Chapter 1 Chapter 1

As I was getting ready to make love with my boyfriend, a lace panty suddenly fell out of his suit pocket. It clearly wasn't mine.

I immediately slapped Blake across the face!

"What the hell is this?" I roared.

"It's no big deal, Ava You know, an open relationship. I suggest we try it," he said nonchalantly.

I was stunned - after eight years of love and preparing to marry, Blake had betrayed me. How had I never realized he was a jerk?

Just a few hours ago -

We had attended Blake's father's wedding to his second wife Isabella. Isabella is a lovely woman, and I really like her.

At the altar, as Isabella was about to toss her bouquet, she walked towards me amidst the eager gazes of all the women.

I started feeling nervous. I looked at Blake, and he was gazing at me tenderly as if it was what he had been hoping for.

"Eva, dear," Isabella said as she handed me a bouquet of white roses and lilies. "I can't wait to see your wedding with Blake."

As I received the bouquet, a flush of warmth rose to my cheeks. My gaze turned back to Blake, and he leaned in, his lips brushing my ear as he murmured, "Looks like I'd better hurry to the nearest jeweler and get you a ring before someone else beats me to it." He winked, his tone both teasing and tender.

"Shut up," I joked, giving him a playful slap.

This was actually quite amusing because after being together for eight years, Blake and I had never been in a rush to get married. We always said we would marry when the time was right. But standing here, holding Isabella's bouquet, it felt different. This was the first time I had caught...I mean, received the bride's bouquet. So it felt like a promise of a beautiful future.

A few minutes later, I told Blake, "My feet are killing me."

"Want to go upstairs?" he said, caressing my lower back, then giving me a wink.

I knew what he meant - he wanted to make love, and I desired him just as much. Especially after accepting his proposal, I really wanted him to pound me hard right now.

"But the party isn't over yet. What if Isabella needs help?" I hesitated.

"Darling, there are indeed a hundred workers here now," Blake said directly, sweeping me up into his arms, his voice thick with lust as he continued, "And right now, the person who needs attending to is me. My dick is so hard it's about to explode."

My fingers brushed against the hardness beneath his pants, and I could feel my core was already soaked! I couldn't help but moan.

"Don't worry, the hotel suite is nice and you can be as loud as you want later," he teased.

He spoke as he forcefully kicked open the door, then swiftly pinned me against it, ripping open my blouse so my breasts bounced free. He grabbed them, licking and sucking on my nipples with his tongue.

I moaned uncontrollably as his hands went to my skirt, bunching it up forcefully. The sound of ripping panties soon filled the air.

"Damn! You're soaked!" Blake growled, plunging his fingers inside me.

I moaned again, wanting more, tearing at his suit jacket. Suddenly, Blake's phone started ringing.

He was inclined to ignore it, but it persisted. "Shit!" Blake cursed, grabbing the phone. When he noticed the screen, his expression instantly darkened.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Honey, there's an emergency at the company I have to deal with," Blake said with a frown after hanging up.

I knew how important the company was to us, so I nodded, retrieving a fresh set of clothes for him as our earlier actions had left his crumpled.

Without asking, Blake swiftly dressed and hurried out.

But the very next second after he left, I noticed something on the floor.

As I stared at the piece of fabric on the floor, a crease immediately appeared on my forehead. My brain refused to process what I was seeing. I picked it up gingerly between just my thumb and forefinger.

A black lace thong dangled in front of my face.

"What the hell?" I muttered a curse. There were familiar stains on it, my face flushing hot - not from embarrassment or excitement, but from the anger boiling inside.

How could my boyfriend have a woman's panties in his pocket? I clenched my teeth, furious, about to charge after Blake's retreating back.

Eight years. Eight fucking years. Blake couldn't possibly be what I was suspecting. Was I really going to waste all those years over a misunderstanding? My chest felt tight, but I forced myself to take deep breaths. We were talking about Blake here. Cheating? That was too ludicrous.

I immediately thought of that phone call earlier. I grabbed a navy blue cocktail dress from my luggage so I would look more presentable if I ran into guests. I quickly brushed my hair and then rushed out.

When I reached the adjacent balcony, the entrance door was half open, so I peeked inside. The sight that greeted me made me dizzy. Blake's dick was inside another woman's vagina.

How could he do this? Just moments ago, his fingers had been inside me, and I felt sick instantly.

"I bet fucking next door to your fiancée makes it even more exciting," the woman said, her voice making me freeze again.

And the lady was none other than his married ex-girlfriend, Chloe! The same Chloe who'd left him when his family went bankrupt, while I picked up the remaining pieces of his life? My knees nearly gave out, and I had to lean against the wall to stay upright. A cold numbness spread through my chest, replacing the burning anger from before. How could Blake even do this to me?

When I met Blake at Harvard eight years ago, I was the rich girl who had everything, while he was the brilliant scholarship student with nothing but debt to his family's name. His father's bankruptcy had left them scraping by, but Blake never let it dim his ambition. When my parents died in that terrible car accident, he was my rock. He helped me through the grief and the complicated business matters that followed. I gave him everything; my trust, my love, my family's insurance payout to clear his family's debts and I even stepped back from running my father's company so Blake would take control.

All these years, I thought we were building something together..

"I can't actually believe my eyes right now," I scoffed.

Both of them froze when I walked in, but I didn't see any hint of shock in their eyes.

"So this is what you've been doing?" I shook my head at Blake."I can't believe I've been making a joke of myself all along. Eight years of fucking lies! You've been fucking your ex this whole time, huh?!"

I saw Chloe's mocking expression, but the one who betrayed me today was Blake. I glared at him furiously.

"Eva! Calm down-" Blake approached me, naked.

"You stay the hell away from me!" I snarled at him.

He raised his hands, then shrugged and said, "Come on, it's not that big a deal. You're not unfamiliar with the concept of an open relationship, right?"

open relationship? My stomach felt like it had been punched with nausea. "You disgust me," I said with revulsion.

"Hey..." He reached out to me again. "You're overreacting."

"Don't you even dare," I snarled.

Blake came closer to me, staring me down with a condensing smirk. "You know, you're luckier than Chloe. I actually have a thing for you, and I'll make you my wife soon enough so don't fuss like a child now."

My hands had been twitching the whole time he spoke, but shutting that disgusting mouth of his was the first thing I wanted to do.

I slapped him hard, cursing, "Asshole," before rushing out of there.