Love in Flames, Promises in Ruin

Kaden Zacarias and I have been together for a decade. He gives me all his love throughout that time. But one day, I see the news of him marrying Gwendolyn Crawford as part of a marriage alliance.

He tells his friends, "I'm only fooling around with Ella—does she think I'll actually marry her? It's not like my parents will ever agree to it. I can just keep her around as a mistress after getting married. Remember to keep your mouths shut about this."

Our decade-long love goes up in flames, but I don't question him. Instead, I call my father with a withered heart and say, "I'll go through with the marriage alliance. I'll leave the country."

When I found my passport, my boyfriend of ten years, Kaden Zacarias, coincidentally returned.

As usual, he wrapped his arms around me from behind and put his chin on the crook of my neck. The faint cedar scent invaded my nose instantly.

It was the scent of the perfume I hated the most, as it was like a blatant provocation.

"What are you doing, wifey? Why aren't you waiting for me in the living room?" Kaden asked.

On usual days, I would be seated on the couch, waiting for him to come home from work. I would then greet him with a warm kiss to ease his fatigue from that day's work.

But today, my gaze was fixed on his coat.

I had gifted him that coat last month. In the news broadcast earlier, Kaden wore this black coat while holding hands with Gwendolyn Crawford. The two of them stood closely together like they were the couple of the year.

The Flarian media had touted them as the "perfect match" while congratulating the Zacariases and the Crawfords for this joyful union.

But when I refreshed the page, all these posts disappeared in the next moment.

It must have been Kaden's doing.

Feeling diffident under my piercing stare, Kaden avoided eye contact with me.

"Are you upset because I came home late? I'm sorry, wifey. I've been so busy lately," he explained.

Then, he continued rambling, "There's a really important project that I needed to follow up on tonight. So, I can't help but come back late. When I'm less busy, we'll go on a trip to relax, okay?"

He picked me up and placed me on the dining table. Then, he bent down to put the indoor slippers on my feet tenderly.

"Why are you running around barefoot again? You'll catch a cold like this."

I stared at the crown of his head, and my sunken heart skipped a beat.

I wanted so badly to ask him why he showered me with affection when he didn't love me. Why had he chosen to marry someone else when he claimed to have loved me for the past ten years?

Before I started a relationship with Kaden, I had once told him, "If you ever fall in love with someone else, please don't hide it from me. We can part peacefully."

Yet, he chose the path he knew would hurt me the most.

Not only did he decide to marry Gwendolyn, but he also wanted to keep our relationship going at the same time. Because of his ridiculous choice, I was now the mistress—the other woman.