Chapter 1

I had a pretty intense libido.

That’s why I chose my current husband, a man who seemed to share my interests.

I thought we could just go wild and have fun after getting married.

Yet, a hundred days into our marriage, Liam and I had barely been intimate, and when we were, it was never satisfying.

Every single time we started to get into the mood, my stepmom would interrupt us.

Finally, after the tenth time my stepmom disrupted us under the guise of a broken lightbulb in her room, I completely snapped.

“Liam, you’re not going tonight.”

“Honey, Dad is a vegetable now, and it’s because of me. Eleanor is helpless and alone; it’s really hard for her. We should be a little more understanding of her feelings. It’ll get better in a while.”

He still went.

I didn’t make a scene like I used to.

The next day, I slapped the divorce papers right onto his face.

“Divorce! If you can’t satisfy me, then don’t stop me from finding someone who can.”

Liam and I gave each other the silent treatment for two weeks before we finally made up.

We were wrapped in each other’s arms, giving in to our desires. Just as things were heating up, his phone rang.

I pretended not to hear it, wrapping my arms tighter around him, pressing closer. “Oh, Liam…”

But the ringing just kept going, like a swarm of buzzing mosquitoes, killing the mood.

The desire in Liam’s eyes finally dimmed.

He pushed me away, got up, and answered the call.

I was still longing for the warmth we’d just shared, the rush of desire hadn’t completely faded from my chest. I glared at him resentfully.

Then I heard Eleanor, my stepmom, speaking in a soft, fragile voice from the phone.

“Liam, I had a nightmare. I’m so scared…”

Liam didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately got ready to get out of bed and put on his clothes.

I hadn’t been satisfied yet, so I quickly wrapped my arms around his waist from behind, breathing softly as I tried to hold him back.

“Liam, just a few more minutes. Can’t you go after we’re done?”

He coldly pulled my hands away, buttoning the last button of his shirt.

“Chloe, you understand. Dad is in this state because of me. I can’t just ignore her.”

His words infuriated me.

“Liam, is Liam the only one in this house? We have so many staff! Can’t she call someone else if she needs help?”

“Except for the few days I’m on my period, she calls you over every single night. Do you honestly think that’s normal?”

“And why is it always at night?”

“Stop talking!”

Liam’s face instantly changed.

“Don’t think such terrible things about Eleanor.”

I looked at him defending another woman, and the man in front of me felt utterly foreign.

Perhaps sensing my displeasure, Liam softened his tone, turned, and placed his hands on my shoulders.

“Don’t worry, I’ll just go check on her. I’ll be right back if nothing’s wrong.”

Liam left.

I lay alone in bed, and the more I thought about it, the more something felt off.

Liam, like me, had a strong libido.

Every single time we tried to be intimate after we got married, his stepmom interrupted us with all sorts of excuses. Plus, we’d just been giving each other the silent treatment for two weeks.

By all accounts, tonight he should have been unable to control himself, but when he answered the phone, he didn’t struggle at all?

Had he already found release somewhere else?

This thought spiraled wildly in my mind. I immediately got out of bed.

I had to see if my dear stepmom was truly having a nightmare or if she had something else in mind.

As soon as I stepped out of the bedroom, Liam sent me a message.

“Eleanor just dreamed of Dad and is having a hard time controlling her emotions. I need to comfort her. I don’t know when I’ll be back. You should go to sleep early.”

When I tiptoed to my stepmom’s door, I heard her voice from inside.

“Your dad is just a living corpse now. How am I supposed to live alone?”

Through the slightly ajar door, I saw Liam’s hand gently stroking Eleanor’s back.

He was murmuring soft words of comfort.

This endless, pitiful laments, like a broken record, had been performed by my stepmom no less than ten times since I got married.

Every single time, our intimacy was interrupted by her phone call.

And Liam would abandon me without hesitation.

And whenever I came to her door, I always saw a similar scene.