If desire were a blade, their first encounter left him bleeding in silence. He'd built a life on peril and pleasure, armor forged from recklessness, never imagining a woman could make him lower his guard. But even with the truth veiled in lies, he was already in too deep-entangled in the game, and captivated by the player.
Late at night, Rosanna Williams lay in bed, her breathing fast and her cheeks red.
Her husband, Oliver Marshall, had been out drinking during some business gatherings and had come home in an unusually cheerful mood. He had been full of energy and didn't hold back when they got intimate, going at it five times, leaving her completely worn out.
By the fourth round, they had already run out of condoms.
During the final time, Oliver's eyes were burning with desire as he pinned her down. Everything between them became a blur of heat and chaos.
The passion had been thrilling, but once it was over, Rosanna was the only one left to deal with the consequences.
At twenty-eight, Oliver was at his peak-doing well in business and having a strong libido.
Throughout their three-year marriage, he had always been careful about using protection.
In the beginning, Rosanna hadn't thought much about having kids, but over the past six months, something had changed. She found herself longing for a baby with Oliver.
Oliver wasn't just handsome; he also knew exactly what to do in bed. And sometimes, when he whispered those soft, teasing words, it was enough to melt her.
It had been a year since Rosanna realized her feelings toward Oliver had shifted. She had gone from feeling nothing to actually caring for him.
To be precise, she had fallen in love with him.
But Oliver's warmth toward her only showed up in bed. When they were not being intimate, he was just as cold and distant as always.
"Don't forget to take birth control pills," Oliver said in a flat voice, snapping her out of her thoughts. "A pregnancy would just make things messy."
Rosanna just nodded in reply, feeling disheartened.
She knew she was ovulating, but with him being drunk, even if she did get pregnant, she couldn't keep the baby.
Still, his words hurt more than she wanted to admit.
Oliver put on his pajamas and walked into the bathroom.
Rosanna watched him until he was out of sight, then finally looked away.
Just then, a sudden phone ring shattered the quiet in the room.
Rosanna took Oliver's phone and looked at it. The name "Millie" lit up on the screen.
Millie Rogers, Oliver's secretary, was always gentle and graceful. She had a charm that everyone seemed to like.
Word was, Millie had given up a top-paying job in Klenridge six years ago just to work near Oliver. Officially, she was just his secretary, but rumors circulated that they were lovers.
Suddenly, Oliver's hand reached out and grabbed the phone right out of Rosanna's hand.
"Millie," he said warmly to the phone, his voice full of affection and joy.
Rosanna felt as if a knife had pierced straight through her heart.
Oliver never talked to her that way; his tone with her was always cold and clipped, never this affectionate.
"Oliver, someone's harassing me. Please come get me. I'm at the Zero Club..." Millie's distressed voice came through the phone clearly. Rosanna heard every word.
"I'll go there now," Oliver said quickly. "I'll have a friend nearby to go and help you first. You find a safe place and lock the door. Did you call the police?" His face turned serious as he strode into the walk-in closet.
Rosanna sat there, shaking with rage. She didn't even bother putting on her shoes as she followed him inside.
Just a month ago, during an outdoor shoot in the northern suburbs with her TV crew, their van had veered off the road, crashing into a ditch to dodge a dump truck.
Thankfully, no one died, but everyone came out injured.
Her leg had been hurt and bleeding badly. Panicked and in pain, she had called Oliver.
But Oliver had been at some dinner event at that time. Despite hearing her sobs, he had coldly said, "If you can still make a call, then it's not that serious." He had then hung up without a second thought.
Yet now, here he was-ready to rush over to Millie when he was still drunk without hesitation. Rosanna knew it had to be because he loved Millie deeply.
Oliver quickly got dressed, still murmuring comforting words into the phone as he walked towards the front door. Rosanna couldn't hear Millie clearly, but she could hear her sobs.
Standing in front of the door to stop Oliver from leaving, Rosanna bit down on her lip and said, "You've had too much to drink. You can't drive like this."
"Are you being jealous, or are you worried about me?" Oliver asked, lifting her chin with a glint in his eyes.
Rosanna looked at him, her eyes soft, her voice steady. "I'm worried about you."
"Save the fake concern," Oliver said, letting go of her face, his voice void of warmth.
Before Rosanna could even respond, he pushed her aside, making her lose her balance and fall to the floor.
Then, without hesitation, he walked past her and left.
The house fell silent, and Rosanna was left alone.
A wave of bitterness washed over her, so strong that it seemed to twist her insides. It hurt everywhere, but she couldn't even cry.
Her face had gone pale, and her eyes were red as she held back tears.
She stayed there, sitting on the floor, until her legs went numb. Then, she finally forced herself to stand.
She didn't want to go back to the bedroom, so she curled up on the sofa instead, closing her eyes, her thoughts a tangled mess.
Suddenly, the sound of her phone ringing broke the silence.
The sharp tone pulled her back to reality. Thinking it might be Oliver calling her, she quickly got up and rushed from the living room to the bedroom, answering the call without a second thought.
"Rosanna! Your husband just caused a huge scene at the Zero Club because of Millie! He smashed a beer bottle over some guy's head; there was blood everywhere. It was insane!"
Rosanna's best friend, Leah Ahmed, was on the line, her voice full of urgency.
Rosanna tried to stay composed and barely managed to mutter, "Oh."
She wasn't shocked. Knowing how far Oliver would go for Millie, she wouldn't have been surprised even if Leah had said he killed someone.
The Zero Club wasn't just any club; it was the most elite private club in Qegan. It was the place where Oliver often partied with his friends.
Leah continued, "Some drunk guy cornered Millie near the bathroom and tried to assault her. One of the witnesses said there were hickeys on her chest and that her underwear had been pulled down. Thank goodness Millie had the sense to lock herself in the women's restroom before things got worse..."
Rosanna didn't hear the rest of Leah's words, her mind drifting elsewhere. Eventually, Leah ended the call.
Leah's call had wiped away any remaining sense of sleep from her, leaving her clutching the phone so tightly that her knuckles went pale.
How could she not be angry about this?
She had forced herself to stay calm during the call, clinging to the last piece of dignity she had.
She tried to distract herself by scrolling through her phone, but the news of Oliver's fight at the Zero Club was already spreading across the internet.
The stories painted Oliver as a passionate lover, a man willing to risk everything for his loved one, portraying him as a bold and hopeless romantic.
The more Rosanna read, the angrier she became. She couldn't take it anymore, so she put her phone away and switched off the bedside lamp.
Surrounded by darkness, she felt her thoughts become sharper.
In the three years of their marriage, Oliver had never once publicly announced their relationship. Instead, he had spent his time mingling with women from different clubs. Millie, confident in his favoritism, had always made sure to rub it in her face.
Right now, she found herself questioning her marriage to Oliver, the one that had already been decaying from the inside out.
The sound of the door opening broke her thoughts. She checked the time; it was half past five in the morning.
Oliver was back, but he didn't return to their bedroom. He walked straight into the study.
Rosanna climbed out of bed, taking a deep breath before walking toward the study and knocking on the door.
There was no answer.
She knocked again, this time turning the handle to open the door and entering.
"Did I let you in?" Oliver's voice was sharp, his expression darkening instantly at the sudden interruption.
Rosanna hesitated for a moment. Then, she gathered all her courage to meet his gaze. "Let's get a divorce."
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