Chapter 1

Caleb Thompson and I had been in love for ten years. Then, right before our wedding, he suddenly vanished without a trace.

The next time I saw him, he was sweetly holding hands with another woman.

He told me he was on an undercover mission, that the woman was just his target, and I was the only true love of his life.

Later, when the mission ended, he blocked her everywhere and came home to marry me.

For six years, our life together was blissful. I had long forgotten about the past, until I went to file some official paperwork.

“Ms. Hayes, our records indicate you are still unmarried.”

Those words sent a shockwave through me.

“That’s impossible. My husband, Caleb Thompson, and I have been married for six years.”

“The system shows Mr. Thompson is indeed married, but you are not.”

“Then who is his wife?”

“Alexa Monroe.”

The very woman who was Caleb’s undercover target all those years ago.

The clerk handed me all the processed documents.

The name “Alexa Monroe” pierced my heart.

A whirlwind of memories flashed before my eyes, all the moments of these past years.

Six years ago, Caleb and I had a grand wedding ceremony.

To make it up to me, he gave up his dream and quit his job, just to be by my side.

He had a fortune in flowers flown in, simply because I'd once said I liked them.

He even personally traveled to South Africa to pick out gemstones and crafted our wedding rings with his own hands.

For six years, we were sweet and devoted. All our relatives and friends called us the perfect couple.

It was all a lie.

I walked like a zombie back to our doorstep. Before I even stepped inside, I heard Caleb talking on the phone.

“Be a good boy, sweetheart. Daddy will come see you tonight, okay?”

“Make sure you listen to Mommy. Daddy will bring you a gift.”

Caleb was cooing softly, using that syrupy sweet voice a tough guy like him usually despised.

“You’re doing great, babe. Just a little longer, and we’ll finally be a family…”

That last sentence exploded in my mind like a bomb. My blood ran cold.

He had a child already.

When we first got married, he’d traveled frequently for a year.

For the last four months of that period, he’d been completely incommunicado.

Now, it seemed, that must have been when the baby was born.

When he returned from those trips, he always smelled faintly of baby formula. I even teased him, saying he’d suddenly turned into a big softie, a total daddy, at his age.

Now, it all made sense.

“I love you both. You’re the ones I love most in this world.”

I listened as Caleb kept pouring out his love to the person on the other end.

He hadn’t said those words to me in six years. He always said old married couples didn’t need to say mushy things like that.

Turns out, he was saving them for someone else.

For six whole years, I had lived in a fake dream, completely oblivious that his heart had changed long ago.

I tried to escape but tripped.

Caleb heard the commotion and immediately hung up. Seeing me on the ground, he rushed over and scooped me into his arms.

I fought back the surge of disgust, tearing myself away from his embrace.

Seeing my reaction, he looked guilty, hesitant as he spoke:

“Riley, what’s wrong?”

I stared at him, trying to find a flicker of genuine concern in his eyes.

“It’s nothing, just wasn’t watching where I was going and took a tumble.”

He helped me to the sofa, got out the first-aid kit, and carefully cleaned my wound.

That serious look always made me mistakenly believe he still loved me.

Caleb nervously darted his eyes up.

“Riley, I have to go out of town soon. There’s a crucial project that’s run into some trouble. I’ll be gone for a few days.”

My heart sank into a frozen abyss. I forced a smile.

“Okay. Have a safe trip.”

After he left, I made a call.

“I’m willing to accept the company’s assignment to work in France.”