On our wedding night, Kenneth Farley put a lock on his briefs.

A combination lock. Titanium. Waterproof, fireproof, and apparently girlfriend-proof.

Just as I was about to smash a bottle and take what was mine by force, lines of text began drifting past my eyes.

【Dying. He'd rather use a lock than touch the ex-wife. Confirmed: Mr. Farley's a germaphobe.】

【Later he meets the female lead and the cold older man catches fire for love. The office hookups never stop.】

【But honestly I feel so bad for the ex-wife. Six years of secret pining, and she gets swept out the door before he so much as touches her hand.】

【What can she do? Everything the male lead has belongs to his precious girl. Salary card handed over, shares signed away, and the ex-wife is just a walking blood bag for withdrawals.】

I stared at the wall of floating text and let out a cold laugh.

Why should I be the one who pours in money and effort, then ends up with neither money nor man, sewing the wedding dress for the female lead?

Without another word, I dropped ten doses of strong hangover remedy into Kenneth's sobering broth.

Guarding his virtue, was he?

Putting a lock on it, was he?

Tonight, either he broke his rule or I'd be a widow.

Either way, the next woman wasn't getting him cheap.

……

I kicked open the door to Kenneth's study, and before he could react, I caught his face in my hand and tipped the rest of the sobering broth down his throat.

The broth ran down his jaw and soaked into his gray shirt, the faint outline of his chest showing through.

I swallowed, more determined than ever to have my meal.

Kenneth shoved me back hard, wiped his wet mouth, his eyes full of shock. "Lorraine Barnes, what did you make me drink?"

I flung the glass aside, straddled his lap, and answered without a flicker of guilt. "Ten doses of strong hangover remedy!"

His pupils shrank.

I grabbed his tie and kissed him, hard.

Six years of loving him in secret, one year married to him, and this was the first time I'd ever tasted my own husband's lips.

Softer than I'd imagined.

My hands weren't idle either. I'd just gotten two of his shirt buttons open when he came back to himself and flipped me over onto the desk.

"Lorraine Barnes, have you lost your mind? Who gave you the nerve?"

"Don't forget what we agreed when we signed those papers. This is an arranged marriage. No feelings involved."

It was true. He'd been strapped for cash, my family had put up three million to bail him out, and that slip of paper was what we got in return.

But the floating text said I'd end up walking away with nothing, stitching the wedding dress for some so-called female lead.

Why should I?

I yanked my own collar open and, for once in my life, made a scene. "The marriage is done anyway. If I'm forced to choke down a melon, I'm at least taking a bite."

Maybe he'd never seen me like this. Kenneth froze for a second, then reached out and felt my forehead. "What's wrong with you? Are you not feeling well?"

There it was again.

Cold as ice the rest of the time, but the second I acted the slightest bit off, he played more attentive than anyone.

My nose stung, and I threw myself against his chest. "Kenneth, kiss me, please… kiss me, and I'll feel better."

The man under me stiffened, and his body seemed to respond.

Just as I thought I'd won, he suddenly gripped my waist, set me on the desk, and quickly straightened his clothes.

"Lorraine Barnes, we're partners. Nothing more."

"I don't like you. I'm not going to touch you."

"Give it up. Just be a quiet, well-behaved Mrs. Farley."

He must have decided he'd been too harsh, because he added, "Tomorrow I'll have my assistant wire you a million. Call it compensation."

With that, he strode into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

Running water, threaded with a low, ragged breathing.

I sat on the desk, cold all over.

In front of me, the floating text spread out, blotting out everything.

【Dying. Mr. Farley would rather take a cold shower than touch the ex-wife. His self-control is unbeatable.】

【The ex-wife actually thought she was something? Force-kissing the male lead, the nerve on her.】

【Still, it's pretty sad for her. Properly married and she's not even allowed to be touched.】

【What's so sad about it? Mr. Farley gave her a million. Knowing this woman, she'll just hand it back tomorrow.】

【Right, Mr. Farley's money is destined to belong to our sweet girl. So is the man.】

【Ugh, if I had an ex-wife sister like this, even if I couldn't keep the guy, I'd at least keep the money.】

I sat with my knees pulled to my chest and cried the whole night through.

The floating text had me pegged. I really was putting on airs, playing at some pure, noble love.

Kenneth Farley hands me money and I won't even take it.

If I hadn't seen that text, on the day of the divorce I'd probably have walked away with nothing but the clothes on my back.

By the time I'd cried until dawn, I'd finally worked it out.

Kenneth doesn't want me, so I'll just take the money like a sensible person. The moment the heroine shows up, I'll read the room and leave.

Decision made, I crawled back into the bedroom and went back to sleep.

When Kenneth got up that morning and didn't see me, he froze for a rare second.

He pushed open the bedroom door, and only when he saw the small lump in the middle of the bed did his expression ease.

At headquarters, he'd just sat down for the morning meeting when he paused, then pressed the intercom and called in his assistant.

“This is my wife's account number. Transfer her three million from my personal account.”

I slept soundly.

From the day I married Kenneth and spent every waking moment trying to please him, up to today, it was the first time I'd slept this easy.

When I woke, it was already past two in the afternoon.

Which meant I hadn't gotten up to make him breakfast, and I hadn't brought him lunch either.

I figured he didn't care.

I opened my phone, and for once there was a message from Kenneth.

【Let's put yesterday behind us.】

【I transferred you some money. Buy yourself something you like.】

I tapped the balance. Three million, even.

Thank you, Mr. Farley, for pushing my savings straight into seven figures.

I let out a bitter little laugh. If I'd gone after the money this hard sooner, maybe I'd already be set for life.

I splashed some water on my face and decided to go out for a bit.

Somehow my feet carried me back to the coffee shop downstairs.

A girl in a white dress stood there with a stack of pamphlets, handing them out to passersby under the blazing sun.

The floating text exploded at once.

【Ahhh it's our sweet girl Doris Swanson, she's so hardworking, out doing free public legal-awareness outreach even in this heat!】

【I remember she's on her period today and in awful pain, the male lead's going to run into her and take her up to the CEO's office!】

Really? So this was the girl who'd later turn Kenneth into a lovesick fool.

She was... honestly better-looking than me.

Her skin was so fair it almost glowed; even under the sun, it stayed soft and pink.

Not even the loose white dress could hide her figure.

She did look pale, though, no doubt the cramps making her miserable.

Just then, Kenneth strode out of the headquarters building.

Doris swayed, then toppled straight into his arms.

The whole screen flooded with “omg so sweet I'm obsessed”.

And just as the text said, Kenneth froze for a moment, looking at her face.

For the first time, he didn't push an outsider away. He hesitated, then bent down, lifted her sideways into his arms, and turned and walked straight back inside.

I didn't watch the rest. I closed my eyes.

I didn't need to. The leads meet, they're drawn to each other whether they like it or not, and they fall into one grand, sweeping love.

And then I, the unwanted cannon fodder, make my exit.

Some things really can't be fixed by trying harder.

My nose stung, and I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

In a daze I drifted into the mall next door, spotted a salon, and turned in.

The stylist smiled at me. “What can I do for you today, miss?”

I pointed at the top of my head. “This stuff. Dye it green.”

He blinked. “That color... might not be a good idea?”

“It's fine. It fits the occasion.”

The look in his eyes turned to pity.

I used to think Kenneth liked refined, ladylike women, so I'd worked myself ragged trying to dress the part.

In the end, he didn't so much as glance at me.

I knew I wasn't pretty. A face that ran a little round, still soft with baby fat, awkward no matter how I looked at it.

Once my hair was dyed forest green, the stylist laughed.

"Hey, gorgeous, I have to say, this color really suits you. Like a witch of the woods."

My smile came out worse than crying. "Does it? Maybe… this is the real me."

Not like Doris Swanson, who just had to stand there and the whole air around her went delicate and soft and lovely.

I went to the mall next door and bought a comfortable set of casual clothes.

When the salesgirl asked what to do with the dress, I said, "Throw it out."

It was just one of the things I'd bought guessing at what Kenneth might like. He didn't like it, and I didn't either. No use keeping it.

Back home, I emptied out more than half my closet—what could be given away, given away; what should be tossed, tossed.

I was still at it past six in the evening when Kenneth came back from the office.

He looked a little surprised to see me carrying bags out to throw away.

"It's the middle of the evening. What are you doing? I thought you loved that dress."

I kept my head down. "I don't anymore. So I'm throwing it out."

"That color on your hair…"

"It suits the mood."

"…"

He didn't press.

Coming in, he saw the dining table was bare.

"You…"

That was when I remembered I hadn't cooked.

"Sorry, I'm a little tired today. Let me order you some delivery."

His eyes settled on me.

"Don't bother. I'm not hungry."

He turned and went into the guest room.

As we passed each other, a faint scent of gardenia drifted off him.

That was Doris Swanson's scent.

Warm water came down from the showerhead.

Kenneth leaned against the bathroom wall, his head full of the image of Lorraine straddling his lap the night before.

He admitted there'd been a reaction. Those ten ginseng tonic pills hadn't been for nothing.

But what bothered him more was that he kept going back to that kiss.

Shameful, and somehow restless with it.

He soaped himself absently, one ear on the sounds outside the whole time.

Half an hour passed, and Lorraine never came in.

He ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek and decided he must be losing his mind.

How could he be hoping she'd come in and kiss him again.

It wasn't as if he even liked her.

He rinsed off the suds, pulled on a robe, and walked out.

A little thirsty, he told himself. He just wanted a glass of water from the kitchen.

But in the living room the lights were all off.

That was when he saw that Lorraine had already gone to sleep.

Something about it left him uneasy, and he turned and went back to the bedroom.

That night, he dreamed of the study, of Lorraine straddling his lap—and he didn't push her away…

The next morning when I woke, there was breakfast on the table.

Kenneth had cooked, which he rarely did. Seeing me, he smiled faintly. "You're up? You'd had some wine yesterday, so I made you a bowl of warm oatmeal to settle your stomach."

I gave a quiet hum.

Just as my heart started to ease a little, I saw the text again.

【Damn, what's going on? Mr. Farley actually made breakfast for the ex-wife?】

【No way—it's because he heard yesterday that our precious Doris has a bad stomach, and he wants to learn how to make soothing porridge. He's just practicing on the ex-wife.】

【I'm telling you, she looks like she's about to cry. She's not going to misread this as him liking her again, is she?】

【So shameless. Looking like that, no self-awareness at all, and still throwing herself at him.】

The more they cursed me, the colder I went inside.

I drank the porridge in silence.

Kenneth ate his sandwich, watching me from the corner of his eye. "Is it good?"

I hummed. "It's good."

When he makes it for Doris Swanson later, she'll probably like it.

I picked up the bowl and chopsticks and went into the kitchen, never noticing that behind me, Kenneth's gaze stayed fixed on me the whole time.