When I found out about Kelly’s affair, we were both surprisingly calm. She shielded the young man behind her, her voice a flat monotone. “Don’t blame him. It was all me. I couldn’t control myself. He’s innocent.” I nodded, feigning understanding. That night, Kelly came home and handed me a set of divorce papers. “I’ve made concessions financially. Take a look. If there are no issues, just sign.” I tossed the papers into the trash. “Don’t worry,” I said, my tone magnanimous. “I’m not going to make a scene and demand a divorce over something so trivial.” It was just an affair. In this age of fast-food romance, who hasn’t faced a little temptation? I hadn’t exactly been a saint myself. How could I blame her? 1 Kelly froze, a cigarette halfway to her lips. She looked up, her eyes narrowed. I knew what she was thinking. I used to be the jealous type, the kind who couldn’t tolerate a single grain of sand in his eye. Kelly had always been a magnet for men. Even in the early, passionate days of our relationship, when she was trying her best to be faithful, there were always shameless guys who threw themselves at her. I used to pick fights with her about it constantly. But over the years, maybe the passion had faded. Or maybe I was just getting older, too tired to argue. Our marriage had become a stagnant pond, utterly still. When life gets that dull, a little excitement is inevitable. “Kelly, we’ve known each other for twenty years. We’ve been married for almost ten. The company is thriving, and our parents get along.” “Do you have any idea what a divorce would mean for us?” It would mean dividing our assets, and the company’s stock would take a hit. It would mean upheaval for both our families. Our parents were old, with pre-existing health conditions. The shock could be too much for them. Kelly was silent for a long time. Finally, she said, “I’m just trying to respect you.” “And your idea of respecting me is to find a lover and cheat on me?” She frowned. “He’s not a lover! I told you, I’m the shameless one. He knew I was married. He tried to reject me.” “I get it. You don’t have to explain. Matters of the heart are hard to control with logic.” I decided to lay all my cards on the table. “You’re just afraid I’ll use my position as your husband to hurt him, aren’t you? Don’t worry. I might not have many virtues, but I am generous.” She studied me, her eyes searching for a crack in my facade. “You really don’t mind?” “I wouldn’t say I don’t mind at all. But you two are in love.” I sighed dramatically. “True love is a rare thing these days. I have nothing but respect and well wishes for it.” 2 My performance didn’t completely convince her, but she knew the facts I’d laid out were undeniable. So, she agreed to reconsider the divorce. For the next few days, she came home from work on time. When her phone rang, she would glance at me and decline the call. “Was that him?” I asked, my voice dripping with magnanimity. “You should answer. Don’t make him sad. You can’t give him a proper title; the least you can do is not make him suffer in other ways.” She gritted her teeth, stood up, and disappeared into her study, closing the door firmly behind her. The closed door was like her heart—it hadn’t been open to me for a long, long time. I understood her, really. People are tolerant of those they love deeply, and of those they don’t love at all. It’s the ones they used to love, the ones they’ve fallen out of love with, that they treat with the most cruelty. She must despise me now. The very act of breathing the same air as me was probably torture for her. And yet, she forced herself to come home every night, to play this game with me, all because she was afraid of what I might do to her lover. Poor thing. That night, as usual, I slept alone. I couldn’t remember the last time Kelly and I had been intimate. In the beginning, I used to try to seduce her, but she always claimed she was too tired. But a woman’s libido doesn’t just die. I knew she wasn’t tired. She was just… satisfied by someone else. And I was a man with needs. So, I had found a clean, uncomplicated woman to fill the void. Before bed, a message popped up on my phone. [When are you getting a divorce?] [I told you, I don’t do married men! If you don’t divorce her, we’re done!] I thought of her perfect breasts and long legs and licked my lips with a pang of regret. A divorce was out of the question. But she sounded so resolute. I couldn’t force her. So, with a sigh, I deleted her contact. Oh well. Plenty of other fish in the sea. Bye-bye, baby. The next one will be even better. 3 Monday was the quarterly shareholders’ meeting. I hadn’t been to the office regularly since I’d gotten sick from overworking a couple of years ago. I’d been recuperating at home, living comfortably off the dividends. But I always made a point to attend the shareholders’ meetings. There were a few new faces since my last visit. My eyes immediately landed on a young man in the corner, tasked with taking the minutes. When he saw me, his eyes darted around nervously before he lowered his head, trying to make himself invisible. I felt no animosity toward him, just a flicker of pity. He was the first man Kelly had ever brought before me. But he wasn't the first man she had cheated on me with. Kelly was a professional. She kept her work life and her private life separate. She never brought her other lovers to the company. The way she defended him, the protective instinct in her voice… this time, it seemed, it really was true love. At ten o’clock sharp, Kelly entered the conference room but didn’t start the meeting. A few moments later, the door opened again, and a woman in a charcoal gray suit strode in. “Sorry, I’m late,” she said, her tone devoid of any actual apology. She took a seat next to Kelly. She seemed to feel my gaze on her and met my eyes with a cool, indifferent stare before looking away. I let out a soft “tsk.” That woman had a poker face that could rival a statue’s. Especially in bed. The more turned on she got, the colder her expression became. But I guess I had a bit of a masochistic streak. The colder she was, the more excited I got. “Mr. Collins, who is that?” the shareholder next to me whispered. “That’s Amelia Vance, our angel investor,” I explained quietly. “The company wouldn’t exist without her initial investment.” “But I’ve never seen her at a meeting before.” “She has a lot of assets. We send her an invitation every quarter, but she’s always declined.” “So why is she here today?” I smiled and shook my head. “I have no idea. Maybe she was bored.” 4 The meeting ended around noon. I decided to stay and have lunch with Kelly. As I was washing my hands in the restroom, Kelly’s lover walked in. He saw me and instinctively turned to flee. But after a moment’s hesitation, he shuffled over, his head bowed, and mumbled, “Mr. Collins.” I took my time washing my hands, drying them meticulously under the hand dryer. He stood there, waiting for a response that never came, and his shoulders started to shake. Tears welled up in his eyes. He looked so pathetic. “Mr. Collins, I really didn’t mean to destroy your marriage. I… I didn’t know she was married at first…” he stammered, his voice choked with sobs. “I tried to leave her, but… but…” “But you love her too much,” I finished for him, a sympathetic tone in my voice. I took out a handkerchief, gently lifted his chin, and dabbed at his tears. “The thought of leaving her was like a knife in your heart.” “So, you continued the affair. And then she brought you into the company, so you could be with her every day. Am I right?” I had stolen all his lines. He just stared at me, forgetting to cry. “Is there something you want to say to me?” I asked. The company was huge. If he had really wanted to avoid me, it would have been easy. His intentions were so transparent. He was so weak, so fragile, that I almost found him endearing. “Mr. Collins, you’re so successful, so handsome, so rich. So… so… could you please… divorce her…?” he finally whispered, knowing he had no right to ask. The tears started again. “I have no other choice. I… I love her so much…” “Call me shameless, call me despicable, I don’t care! I’ll do anything for our happiness!” I smiled and nodded. “I understand. You can stop crying now.” “Thank you for your generosity,” he said, and started to kneel. But he stopped when he realized I wasn’t going to stop him, his knees hovering awkwardly in mid-air. I glanced at my watch. No wonder I was hungry. “Kelly and I will discuss the divorce,” I said, patting his shoulder as I walked past him. Kelly’s office was spacious. When I entered, she was chatting with Amelia. Seeing me, Kelly smiled. “Perfect timing. Amelia, it’s been a while since you’ve seen Ethan, right? Why don’t we all have lunch together?” It hadn’t been that long. We’d just slept together last week. Amelia glanced at me and gave a slight nod. “It has been a while. I was actually going to message you both last night to arrange lunch today, but it seems Ethan deleted me?” “That’s impossible,” Kelly said, grabbing my phone and scrolling through my contacts. Her smile faltered when she couldn’t find Amelia’s name. “He must have deleted you by accident,” she explained quickly. “Ethan never deletes people.” “It’s fine. We can just add each other again.” Amelia held out her phone with a QR code, watching as Kelly scanned it and sent a friend request. I rolled my eyes. Who was it that swore last night we should never contact each other again? 5 Just as we were about to leave, Kelly’s lover knocked on the door, looking pale and unwell. He wanted to take the rest of the day off. Technically, he should have gone to his direct supervisor. But he was the apple of Kelly’s eye. So, naturally, Kelly stayed behind to tend to him, and I ended up going to lunch with Amelia alone. As we were leaving, Kelly reminded me to get on Amelia’s good side, especially after the “accidental” deletion. They had been best friends in college. Amelia’s generous investment was the reason Kelly’s company had even gotten off the ground. But people change, and their positions in life were different now. Things were more complicated. To show the sincerity of my apology, the moment we got in the car, I let Amelia tie my hands with her silk tie. Her expression was cold as she gripped my wrists, her teeth sinking into the soft flesh. “So ruthless,” she hissed, her voice like ice. “Deleting me just like that. You come and go as you please. What am I to you? A dog?” The car windows were tinted, but we were still in the company parking lot. The familiar surroundings sent a thrill of forbidden excitement through me. “You love her that much? You know she’s been cheating on you for years, but you still won’t divorce her?” She climbed onto my lap, her fingers digging into my jaw, forcing me to look out the window. Kelly was gently guiding her lover out of the elevator, her face etched with concern. They were probably on their way to the hospital. “Tell me,” Amelia whispered, her breath hot against my ear, “what do you think would happen if I rolled down the window right now and said hello?” 6 I was gasping for air. Amelia was not a gentle lover. Especially in bed. I knew that the more I begged for mercy, the more frenzied she would become. So, instead, I reached over and pressed the button to lower the window, leaning out to wave at Kelly. Kelly, sensing something, turned and looked our way. But the window was already closed again. “What’s wrong?” her lover asked, snuggling closer to her. He followed her gaze. Kelly shook her head, and they got into their car. What a shame. Amelia was driving her new Rolls-Royce today. Kelly had never seen it before. Otherwise, she might have recognized the car and suspected something. I remembered the pictures Amelia had sent me of the car’s interior. She had said it was spacious. Perfect for… this. And she was right. When it was over, I was curled up in the back seat, exhausted. Amelia’s blouse was unbuttoned, her body still flushed with the afterglow of sex. A smug, satisfied look was on her face. “No matter how hard you fight it, this marriage won’t last much longer,” she said, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. “You know how serious Kelly is about him this time.” Of course, I knew. Because the last man Kelly had loved this deeply was me. “It doesn’t matter. The worst she can do is sue for divorce.” I let out a low chuckle. “But I have all the time in the world. I can wait her out.” “Ethan, I don’t understand you,” Amelia said, her brow furrowed. “What’s the point of holding onto a loveless marriage with a woman who doesn’t want you?” “There is no point. But does everything in life have to have a point?” “Besides, even if I divorce her, I’m not going to marry you. So, what’s the point of you pushing for this divorce?” Her lips tightened, her eyes darkening. She was angry. I knew it. I sighed. “You enjoy the thrill of an affair, but you also want the legitimacy of a title.” “You can’t have it all, Amelia.” 7 That night, Kelly didn’t come home. I expected as much. So, under the guise of comforting me, Amelia let herself into my house. And then, at the peak of my ecstasy, as my body trembled uncontrollably, she picked up her phone and called Kelly. “Amelia? What’s wrong?” It was the middle of the night. Kelly’s voice was hoarse, laced with sleep. “I heard from Ethan that you want a divorce,” Amelia said, her voice impossibly calm, betraying nothing of the high-intensity workout she was currently engaged in. I bit my lip, hard, but a small, choked sob escaped. Kelly heard it. “Are you two together right now?” “Yes.” Amelia looked down at me, her fingers gently brushing through my sweat-drenched hair, her gaze lingering on my flushed face. “He’s crying.” There was a pause on the other end of the line. “It’s my fault,” Kelly finally said. “So, you’re really going through with the divorce?” “I have no choice.” I heard the flick of a lighter. Kelly’s voice was heavy with sorrow. “I’ve already hurt Ethan. I can’t hurt another man.” “He loves me so much. I have to be responsible for him.” “But Ethan doesn’t want a divorce. He still loves you,” Amelia said, and I could feel the jealousy in her words, a sharp, bitter edge that she took out on my body. “I’ll find a time to talk to him properly.” After she hung up, Amelia’s questions were relentless. “Did you hear that? She doesn’t love you anymore!” “Divorce her!” “No…” “I’m asking you one last time. Are you going to divorce her?” I gripped the bedsheets, my voice a strained whisper. “No!” Why should I? Why should I make it easy for them? Why should I give up my stable, comfortable life? Ethan Collins will be a widower, but he will never be a divorcee.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "388033", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel