Chapter 1A Decade of Deception

After a decade as Adam Carter's secret lover, I was still just a plaything to him.

He only spent nights at my place, rushing back to his wife at dawn.

I thought his devotion to me was genuine, until I smashed a wine bottle over his wife's head and he went berserk.

With one slap, he extinguished the last shred of conscience I had.

Adam Carter, are you ready to face our revenge?

Adam Carter slapped me hard across the face.

The force of the blow made my head spin and my ears ring as I stumbled sideways.

I steadied myself against the wall and slowly sank to the floor. Something glinted as it fell - the earrings I had just bought yesterday.

But the man who had lovingly put them on me was now frantically embracing Zoe, checking her injuries with concern.

Watching Adam's nauseating display of false affection, I almost laughed out loud.

He and Zoe had been married for ten years.

I had also been his secret lover for ten years.

For a decade, he catered to my every whim and showered me with affection. His only request was that I not interfere with his wife Zoe.

Not only did I ignore his wishes, I deliberately provoked Zoe by smashing a wine bottle over her head.

Crimson liquid trickled down her face.

Zoe wasn't particularly attractive and had a meek personality. Even after being assaulted, she just stood there helplessly.

It wasn't until Adam rushed in and embraced her that she timidly spoke up.

"Adam, who is she?"

Adam glanced back at me huddled in the corner, his expression dark.

"Just some crazy woman."

The side of my face that he had slapped began to burn. I silently watched as he led Zoe out the door.

When he bent his head towards her, the tenderness in his expression made him look like the perfect husband.

I felt utterly pathetic. After they had gone, I finally picked myself up off the floor.

But as soon as I stepped outside, I saw a figure standing around the corner.

Adam had always been handsome and charismatic, the center of attention since childhood. No wonder Zoe and I were both so captivated by him.

He walked towards me, his features coming into focus in the dim hallway. Looming over me, he leaned down for a kiss.

His lips tasted of roses - Zoe's favorite perfume. Suddenly nauseous, I pushed him away.

How could he do this? One moment tenderly comforting his trembling wife, the next passionately kissing his lover.

"Stop it," he said.

Adam was never good at sweet talk. The countless times we argued, he would just flatly say the same thing:

"Ava, stop making a fuss."

But I wasn't his obedient wife who followed his every command. I was the seductress who had thrown herself at him.

It all started when I was truly desperate, flinging myself onto his car on a cold, rainy night to seduce him.

I knew he had just gotten engaged to the wealthy Chen family's daughter. His own net worth was over 100 million.

As I lay on the freezing ground, I was still calculating how much money I could extort from him when I heard the car door open.

Designer shoes splashed through puddles, the water droplets glittering like tiny crowns.

For some reason, I started laughing. It took me a while to look up and see Adam standing there with an umbrella.

After that night, I had two jobs - officially Adam's assistant, but really his mistress.

Adam was skilled in bed and extremely generous.

In the past, I could barely make $800 in three months of work. Now Adam would casually hand me over $20,000.

But after being his mistress for ten years, he still treated me like a cheap whore.

Adam only spent nights at my place.

Before dawn, he would get dressed and rush back to his home with Zoe.

He said he needed to make breakfast for Zoe. The housekeeper's cooking didn't agree with her stomach, so she wouldn't eat and would get stomach pains.

Without fail, every single time.

Even though I knew Adam was probably just keeping up appearances for the business partnership with the Chen family, he still insisted on making Zoe breakfast.

Even after Adam had completely taken over Chen Corp, he still persisted in making breakfast for Zoe.

I could no longer deceive myself.