Rupert and I met at a party.

It happened to be my 20th birthday, and Dad threw a huge celebration at a fancy hotel, inviting all the big-name families, including the Hensleys.

Rupert was five years older than me. He had already taken over his family's company after college.

He showed up that day looking sharp, with good looks and a cool, distant vibe that made everyone stop and stare. Many wealthy families jumped at the chance to introduce their daughters to him.

From the moment I saw him, I couldn't help but be drawn to his calm, mysterious vibe. I'd never met anyone who looked as good as he did.

What really got to me was how kind and gentle he was beneath that tough, distant front he put up.

One day, I happened to catch him feeding a stray cat. The look in his eyes was unlike anything I'd ever seen. It was so tender and pure, like something out of a dream.

That moment stuck with me, and I just knew I wanted to be around him. But I never had the courage to tell him how I felt.

Then, one evening, as we were walking together, he suddenly turned to me and asked, "Do you have feelings for me?"

I froze, my face turning beet red.

Everyone knew how I felt about Rupert. So how could he not? He had to have noticed, but maybe he'd ignored it all this time.

"Well, I feel the same way. If you're up for it, maybe we can see where this goes."

I couldn't really read Rupert's face under the flickering lights and had no clue he was already married.

I thought maybe fate was finally on my side—that the guy who'd always been so cold and distant had suddenly opened up about his feelings. It felt surreal.

Caught up in the rush of it all, I said yes right away.

I'd even met what I thought were Rupert's "parents" before. But now, I'm starting to think they were just actors he hired to throw me off—they didn't look anything like the people in Mavis' photos.

When marriage came up, they just went along with whatever Rupert said, agreeing with everything he proposed.

When we finally had the wedding, he didn't invite any friends or family. Instead, he took me out of the country, and we quietly got married in a little chapel.

Looking back, I could see how far he went just to keep me in the dark.

The tension in the room was almost suffocating. I looked at Rupert, my voice thick with emotion as I said, "Let's just end this!"

He didn't expect me to bring it up again, and his face went grim. "I'll never agree to that. You're the one I actually love, honey! I only married Mavis because my parents forced me to. I have no feelings for her!"

"Don't call me 'honey.' We're not married, and you make me sick," I snapped, disgust flooding through me. I shoved him away as hard as I could.

But he grabbed me again, pulling me into his arms. "Janet, please, just hear me out. I've been apart from her for so long. There's nothing between us, I swear. You've got to believe me. We might not have made it official, but doesn't it count if we love each other?"

Anger boiled up inside me, and I felt I was about to lose it. I shoved him away again and slapped him hard across the face.

He clutched his cheek, staring at me in shock.

I let out a bitter laugh. "You have no feelings for her? You've been apart from her for so long? Then tell me, Rupert—where the hell did her kid come from? Or are you seriously going to claim it's someone else's? Rupert, you're the CEO of a company. Do you honestly believe the crap you're saying?"