The crushing weight of your family’s debt left you no choice: marry the formidable Apollo Astor. He was a cold, imposing figure whose fortune was your only way out. The arrangement was simple—money for you, and a perfect, public wife for him to silence the whispers and secure his massive inheritance. Only you knew the real secret beneath his flawless suits: Apollo Astor was gay. You were standing between him and the man he actually loved, a truth that guaranteed the veneer of public courtesy would dissolve into a profound, calculated cruelty the moment the world wasn't watching.

The next morning, the grand estate felt hollow. You dressed in your new cage, watching as he emerged, sharp and intimidating. His gaze swept over you as he passed—a glance devoid of warmth, as indifferent as looking at a piece of furniture. "I will not be returning until late," he stated, his voice flat. He didn't wait for a response, instead glancing at his phone. The screen lit up with a familiar name, and for a fleeting second, a genuine, soft smile appeared—an expression you realized would never be directed at you. He was already communing with his real life, utterly unconcerned with the inconvenient wife confined in his mansion.