Part 1Rotten Old Love

I was the quintessential trophy wife, perfectly trained and utterly submissive.

Ever since we got married, Kevin controlled every aspect of my life. If he told me to go east, I didn’t even dare glance west.

That was, until the glowing words started floating in thin air.

That was how I discovered I was nothing but a pathetic, clingy side character in a modern romance novel.

[LMAO, the side character is so spineless. She even lets him boss her around in bed.]

[She crawls away crying, but one look from the male lead and she scurries right back, trembling. Pathetic.]

[To be fair, it’s kind of cute. But so what? The male lead is destined to fall for the fierce, independent heroine who actually challenges him!]

My eyes widened in the dark.

Later that night.

Kevin opened his arms toward me, expecting his usual routine.

But I didn't curl into his embrace like a well-behaved pet.

Instead, I sat up straight, looked him dead in the eye, and provoked him. "I am sick of this. I have never even been satisfied!"

* * *

The heavy, intimate atmosphere in the bedroom vanished instantly.

Dead silence.

Kevin looked down at me, his gaze unreadable.

If this were yesterday, my heart would have skipped a beat in terror. I would have bitten my lip, practically crawling into his arms, whispering apologies about how I was just joking.

But things were different now.

I had to change.

I could no longer be Kevin’s obedient little doll. I refused to let him manage my life anymore.

His thin lips finally parted. "You have never been satisfied?"

My eyes widened slightly.

He stared at me with absolute calm, his voice utterly flat. "Then why do you always tremble so much at the end?"

I was speechless.

Damn it. That suffocating, authoritative pressure of his was hard to fight.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "I was faking it."

A faint crease appeared between Kevin’s brows.

I pushed my luck, keeping my tone deadly serious. "Look at you, always needing to get to the bottom of everything! Now you know the truth, and you are upset. I was just trying to protect your fragile male ego. I had to put on a performance every single time, and frankly, I am exhausted from acting."

Having fired off that entire monologue in one breath, I exhaled heavily.

Provoking him like this definitely gave me that fierce heroine energy the floating comments were talking about, right?

The air in the room completely stagnated.

Kevin’s expression didn't change. He simply lifted his heavy eyelids, his dark gaze pinning me to the mattress.

"Is that so?"

After a long, agonizing pause, he finally spoke again. "It must have been very hard on you all this time."

I guiltily lowered my eyes. "It wasn't that hard..."

A second later, I realized my mistake and snapped my head up. "Actually, yes. It was extremely difficult. You definitely need to improve."

Before he could respond, I dropped another bomb. "There is one more thing. I passed my resume screening at Nova Innovations. I am starting my new job there tomorrow."

Kevin just looked at me. He didn't say a word.

I hesitated for a second before adding my defense. "After all, I can't just be a stay-at-home wife forever."

His tone was entirely indifferent. "If memory serves, that company belongs to your ex-boyfriend."

"Uh, yeah, I think so. But it is a big place, I probably won't even see him. Besides, my career is my own business."

Kevin’s long, elegant fingers moved up to his collar, slowly unbuttoning the top button of his pajama shirt.

My heart did a terrifying little flip, cold sweat breaking out on my back.

I knew that gesture.

Every time he was about to brutally dress down a corporate executive, he did exactly that.

And he did it when he was about to lecture me, too.

I bit the inside of my cheek, fighting every ingrained instinct that screamed at me to surrender and apologize.

Thankfully, the lecture never came.

He just looked away and said one word. "Fine."