Chapter 1

Wendy Lawson taught at one of the country’s top universities.

Her private office was right next to the lab. I had been there to see her a few times before.

This time, she was not there. A fair-skinned young man with a gentle, scholarly look sat inside instead.

It was Felix Lawrence, one of Wendy’s students.

He looked startled when he saw me. A second later, he put on a polite smile.

“Yale, are you here to see Professor Lawson? She already went home.”

I looked around the office and asked, “She isn’t here. How did you get in?”

Felix did not look flustered at all. “Professor Lawson gave me permission to come here.

“Our team’s been busy with a research project in the lab lately. Professor Lawson said anyone who doesn’t have time to go home can come here to rest. It just so happens I’m the only one here today.”

“It just so happens…” He looked so calm and straightforward that I seemed unreasonably suspicious.

It was not that I was overly suspicious. I just knew Wendy too well.

She never allowed anyone into her private space.

When she was not around, even I, her husband, was not allowed to enter this office.

Yet someone had become the exception.

I stayed where I was. Felix raised a hand and straightened his collar.

“Yale, why don’t you give Professor Lawson a call and see where she is?”

My eyes fell on the ring on his left ring finger.

Several small white diamonds surrounded a deep blue stone that caught the light.

Back when I bought Wendy’s wedding ring, I chose the simplest design because I wanted her to wear it whenever she liked.

At the same time, I wanted it to have a special touch. So, I had one of the white diamonds replaced with a blue one.

Blue was Wendy’s lucky color.

I had the rings custom-made.

I held up my hand in front of him. “What a coincidence! We have the same ring.”

His hand flinched. He instinctively covered the ring with his other hand.

I could not help but laugh. “Yours is custom-made too?”

His face went pale. His eyes darted, and he did not say a single word.

His reaction told me everything I needed to know.

There was no point in wasting any more time. I turned around and left.

After I got back into my car, I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. Only then did I call my friend, Xavier Grant.

He answered on the first ring and asked, “Well? Did she lose the ring and get another one custom-made because she was too scared to tell you?”

I thought I was calm enough, but my voice would not stop shaking.

“Xavier, I need a favor. Look into Wendy’s student, Felix Lawrence. Find out everywhere Wendy has been over the past three months.”

Xavier was the best investigative reporter in the country. The moment he heard my request, he knew exactly what had happened.

“Just wait for my call. Once it’s in my hands, I’ll dig up every last one of her secrets.”

On the drive home, I pictured countless ways the rest of the day might play out, but not even once did I imagine that Wendy would be waiting for me with a table full of food.

She wore an apron and busied herself in the kitchen. She smiled warmly when she saw me.

“Honey, you’re home! Wash your hands. Dinner’s almost ready.”

We had been married for seven years. Wendy had only cooked for me once before. That was when we had just gotten married.

If this had happened before, I would have been touched to see a table full of my favorite food.

But today, my stomach churned. I felt nothing but disgust.

She did not notice the cold look on my face. She kept her back to me and said casually, “You stopped by my office today, didn’t you? Why didn’t you call me? You could’ve saved yourself the trip.”

A sneer appeared on my lips. It seemed that the two of them had already gotten their stories straight.

I forced down the nausea, sat at the table, and asked in a calm voice, “What made you decide to cook today?”

“It’s Valentine’s Day. I wanted to spend Valentine’s Day with my husband. Does there have to be any other reason? Everywhere outside must be crowded. I’d rather stay home and celebrate with you in peace.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the phone she had left on the table lit up silently.

A contact with a cartoon Shiba Inu profile picture sent her a photo.

I opened it without emotion.

The photo showed Felix in Wendy’s office. His shirt hung open and exposed his lean upper body.

Another message arrived right after it. [Your puppy is all ready. You just need to come and enjoy your meal.]