Chapter 2

Aiden left for a very long time. He never came back. Time slowly ticked by. The pain had increased so much that I could no longer endure it, so I ordered some painkillers through a delivery app. I was about to put down my phone when a private message meant for my social media account popped up on the screen. It was from a smurf account with a default profile picture and an auto-generated username. This was the same account that had previously shared the link to Eve's "staying in the same room as the CEO" post with me. I just sighed, already knowing what Eve was up to. After tapping on the link in the private message, a new page popped up, showing the latest post Eve had made an hour ago. She had posted a video titled, "My Prince Charming is my knight in shining armor. He'll come to my aid on his majestic steed." Eve claimed that those drunk hooligans had refused to give up on her, pestering her once again. She said they even drew blades and threatened her. Aiden had arrived just in time to save her. He ended up blocking a slash for her during the chaos. Thankfully, the injury wasn't severe, so he didn't have to go to the hospital. At the end of the video, Eve recorded herself applying medicine to Aiden's wound. For a moment, Aiden's handsome side profile flashed across the phone camera. One of the comments said, "He's so hot! Why are you still applying medicine to his wound? Just pin him down and fuck him already!" Eve replied, "Hahaha! You sound even more anxious than me. Give me some time, and I promise I'll get it done!" Another user posted a photo in the comment section. "The algorithm really is powerful! I was at the scene earlier and took photos of the whole fight! OP, is this you and the CEO?" The disheveled and alarmed Eve was captured in the photo. Aiden could be seen protecting her gallantly. He looked down at Eve, who was bundled in his arms, while enduring the pain from his wound. His gaze was both determined and tender. That was when I felt my heart throb with pain. One month ago, Aiden had invited a huge group of his friends to a karaoke bar. When I arrived, no one else had shown up yet. Later on, I received word from Aiden that he and his subordinates would be late. A short while later, a man entered the private room. It was Dylan Barner, a friend Aiden had met through work. Aiden had mentioned Dylan to me before, but I had never met him. As I chatted with Dylan, he kept eyeing me up and down unabashedly. In fact, he kept scooting closer to me. When I was backed into a corner with nowhere to go, Dylan suddenly wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "You're so pretty. In fact, you're prettier than how Aiden described you." Stunned, I tried to scream for help, only to feel Dylan's hand cover my mouth. "Aiden said you're not a looker, but you're very obedient. Apparently, he can do whatever he wants to you." Dylan gripped me by the nape, forcing me to scoot closer to him. He leaned into my ear, his tone flippant. "I'd like to give it a try too." I began fighting back violently out of fear and shock. Angered by my actions, Dylan revealed a vicious expression. He pressed the lit cigarette against my collarbone right away. I was in so much pain that I could barely breathe. Finally, I used all of my strength to escape from the private room. That was when I heard noises coming from the bend around the corner ahead of me. Aiden and Eve, who were surrounded by a bunch of people, could be seen walking in my direction. "Aiden!" I yelled at my husband. But he acted as though he never heard me. Instead, he led Eve into the same private room, his hand laced with hers. When everyone walked past me, Eve merely shot me a half-smile. A sparkling diamond necklace could be seen adorning her slender neck. That necklace looked very familiar. Aiden had taken a picture of that necklace during his business trip to Fairgardia. He told me that he'd buy it for me. Some time later, he said that customs were having trouble processing the necklace. After that, I didn't hear anything about it anymore. That night, Aiden returned home at a late hour, smelling of alcohol. "Noelle, what's with the tantrum, huh? Why did you leave on your own?" Upon hearing his dissatisfied question, I undid my first button and revealed the blister left behind by the cigarette. Shocked, Aiden looked pained. "What happened to you?" I told him what had happened in the private room. Aiden's brows were tangled in a deep frown, his expression turning stony. "That's enough, Noelle! I can't believe this! You actually harmed yourself just to get my attention!" Aiden yanked me by the hair and dragged me to the mirror. In the mirror, I could see my messy hair and red-rimmed, puffy eyes. "Are you delusional, Noelle? Do you really think you're as radiant as a fairy? Look at you, all disheveled and ragged! You look like an absolute hag! Dylan has his fair share of beautiful women—why would he be interested in you?" After that, Aiden went to bed, still massively drunk. I spent the night sitting in the living room, crying my heart out. Aiden ended up organizing a candlelit dinner as his way of apologizing to me for running his mouth during his drunken state. I thought that incident was over. But when I saw the photo in Eve's comment section, I vividly recalled the disdain in Aiden's eyes back when he had gazed at me. I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms. Soon, I texted my best friend, Sylvia Rogers. "Do you know any attorneys? I'd like to inquire about getting a divorce."