After the Cheating and Thrill-Seeking

Lacey claimed she had hurt her leg looking for him. How ironic.

He told her where he was. Within half an hour, she limped into his hospital room, followed by Kevin and her insufferable friends.

The moment she saw he was genuinely injured, Lacey's face filled with guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Adrian. This is all my fault. I never should have taken you mushroom picking."

She paused, her eyes fixed on his leg. "Does it still hurt? I won't leave your side again. I'll stay right here with you."

But he didn't want to see her anymore. He couldn't stand the thought of her touching him.

Lacey refused to let go. She clung to him tightly, as if she truly understood her mistakes and regretted them.

He couldn't push her away, so he finally said, "You're hurt too. Let go of me."

"No. My injury doesn't matter. All I care about is you."

She was so relentless that he gave in. Taking his silence as forgiveness, she released him and began peeling an apple.

While feeding him slices, she chatted with her friends in Portuguese.

"Good thing I'm clever. I pretended to hurt my leg so I'd look pitiful. Otherwise, I'd never have found a decent excuse for my little affair."

"Tsk. Always the smart one, aren't you?"

"Of course. Look at Adrian—he's already forgotten all about yesterday."

"What a pathetic simp. Forgiving you that fast."

"Because Adrian loves me."

Adrian's body stiffened. His breathing turned uneven. Why did she have to lie to him every single moment? For a second there, he had actually believed she had hurt her leg. He had almost started to forgive her.

He was wrong. This woman was beyond trust.

Right in front of him, she began describing how much fun she'd had sneaking around yesterday.

They just kept shamelessly trading stories of their wild histories, not forgetting to throw a smug look back at him.

By the time Adrian was discharged, their engagement day had arrived.

Lacey wore a sexy evening gown. Kevin followed behind her.

He grabbed her hand, visibly agitated.

"Lacey, are you really going to marry him? What about me? What am I to you?"

"A hookup."

"But I love you too."

"And I love Adrian more. After we get married, I'm cutting you off. I want to turn over a new leaf and be a good wife."

Adrian watched the surveillance feed on his screen while packing his things and talking to his boss on the phone.

"The plane takes off in about two hours. I should head out soon. See you in Parlise."

He hung up, zipped his suitcase, and walked away without looking back.

Before leaving, he decided to leave Lacey one last big gift.

Downstairs, Lacey grew anxious as she waited. Adrian was nowhere in sight.

She pulled out her phone to call him, but his best friend cut in, walking over with a wine glass and a broad smile.

"Haha, congratulations! My buddy here takes relationships seriously. Don't you worry—he'll show up right on time."

He took a sip, then added, "Oh, and he does have one flaw. He hates betrayal more than anything."

Lacey forced a tight, wooden smile and nodded.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, his friend slapped his forehead.

"Almost forgot — we're all from the same hometown. Adrian too. Our village was right next to yours."

He pulled out an old ID card. "See? This is Adrian's old address. I'm not lying. Here, I'll even say a few words in Portuguese for you — then you'll believe me."