"No."

Kira pursed her lips, looking aggrieved. "You can't leave."

Stanley's slender fingers paused. "Kira..."

"You really can't. You're someone else's husband now. I don't feel secure. You spend every day with another woman—she's even carrying your child. If we're not together often, what happens when our feelings fade? What if you fall in love with Chloe?"

"Stanley, you're so eager to go back to her. Have you started to... like her?"

Stanley looked at the unease in Kira's eyes, and a mocking curve tugged at the corner of his lips.

Like.

Love.

In the world he'd grown up in, those words were nothing but arsenic wrapped in sugar coating.

His parents had played the loving couple in public for over thirty years, but their marriage had only survived on reputation and mutual benefit.

His father, who marketed himself as whipped by his wife, kept a rotating lineup of mistresses—some younger than Stanley himself.

His mother, who marketed herself as the perfect wife and devoted parent, had been caught during his teenage years with multiple muscular young men in their own home...

Love and affection were just fig leaves draped over disgusting animal urges.

Too fake.

Only feelings that had weathered the test of time, along with the sense of responsibility that grew from them—those were the real thing.

Like what he had with Kira.

They shared twenty years of history. Even as a teenager, he couldn't bear to see her living alone and had wanted to take responsibility for her entire life. That hadn't changed.

He would never use possessiveness, control, or lust to trap her, restrain her, or interfere with her choices.

He wanted her to be free forever.

He wanted a marriage completely different from his parents'—one untainted by self-interest, built only on pure emotion and responsibility.

Stanley let go of Chloe's hair, patted the top of her head, and said indulgently, "Silly girl."

Talking about love and affection—how naive.

"I already gave her a wedding. Until the divorce, I'll transfer her monthly allowance on the fifteenth like I'm supposed to. I won't take on any other responsibility for her... Don't you want to marry me sooner?"

"I'm scared!" Tears welled up in Kira's eyes. "We've barely even hugged a few times, but you and her already have a child on the way. Every night you spend with her, I can't sleep. I keep thinking, over and over, I can't stop..."

"Thinking about whether you've held her in your arms, kissed her, taken off her clothes, lost yourself in her body!"

Stanley's throat bobbed. His pupils contracted sharply.

Kira.

Had hit the mark.

Since meeting Chloe, because of her pregnancy, he hadn't gone further than that. But kissing—that happened almost every day.

Chloe seemed to possess some kind of muse's magic, violently dragging his base urges and worst instincts out from the depths of his soul.

When he was being tender with her, he couldn't think of Kira. He'd even abandon work. Like an addict too far gone to save.

Responsibility, reason, reality—he threw them all away. All he wanted was to drown in her, to chase that indescribable pleasure and release.

Like a thief with a guilty conscience, he gave in to Kira. "Fine. I'll text her. I'll stay with you tonight."

Kira's face immediately lit up, and she reached out to wrap her arms around Stanley's.

But the man pulling out his phone instinctively moved away from her.

Kira froze. "Stanley?"

He hadn't even noticed what he'd just done. "What?"

Kira's delicate brows furrowed. "Why did you pull away from me?"

Stanley blinked, startled. Then a flicker of confusion crossed his face.

He'd pulled away from Kira?

Before he could think it through, his phone buzzed.

Chloe was calling.

He gathered himself and answered. Before she could speak, he said, "Babe, I'm not coming home tonight."

The moment Kira heard "babe," her gaze sharpened. A sour expression crossed her face, and she pinched his arm hard.

"Ss—" Stanley hissed in pain and turned to look at her, but there wasn't a trace of anger on his face.

"You called her 'babe'... right in front of me..." Kira said.

Stanley's pupils contracted. He quickly reached out to cover Kira's mouth, terrified Chloe might hear.

But Chloe had already heard.

And she wasn't the only one. Ervin had heard too.

When Chloe made that call to Stanley, she'd put it on speaker.

She'd meant to tell Stanley that she was going to stay at Ervin's place. But now the words caught in her throat before she could speak them.

Her chest already felt tight. Now her heartbeat turned sluggish and heavy, pressing down until she could barely breathe.

Two seconds passed before she managed to speak. "You're not coming back?"

"No. A friend ran into some trouble. I'm staying with her tonight. Get some rest—I'll see you tomorrow."

The line went dead the moment the words left his mouth.

Even with Chloe, he'd felt the panic of a guilty conscience.

Meanwhile.

Chloe stared at the ended call, her body rigid, unable to react.

Ervin's expression darkened as he pulled out his phone.

He'd just tapped on Stanley's contact when Chloe turned around.

"Ervin," she said quietly, "let's go. Don't tell him I'm staying at your place."

He paused, sliding the phone back into his pocket. "Why not?"

"There's no point. He probably won't be back by morning anyway. I'll leave early."

He wouldn't care even if I told him. So why bother?

She turned and began gathering her things.

Ervin watched her slim figure from behind, a flicker of melancholy passing through his dark eyes.

No one would guess Chloe was an expectant mother. Her waist was still so slender.

But three months ago, when that ultrasound report—black text on white paper—had been placed before the entire Dudley family, it had struck him like a thunderclap. Even now, he still felt dazed. He told himself he'd accepted reality, yet confusion lingered. His heart ached whenever he saw her, beating too fast, refusing to let go.

When Chloe reached for the oversized tote bag stuffed with her belongings, Ervin snapped out of his thoughts and stepped forward, taking it from her hands. "Let me carry that."

Chloe froze for a moment, touched. "Thank you."

Ervin smiled gently. "Make sure you haven't left anything behind."

Chloe shook her head. "I've got everything."

"Good. Let's go."

Chloe glanced back one last time at the room thick with its suggestive atmosphere. Her eyes stung.

She couldn't stop her mind from spiraling. What are Stanley and Kira doing right now?

The suffocating weight of that thought made her stomach churn.

"Chloe?" Ervin's voice cut through.

She blinked, forced a small smile at him, and walked out.

A black SUV waited outside the hotel. She followed Ervin inside.

Once seated, the silence between them felt awkward. She had no idea what to say to him, so she pulled out her phone.

The moment she opened WeChat, she saw Kira had posted again.

Sweet dreams guaranteed tonight.

Below the caption: a man's arm resting on a pillow.

The arm was unmistakable—covered in tattoos.

No likes. No comments.

Chloe's hands went ice-cold. Her lips trembled.

This post was meant for me alone.

She hated herself for being so weak. One post, and her mood had crashed completely. Her chest felt like someone had clamped a hand over her nose and mouth, cutting off all air.

She sat frozen for several long seconds before finally opening her mouth and forcing out a breath.

Then she set down her phone, pretended to adjust her collar, and pinched her own flesh—hard.

Don't get angry.

Don't be sad.

Don't let it hurt.

She repeated the words in her mind as the pain shot through her.

So what if Stanley slept with Kira?

At least he's not wasting himself on me.

From now on—stay away from Stanley.

Starting tonight, let go of these feelings before they've even taken root.

Starting tonight, refuse any intimacy with him.

Her pupils dilated. She stared blankly at the Harborcrest night skyline outside the window, pinching herself over and over until a vivid red mark appeared near her collarbone.

Only then—through the pain in her body—did she finally manage to suppress the pain in her heart.

At Kira's place.

Stanley sat propped against the headboard, turning a lighter over in his hands, his expression unreadable.

A moment later, Kira emerged in a white dress. "Stanley, what do you think of this dress for tomorrow?"

He didn't seem to hear her. No reaction at all.

"Stanley!"

He slowly turned his head. "Hm?"

"What are you thinking about?"

He tossed the lighter aside and closed his eyes. "Nothing."

The delight drained from Kira's face. "You're thinking about Chloe, aren't you?"

Stanley opened his eyes and turned to look at the familiar face beside him.

The woman hadn't removed her makeup yet. Her face was as flawless as a doll's, but compared to Chloe, whom he'd left behind at the hotel, she really fell short.

He was looking right at Kira's face, yet all he could think about was the smooth, bouncy feel of Chloe's skin—soft as jelly beneath his fingers.

Kira was perceptive. At the very least, she'd guessed right—he had been thinking about Chloe just now.

In the three months since marrying Chloe, he'd come to understand one thing clearly: he craved her body.

But because she was pregnant, the doctor had advised avoiding intimacy for the first trimester.

With various busybodies watching his every move, he'd had no choice but to follow that advice. Yet his desire for Chloe only grew stronger by the day.

In the two months since the wedding, they'd kissed every single day.

Every. Single. Day.

Her lips were soft, with a sweetness he couldn't quite describe. The curve of her chest, her waist—they fit his hands perfectly.

When his blood ran hot and his heart pounded to its limit, the rush was better than any extreme sport.

And there was something else—maybe it was the pregnancy—but she carried this subtle, distinctive sweetness. Holding her while he slept, he always slept well.

He used to stay up until the early hours, his schedule completely inverted. Lately, that had improved.

These past weeks, he'd grown used to having Chloe beside him at night. Now, lying in a bed saturated with Kira's scent, an inexplicable unease crept through him.

He turned his head again and stared at the ornate chandelier on the ceiling.

The light had been dimmed to a warm, intimate amber, casting the entire room in a hazy glow.

But his mind was full of Chloe.

His throat bobbed slightly. "Just thinking about human nature."

Kira paused. "Human nature?"

"What about it?"

He was thinking about how pathetic his own nature was.

For years, he'd wanted to give Kira a lifetime of stability and commitment. Yet in just a few short months, he'd become hopelessly fixated on Chloe—a woman he'd looked down on, whose only redeeming quality was her beauty.

Kira was too close. That artificial fragrance of hers made him uncomfortable now.

He grabbed his lighter and sat up on the bed. "Get some sleep. I'm going to play some games outside."

Kira frowned. As Stanley lit his cigarette, a smile crept onto her face. Her voice turned soft and coaxing. "Stanley, let's cuddle."

Stanley turned, looking at her with some surprise.

Kira sat down on the edge of the bed. The strap on her right shoulder slipped down, exposing the smooth curve of her shoulder.

A hint of seduction colored her expression.

Stanley's eyes darkened, his emotions impossible to read.

He took a drag from his cigarette and spoke in a teasing tone. "You wouldn't even let me hold your hand before. What's with the sudden need for cuddles tonight?"

"Before, I thought I valued your feelings for me more. I figured hand-holding, hugging, kissing—all of that could wait until after we were married. After all, once we tied the knot, we'd have a lifetime together. But now..."

She paused, looking up at him with pitiful eyes. "Legally, you're someone else's husband. I'm really scared of losing you forever."

"Do you remember when we were kids?" Kira turned her head, running her fingers over her own shoulder, her voice trembling slightly. "Everyone looked down on us. Bullied us. All we had was each other..."

Stanley's expression darkened, as if her words had stirred up old memories.

His lips pressed into a thin line. He stubbed out the freshly lit cigarette in the nearest ashtray. "Come here."

But Kira let out a soft laugh and pulled the blanket over herself.

Stanley froze, his brow furrowing. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"No cuddles for you."