Chapter 1 Part 1

"What's wrong, Noah? Why are you shouting for your wife?" asked Mrs. Rose as she approached her son in the living room, alarmed by his shouting-Noah Jeryco Alexander.

"Mom, Dad, my wife isn't in the room. I've looked for her, but she's nowhere to be found. God, Ariel, where the hell did she go?" Noah replied in a panic. The man who had just married a woman named Ariel Shandra ran his hands through his hair repeatedly in frustration.

"Are you sure?" asked Mrs. Rose and Mr. Alex in unison. They were both shocked to hear that their daughter-in-law wasn't in the bridal suite.

"Yes, Mom, Dad, Ariel is really gone," Noah insisted.

"You mean... Ariel ran away?" Mrs. Rose asked, trying to confirm.

"Have you tried calling her?" Mr. Alex added, confused and concerned. How could their daughter-in-law disappear on the wedding night?

"I did, Dad! But her phone is off. If she wasn't ready for intimacy, she should've just told me. She didn't have to run away like this," said Noah angrily, rubbing his face harshly. "If she wasn't ready, I wouldn't have forced her."

Noah took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to calm himself down.

Mrs. Rose was furious, though she didn't show it in front of Noah. Ariel had just become Noah's wife, and she was already causing problems. From the beginning, Mrs. Rose had been against Noah marrying Ariel.

In her eyes, the relationship had moved too fast. They had only dated for three months. Not to mention, Ariel's background didn't measure up to the Alexander family's status.

Before disappearing, Ariel had asked to use the bathroom. It had been almost half an hour, and she hadn't returned. When Noah checked, she was already gone. Now, more than an hour had passed, and there was still no sign of her.

"Oh God... what's going on with your wife? This is exactly why I never liked her from the start," Mrs. Rose said, crossing her arms tightly.

Noah, however, stayed calm, choosing to think positively. He believed that if Ariel had run away, it was likely because she wasn't ready for the wedding night.

Soon after, a notification sounded on his phone. Noah immediately turned on the screen. A video message had arrived. He played the video silently-and was instantly shaken. His hands and body trembled violently. His heart felt like it had been pierced by a thousand knives as he watched the explicit footage.

In the video, his wife was clearly seen passionately making out with another man. The number that sent the video was unknown.

"What the hell is this?" Noah muttered, clenching one fist tightly.

He looked utterly crushed, though he tried not to show it. The pain he felt that night couldn't be described in words. It cut straight to his core. But Noah tried to stay strong, not wanting his parents to notice anything.

"What is it, Noah? Who sent the message?" asked Mrs. Rose curiously.

Noah quickly slipped his phone into his suit pocket.

He forced a smile despite his broken heart. "It's a message from Ariel," he said.

"What did she say?" Mrs. Rose asked, still clearly upset.

"She said something urgent came up, and she didn't want to bother me by asking for permission, so she left," Noah lied. "Anyway, I'm going to pick her up now," he added before walking out.

He was heading to the address listed in the message.

"Was it really that important, that she had to leave on the night of her wedding? That woman is completely out of line," Mrs. Rose said, watching her son's back as he walked away.

"Let it go, Rose. We should get some rest. What matters is that our daughter-in-law is safe," Mr. Alex replied.

A few minutes later, Noah arrived at the hotel. He had tried to mentally prepare himself for what he might find-something that could break his heart even more.

He walked steadily toward the hotel room listed in the message.

*God... give me strength. Please let it be a coincidence. Maybe the woman in the video only looked like Ariel,* he prayed silently.

Even though the footage made it painfully clear who the woman was, Noah was still in denial.

His heart pounded faster as he reached the door. His breathing quickened. He clung to the hope that the woman inside wasn't his wife.

The moaning from the room became louder and clearer.

Slowly, Noah placed his hand on the doorknob. To his surprise, it was unlocked.

Was this intentional?

The woman's moans rang out even more clearly now.

Noah carefully opened the door to avoid making any noise.

His eyes widened in disbelief the moment he saw what was inside. His wife was having sex with another man.

It was true-the woman in the explicit video was Ariel.

"ARIEL!" he screamed.