At dawn, Christina was startled awake by a commotion.

She opened the door and saw, in the garden of the neighboring villa, a haggard woman clutching a man's shirt with trembling hands. Her voice tore through the morning air.

"Dirk, I've loved you for ten whole years and bore you several children! When we got married, you promised to love me forever! It hasn't even been that long, and you dare to keep a mistress behind my back?"

Despite the early hour, many people had already gathered by the lakeside for their morning walks. The scandalous scene unfolded before them, drawing more curious eyes with each passing second.

Dirk, clearly someone of status, noticed the growing crowd. His expression shifted immediately as he grabbed the woman and dragged her toward the villa.

"What are you making a scene for? I've told you many times, no man in this world can stay completely faithful!"

Christina stood frozen, unable to look away, until a warm hand gently covered her ears from behind.

"Christina, don't listen to such filthy words."

Without turning, she spoke softly, "Tell me, do all men eventually cheat?"

Lucien stiffened. He turned her around to face him, his eyes unwavering. "I can't speak for others, but I won't. Christina, I will love only you for my entire life."

"Your entire life?" she murmured. "But life is so long."

He pulled her into his arms, his breath warm against her ear. "As long as it is, I only want you."

She finally laughed, but there was a faint bitterness in her voice. "And what if you cheat? What if you betray me?"

"If I betray you, the heavens shall punish me and strike me down with lightning."

Hearing those words, with the truth still buried deep inside her, her heart ached.

"Lucien, you dare swear such a cruel oath? Aren't you afraid it might come true?"

He chuckled softly. "No, because no one knows better than I do how much I love you. If you don't believe me, I'll carve out my heart for you. And if that's still not enough, I'll give you my entire life."

Could he really give her his entire life?

Then why couldn't he even control his own desires?

His body still carried traces of another woman's scent, yet his lips whispered the most tender words.

"Christina, Lucien, what are you two doing?"

A voice suddenly broke the silence.

They turned and saw Vanessa standing at the door, wearing a red strapless dress.

Lucien visibly stiffened. He frowned slightly. "Isn't today the weekend? Where are you going dressed like that?"

The tone was less that of a brother asking a sister and more that of a jealous husband questioning his wife.

Noticing the jealousy in his voice, Vanessa smiled coyly. "There's a company mixer tonight, and I'm planning to find myself a boyfriend. I won't be coming home tonight."

Lucien's expression darkened instantly, while Vanessa's smile widened.

"By the way, Christina, do you two have any plans today?"

Only then did Lucien snap out of it. He tightened his grip on Christina's hand.

"We're visiting my parents today," he said.

Vanessa smiled again. "Send them my regards." Then, she turned and left.

Half an hour later, Lucien drove Christina toward his family's estate.

His parents had never liked Christina as a daughter-in-law. They believed she had turned their son into a lovesick fool who nearly lost his life for her. Worse still, after years of marriage, they had no children. Every visit was met with cold stares and sharp words.

Lucien knew this and tried to minimize visits, but this time, his mother's declining health left him no choice.

As soon as they stepped inside, the cheerful chatter ceased. His parents' faces fell.

Seeing their hostility, Lucien bristled.

"If you treat Christina like this again, we won't come back."

His father slammed the table. "How dare you! Are you abandoning your parents for a woman?"

Lucien held Christina's hand tightly and refused to back down.

"I told you before, Christina is my one true love. I can't even bring myself to raise my voice to her, and yet you treat her like this. Do you want to rip my heart out? If this happens again, I'll consider myself an orphan."

No one expected Lucien to be so resolute. The living room fell into a suffocating silence.

Yet, as Christina looked at the man standing firmly on her side, she felt no trace of warmth in her heart.

Seeing that her son was serious, Katie Waldorf finally gave in. "Enough. Let's eat first."

At the dining table, the only sounds were the clinking of utensils and Katie's occasional scoffs.

Christina's hand trembled slightly as she gripped her fork. She knew what was coming.

Sure enough, Katie soon put down her fork and said, "I won't ask for much, but shouldn't you at least give us a grandchild? You can't just let the family line end here."

Lucien immediately set down his fork. "I've told you before. Christina is afraid of pain. I won't let her endure such suffering for me. I'd rather remain childless forever!"

Hearing this, Lucien's parents lost their appetite completely.

Just as another argument was about to erupt, Christina spoke up. "Half a month. Dad, Mom, in half a month, you'll have a grandchild."

Her words stunned everyone.

"Christina?" Lucien grasped her hand. "We agreed not to have children. You don't have to sacrifice yourself for me."

She smiled faintly at his earnest expression.

She said they'd have a grandchild, but she never said she would be the one to give birth.

Half a month later, she'd be out of the country. Since he loved Vanessa so much and couldn't keep away from her, let her bear his child.

She smiled again. "It's dad and mom's wish. It should be fulfilled."

Lucien felt a strange unease seeing how considerate she was being. It felt… unnatural.

His parents, however, were delighted. "That's more like it."

Lucien still sensed something was wrong and was about to press further when his phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted.

Sitting close by, Christina caught a glimpse. It was a message from Vanessa.

Vanessa: [Lucien, a guy asked for my number. Should I give it to him?]

She silently counted the seconds. One, two, three…

On the third second, Lucien stood up. "Sorry, Christina. Something came up at the office. Take your time. I'll come back to pick you up later."

He didn't even wait for her response before rushing out without his coat.

As soon as he left, his parents dropped all pretense and started berating her.

"How long have you been married? And still no child. Aren't you ashamed? You come from a lowly family. Both your parents are dead. If Lucien didn't like you, do you think you'd ever become Mrs. Waldorf? Marrying you is the worst misfortune of his life.

"And stop crying! Don't think you can run to Lucien and complain. Every daughter-in-law gets scolded. Don't you dare bother him with your nonsense!"

They continued scolding her for five straight hours.

By evening, Lucien finally came back to pick her up.

As the car moved smoothly down the road, Christina broke the silence.

"Did you manage to settle your things at the office?"

Lucien hesitated, then replied gently. "Yes."

His fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel, a habit when he was in a good mood.

Noticing her silence, he added, "My parents didn't make things difficult for you, did they?"

Just as Christina was about to answer, she spotted something beneath the passenger seat—a torn pair of polka-dot stockings.

She already knew he had gone to see Vanessa, but to think they'd done it in the car…

In their five years of marriage, she had always been conservative about intimacy.

Afraid of boring him, she had once asked, blushing, if he wanted her to change.

He had held her and kissed her, saying, "You're perfect as you are. Even in rags, I'd still be attracted to you. Don't force yourself to be someone you're not. Someone who loves you will always find you irresistible."

Yet the man who claimed to love only her had no qualms about indulging in such affairs.

Her eyes stung. "What do you think?"

Lucien, oblivious to her discovery, assumed she was upset about his parents.

He immediately hit the brakes and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry, Christina. It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you alone. I promise this won't happen again."

Held tightly, Christina felt suffocated.

She forced back her tears and pushed him away.

"You should focus on the road."

There was no future for them anymore.

When they arrived home, Lucien went to park the car while Christina entered the house. She stopped at the doorway, her eyes falling on Vanessa, who was curled up on the sofa in a nightgown, surrounded by snacks, and watching TV.

Christina paused deliberately and said, "Didn't you say you wouldn't be home tonight because of a mixer?"

Vanessa glanced up, curling her lips into a sly smile. "Oh, Christina, I forgot to tell you. I actually had a fight with my boyfriend, so I decided to go to the mixer to make him jealous."

She stretched out her neckline, revealing a scatter of hickeys across her skin, then looked at Christina with a provocative gaze. "I told him about it, and he didn't seem to care at first. But as soon as I arrived at the party, he showed up and dragged me away."

Laughing lightly, she added, "I didn't expect him to be so jealous. He went at it with me three times in the car."

Christina's nails dug into her palms, the sharp sting spreading through her body. She forced herself to breathe and asked, "Since when did you have a boyfriend? You never mentioned it."

Vanessa tilted her head and smiled lazily. "Three months ago."

Three months ago—that was exactly when Vanessa moved into their home. Back then, she had just started working in the city, and Lucien's best friend had asked him to look after her as a favor.

So, from the very first day she moved in, she had been entangled with him.

Christina's breath quickened, and just as she opened her mouth to speak, a pair of warm hands gripped her shoulders from behind.

Lucien's voice was gentle. "Christina, you've had a long day. I'll run a bath for you so you can relax, alright?"

Before she could say anything, he nudged her toward the bathroom.

Once inside, Christina started undressing, ready to wash away her exhaustion. But she suddenly realized she had forgotten to bring clean clothes.

Opening the door, she froze.

Across the room, Lucien was pressing Vanessa down onto the sofa and tugging at her nightgown with a rough urgency. His hands gripped her waist tightly, trailing kisses along her collarbone and downward.

Vanessa breathed heavily, her voice lilting. "Ah... not so hard. Christina's in the bath! Didn't you have enough in the car?"

Lucien's movements grew more intense, his breaths ragged, and Vanessa's whimpers turned almost tearful.

"Shut up!" he growled. "Don't you dare meet other men again!"

Vanessa smirked as though she had won, then suddenly locked eyes with Christina, who stood frozen in the doorway. Her gaze sparkled with mischief.

"Fine, I won't. I'm yours, okay? Jealous fool."

Unable to bear the sight, Christina grabbed her clothes and shut the bathroom door.

Sinking into the water, her mind spun with the image she had just witnessed.

Five years ago, during their honeymoon on a tropical island, he had sulked just because she glanced at a shirtless man on the beach.

He had dragged her back to the presidential suite and kept her there for seven days. By the end, they'd run out of strawberry-flavored rubbers, and the bed had collapsed.

Holding her tightly afterward, his eyes had reddened. "Christina, I have everything they have. Don't look at other men. Don't leave me."

It took endless reassurances before his jealousy subsided.

Since then, she never dared look at another man.

But now, he was just as crazed for Vanessa.

Christina surfaced from the water, taking a deep breath. When she stepped out of the bathroom, Lucien was alone in the room.

On the table, there was a plate of freshly cut fruit and a steaming cup of tea.

Seeing her, Lucien quickly handed her the cup with a warm smile. "I checked your cycle. Your period's coming soon, so I prepared this for you. It'll ease the pain. Drink it while it's hot."

Christina held the cup, feeling no warmth from it.

She couldn't understand how he could act so devoted, fresh from another woman's arms.

The question gnawed at her, keeping her awake all night.

Just as she was about to drift off, Lucien stirred beside her. Suddenly, he shouted her name.

"Christina!"

He woke in a panic, groping blindly until he found her. Pulling her into his arms, his voice trembled. "Don't leave me!"

Christina stiffened. "What's wrong?"

His eyes reddened. "I had a nightmare. I dreamt you left me. But it was just a dream. You're still here."

Lowering her eyes, Christina swallowed her words: Soon, I won't be.

Maybe it was that dream that spooked him, but the next day, Lucien insisted on taking her to work with him.

Christina refused, but he pleaded until she gave in.

Once in his office, she noticed it was filled with photos of her. Seeing her stare, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, rubbing his face against her neck.

"A lot of women try to get close to me, but these photos help keep them away. Don't worry, baby. I'm very faithful."

Christina lowered her eyes, saying nothing.

Just then, his assistant knocked, reminding him of a meeting. Reluctantly, Lucien let go of her and told her to look around while he worked.

Christina wasn't in the mood to explore, but she didn't want to stay in his office either. So she wandered through each floor.

Around noon, her phone rang. It was immigration services.

"Miss Mason, we need you to come in and sign one more document for your emigration application."

Just as she was about to respond, a familiar voice came from behind her.

"What emigration?" Lucien asked.