oh? What would you do if she caught us here in the act and canceled your wedding?"

Mark smirked and kissed Martina's neck before remarking, "Well, I didn't intend to get married so soon anyway."

"You mean," Martina asked seductively, raising her finger to hook Mark's chin and forcing him to look at her. Looking at her dazzling smile and long wavy hair scattered down her shoulders, which gave her the appearance of a siren, Mark was so enthralled that he fell into a trance.

"You're really not going to marry her?" Martina added, glancing mockingly at Tess, who was now staring blankly at Mark.

"Of course," Mark answered dazedly. His focus was solely on how he would spend this pleasurable night with Martina, so he didn't realize his slip-up.

Martina chuckled and murmured, "If you knew Tessa was here, would you dare say that to her?"

Losing his patience, Mark grunted and couldn't hear Martina's words. "Baby, you're talking so much tonight!"

With that, Mark dipped his head, eager to punish her with a kiss. However, Martina blocked his lips before Mark could do so and gestured toward the door, muttering, "Stop, I'm not kidding. Tessa is really here…."

Mark, who was completely engrossed in his passion, didn't take Martina's words seriously. He grabbed her arms and pressed her firmly on the bed, thinking she was only teasing him, whispering huskily, "You little liar! Lying again, hmm?!"

"I'm not!" Martina replied and kept blinking at Mark while motioning for him to look at the door.

Though he didn't believe what Martina had said, Mark snapped his head toward the door, clicking his tongue and saying mischievously, "Still lying? Tell me, how should I punish you to—"

Mark couldn't finish his words. He was so terrified to see Tessa standing there, looking at them with her sorrowful eyes. In that instant, his sexual desire completely dissipated into thin air. In a panic, he even forgot to cover himself with the quilt, wanting to rush toward Tessa and explain himself.

Meanwhile, despite being caught in the act, Martina was not embarrassed and still appeared careless. She didn't even attempt to cover her naked body and looked at Tessa languidly.

At this point, the tears Tessa had been suppressing had come like a torrent. She initially believed that discovering Mark's affair with Martina would be the most painful experience she had ever had.

But Tessa was wrong. While listening to their conversation just now, it felt as if her heart was being broken into tiny pieces, and she couldn't do anything but silently listen to the man she thought had loved her wholeheartedly.

She and Mark had been together for eight years, so one could say that they were very familiar with each other. But this time, Tessa realized that she might not have known the real Mark all along. This realization brought excruciating pain to her heart, suffocating her while her vision became blurred.

Tessa desperately wanted to beat and scold them just so they could feel what she was currently feeling, but she felt so tired she didn't have the strength to confront them.

Ironically, she thought everything was perfect, but reality decided to play a cruel joke on her. She caught her best friend and fiancé having an affair. What was worse was that they did it in their marital bed.

No one would understand what she felt right now. It hurt so badly that Tessa just turned around, wanting to escape from there quickly.

Seeing Tessa leave, Mark didn't bother to look for decent clothing and simply picked up whatever was on the ground to cover the lower part of his body. While chasing her, Mark called out, "Wait, Tessa!"

As Tessa was about to reach the front door, Mark suddenly grabbed her arm and pleadingly said, "Tessa, please listen to me."

Tessa pushed his hand away from her and didn't look back. She was already in tears.

Mark said, his voice sounding desperate. "Please, just let me explain!"

Glancing at Mark, Tessa laughed sarcastically. "I saw and heard everything. What else can you explain? "

The night before their wedding, her groom cheated on her with her best friend. Tessa thought it only happened in movies and TV series. She didn't expect this to happen to her life one day.

Martina trailed behind him, wrapped in their red embroidered wedding quilt, her huge wavy hair scattered across her shoulders. Even though her hair was slightly messy, she still managed to look seductive. Leaning against the massive carved glass wall with her arms crossed, Martina smirked and said mockingly, "Oh, one more thing, Arthur's father is Mark!"

Arthur was the adorable three-year-old boy Martina had given birth to.

Tessa looked at them in disbelief. She still had a sliver of hope that Mark was faithful to her and that he only cheated this time because Martina seduced him. However, Martina's words undoubtedly crushed all the possibility of Tessa forgiving Mark and getting back together. Tessa bit her lip to refrain from sobbing. She slapped him with all her strength and shouted, "Let me go, you cheater!"

A resounding "pang" echoed in the living room. Mark hissed and stared at Tessa in disbelief, holding his aching cheek, which now had distinctive red fingers printed on it.

Tessa's heart, which had loved Mark for years, had been shattered into thousands of pieces as she walked away from them.

Inside the Paradise Bar. The loud music was deafening. The disco lights kept flickering on the young men and women dancing on the dance floor. Clearly, everyone was having a good time except for Tessa. She sat in front of the bar counter and kept drowning herself in the alcohol, wanting to forget what she had witnessed a while ago.

Her best friend and fiancé?!

Both of them were bullshit!

She and Mark had been in love for eight years, but she never knew that he and Martina were having an affair, and worse, they had a three-year-old child together.

Suddenly, the image of Martina's smooth and long slender legs wrapped around Mark's muscular waist flashed through her mind. Disgusted, Tessa downed the red wine in front of her. She still couldn't wrap her mind around everything. Mark already had a child with Martina, so why did he have to continue fooling Tessa and act as if everything was okay? What was the point of holding the wedding tomorrow when Mark didn't even plan to marry her?

With her eyelashes fluttering slowly, Tessa chuckled dryly. No wonder Martina didn't get married for so many years!

Were they too good at concealing their affair, or was Tessa just too stupid not to notice it?

On second thought, Tessa realized Mark and Martina hadn't done much to conceal their illicit affair. Every time Mark went on a business trip, he would never forget to bring gifts to Arthur. Then, when Arthur once called Mark "Dad," Martina explained that it was because the child longed to have a father figure and casually said, "Tessa, please don't take it seriously!"

Tessa laughed at herself. How could she not notice that Arthur bore any semblance to Mark?

She was simple-minded and gullible. It was foolish of her to put too much trust in them. But who could blame her? The three of them had a great relationship and even frequently went out. Then, when Arthur was born, they had an additional member. Tessa had never discovered anything odd in all those years, let alone the affair between them.

For a while, Tessa felt lost and betrayed. She grabbed the red wine in front of her and downed it. She choked in tears as the red wine burned her throat. Despite the suffocating feeling inside of her, Tessa continued to drink it.

However, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist and took the glass off her hand. Stunned, Tessa turned her head only to see a man smiling at her frivolously.