After recomposing herself, Leticia slowly walked out of the fitting room.

Tristan looked at her instantly. His cold gaze melted away, revealing the tenderness in his eyes. His attention was solely on her right now.

After that, the couple went to the restaurant they had made reservations at for lunch. But Leticia remained glum the whole time.

Tristan thought Leticia had witnessed what happened in the boutique earlier, so he quickly apologized to her.

"Are you mad at me, Letty? I didn't let that woman touch me just now. Please don't ignore me, okay?"

Leticia didn't respond to Tristan, which made him even more nervous.

"What's wrong with you lately? Why do I have a feeling that you've been moody for so long? Is it because I didn't get to spend time with you due to how busy work has been?

"I'm sorry about that, Letty. I've been busy handling a project lately. It'll be over soon. After that, I can focus all of my efforts on spending time with you."

Leticia slowly looked up at Tristan, her expression still impassive.

"Tristan, are you sure you don't have anything to tell me?"

Tristan didn't know why Leticia would ask him that kind of question. He was stunned for a moment, but he subconsciously rubbed his thumb against his forefinger as well.

It was an action he always did whenever he was nervous. Leticia obviously picked up on it, but she soon saw Tristan shaking his head.

"Nope."

Leticia's heart throbbed slightly at the answer, but she didn't ask Tristan any questions after that.

At the end of dinner, a server wheeled in the cake that Tristan had already ordered in advance. He had Leticia make a wish before blowing out the candles on the cake.

It wasn't her birthday today. Tristan made it a habit to celebrate every holiday and anniversary formally over the years.

The lights were turned off. The moment Leticia closed her eyes and made a wish, the vibrating noises of a phone could be heard piercing through the silent atmosphere.

She opened her eyes just in time to see Tristan sliding a finger across the screen to activate the phone. After that, he read the latest text message he just received.

The restaurant was dark enough to let the brightness of Tristan's phone reflect the screen onto the window behind him.

The text read, "Tristan, what should I do? There's a blackout here! I'm so scared!"

Leticia spotted Tristan's lips curling into a small smile the next moment. He even let out a soft chuckle.

Then, she could hear his thoughts ringing out loud and clear.

[She really is a scaredy cat. To think that she's afraid of a mere blackout… Whatever. I should go check on her later. After all, she's pretty clumsy on her own.]

Leticia's complexion went pale. She felt her heart getting crushed by an invisible hand.

No one knew that the system had bestowed upon her an ability to hear Tristan's innermost thoughts before disappearing from her life.

All these years, Tristan loved and cared about Leticia and Leticia only. But three months ago, there was another woman's name which frequently appeared in his mind—Chelsea Pool.

Chelsea was Tristan's best friend's younger sister who had just graduated from university. Recently, she had started working as an intern in Tristan's company.

Leticia had yet to snap out of her trance when she heard Tristan's thoughts booming next to her ear once again.

[But today's my and Letty's seventh-year anniversary. Isn't it bad to leave her here right now?]

While Tristan was stuck in a dilemma, his phone screen lit up again. Apparently, Chelsea had sent him a few more messages.

This time, she didn't write anything. All she did was send him a few stickers of animals acting cute and pitiful. There were even stickers of a cartoon character crying.

Tristan finally couldn't endure it anymore. He toggled the screen off before telling Leticia something urgent came up in his company and that he had to deal with it. After that, he had his assistant wheel him out of the restaurant hurriedly.

Leticia's heart sank to the pits of her stomach as she watched Tristan's silhouette fading into the distance. She remained slumped in her chair, feeling her blood turning to ice.

Tristan had never lied to her throughout their seven years of being together. But ever since Chelsea appeared in his life, he began lying to Leticia time and again.

Leticia had never felt this panicked and alarmed before. She tried to call out to the system, hoping to see the percentage that was left on Tristan's affection bar toward her.

But no matter how many times she had called out to the system, it never responded to her.

Only then did Leticia realize that the system had completely vanished from her life ever since she decided to stay in this world.

Back when she made the decision, she bet all of her stakes on Tristan because she had full faith in him that she would never lose the gamble. But now, she dared not put her trust in him anymore.

That night, Leticia couldn't sleep well. Thunder rumbled loudly all of a sudden in the middle of the night. Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her tightly.

It appeared that Tristan had returned home since who knew when. Perhaps he didn't want to wake her up, for his movements had been very soft and quiet. That was why she only found out about his presence at that moment.

Tristan knew very well that Leticia was terrified of stormy nights. That was why he'd still pull her into his arms reflexively despite being fast asleep. It was his way of reassuring her that he was there for her.

As Leticia turned back to gaze at the handsome visage of her sleeping husband, she fell into deep thought once again.

Would a man who was deeply in love with her be capable of falling in love with another woman?

She returned the hug tightly before burying her face into the crook of his neck. But the next thing she knew, she found herself staring at a trail of bright red love bites littering his neck.

When Tristan woke up early in the morning, he realized that Leticia wasn't lying next to him.

Panic seized his heart immediately. He rushed out of the room without even bothering to put on a jacket.

After searching the manor, Tristan finally found Leticia all alone in the garden. She was spacing out while sitting on the garden swing.

When Leticia heard the barrage of noises coming from behind her, she slowly turned her head to see Tristan. It appeared that he had suffered from a fall earlier. He was a germaphobe, yet he was tolerant toward the dirt and grime coating his pajamas at the moment. Panic and worry clouded his expression.

Ever since Leticia had gotten kidnapped, Tristan became clingier to her than before. If he couldn't spot her the moment he woke up, he'd be alarmed.

Upon realizing that Leticia was safe and sound, Tristan rushed toward her and pulled her into his arms tightly.

"Letty, don't leave my line of sight this abruptly from now on. I'll get worried about you…"

As Leticia rested her head on Tristan's shoulder, she heard his thoughts booming out loud.

[Thank goodness Letty is fine. If anything happens to her again, I won't have the will to live anymore…]

Her heart skipped a beat at the silent confession. She slowly raised her head before finally speaking up.

"What's up with the red marks on your neck?"

Tristan subconsciously raised a hand to caress the spot where the love bites were printed on, clearly startled for a moment.

Then, he explained, "Maybe the mosquitoes got to me last night."

Leticia just smiled bitterly in return. "It's already fall. Do you think there are still mosquitoes out and about?"

The sight of Leticia's hollow gaze finally pulled Tristan out of his trance.

"So, the reason why you've been so unhappy these days is out of fear that I'll…"

Tristan hugged Leticia tightly before he finished his sentence. "Letty, I swear that you're the only woman I love in this lifetime. If I end up falling in love with another woman, I'm willing to face a fate worse than death—"

Leticia didn't have the heart to listen to Tristan making such a ruthless vow, so she was quick to cover his mouth.

"Stop it. I trust you," she said while gazing at him firmly, a sincere glint present in her eyes.

She continued, "Tristan, if you do end up falling in love with another woman, you have to tell me. I won't badger you at all.

"But if you lie to me, you can forget about seeing me ever again for the rest of your life."

Tristan stiffened up instantly. He responded by tightening his arms around Leticia.

"No way, Letty! You're the only one I love! I can't lose you! You must never leave me!"

Leticia pressed her ear against Tristan's chest tightly in hopes of divulging more of his thoughts. But that was the only sentence she could hear.

She let out a silent sigh. Perhaps she really was overthinking it.

Alas, peaceful days never lasted long. The next day, Tristan actually brought Chelsea home with him.

He kept an arm around Leticia while saying casually, "Letty, Chelsea's apartment lease has expired. She hasn't found a new place to live yet, so she'll be spending a few days with us. I promised her brother that I'd take care of her—I can't just let her live out on the streets, right?"

Leticia was starting to feel cold from apprehension. Her gaze subconsciously landed on Chelsea's necklace, which was the exact replica of the one she was wearing.

There was only one such necklace in this world. That was why its price had gone all the way up to a 100 million dollars at the auction.

Since Leticia and Chelsea were both wearing identical necklaces, that meant one of them was wearing a fake replica.

Obviously, Tristan noticed the same thing. His expression darkened instantly.

Chelsea took the initiative to explain everything. "Leticia, please don't misunderstand me. I noticed how beautiful the necklace looked on your neck when your picture was published in the newspapers, so I bought a replica for myself."

Leticia still felt quite stuffy on the inside even after hearing Chelsea's explanation. The stuffiness made it quite difficult for her to breathe.

However, Chelsea chose to direct a half-serious, half-joking question to Tristan at that moment. "Tristan, who do you think wears the necklace better? Me or Leticia?"

Stunned, Tristan quickly pulled Leticia into a one-armed hug before smiling at her.

"My darling Letty looks the best, of course!"

Chelsea let out a short rasp of bitter laughter before lowering her head. Clearly, she looked a little disappointed.

Although Leticia was leaning against Tristan's chest, she could still hear his thoughts ringing out loud and clear.

[Chels, be good now. Don't feel upset, alright? I can only say such things because Letty is here with us.]

Leticia froze up instantly when she heard Tristan's thoughts. She raised her head to see Tristan looking at Chelsea.

Chelsea seemed to have sensed Tristan's gaze, for she smiled at him sweetly.

At that moment, Tristan's thoughts boomed once again.

[You're wearing the real necklace, after all. Of course, you look the best, Chels.]

Tristan's thoughts left Leticia dumbstruck. She couldn't snap out of her shock for a long time after that.

As soon as she returned to her room, she stared at her reflection in the mirror while mentally asking herself if what had happened just now was real.

Perhaps she was hearing things. How could Tristan harbor such thoughts in the first place?

Yeah, she must be hearing things. That was what Leticia kept telling herself over and over again.

Over the next few days, Chelsea would leave the house with Tristan at the same time. They'd come home together as well.

Since Chelsea was working in Tristan's company, it was normal for her to hitch a ride with him to and from work. But whenever Leticia spotted them walking together, she'd feel as though someone was strangling her. The pressure was so immense that she could barely breathe.

In order to reassure Leticia, Tristan often kept his distance from Chelsea at home. The way he treated Chelsea was icy too.

It was unknown whether or not Chelsea was doing this on purpose, but she'd often show up whenever Tristan and Leticia were having a private moment together.

When Tristan watched a movie with Leticia, Chelsea would purposely sit next to them with a bowl of popcorn in hand.

If Tristan and Leticia were having a candlelit dinner at a restaurant, Chelsea would show up at the same venue "purely by coincidence".

When Tristan and Leticia watched the fireworks on the rooftop, Chelsea was present with a camera in hand too. Her reason was that she could take photos of the couple to immortalize the beautiful moment.

Tristan could have chased Chelsea away during those times. Instead, he just smiled and let her stay.

Leticia felt exhausted, to say the least. She didn't want to become a paranoid wife who constantly doubted her husband. But whenever she saw Tristan and Chelsea exchanging suggestive looks with each other, she was so upset that she could barely utter a word.

One night, Leticia suddenly developed a high fever. She huddled beneath her covers, feeling as though her body was on fire. Her skin was practically searing from the heat.

Tristan was extremely anxious, to say the least. He kept using ice packs to help lower Leticia's body temperature. He'd also pick her up and feed her fever medication once every ten minutes.

Leticia was delirious from the fever. She reflexively dodged the glass that was moved to her lips by turning her head away.

Although she was being difficult, Tristan wasn't impatient in the slightest. Instead, he continued to speak to her gently.

"Letty, be good now. If you take your meds, you'll feel a lot better."

As Leticia lay on Tristan's chest and listened to his strong heartbeat, she managed to crack her eyes open with difficulty. That was when she made eye contact with Tristan's loving eyes.

"Come, now. Take the meds before going to bed. I'll be here with you."

Leticia managed to open her mouth and swallow the medication Tristan personally fed to her. Only then did she lie back down on the bed. Tristan took her hand firmly, his thumb stroking the back of her hand comfortingly.

The room was quiet. However, Leticia soon heard Tristan's thoughts.

[Hurry up and fall asleep, Letty. Chels told me she just got into a car accident. I still don't know what the situation is on her side. I need to leave as soon as possible.]

Leticia stared at Tristan in disbelief. She happened to catch sight of him pulling out his phone and responding to a text message with his back facing her.

The worry and nervousness in his stance were palpable, yet these emotions were meant for another person.

Leticia's eyes began burning up uncontrollably. She hurriedly closed her eyes, not wanting Tristan to notice how red her eyes were.

A moment later, Tristan approached her before he called out to her a few times softly. Upon noting the lack of response, he let out a sigh of relief. After that, he left the room hurriedly.

Leticia felt heartbroken at that moment. Her eyes snapped open in a fit of despair. Tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Her phone, which was laid next to her pillow, lit up all of a sudden. She sat up on the bed to swipe on the screen. It was a text message from Chelsea.

"Leticia, if you check Tristan's phone right now, you'll see something surprising."

Leticia turned around to look at Tristan's phone, which was left behind on the table. Uneasiness began surging into her heart.

She knew very well that Chelsea was definitely setting her up for this scheme, yet she still reached for Tristan's phone and unlocked it.

The passcode on Tristan's phone had always been Leticia's birthday. That was how she could unlock it so easily.

Her private chat with Tristan was pinned at the top of the list on WhatsApp. His profile picture was a photo of them. Her photo was the common background for all available chat groups as well.

But Chelsea's name stood out from everything else on one particular private chat.

Leticia hesitated for a long time. Finally, she tapped into Tristan and Chelsea's private chat with a trembling finger. Thus, she took the first step in uncovering the truth.