The next morning, Spencer cleared his schedule for the morning so that he could bring Nikita to a private hospital, funded by Nextronics, for her obstetric checkup. After receiving confirmation that the pregnancy was viable, he laid his head gently against Nikita's belly.

His assistant reminded him, "Mr. Ford, it's still too early to feel the baby kicking."

Spencer grinned. "No, I can feel it, I can feel it!"

His assistant had to stifle a chuckle.

Spencer bombarded the obstetrician with questions regarding Nikita's care during her pregnancy. It was a funny sight indeed, when Spencer, one of the greatest minds in the tech industry, had to resort to taking out his phone to jot down the doctor's advice.

The doctor warned him that nausea was very common during the first trimester and that in severe cases, the mother would not even be able to keep down food. Tears welled up in Spencer's eyes, and he pulled Nikita closer to him. He said in a choked voice, "I'm sorry that you have to go through this, darling. I wish men could carry babies as well so that the burden would not fall onto you alone. I love having children, but I don't want to see you go through the pain."

Nikita stroked Spencer's hair lovingly. It took everything in her not to cry or scream at him.

Why? Spencer was the perfect husband, but why did he have to betray her? How hard was it to keep it in his pants? How hard was it to stay loyal to one person forever?

Spencer had no idea what was going through Nikita's mind.

At this point, his phone was buzzing nonstop with messages from his secretary. He was the CEO of one of the pioneering tech companies in the field, after all, so he had a massive workload to tackle every day. Having cleared his morning for Nikita's doctor's visit, he had even more work to do that afternoon. He did not like the idea of leaving Nikita alone, however, so he brought her with him to the office.

He settled her in his office, where the temperature was set to exactly how she liked it, with all of her favorite snacks prepared. He also stationed one of his assistants to keep an eye on her before leaving for his meeting.

Before his departure, he cuddled up to Nikita like a warm, loving puppy and crooned, "I wish I could stay by your side forever, darling. If only I didn't have so much to do!"

Spencer did not seem to mind showing his affection to his wife in front of his employees. His female employees eyed them in envy, and Nikita's keen ears picked up on some of their whispers.

"I wish I could find a husband like that! Mrs. Ford is a lucky, lucky woman!"

"Mr. Ford usually keeps such a distance from women that I thought he'd be just as stiff and cold at home, but turns out he's the exact opposite!"

"Mrs. Ford is quite a catch, too. She's gorgeous and smart, for that matter. I hear she graduated from an Ivy League school. She's the perfect match for Mr. Ford. We just have to admit that we aren't good enough."

All of a sudden, someone from among the crowd scoffed. It was an attractive, curvaceous woman dressed in designer clothing from head to toe. She tossed her designer bag on the desk and said snarkily, "What's there to envy?"

Everyone turned to her in awe. "You have nothing to envy, Queenie. Your husband spoils you as well!"

"Everyone knows your husband just bought you Maybach, Queenie. What a stunning car!"

"You're so blessed, Queenie. I also hear that your husband's buying you a bungalow soon!"

Spencer's assistant noticed Nikita eyeing the woman and whispered, "She's one of Mr. Ford's assistants as well. Her name is Queenie Cadwell. Her husband is one of Mr. Ford's partners, so she doesn't need to work, but she has too much time on her hands. Just ignore her, Mrs. Ford."

Nikita smirked but smartly kept herself out of the drama.

Spencer did such a great job of hiding his tracks that not even his assistant knew the truth—Queenie's sugar daddy was none other than Spencer himself. She was his mistress, and he smartly hired her as his assistant so that no one would suspect a thing even if they showed up everywhere together.

All of a sudden, Queenie brandished her wrist for everyone to see. On her wrist shone a sparkling bracelet, bedazzled with diamonds that glinted under the fluorescent lights. She said smugly, "This is a bracelet that my husband customized for me. He's an elite VIP, and the jewelers fulfilled the order just for him!"

Gasps rang out all around her.

"I've seen a prototype of this on the website! With the amount of diamonds there, it costs several millions of dollars!"

"Millions for a bracelet? Queenie, your husband is almost on par with Mr. Ford!"

Nikita narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists. Her birthday was last week, and Spencer gifted her a bracelet. At that time, he said to her, "I customized this bracelet at the jeweler just for you. It's unique, and there is no other in this world, just like how there is no other woman for me besides you."

The bracelet Queenie was showing off was the same as the one Spencer gifted Nikita.

Unique? No other woman for him?

Nikita lowered her head so that no one could see her tears fall.

Life was playing a sick joke on her. All of a sudden, Nikita felt like she could not breathe.

Nikita's sudden change of mood, however, did not escape the assistant's notice. She was watching Nikita's every move because she knew her job was on the line. Nikita was the apple of Spencer's eye, and if anything happened to her, she would be sacked before she could even blink.

She immediately notified Spencer of this, and five minutes later, Spencer showed up, having just come out of a meeting held over an international phone call. He stroked Nikita's head, then glanced at the table, noticing that her snacks were untouched. Finally, he hugged her and whispered, "What's wrong, darling? Is it too noisy here? Are they startling you? Why don't I take you home?"

Nikita did not object.

Spencer helped Nikita put on her coat, then picked up her bag and led her out the door, his arm slung protectively around her shoulder. As they walked, Spencer's gaze never once left her, but still, Nikita could feel someone watching them from among the crowd.

When they arrived home, Spencer put on an apron and whipped up a meal. Who would have thought that the CEO of Nextronics, a man with a net worth of tens of billions of dollars, would willingly step into the kitchen to cook himself?

Unbeknownst to the public, Spencer frequently cooked for Nikita. He knew his way around the kitchen quite well. Nikita was an extremely picky eater, but she was too kind to hurt other people's feelings. Therefore, although she did not enjoy their live-in chef's cooking, she never once complained. Spencer, however, noticed the way she picked at her food, and did not want her to go hungry, so he took up the responsibility of cooking for her himself.

After half an hour, Spencer emerged from the kitchen with a full, delicious-looking four-course meal. He set the table and immediately offered Nikita a slice of pork chop. He brought it up to her lips and crooned, "Have a taste, darling."

Nikita just barely swallowed the bite when all of a sudden, Spencer's phone rang. He glanced at the screen, and for just the briefest of moments, his face paled. He soon regained his composure, however, and explained, "Darling, I'm sorry, I need to take this. It's from one of our partners. Please excuse me."

Five minutes later, he reappeared, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry, darling, but something urgent has come up. I need to stop by the office. Finish your meal, alright? I'll be back soon."

Without even waiting for her reply, he turned and disappeared out the door. Nikita knew there was only one other person who would tear him away from her at such short notice—his mistress.

All of a sudden she lost her appetite.

She waited a few beats, then walked out of the house and hailed a taxi. She pulled the footage from the dashcam of Spencer's car and followed the location of a luxurious high-rise condominium. Spencer arrived and parked his car.

Nikita just so happened to be the owner of one of the units in this condominium. Shortly after she started university, her parents bought her a unit here so that she would have a place to stay if she ever fell out with her roommates. She never told Spencer this, and thus he had no idea.

She went to the management office and requested to see the surveillance footage of the building, feigning that she wanted to check on the state of her vacant unit. She was chatting with the landlord when two familiar silhouettes appeared in the footage of the elevator.

It was Spencer and Queenie. They stepped into the elevator, and the doors barely closed when all of a sudden, they pounced on each other and were soon entwined in a passionate kiss. To Nikita's horror, she even saw Spencer's hand slide underneath Queenie's shirt. Queenie was grinning, but she pushed Spencer away abashedly. This only seemed to ignite Spencer's desire even more, for he began kissing her as if he wanted to devour her whole.

When the elevator finally stopped at the 17th floor, Spencer scooped Queenie up and carried her out of the elevator, as if he could not wait even another minute.

All of this happened so swiftly that the oblivious landlord did not even notice it. Nikita was the only person who witnessed the entire ordeal. Silent tears slid down her cheeks. Although she knew of Spencer's infidelity and already braced herself for the consequence, it seemed she underestimated just how much it would hurt.

It broke her to see the man she loved—the very same man who claimed he would love her to the end of their days—pounce onto another woman in such a lust-filled frenzy.

Years ago, when Spencer was trying to make a name for himself in the tech industry, his mentors tried to take him to various bars and clubs, under the guise of networking. There would be plenty of women at his beck and call, but Spencer turned these invitations down, even though it cost him many valuable contacts.

At that time, he kneeled before Nikita and said solemnly, "If a man resorts to sleeping with any woman he meets, then he is not a man, but a beast motivated by carnal desire."

He even mischievously added, "Besides, I wouldn't even be able to get it up, unless it's you, darling."

Nikita was so embarrassed by this that she smacked him playfully, but because of this seemingly sincere declaration, she never once suspected him capable of infidelity, no matter where he went or who he was with.

Ironically, it was Spencer himself who broke her trust. He turned back on his wedding vows, the oath he swore at the altar.

Nikita returned in despair to her taxi. Her phone buzzed with a message, and she glanced at it. It was a reminder from the hospital of her appointment.

[Ms. Nikita Young, you have an appointment on 15 June, 2 pm, for a medical termination of pregnancy. Do you want to confirm your appointment?]

With tears streaming down her cheeks, Nikita replied, [Yes.]

It was already late at night by the time she returned home. She wrapped herself in her covers and finally mustered the courage to call her mother.

"Mom!" she croaked. She wanted to cry but did not want her mother to worry, so she swallowed her sobs and tried to sound as normal as possible.

Her mother knew her too well and would not be fooled. She asked, sounding concerned, "What's wrong, my dear? Did something bad happen?"

Nikita opened her mouth and almost told her mother the truth, but she stopped herself just in time. Instead, she replied lamely, "Nothing's wrong. I just miss you and Dad. Can I come home on the 15th?"

"Of course, dear. Your father heard that you wanted to come home. He's already thinking of what to cook you for dinner!" her mother sounded delighted. "You're our baby. You can come home anytime you want!"

Silent tears streamed down Nikita's cheeks. Not long after she got off the phone with her mother, she heard the key turning in the front door.

Spencer finally came home after a passionate night with Queenie. He smartly took a shower, so that Nikita would not notice that anything was wrong. He tiptoed into the room, wrapped his arms around Nikita, and whispered, "I love you."

He was surprised when he felt Nikita's wet cheeks. He immediately turned the lights on and gazed at Nikita in worry. "Darling, is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Let's go to the hospital."

Nikita stopped him. Gazing upon his handsome face, all she felt was a wave of disgust. She wanted nothing more than to slap him and scream in his face, but she had to bide her time. She merely replied in a trembling voice, "Spencer, I had a dream that you cheated on me."

Spencer felt his breath catch in his throat. He immediately retorted, "How can I possibly do such a thing? My darling, even if every single man in this world cheats, I'll never stoop to their level."

He then said, sounding very convincingly ashamed, "I asked the doctor about this, and he told me that because of the fluctuating hormone levels, pregnant women can undergo mood swings and feel very insecure at times. This is all my fault, my darling. I've been spending too much time away from you lately. I'm ashamed of myself. The company is hosting a luncheon the day after tomorrow. Would you like to join me? It'll be good to get out of the house."

He hugged Nikita so close to him that she could hear his pounding heart as clearly as though it were her own. She resisted the urge to ask him whether his heart was racing out of concern for her, or because he was terrified that she found out about his affair.

On the day of the company luncheon, Spencer and Nikita's appearance immediately caught everyone's attention. Spencer placed his secretary in charge of overseeing the luncheon so that he could spend time with Nikita. When Nikita was thirsty, she did not even need to tell him. He could sense her every mood and handed her a drink with a straw in it before she could ask. When she munched on some cherries, Spencer was there to catch the seeds in his palm. When she went to the bathroom, Spencer waited patiently for her outside the door. If anything, Spencer seemed like the more clingy one in the relationship.

The female employees were all green with envy.

"What do I have to do to find myself a husband like that?"

"Mr. Ford is so obsessed with his wife. They're inseparable!"

"Hey Queenie, we invited our spouses and families today, so where's your husband?" someone piped up, and immediately, all eyes were on Queenie.

Queenie's husband always spoiled her with luxuries like Spencer did Nikita, so naturally, everyone was curious to meet her loving and generous husband for the first time.

Queenie gave a forced smile and replied, "It's a shame. He's busy and couldn't make it today."

Everyone seemed disappointed by this. "We were all looking forward to meeting your husband. I'd like my husband to learn a thing or two from him."

"I wonder if Queenie's husband is anywhere as handsome as Mr. Ford is!"

Nikita emerged from the bathroom, and who would she run into but Queenie?

Queenie pursed her lips and muttered, "Oh, finally! The entitled brat has finally emerged. We've been waiting for ages."

Everyone gasped. Queenie had always been snarky and rude, but everyone knew there was one person not to be messed with—Nikita. She was the apple of Spencer's eye, and one could easily lose one's job if they crossed her.

What was wrong with Queenie? Why was she deliberately picking on the CEO's wife?

One of her colleagues nudged her and hissed, "Are you out of your mind, Queenie? Apologize to Mrs. Ford right now!"

Queenie turned her head away and refused to budge.

Before Nikita could even say anything, Spencer barked, "Queenie, I won't tolerate such behavior. I'll deduct your bonus for this month, and you're officially off the project. Wendy will take over instead."

Queenie's eyes were as wide as saucers. She stared at Spencer in sheer disbelief, but Spencer ignored her. Instead, he straightened Nikita's dress and said gently, "Let's go, darling."

Nikita did not reply. She could see out of the corner of her eye that Queenie was glaring at Spencer. Angry tears slid down her cheeks, but no one else seemed to have noticed.

They all checked into a luxurious five-star hotel for the night. In the middle of the night, Nikita jolted awake, but when she turned around, she discovered that the other side of the bed was empty.

Her stomach was churning, and that was what woke her. She rolled over, and after a brief moment's hesitation, she decided to check the dashcam in Spencer's car.

She pulled up the footage and could hear a familiar voice as clear as day. Queenie said, her voice dripping like honey as she giggled, "For a moment, I thought you forgot me, Spencer. You were so mean to me this afternoon! I was so upset. Is that how you're going to treat me from now on?"

Spencer's husky voice came in short bursts. All of a sudden, he thrust, and Queenie gasped. He said coldly, "You were out of line this afternoon, Queenie. Have you forgotten what I told you? We can fool around all we like, but I draw the line with my wife. If you pick on her ever again, this will be the last we see of each other."

This seemed to put Queenie in check. She hooked her arm around Spencer's neck and crooned, her voice interspersed with moans of pleasure, "I was just jealous. I'm jealous of her, Spencer. She gets all of your attention, and I get the leftovers."

Spencer's tone softened. "Don't cry, baby. You had your eye on the bungalow on Second Promenade, didn't you? I'll buy you anything you want. I love you, Queenie, but I hope you won't make things difficult for me."

Queenie was satisfied by this. She beamed and replied in a syrupy tone, "I'm willing to be your mistress forever, Spencer if that means I get to be with you."

Their conversation was interrupted by another round of passionate moans that ended in a climax of ecstasy. Nikita felt as if she was shaken to the core. Tears streamed down her face, and she could not even bring herself to utter a single word.

I love you.

Spencer told Queenie that he loved her. Those three sacred words that he said to her at their wedding. Nikita felt as if her world shattered into pieces, and Spencer's wedding vows were like maggots crawling out of the remains of their ruined marriage.

A long time ago, Nikita idolized a celebrity, who practically changed into a different person after her divorce. At that time, when interviewed regarding her failed marriage, she replied wistfully, "In the end, it was nothing more than ashes and dust."

For a long time, Nikita did not understand it, but now, she felt the words ringing right down to her bones.

People changed, sometimes in seconds. The only thing constant about the world was that nothing was.

All of a sudden, Nikita felt a tearing sensation through her lower belly. She rolled out of bed, feeling as if someone had taken an axe to her uterus. She summoned all the strength she could to crawl to the door. She forced the door open, startling a passing employee as she passed.

"Mrs. Ford! My goodness!" the woman screeched.

Nikita felt a wave of relief. She glanced appreciatively at the woman, but the next moment, she passed out cold.