The first time I have an affair, it's with my wife, Josephine Yates' best friend, Lydia Bennett.

When Josephine catches us red-handed in bed, I'm in the middle of enjoying myself, my cheeks insanely flushed.

Josephine gets into a huge fight with Lydia afterward. Then, she proceeds to drink her sorrows away that night before choosing to forgive me.

After we've patched things up, we grow even more lovey-dovey than when we first got married. In fact, we're known as the golden couple who are envied by all.

That is, when Josephine catches me cheating on her again on our tenth year anniversary.

This time, I'm sleeping with Victoria Fairfax, the senior whom Josephine admires and respects the most.

Josephine is so furious that she almost suffers from a seizure on the spot. Having gone batshit crazy, she decides to commit joint suicide with Victoria.

I can only sigh before pulling her into my arms.

"This is my last time doing this. I promise that you're the only one I want to be with for the rest of my life."

Josephine is in so much pain and agony that she's on the brink of despair. Still, she believes my words and treats me even better now.

She showers me with lavish gifts, be it luxury watches, unique custom-fitted apparel, or limited-edition racing cars. As long as she can afford it, she'll strive to give me the best.

Some people call me a freeloading husband. That night, Josephine makes sure that those people have vanished off the face of the earth.

When I tell Josephine that I don't want children, she gets her tubes tied immediately.

Everyone praises Josephine for being devoted. They also claim that I've married the right woman.

I just smile and nod. "I've used up all of my luck to meet Josephine in my life."

But on Josephine's 34th birthday, she spies a paternity test report on my desk. That's when she suffers from a complete mental breakdown.

The child is mine, and yet she's never given birth before.

The room was packed with Josephine Yates' friends and family, all gathered for her birthday.

In the center of the room stood a massive, seven-tier cake. The "Happy Birthday" song looped endlessly in the background, making the atmosphere feel entirely surreal.

But Josephine kicked everyone out. She stared at the paternity test results, her eyes wide with rage.

"Whose is it? Who gave birth to this kid? Was it Lydia? Victoria? Or some other bitch?" she demanded.

This was the third time she had caught me cheating.

Every single time, she reacted with the same hysterical despair and devastation, as if the world were ending.

The first time it happened, I panicked and tried to cover it up. The second time, I felt guilty and clumsily made up excuses.

But this time, I just felt a wave of irritation.

"I don't know," I said.

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I was out socializing back then. I got wasted a few times, so I don't really remember."

Josephine stared at me in disbelief, the rims of her eyes burning crimson.

"Lucius, I burned bridges with my best friend for you. I completely cut ties with my senior from school. You didn't want kids, so I went and got my tubes tied immediately.

"Everyone laughs at me behind my back, and I just take it on the chin. I turned my own life into a running joke, all just to keep you happy."

Every single word sounded strained.

"And you went and got someone else pregnant! Tell me, do you even have a conscience?"

Josephine truly loved me. She had fallen for me at first sight back on our high school football field and pursued me relentlessly. She knew my preferences better than my parents did, perhaps even better than I knew them myself.

Our families shared a generations-long feud.

To be with me, she endured severe physical punishment from her father that landed her in the ICU multiple times, and she almost got her face slashed by my older sister.

When a runaway car hurtled toward us on the street, she pushed me out of the way without a second thought, even though it rendered her bedridden for three months.

I should've been consumed by shame for what I did.

"Josephine, I swear this is the last time," I vowed. "You know you're the only one I've ever loved."

Her eyes were bloodshot. "Fine. Then ship that bastard out of the country and never see him again!"

"No way!" I blurted.

Under her piercing gaze, I quickly looked away, guilt washing over me.

Her throat tightened as she swallowed hard, her voice turning raspy. "If I told you that it's either shipping this kid away or getting a divorce, what then?"

I kept my head down, letting the silence stretch between us for a moment. "In that case... let's just get a divorce."

"Lucius Winthrop!" Josephine hissed through gritted teeth, her eyes red-rimmed.

She raised her hand, and I instinctively closed my eyes.

Yet, Josephine's hand hit the wall behind me.

I opened my eyes, meeting a gaze full of sorrow, agony, and despair. She grabbed her coat and rushed out the door.

Staring at the smear of blood left on the wall, I felt an inexplicable knot in my chest.

Even at her absolute angriest, Josephine couldn't bring herself to cuss me out, so how could she ever actually strike me?

We clearly loved each other deeply, so how did we end up like this?

It seemed to come down to nothing more than basic, primal desire.

Just then, my phone buzzed.

Looking at the screen, I curled my lips into a mocking smirk and took a screenshot.

Just as I decided to brew a cup of coffee, Lydia Bennett called.

Her voice sounded soft and affectionate. "Luke, I miss you. Can I buy you dinner tonight?"

"Sure."

I tamped down the storm of emotions in me, ended the call, changed my clothes, and headed out.

Lydia booked a table at my favorite steakhouse on the west side of town.

Inside the private room, candlelight flickered gently over her deep blue dress. The cut exposed her bare back, and she offered me a tender smile.

"You're actually willing to come out and spend time with me on her birthday. Does that mean I'm more important to you than she is?"

I smiled, tossing the question right back at her. "What do you think?"

Lydia didn't press further. She poured me a drink and fixed my plate, incredibly excited and paying attention to every little detail.

"I heard about the baby. Did Ms. Fairfax give birth to it?"

Before I could respond, she smiled. "It doesn't matter. I don't care who gave birth to it. I'll raise the kid as my own. Once you and Josephine get a divorce, I'll marry you."

The words had barely left her mouth when Victoria Fairfax pushed the door open, her face stone-cold.

"The rule was Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for me, and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for you. No one bothers Luke on Sundays. You're breaking the rules."

Lydia flashed a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I can't help it if Luke likes me better."

"Don't flatter yourself."

Victoria sat down without waiting for an invitation. Her gaze only softened when it finally drifted over to me. "Even if he gets a divorce, he's marrying me."

Lydia's smile didn't waver. "Are you getting more stubborn with age?"

God, this was annoying.

My expression turned listless. "If you're going to keep this up, both of you can get the hell out."

They both looked away at the same time.

Lydia grabbed my hand, pulling me toward her. "Luke, sit over here. There's more room."

Victoria immediately seized my other hand. "He always sits by the window. Stop bossing him around."

Lydia kept right on smiling. "You certainly have a sharp memory, but I was the one who drove him home last week at 2:00 am!"

"That was only because I was out of town on business," Victoria snapped, her eyes narrowing. "Unlike a certain somebody who has nothing but free time to throw themselves at another woman's husband."

Watching them argue again, I felt completely helpless.

Before I could even pull my hands free, the door to the private room swung open a second time.

Josephine stood in the doorway, flanked by her childhood friend, Nicholas Harrington.

Her face turned livid as she stared down at my hands, which were held tightly by Victoria and Lydia.

Nicholas looked on with disdain. "Lucius, have you no shame? Josephine completely burned bridges with the entire Yates family for you, but look at what you've been up to.

"You fathered a bastard child, and now you're flirting around with multiple women. Do you even deserve to be a part of the Yates family?"

Lydia and Victoria stood up simultaneously, shielding me from view.

Victoria's gaze turned ice-cold, while Lydia flashed a fake smile.

"If you don't drop the attitude, I don't mind beating some manners into you," said the latter.

"Why, you—"

Nicholas' face flushed bright red with fury. "Josephine, look at him. He's fooling around with these women right in front of your face. You should've dumped this cheating piece of trash a long time ago—"

"That's enough!" Josephine cut him off.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it sounded cold as ice. "Say one more word about him, I'll run your father's company out of Jorvia by tomorrow morning."

Nicholas froze. "Josephine, I'm just looking out for you—"

"Who do you think you are? Listen up. Lucius Winthrop is the love of my life. Whether he's good or bad is none of your business."

Josephine threw a glass of wine in his face. "Get out!"

Drenched in alcohol and looking utterly pathetic, Nicholas stared at Josephine. " I hate you…"

He turned and ran out the door.

Josephine walked over and took my hand. Lydia and Victoria wanted to step in, but they pulled their hands back the moment they met my gaze.

The drive from the restaurant back to the house passed in total silence.

The air felt thick and heavy, making my heart sink with every breath I took.

The second we arrived, Josephine stood on her tiptoes, kissed me hard, and unbuckled my belt before slipping a hand inside.

The lights were off, and in the chaos, something got knocked over.

The night should've been intimate and full of passion, but my reflexes outran my thoughts. Unable to shove her away, I struck her right across the face, the sharp smack echoing through the darkness.

The room went dead silent.

As the lights flickered on, I found myself staring straight into Josephine's eyes, bloodshot and filled with hurt.

"They're allowed to, so why can't I?" she whispered.

I turned my head away and kept my lips pressed into a thin line, staying silent.

She bit her lip as tears streamed down her face. "Luke, I'm your wife!"

"Don't overthink it. The baby has a fever right now, and I'm honestly just not in the mood," I reassured her gently.

Josephine stared at me in disbelief. "You're rejecting me over a bastard?"

"Stop calling my kid a bastard. I don't like it."

I frowned.

When she looked at me with those wounded eyes, I couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. "Josephine, I want to be a father."

"Then ship the kid abroad! I'll go get my IUD removed today, and we can start trying!" she pleaded desperately.

I went silent again.

The light in Josephine's eyes gradually faded. "You don't want to?" she asked, her voice raspy.

I still didn't say a word.

She looked ready to explode, but she choked back the words at the tip of her tongue. Her lips trembled as she clutched her head, sliding weakly down the wall until she sat helplessly on the floor.

"What's wrong? What is going on with you? Tell me what I'm doing wrong. Just tell me, and I'll fix it! Please… Just don't treat me like this."

Seeing her like that made my chest tighten with discomfort.

"Josephine, stop this," I said. "If you really can't handle it, we can just get a divorce. I don't want to watch you suffer either."

"No! I will never divorce you!"

She despised it whenever I brought up the topic, yet she still couldn't bring herself to cuss me out. She stumbled to her feet and ran upstairs, not coming back down for the rest of the night.

I thought about going up to comfort her, but I gave up on the idea.

I was never good with words anyway.

Besides, she would always find a way to fix herself, just like every other time before.

Sure enough, before I could even go to sleep after my shower, Josephine walked into the bedroom. She kept a cold, expressionless face as she blow-dried my hair for me.

Once I drifted off, she wrapped her arms around me from behind, her demeanor still icy.

The crook of my neck felt wet. It seemed she was crying again.

I opened my eyes, wanting to say something, but I ended up just staring blankly at the wall until dawn.

The next morning, Josephine mentioned a new product launch and asked me to accompany her to the office, so I agreed.

The moment we stepped outside, however, we ran straight into Nicholas, whose eyes were swollen.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things about you yesterday," he apologized. "It was all my fault. I won't do it again!"

Before I could even utter a response, Josephine snapped with disgust, "Get lost. Don't you ever show your face in front of my husband again."

Nicholas' eyes reddened, but he didn't dare make a sound, slinking away in defeat.

I was long used to Josephine fighting my battles like this. I just glanced over at her and climbed into the car.

The seat angle was adjusted perfectly to my comfort, my favorite red wine waited in the mini-fridge, the stereo played my favorite artist, and the air carried my usual brand of cologne.

She still knew me inside out.

And everyone knew just how much she loved me.

When we arrived at the office, her secretary, Jonathan Wemby, met us with a cup of coffee each. He looked at me with earnest, worried eyes.

"Mr. Winthrop, Ms. Yates has given you everything you could ever ask for. She's a woman who gave up her own chance at motherhood just for you. Please stop putting her through the wringer…

"There aren't many people in this world who truly care about you. You need to learn to cherish that. Have some mercy on Ms. Yates. Don't keep hurting her."

To be honest, I had heard variations of this lecture so many times that I was completely numb to it. Josephine, however, had zero tolerance for anyone who spoke ill of me.

"Jonathan Wemby, you're fired. Pack your things."

Jonathan froze. "Ms. Yates, what did I do—"

"My husband's character is none of your business," she said, stepping right between us to cut him off. "I pay you to work, not to play his moral compass. Pack up your desk and get the hell out!"

"I just hate seeing you get the short end of the stick, Ms. Yates. I was only trying to talk some sense into him—"

"Who do you think you are? I don't need you to feel terrible for me."

Faced with such a ruthless public tongue-lashing from Josephine, Jonathan's eyes welled with tears. Yet, she showed zero mercy. "Would you rather I call security?"

I gave her sleeve a gentle tug. "Mr. Wemby has been your secretary for the past eight years. He's earned a little slack."

"In my world, absolutely no one comes before you," Josephine declared.

Jonathan forced a strained smile. "I appreciate you looking out for me, Mr. Winthrop, but she's right. I was out of line."

He gave a stiff nod and walked out.

I let out a soft sigh and picked up the cup of coffee.

Josephine stared at me, suddenly breaking the silence. "Luke, about that kid… Can't we just send him abroad and wash our hands of this?"

"I'm keeping him," I replied.

She stared at me for what felt like an eternity, her jaw set. I looked down and noticed a faint trace of white residue clinging to the ceramic rim of my mug.

I drank it anyway.

Right before losing consciousness, I felt Josephine lean down and press a soft kiss to my forehead.

"Just sleep, Luke. By the time you wake up, everything will be over. We can start our own family."

But Josephine, that was the last chance you were ever going to get from me.

When I finally came around, my phone buzzed with a text from the kid's mother.

"Ms. Yates cut us a check for ten million dollars to go abroad. We're not allowed to return, nor can we ever reach out to you again."

Strangely enough, the news didn't sting. If anything, a massive weight was lifted right off my shoulders.

I should thank her for being so ruthless. It meant that I didn't have to hold back anymore.

Now, it was time to put an end to things.