Blurb：
Six years of marriage to Rhiannon Westley shatters when Zane discovers her affair with the timid, clingy Callum Lowry. After Callum confronts Zane with claims of pregnancy and demands a divorce, Rhiannon’s violent outburst reveals her dual nature—gentle with her lover yet fierce in protection. As Zane grapples with betrayal and a forbidden past, Rhiannon’s panic unveils hidden truths. Who is Callum really, and why can’t Zane cry? Dive into a story of love, lies, and the scars that bind them.
Content：
Six years after marrying Rhiannon Westley, she takes a lover. He’s like a puppytimid and clingy.
He flinches at the slightest raised voice, so Rhiannon never loses her temper in front of him.
But when he acts up in front of me, Rhiannon snaps. She’s furious, and she gives him a harsh scolding.
The next day, he sends me a photo of his neck covered in red marks. “Zane, Ms. Westley is so fierce…”
Chapter 1
I was quiet for a long time as I stared at the red marks on the neck in the photo.
Yesterday, a man named Callum Lowry sought me out and told me he was Rhiannon Westley’s boyfriend, and he wanted me out of the picture. At first, I was taken aback by his bold statement. Then, I registered the fact that Rhiannon had cheated on me.
Callum lifted his chin, his eyes sparkling like a kid who had been spoiled rotten. Before I could snap out of my daze, he splashed coffee on me. “Hey, did you hear me? I want you to divorce Rhiannon so I can marry her!”
The brown liquid stained my newly bought white T-shirt, and I looked pathetic with coffee droplets running down my face.
Callum didn’t seem to think that was enough, for he paid no mind to the speculating looks thrown in our direction as he continued to bait me. “Rhiannon’s pregnant with my child. I don’t want my kid calling some other dude ‘Dad.’ Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered to pick a fight with you.
“I know you’re childhood friends with Rhiannon and that you’ve been married for six years, but both of you have been together for so long. She doesn’t see you as anything more than family. She doesn’t love you anymore.
“You should know better and leave her. Maybe I could even convince her to pay you a handsome settlement fee as compensation. Otherwise, don’t blame me when I have her kick you out.”
Rhiannon, kicking me out?
I sputtered at the idea of it.
Callum pointed at me, called me crazy, and demanded to know why I laughed.
I stared at his face. He was quite the lookeradorable, even. He simply wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
I jested, “Does Rhiannon know about you coming here to see me, kiddo?”
He flushed, then pointed at me as he let loose a torrent of abuse.
I tilted my head to the side and peered past him at Rhiannon, who was closing in on us with long, angry strides. She was scowling as she grabbed Callum by the arm and struck him hard across the face.
At once, Callum’s face turned red and swollen from the slap. A thin line of blood even trickled out of the corner of his mouth.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he gaped at Rhiannon in disbelief and hurt. “Ms. Westley, you just hit me”
Anyone’s heart might have gone out to him if they saw him cry, but Rhiannon did not even bat an eye as she leveled a frosty look at him. She barked at him to get out.
Looking wounded, Callum covered his face and bolted. After he left, Rhiannon pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the coffee droplets off my face. “Hush, now. Don’t listen to a word he said. He and I have nothing to do with each other. He was spewing nonsense.”
I lowered my gaze until our eyes met. Her eyes sparkled as usual, and not a trace of guilt or shame flickered in them. But my eyes prickled with oncoming tears as I caressed her face. “Rhiannon, can you tell me who that guy is?”
The corners of her lips quivered as tears brimmed in her eyes. She refused to answer me, but I stubbornly pressed her until my face turned red and my breathing grew uneven.
Only then did she panic and say in resignation, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Zane. I made a mistake. You can hit me, snap at me, or even punish me if you want. But please don’t cry. You can’t cry.”
So, she still remembered that crying was a big no-no for me. A self-deprecating laugh escaped me as my chest tightened to the point of pain. Horrified, Rhiannon brought me to the hospital and ran red lights all the way.
She couldn’t care less about her image as she yelled for the doctor. I saw the panic in her eyes and found myself recalling the past.
I was kidnapped once when I was five years old. The kidnapper had pressed a blade to my throat and demanded that my father pay ransom. I’d been so terrified at the time, and I cried so hard that I felt suffocated. I lost my speech for a while after I was rescued, too.
After I’d lost my speech, Rhiannon came over to play with me every day. She was careful with me but kept me company and told me jokes. I ignored her, but she was undeterred.
Once, she and a classmate argued and got into a brawl. The classmate was chubby and pinned Rhiannon down, nearly suffocating her. I panicked and shouted for a teacher.
I slowly regained my speech after that. Rhiannon was even more thrilled than I was about my recovery, and she made it a point to get on the chubby classmate’s nerves every day just to get me to speak.
I didn’t find out until much later that Rhiannon had gotten into a brawl with that chubby classmate because he’d called me a mute. She wouldn’t stand for anyone bullying me or even calling me a mute.
Eventually, I overcame my speech loss, but crying was still fatal to me. If I cried, my breath would come up short. In serious cases, I’d even suffocate. Rhiannon was even more careful with me after that. She told me she’d only make me laugh and promised to never make me cry.
But now, I was being wheeled into the emergency room because of her.
Chapter 2
I had woken up to Rhiannon begging me incessantly to forgive her and crying as she apologized for cheating on me. She sounded so careful, terrified that I wouldn’t want her anymore.
I was a firm believer in boundaries, and cheating was a huge taboo for me, but I hesitated for Rhiannon. Two little figures were battling it out in my mindthe Rhiannon from my childhood and the present one.
In the end, I compromised. “Cut him off entirely, Rhiannon. You only get this one chance.”
Rhiannon had nodded vehemently and deleted all of Callum’s contacts in her phone before me.
But now, the photo I was looking at felt like a hard slap in the face. Rhiannon had lied to me again. Judging by the marks on his neck, I could imagine how hard she and Callum went at it last night.
I took a deep breath and dialed a number I hadn’t called in a long time. “Mr. Tillman, I was wondering if I still have a shot at applying for the foreign exchange program that you told me about half a year ago.”
“The exchange program from half a year ago has already ended, but if you like, you can consider going to Fernham, where you can sign up for a three-year full immersion program.
“Zane, I thought you said you wanted to put design aside for the time being and focus on trying for a baby with Rhiannon.”
Half a year ago, Mr. Tillman mentioned there was an opening for me to go abroad and shadow a chief designer. I’d been so excited to tell Rhiannon about it, but she told me earnestly that she wanted to have a baby with me.
As such, I gave up on the opportunity and prioritized having a baby with Rhiannon.
We tried for half a year, but to no avail. Rhiannon didn’t want me to be disappointed, so she insisted on blaming herself. But now, she was pregnant with Callum’s kid.
I licked my dry lips and replied to Mr. Tillman, “We’ve decided to stop trying.”
Not long after the call, I received an email from Mr. Tillman. I had only just filled in the application form when Rhiannon returned.
She’d bought a large bouquet of roses and an extremely expensive watch. I recognized the watch as the latest model from a certain high-end brand, but I tossed it into the drawer after giving it a cursory glance.
Rendered helpless by my passive aggression, Rhiannon asked, “Are you still angry with me, Zane? Tell me what I can do to make it up to you. I’ll do whatever you ask.”
I turned my head away and padded over to the couch to cuddle with Rollie.
Rollie was the gray, short-haired cat Rhiannon had gotten for me two months ago. I loved cats, but she wasn’t a fan of them, so we went all these years without getting one as a pet.
On the day she brought Rollie home, I’d been sulking because I couldn’t get Rhiannon pregnant. But my foul mood vanished the moment I laid eyes on the cat.
Rhiannon treated Rollie like a lucky mascot and took care of its meals and cat litter on her own accord.
She asked me now, “Zane, why don’t we go out to sea for a little break? You’ve been wanting to see the ocean, right? We’ll take a cruise and stargaze on the deck.
“I know it’ll be hard to make you forget about yesterday, but I’ll try my hardest. I’ll always be the Rhiannon you love, Zane. That will never change, I swear.”
I stared at Rhiannon before me, making grand promises. My heart felt hollow, and before I could stop myself, I nodded.
She was so thrilled by my answer that her dejection vanished, and she hurriedly bought tickets for the cruise and planned out our itinerary.
Meanwhile, my calm and collected demeanor might have aggravated Callum, for his attacks became more scathing. He sent me a photo of a corgi, taunting me, “Zane, check out what Ms. Westley got me to cheer me up. I love dogs, so I’m afraid I can’t give this to you this time.
“By the way, I hope the cat is doing alright. I’m allergic to cat hair, so I couldn’t keep it. Ms. Westley got it for me initially, and I couldn’t bear to part ways with it.
“She told me you loved cats and gave it to you as a pet instead. Say, Zane, which do you think will win in a fighta cat or a dog?”
Chapter 3
I felt all the blood rush to my head, my mind a complete blank. So, Rhiannon hadn’t gotten Rollie especially for me. It was a present Callum hadn’t wanted, and she brought it home.
At that moment, the cat wailed and leaped to the ground. I looked down to see a few strands of cat hair in my grip.
Rhiannon finished booking the cruise tickets and even got us a luxurious suite with a large bed. I glanced at the date on the booking. The cruise would depart on the third day of the next month, which was a week later. I’d be leaving for Fernham on the same day, too, if my application was approved.
That night, Rhiannon was as thoughtful as ever as she poured me a glass of milk. I saw the lust burning in her eyes and suddenly retched. As I raised my hand, I accidentally knocked over the glass of milk.
The white liquid soaked through the sheets, but Rhiannon anxiously checked me for wounds. “Are you alright, Zane? Did you get scalded?”
My eyes were rimmed red, and my throat was dry. “I’m alright.”
She heaved a sigh of relief and patiently cleaned the mess. I watched as she left the room and returned, feeling as if this was all a dream.
Oh, Rhiannon. I wondered which side of her was real.
After changing the sheets, Rhiannon looked tired. At that moment, her phone beeped. She glanced at the screen and casually told me it was a text about company matters. She said she had to take care of it and told me to sleep early.
I hummed in response, heaving a sigh of relief as well. I didn’t want to be intimate with her.
When Rhiannon left for the study, I lost all sense of sleep. I got up and headed toward the study to grab a book to read before bed, but when I opened the door, her voice traveled through the gap immediately.
“Don’t worry. I won’t get pregnant with Zane’s kid. He drinks milk every day, and I put something in it. It is ground into a fine powder, so he can’t taste it. Are you still upset? How about I take you out to sea for a vacation? We could do some stargazing on the deck then.”
What? The milk she poured me every night before I went to bed had been spiked. My blood ran cold, and I returned to the bedroom, unable to stop myself from trembling.
I desperately wanted to do something to calm myself down. I straightened the vanity and tidied up the closet, only to break down when I found a set of men’s pajamas.
I’d never worn pajamas like these. They couldn’t be mine, so they had to be someone else’s. Callum’s name was like a thorn in my heart, and there was nothing I could do to remove it.
Suddenly, my phone chimed with a message. My application had been approved, and I was expected to show up in Fernham on the third day of the next month. I clenched my fists and closed my eyes, willing myself to calm down.
An hour later, I felt a dip on the other side of the bed, and Rhiannon scooted into my arms as usual. I stiffened and asked into the dark, “Have you completely cut ties with Callum, Rhiannon?”
Rhiannon, who was in my arms, went rigid. The next second, she said, “Of course I’ve cut ties with him. I won’t lie to you, Zane.”
My heart sank. She had changed without my realizing it, and I could no longer recognize her. I turned to face her, staring into her eyes in the dimness of the room. My tone was steely as I warned, “Don’t lie to me, Rhiannon. If you do, I’ll never forgive you again, and I’ll leave you forever.”
Rhiannon froze, her eyes full of sincerity. “Zane, I swear I’ll never lie to you because I can’t pay the price of losing you.”
I held her gaze for a long time. Her eyes were bright, and I couldn’t tell she was lying at all. A while later, I closed my eyes and swallowed the bitterness welling up in me.
Time flied faster than I thought. As promised, Rhiannon led me out to the cruise deck to do some stargazing. Someone came along to try and chat her up, but she gently looped her arm through mine.
“I’m sorry, but I already have a husband. I love him a lot, and he’s the only man I’ll listen to for the rest of my life.”
The man looked at me enviously and told me I was lucky to have such a beautiful and loyal wife. I forced a smile and caught a white figure through my peripheral vision.
That night, as Rhiannon and I stargazed on the deck, her phone wouldn’t stop beeping. I noted her furrowed brows and asked softly, “Is it something urgent?”
She turned off her phone and shook her head. “No, my time is all yours, Zane. Believe meI’ve truly changed.”
“Okay,” I said with a smile, but I did not explicitly say I believed her.
Rhiannon looked agitated. Her red lips were pressed into a thin line, and the crease in her brows deepened.
I let the silence stretch on between us, and she finally broke it. “Zane, I have some work to take care of. Why don’t you stay here and stargaze without me first?”
“Is the work urgent?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
More like a certain someone was urgently waiting for her. “Alright. Go on, then.”
Rhiannon rose on her tiptoes and kissed me on the lips. She beamed and said, “You’re lovely, Zane. You’re so sweet and understanding. Be good now. I’ll be back before you know it. Keep the blanket around you so you won’t catch a cold, okay?”
I lost all interest in stargazing after she left and secretly followed her. She went into the room beside ours and impatiently closed the door. Not long after, low murmuring voices came from within.
“Babe, I’m starting to get jealous. You were with him the whole day! I don’t care what you sayyou’re staying with me tonight.”
“I can’t tonight. I promise we’ll come out to sea next time, just the two of us. My time will be yours. But for now, don’t you want to see the baby?”
I heard the amorous noises coming from the room and turned to summon an attendant. “Is the boat I asked for ready?”
“Yes, sir. You can leave now,” the attendant answered.
I got off the cruise and eased myself into the boat. Before I took off, my phone chimed incessantly.
“You must have seen me, right, Zane? Do you finally believe that Rhiannon loves me now? She spiked your milk every day just to make me happy, and she even promised me she’d divorce you and marry me once the baby’s born.
“So what if you were childhood friends with her? It’s not like your friendship can hold out against fate in the end anyway.”
In the photo, Rhiannon looked like she’d been overcome with desire as she cupped Callum’s face and kissed him gently.
I locked my phone and handed it to the attendant. “Please pass this to the young woman who came onto the cruise with me. Tell her Zane Gardner doesn’t want her anymore.”
While the attendant was left baffled by my request, my boat took off.
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