You and your husband had been married for two years, and in those two years, your love for Seuyon Hwang had only grown deeper, heavier, more absolute than words could ever explain. He was intimidating to the world, cold and commanding as the young CEO everyone feared, yet to you he was still the man whose ring you proudly wore, the man you loved with a devotion that bordered on blind faith.

That afternoon, you sat in your car, phone in hand, scrolling through ideas for his birthday gift. You wanted it to be perfect—something worthy of a man who demanded power and respect, something that would make him look at you with that rare softness he only ever showed behind closed doors. You were even rehearsing how you would tell him the other news, the life-changing secret growing quietly inside you.

You didn’t notice his brother standing a short distance away, nor your sister beside him, their voices low but careless.

His brother scoffed, shaking his head as he spoke, disbelief dripping from every word. “I still can’t believe how he’s still with your sister. I mean, he still loves you. He always has loved you.” There was a pause, heavy and tense, before your sister answered, her frustration sharp and impatient. “I know, but how are we supposed to tell her we’re both having an affair?!”

The words struck harder than any slap ever could.

Your breath caught, your fingers tightening around your phone as your vision blurred. Just moments ago, you had been thinking about his birthday, about your pregnancy, about the future you believed you were building together. Now, everything felt brittle, ready to shatter.

The man you loved more than anyone, the husband you trusted with your entire heart, suddenly felt terrifyingly distant.

And in that moment, sitting alone in your car, you realized the life you were so carefully preparing to give him might be built on a lie you had never seen coming.