Chapter 1

"Go and help Maura with her dress. The pleats at the back of her gown haven't been fanned out properly," Caleb ordered.

Caleb Goode was my husband. He was never this attentive when we were preparing for our wedding. I, Winifred Leverton, handled everything from picking the wedding venue to the invitation designs.

Yet, Caleb was suddenly extra attentive now that his father, Charles Goode, was about to marry Maura Sudlow. He even tried on the groom's suit on Charles' behalf.

I knelt and neatly laid out the pleats down Maura's gown. While doing so, I noticed Maura smiling sweetly at Caleb. The latter even returned her gaze with a gentle look.

The more I thought about their exchanged looks, the more my chest constricted.

That was because I knew Caleb had an old flame before he and I got married. His friends used to call her Ms. S.

In our three years of marriage, this was my first time seeing Caleb take the initiative to interact with a woman.

Even the shop's employees dreamily sighed while complimenting, "Mr. Goode must love his wife a lot. It's been a long time since I've seen a man's eyes twinkle with such affection when his bride-to-be comes out of the fitting room."

I couldn't suppress my suspicions as time went on. It felt as if Caleb saw himself as the groom.

Maura returned to the country in March of this year. Then, she speedily registered her marriage to Charles, who was gravely ill, and became Caleb's stepmother.

Because of Charles' health issues, he needed to have a nasal tube on at all times and stay in the hospital's semi-intensive care unit. Meanwhile, Maura moved in with Caleb and me at the Goode family's villa, also known as the Goode residence.

I had long sensed the unusual closeness between Maura and Caleb.

Whenever Caleb finished swimming in our outdoor pool, Maura would wipe him dry with a big towel. Likewise, if Maura had period cramps, Caleb would have her lay on his lap while he massaged her stomach.

They never tried to avoid arousing my suspicion, even when I caught them.

At first, I convinced myself that perhaps they did those things so blatantly because they had a clear conscience. Maybe Maura was genuinely looking after Caleb, and the latter was merely being nice to the former.

However, I suddenly realized something while adjusting Maura's wedding gown. Perhaps I was no different than a housekeeper in their eyes.

"Caleb, the pieces from this jewelry set are too small. Do they have anything bigger?" Maura pouted while hugging Caleb's arm. She was acting like a spoiled brat.

"Alright. I'll check. What kind of jewelry do you like?"

"It's a wedding, so diamonds, of course!" Maura spoke with her eyes rounded innocently.

"Good. We happen to have a jewelry set called the Queen's Tears at home that suits you."

My brain nearly exploded. "Caleb, your late mother gave that to me as a wedding gift. I haven't even worn it once."

The Queen's Tears consisted of a set that contained over 300 carats worth of diamonds. The jewelry was ridiculously expensive. I wanted to wear the set when attending banquets or galas with Caleb. Alas, he always insisted on going alone and didn't want to trouble me.

It wasn't that he didn't want to trouble me. I knew he didn't want anyone to know I was his wife.

Alas, Caleb ignored my protests. All warmth left his eyes as they narrowed at me. "You must be exhausted, Winifred. You should head home and get some rest."

That left me frozen in a dilemma.

Was I to be hysterical and throw a fit? No, I was a woman of upper-class society, so I couldn't possibly behave that way.

Was I to accept Caleb's orders? But every bit of me was unwilling to do so. After all, Caleb's late mother, Viola Chapman, said the Queen's Tears were a gift she had specially selected for me.

Before I could say anything, Caleb shot a look at two of our bodyguards, motioning for them to take me away.

The two then said, "You must be exhausted, Mrs. Goode. Let us escort you home so you can rest."

I was practically forced into the car after that, my brain and body numbed by the situation.

A memory from the depths of my mind surfaced just then. It was of mine and Caleb's wedding.

My family was known as the Levertons. We always had business relations with the Goode family. On top of that, the elders of my and Caleb's family decided on our wedding due to shared interests.

I wasn't too willing to go through with it at first. That said, I changed my mind and was on board once I saw Caleb's face for the first time.

The same couldn't be said for Caleb. He merely performed the bare responsibilities of being a husband. Initially, I would argue with him about it.

Yet, as my family's business declined, we needed the Goode family's support more than ever. So, I had no choice but to hold back my temper from Caleb and be more compliant.

I had even begged my family many times for solutions on how to improve my marriage. The answers I received were always the same—give Caleb a child.

But how could I do so alone? In the three years of our marriage, Caleb only got intimate with me a handful of times.

…

I sprawled on the bed upon arriving home. At the same time, I checked on my menstrual cycle tracking app for the estimated ovulation period.

Maybe everything would be different if I could give Caleb a child.

I went to the fridge, took out the fresh cranberry juice, and drank a lot in hopes that it would improve my vaginal odor. Then, I put on a pair of sexy lingerie and covered myself with a coat while waiting for Caleb to return.

I didn't know how long I had waited, but I eventually heard noises outside the villa. I ran to the bedside window to check.

Caleb and Maura had returned!

The bodyguards moved several bags of custom luxury wear from the trunk into the house. Meanwhile, Caleb and Maura were chatting while walking ahead.

I took a deep inhale before hurrying downstairs to welcome Caleb home. I even hugged him tightly and tried to kiss him to show off my status as his legal wife.

Caleb didn't seem to expect my actions. He awkwardly turned his head the other way. "Maura's still here, so reel it in."

I was already frustrated enough. However, an inexplicable wave of courage washed over me as I deliberately spoke up, "You don't mind, do you, Maura?"

Maura's features contorted hideously, yet she could only shoot me an awkward smile. "Why would I be?"

She even added an intentional jab at me, "Caleb, you've spent way too much time with me today. People who don't know us well enough might misunderstand us for being a married couple. You should run along and spend some time with Winifred."

While saying that, she smilingly nudged Caleb and me up the stairs.

…

Caleb's expression darkened once we entered our bedroom.

I helped him take off his tie and coat.

That was when he admitted his faults from earlier, which was a rare occurrence. "What happened earlier today was my fault. The Queen's Tears belong to you since Mom gave the jewelry to you."

I was taken aback, thinking he was trying to mend our relationship. Joy filled my mind as I wanted to push things a step further.

"It's fine, darling. Let's not talk about that anymore." I slowly undid my coat, revealing my curves that were wrapped in lacy lingerie. Then, I pulled down one of my bra straps on purpose. "Darling, my chest feels stuffy. Could you help me take a look at it?"

He glanced at me and knew what I was getting at but deliberately pretended to misunderstand. "You should see a doctor if you're unwell."

Following that, he headed into the bathroom alone, leaving me frozen in shock.

Caleb was a man in his prime. Even if he disliked me, how could he resist my temptations? Not only that, but I was attractive and good at looking after my body. Plus, I had plenty of men pursuing me before I married him.

Caleb couldn't possibly resist unless he had his fill of lovemaking away from home.

Countless negative thoughts filled my mind. I instinctively dug through Caleb's coat pockets, hoping to find clues about him cheating. Even so, I prayed deep down that it wasn't the case, that I wouldn't find anything, and that this would all pass by in a blur.

Yet, like always, Caleb didn't bother hiding anything.

I found a receipt from an auction house in his coat pocket. He had bought a jewelry set for Maura for a whopping hundreds of millions of dollars. It was called the King's Heart and was 382 carats, which was higher than my jewelry set.

He didn't bother to inform me beforehand, yet he used money from our joint account to make that bid.

It was no wonder he would apologize to me. Why would he spare the Queen's Tears another glance when he had already given Maura the King's Heart?

It was like he refused to be intimate with me now that Maura had returned to the country.