After four years of marriage, not even hitting the seven-year itch, Ethan Sinclair already has a lover. Outside an upscale villa in the Newglory City’s suburbs, Ava sat quietly in the back seat of her luxury car, watching her husband meet another woman in secret.
The girl was young, dressed in a pure white dress that made her look sweet and innocent. They are holding hands intimately. On Ethan’s face was a tenderness Ava had never received. The girl tilted her head coquettishly and said to her husband, “Ethan, my feet hurt. Please carry me!” Ava thought he’d refuse. Ethan was known for his coldness and bad temper. No matter how favored his lover was, he might not satisfy such a trivial request.
But the next moment proved her wrong thoroughly.
Her husband affectionately pinched the girl’s small nose, his eyes soft yet restrained, then lifted her easily into his arms as if she were a treasure. The girl naturally put her slender, fair hands around his long, strong neck and gently stroked his black hair.
Ethan had a small red birthmark on the back of his neck, which looked both sexy and sensitive. Once, during an intimate moment, Ava accidentally touched it, and Ethan immediately pressed her down hard, acting wildly with desire… Sure enough, Ethan soon lost control. He pressed the girl against the thick pillar of the pavilion, flames of desire burning in his eyes
.
Ava quietly closed her eyes, unwilling to watch any longer—
She had never seen such a Ethan, driven mad by love.
So what was I to him?
Before marriage, he pursued her: “Ava, you’re the only one who fits into my world.” That one line made her give up her beloved art, dive headfirst into marriage, business, and power—like a moth to flame. Four years later, Ethan controlled the family power. She’d become a disposable chess piece. He found her too prim, lacking in charm, so he took a lover.
How naive and how ridiculous I was…
When Ava opened her eyes again, all love and hate had vanished. With emotions gone, it was time to talk about money. Even this villa where Ethan was having an affair with his lover is part of their marital property. Ava had no intention of letting this pair of adulterers have their way. She softly asked Annie, her secretary in the front seat, “Has he been with this girl all these three months?”
Annie replied, “The girl’s name is Lily Garcia. She’s sort of a childhood sweetheart of Young Master Sinclair. Not very smart, and not scheming either. Three months ago, he insisted on placing her in the company and taking personal charge of her.”
A stack of files was handed to Ava.
Scanning the materials gently, she thought, maybe it’s better to just let them be.
As long as Ethan agrees to a fair division of their joint property, she’ll take her shares and leave Cleanly and neatly.
Outside the car, the autumn leaves are golden.
The setting sun adds a touch of golden light, dazzling and bright.
Ava steadied herself and called Ethan. He must be busy doting on his lover at the moment—it rang several times before he answered, his voice cold and condescending: “What’s up?”
Ava lowered her eyes slightly. “It’s my birthday today. Will you come home for dinner?”
There was a moment of silence on Ethan’s end.
When a man doesn’t want to go home, there are always excuses—unavoidable social engagements and so on. But Ava clearly heard the girl’s sweet, coquettish voice from the other end of the phone: “Ethan, hurry up! Don’t talk to her…”
Ethan paused.
After a moment, he replied in a cold voice, a hint of awkwardness in his tone: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up.”
The phone made a beeping sound as the call ended—
Typical Ethan, decisive and ruthless. Annie was so angry that she cursed: “He is going too far! He actually forgot…”
But Ava didn’t care. She even thought sarcastically: Sorry for disturbing Master Ethan while he’s doting on his darling. It’s a pity that his legal wife, me, is not happy. Ava smiled faintly: “He didn’t forget. He just doesn’t care! Annie, call to cut off all water, electricity and gas to this villa. Then he’ll know when it’s time to go home.
Annie couldn’t help but praise: “You’re so clever, ma’am.”
Ava didn’t respond. She turned her head slightly to look out the window—The golden light of the setting sun faded, and the sunset glow merged with the horizon. She clearly remembered that on a similar evening several years ago, she had asked Ethan if their marriage vows would last a lifetime, and if he would always be loyal to her.
Yes, he’d said.
He said that in his heart, she was the most important.
But now, he had made her realize that money was most important.
A tear quietly slid down the corner of Ava’s eye…
Back at Imperial Vista.
Half an hour later, Annie brought over a divorce agreement. Ava was asking for half of the property. After taking a shower and getting dressed, she impulsively walked back to the mirror, took off her snow-white bathrobe, and examined her figure under the bright crystal lights. Years of hard work had left her slender, not very curvy. Fortunately, her skin was smooth, setting off her cold and elegant beauty. But clearly, it wasn’t enough to tempt a man. Otherwise, why would Ethan have fallen for someone else?
Thinking of that younger girl, she couldn’t help but imagine Ethan tangled passionately with that youthful body… It must have been more intense than with her. She frowned slightly, ashamed of making such comparisons.
The door was gently opened.
Ethan was back.
He stood at the entrance of the walk-in closet.
A black tailored shirt and trousers outlined his tall, straight figure. His handsome features shone under the light, exuding the charm of a mature man. Ava thought: Even without his fortune, Ethan’s looks alone would be enough to make countless women throw themselves at him. She’d been with him for four years—maybe she hadn’t lost out after all. Their eyes met, and both knew what the other was thinking.
Ethan stepped close behind his wife, looking at their reflections in the mirror.
Ava was fully dressed, her hair neatly done. Even after a shower, she still had the air of a strong, capable businesswoman.
Ethan clearly remembered that on their wedding night, Ava had been a little fragile. Faced with his body, she’d trembled all over with fear. Nothing had happened that wedding night. Half a month later, when there was a business emergency, Ava had curled up in his arms that night, murmuring his name. He’d held her tightly, and that was when they’d truly become couples. Their sex life had been really scarce.
At home, she was the esteemed Margret; at Ronin Group, she was the powerful CEO. She always had an air of invincibility, always cold and distant. Even in bed, Ethan would say, Ava had never truly let go and enjoyed it. After a while, he’d found it rather dull.
Ethan leaned close to Ava, teasing her: “You had someone cut off the water and electricity at the villa? I was just taking a bit more care of an elder’s daughter, and that made you unhappy?”
Ava met his gaze in the mirror—
Ethan mentally calculated; these days were Ava’s ovulation period. He gently touched his wife’s earlobe, leaning in to murmur: “Is this really about your birthday, or about your physical needs? Margret is only 26 and already has such strong desires?” His words was vague, but Ava knew exactly what he wanted.
He wanted a child.
Old Master Sinclair still held 10 percent of Ronin’s shares, and Ethan wanted a child to strengthen his position. But Ethan didn’t know that it would be very hard for them to have a child now. During that accident, after Ava pushed Ethan away, someone kicked her hard in the lower abdomen, making the chance of her getting pregnant very slim. Ava gently closed her eyes to hide her sadness—
But Ethan, for once, was in the mood. He easily picked up his wife, carried her horizontally to the soft big bed in the master bedroom, and soon pressed his body against hers…
How could Ava agree? She pushed against her husband’s chest, her black hair half-spread beside the snow-white pillow, her bathrobe slightly loosened: “Ethan, stop!”
But Ethan kept his eyes fixed on his wife’s face, leaning down to kiss her as if enchanted, his penis hard as iron…
