"Mrs. Gardner, are you sure you want to hire our team to stage a fire and fake your death in ten days?"

Camellia Shaw paused for a moment. Just as she was about to reply to the message, a video call suddenly popped up.

"Camellia, look! Andres is spending a fortune on you again!"

The video was of an auction in progress.

At the front, a man of striking elegance and charm was decisively bidding on several antique collectibles worth hundreds of millions.

The crowd was already abuzz with excitement.

"Mr. Gardner is so good to his wife! He bought all these antiques just to make her smile!"

"$400 million is nothing! I heard Mr. Gardner even built her a private estate and named it Eterna Haven. Just the name alone is proof of how much he loves her."

A wealthy businessman nearby sneered. "It's all for show. Who knows what he's really like behind closed doors?"

That comment immediately sparked a wave of backlash. Many argued back, talking about how devoted Andres Gardner was to his wife.

As she listened to their murmurs, Camellia forced a bitter smile.

[Mrs. Gardner, are you sure you want to hire our team to stage a fire and fake your death in ten days?]

Camellia Shaw paused for a moment. Just as she was about to reply to the message, a video call suddenly popped up.

"Camellia, look! Andres is spending a fortune on you again!"

The video was of an auction in progress.

At the front, a man of striking elegance and charm was decisively bidding on several antique collectibles worth hundreds of millions.

The crowd was already abuzz with excitement.

"Mr. Gardner is so good to his wife! He bought all these antiques just to make her smile!"

"$400 million is nothing! I heard Mr. Gardner even built her a private estate and named it Eterna Haven. Just the name alone is proof of how much he loves her."

A wealthy businessman nearby sneered. "It's all for show. Who knows what he's really like behind closed doors?"

That comment immediately sparked a wave of backlash. Many argued back, talking about how devoted Andres Gardner was to his wife.

"If anyone in our circle could make me believe in love, it would be those two."

"Mr. Gardner had risen to fame as a genius young painter, but it was his masterpiece, 'Beyond the Ordinary,' that made him a household name.

"He once said his wife was his muse and source of inspiration. You can see his affection for her in every stroke and in every shadow of his paintings."

As she listened to their murmurs, Camellia forced a bitter smile.

She and Andres had entered an arranged marriage to merge their powerful families, meeting for the first time at the county clerk's office.

Her family had never given her much love, so she assumed her marriage would be just as emotionless. However, Andres unexpectedly showered her with a special kind of affection.

He remembered her peanut allergy and lactose intolerance, and he always prepared exquisite, expensive gifts for her birthday.

Her heart softened over time. She even took him to visit her late mother's grave.

Andres had solemnly vowed in front of the gravestone, "Mom, I swear that if I ever betray Cam, may I lose the one I love the most."

Camellia laughed bitterly to herself.

When did things start to change?

Perhaps it was when she learned about his first love, who had passed away long ago, and found out he had taken in her younger sister to care for her.

Maybe it was the day Valentina Dawson returned from abroad, throwing herself into his arms with a familiar intimacy he did not even try to refuse.

Perhaps it was the faint lipstick stains on his shirt and the barely visible bite marks on his collarbone...

That was when Camellia could no longer lie to herself.

"Mr. Gardner, can you tell us if these are birthday gifts for Mrs. Gardner?"

The question from the video snapped her back to the present.

Andres' clear and steady voice rang out from the phone, "No, these are just small trinkets. I've prepared something far better for her birthday."

This response drew envious gasps from the wealthy socialites watching.

As Camellia prepared to end the call, she caught fragments of teasing voices in the background.

"Andres, are you really planning to throw a grand wedding for Camellia in ten days?"

"Of course. Anything to do with Camellia is a top priority. Make sure it's perfect!"

"Understood. So… should we invite her to Val's celebration tomorrow night?"

"No need. Don't let her find out."

After that, Camellia could not hear anything else that Andres said.

She hung up the call, staring at the message asking for her final decision. Slowly but firmly, she typed out her reply.

[I'm sure.]

Not long after, Andres rushed home, looking travel-worn.

Camellia wobbled slightly when she stood up—perhaps because she had not eaten all day—but Andres firmly caught her.

"You didn't eat properly again today, did you?" he asked, his eyes full of concern as he gently scooped her into his arms.

As they drew close, the sweet, cloying scent of fruit filled the air.

Camellia never used perfume, so it was obvious who the scent belonged to.

"What are you thinking, baby?" Andres teased while tapping her nose affectionately.

Camellia's sharp eyes caught a faint red lipstick stain on his finger.

On the second day of their marriage, Andres had secretly tattooed a camellia on his ring finger.

He had told her that the ring finger had a blood vessel that led directly to the heart. This was a symbol of their shared bond and how she would always be connected to his heart, but that spot now bore a mark that did not belong to her.

A dull pain rose in her chest. It was heavy and piercing, like a sharp blade chiseling away bit by bit.

"Are you starving yourself so much you've lost your braincells?" Andres joked, kissing her forehead lightly before asking Eva Longford to serve the food that had been kept warm for dinner.

Andres used to cook for her himself every day. However, some time into their marriage, his work grew busier, and the task naturally passed to the housekeeper.

"Let me join you for dinner, okay? Skipping meals can really mess up your stomach," he said while carefully setting her down on a dining chair and placing the utensils by her hand.

Then, he washed his hands and began peeling apples for her.

"Okay," Camellia murmured, swallowing the bitterness in her heart and eating the food he placed on her plate in small bites.

They had not been eating for long when Andres' phone began ringing incessantly.

He glanced at the caller ID and frowned slightly before wiping his hands and stepping aside to take the call.

When he returned, his expression was frantic.

"Cam, something came up at the studio. I have to go handle it. Don't wait up for me tonight. You should go to bed early."

He grabbed the antiques he had bought earlier. He promised to get her something even better another day and left in a rush.

Once the meal was completely cold, Camellia finally stood up and went upstairs.

As soon as she lay down, she scrolled through Valentina's latest post on social media.

[I only had a low fever, but my boyfriend insisted on taking care of me. He even made me a table full of delicious food. Do you know how special a meal made for you by a loved one is?]

The accompanying picture showed a close-up of a man in an apron cutting vegetables.

As a rising name in the art world, Valentina had tens of thousands of followers on her account. The post caused a stir among her fans.

[So this is the senior of hers with a nine-figure insurance policy on his right hand that Val mentioned!]

[Where can I find a man like this? Can the government issue one to everyone, please?]

Camellia stared at the hands in the photo and thought of Andres' promises. Her heart felt like it was being torn apart, leaving it shattered and unrecognizable.

[That's nothing! Our Mr. Gardner is the gold standard for a devoted husband!]

Someone had uploaded a video of the auction from earlier that day, and the buzz quickly overtook Valentina's post.

[Damn, he really spoils his wife! $400 million! That's enough to buy my entire life hundreds of times over!]

[Oh my God! Has anyone not been overwhelmed by Mr. Gardner's love for his wife yet? When his wife had a car accident and was scared, he risked his life to make sure he was the first person she saw when she woke up!]

[Mr. Gardner is like a saint in our elite circle. He still wears the rosary beads Camellia gave him, perfectly polished from years of use. He never takes them off!]

Valentina's fans went quiet under the video. Compared to Andres' public displays of devotion, a single meal could not measure up. However, a newly-registered user suddenly posted three photos.

One showed the transfer of ownership for an Aurelia winery, another depicted a necklace worth $200 million called ‘The Heart of the Ocean’, and the last featured Valentina holding car keys while sitting on the hood of a Ferrari.

The user captioned it: [If someone else has it, our Val can't be without it.]

Fans exploded in praise, calling her senior powerful and declaring him on par with Andres.

Just then, a text message from an unsaved number came through to Camellia's phone.

"You absolutely can't miss the celebration my senior is throwing for me tomorrow night!"

Though she did not say anything, Camellia could almost hear Valentina's smugness.

The message ended with the address of the venue.

742, Ocean Middle Road, Camellia Street.

It was the restaurant where Camellia and Andres had their first meal together. He had promised her it would always remain closed to the public, so it would belong only to the two of them.

Camellia stared at the address until her eyes stung. Her hand slipped, and the phone dropped onto her face.

The sharp pain from the impact pushed her over the edge, and the tears she had been holding back spilled silently into the darkness.

Andres did not return home all night. Camellia ended up sitting alone in the empty living room, waiting from early morning until noon.

Her phone buzzed with a social media notification. [Renowned artist Andres Gardner stands in support of his junior. What a deep camaraderie between peers!]

Camellia let out a bitter laugh. Of course he did.

She stopped waiting and went alone to visit her mother's grave. She bought a bouquet of lisianthus on her way over.

At the cemetery, she carefully cleaned her mother's tombstone, placed the flowers in front of it, and leaned gently against the stone. It was as if she was trying to feel the warmth of her mother's embrace.

Andres returned home late at night. Just as he was about to ask why Camellia had not gone to bed yet, he noticed a bundle of lisianthus peeking out of her bag.

It suddenly hit him that today was her mother's death anniversary. Panic flashed across his face.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I've been so busy today that I completely forgot. It's all my fault," he stammered, cupping her face and instinctively stroking the beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

Camellia noticed the faint trace of a lipstick mark on his hairline just behind his ear.

She gently pushed him away, her voice calm as she said, "It's fine."

Trying to ease the tension, Andres suggested, "How about we have an artist paint a portrait of us tomorrow? Once it's done, we can take a photo with it and place it at your mother's grave to give her peace of mind."

Camellia wanted to refuse, but Andres was insistent, so she reluctantly agreed.

The next morning at ten, the artist he had arranged for arrived. "Nice to meet you, Cam. I'm Valentina Dawson, Andres'… junior."

Seeing Valentina, Andres' face betrayed a flicker of unease. Clearly, she was not the artist he had called.

"Mr. Wilson had something come up, so I'm filling in for him," Valentina explained, her gaze sweeping over Camellia with a faint, inscrutable smile.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like my sister, Cam?" she asked.

"My sister had a beauty mark in the exact same spot as yours. The only difference is that hers was real, while yours… is drawn on."

The room fell silent. Andres' expression darkened as he snapped, "Val, that's enough.

"No one is more important to me than Camellia," he said firmly.

Valentina blinked in surprise, then playfully stuck out her tongue at him. "Alright. I was just joking."

She hooked one arm around Camellia's and led her toward the studio. With her other hand, she reached behind, tracing lazy circles on Andres' palm. Her gaze was sultry and inviting.

"Andres, you're standing all wrong," she complained moments after starting the painting.

Setting her brush down, she stood up and walked over to him.

She caressed his face with one hand while the other trailed down his chest. Her fingers brushed over his Adam's apple, then came to rest on his shoulder.

Leaning in close, she breathed warm air into his ear. "Why so tense, Andres?"

His eyes darkened instantly.

Camellia caught a glimpse of their interaction from the corner of her eye. Pain stabbed through her chest, and she forced herself to look away.

Barely a few minutes later, Valentina suggested that Camellia's pose was not intimate enough.

"Let me show you how it's done, Cam," she said with a sly smile.

She pushed Camellia aside and tugged Andres forward by his tie. Her full figure pressed against his chest as her thumb brushed deliberately over the corner of his lips. Finally, she left a bold kiss on his mouth.

Turning to Camellia, she tilted her head with a brazen expression. "Do you get it now, Cam?"

When he saw Camellia's reaction, Andres quickly explained, "In the art world, we're a bit more… uninhibited."

Camellia said nothing, merely clenching her trembling hands to keep herself composed. She excused herself to the bathroom, needing to escape.

When she returned, muffled sounds from inside the room made her stop in her tracks.

"Andres, no… You're going to ruin me," a woman's voice purred breathlessly.

As she peeked inside, Camellia saw Valentina with one leg wrapped around Andres' lean waist. Her back was pressed against the windowsill, and she was moving in rhythm with him.

Andres' eyes burned with passion as he kissed her fiercely.

"You came all the way to my house! Wasn't this what you wanted?" he growled.