Chapter 1

“Sofia, what are you doing here?” Cassia asked in shock.

Cassia never expected to see her friend Sofia in her husband’s room. She was about to go downstairs when she suddenly remembered she had forgotten something. She realized she wasn’t wearing her earrings. In a hurry, she returned to their room to get and wear the earrings her husband had gifted her.

To her surprise, she found Sofia inside the room where her husband, Asher, was also present. The sound of the shower running in the bathroom was clear, indicating her husband was still busy bathing.

Cassia frowned as she looked at Sofia, her eyes filled with questions. What could her friend possibly be doing in their room?

“C-Cassia? I-I was looking for you. Your door was open, so I came in. I had been knocking earlier, but no one answered,” Sofia replied with a forced smile.

Sofia, a stunningly beautiful woman, gulped nervously when Cassia suddenly returned to the room. She hadn’t expected Cassia to come back, as the latter was supposed to be downstairs entertaining guests.

Sofia had been itching to enter Cassia’s room not to meet her friend, but to see and spend time with her husband, Asher.

She had timed it perfectly, knowing her friend would be away. Without hesitation, she entered the room. Sofia grinned when she heard the sound of the shower running. She was about to take off her floral dress when the door suddenly opened. She had no time to hide, and her friend caught her red-handed.

“Is that so? I was in such a hurry to go downstairs because I received your text. I rushed so much that I forgot to wear my earrings,” Cassia said.

Cassia glanced at the side table near the bed, where her pearl earrings were placed. Smiling, she walked over, picked up her favorite pair of earrings her husband’s birthday gift to her and put them on.

She had just finished getting ready when she received Sofia’s text, saying the guests were looking for her in the hotel garden area.

Today was a special day for Cassia, especially for her husband, Asher. It was their gender reveal party. After five years of marriage, she was finally blessed with a precious gift from God. They had longed for a child for so long.

Now, at five months pregnant, she was only four months away from finally seeing their baby. Both she and her husband were excited to find out the baby’s gender.

As for Cassia, she didn’t care whether it was a boy or a girl. What mattered most to her was that the baby was healthy and free of any complications.

Cassia knew her husband was hoping for a boy. Even during their dating years, he had always said he wanted to have sons.

"Let's head downstairs, Cassia. I'm sure a lot of people are waiting for you, and they're excited to find out whether your baby is a boy or a girl," Sofia said with a sweet smile.

Smiling, Sofia approached her friend Cassia and invited her to leave the room. Before they could take a step toward the door, they saw a strikingly handsome man step out.

He was only wrapped in a towel around his waist, leaving Sofia's admiring eyes free to roam over the impressive physique of the man.

She couldn't help but notice the Adonis like body of Asher, Cassia's husband. Unconsciously, she swallowed hard while staring at the dashing man who had just stepped out of the shower.

Sofia suddenly felt a thirst she couldn't quite explain as she beheld the sight before her. She gave Asher a sly smile, causing him to freeze in shock upon seeing her.

"S-Sofia?" Asher stammered in surprise.

Asher, looking like he had seen a ghost, was stunned to find Sofia in the same room as his wife. He had not expected to encounter her there.

Noticing Sofia's mischievous grin, he quickly averted his gaze toward his wife.

"Honey! You take forever in the shower. Hurry up and get dressed your guests are already waiting downstairs," Cassia called out.

Looking at her friend standing beside her, Cassia suddenly felt a strange unease. She couldn't quite understand Sofia's mysterious smile as she kept her eyes fixed on Asher.

But she quickly brushed it off, finding no reason for Sofia's odd expression toward her husband.

"My god, Asher! You shower like a woman. Hurry up, your guests are getting impatient. I hope you like the party I organized for you," Sofia said cheerfully.

Sofia then led Cassia out of the room and toward the garden area of the hotel, where the guests were waiting.

They left Asher standing like a statue outside the shower room. Sofia secretly chuckled to herself at what had just happened, finding the situation amusing. It only fueled her excitement to interact further with the couple.

As they headed to the garden where the party was being held, Sofia proudly boasted about the gender reveal party she had organized. She had spent days planning it and was confident it had all been worth it.

"Thank you so much, Sofia. This might sound cliché, but I don't know what I would have done without you. I'm sure I would have been so stressed planning this party. You know how much I've wanted to do this. Thank you for being there for me," Cassia said gratefully.

Sofia had indeed been a huge help. Cassia had always wanted a gender reveal party if she ever got pregnant, and Sofia had promised to handle everything for her. Cassia wasn't sure how she could ever repay her.

"You don't have to thank me, Cassia. Seeing you and Asher happy is enough for me. After all, we're friends. But promise me, when it's my turn to get pregnant, you'll plan my gender reveal party," Sofia said with a laugh.

In Sofia's mind, however, she didn't do all this for Cassia but for Asher. She hadn't completely lost her mind to the point of slaving away for her friend. After all, she'd already received her "payment" last night from the handsome Asher, Cassia's husband.

When they arrived at the venue, Cassia's guests warmly greeted them. Sofia put on her sweetest smile for the people she had invited.

She saw the joy on Cassia's gentle face as she mingled with the guests.

"Sofia, Manang and Tatang are here too!" Cassia said excitedly.

Cassia hadn't expected her caretakers, Manang and Tatang, to be present. She knew they lived in the province. They had cared for her since childhood, and she considered them as real family.

"I know how important they are to you, Cassia. That's why I made sure to invite them first before anyone else," Sofia replied.

In truth, Sofia barely knew or cared about the elderly couple approaching them. Asher had only mentioned them briefly when talking about Cassia's childhood.

"Thank you so much, Sofia!"

Cassia hugged Sofia tightly, her gratitude overflowing. She couldn't hold back her tears of happiness.

"Oh my god! Don't cry you'll ruin your makeup," Sofia teased.

She quickly called a waiter to get some tissues for Cassia. When Cassia finally released her from the hug, Sofia saw the pure joy on her friend's face.

Sofia secretly thought that perhaps she had lessened her guilt toward Cassia by making her this happy today. She also chuckled inwardly at the idea that she was making Asher even happier than Cassia.

"What happened, honey?" Asher asked with concern.

Fear and nervousness coursed through Asher as he saw his wife crying while standing with Sofia.

The worst case scenario flashed through his mind what if Cassia had discovered the affair between him and Sofia? Panicked, he immediately approached the two women.