Chapter 1

Autumn had come to Emperia, the capital city. The air was slightly chilly.

Willow Jett leaned against the door of the toilet cubicle as she stared at a photo on her phone. It was of a man's side profile. The man was her husband, Quentin Strand.

There was a woman beside him, but her face had been blurred out. All that was visible was a tattoo of a rose behind her shoulder.

Just then, she heard the sound of someone turning on the tap outside. The lowered voices of some employees followed this as they gossiped.

"Look at how Ms. Jett's always working and doesn't bother dressing up. Isn't she worried about Mr. Strand doing things behind her back?"

"I know, right? I think they've been married for almost three years, yet they still don't have any kids."

"I heard it's because Ms. Jett can't have kids …"

They soon left, and silence descended upon the restroom once again.

Willow pushed the door of her cubicle open, looking pale. She looked at herself in the mirror—there stood a woman dressed in frumpy officewear. She only had the slightest makeup on, and her long hair was pulled back into a bun.

There was a pair of black-framed glasses perched on her dainty nose. She looked like the frumpiest woman alive.

Willow focused on the mirror, but her mind wandered to the photo she'd been staring at earlier. How could the man in the photo be Quentin?

He hadn't given up on her when they'd found out she couldn't have kids. She'd helped him at his company for the past three years, bustling here and there. He also cared about her.

Suddenly, a melodious voice rang out behind her. "Willow."

Willow returned to her senses and calmed down.

"Willow, are you alright? You don't look so good." Sonia Sutton approached her, looking concerned.

"I'm fine." Willow splashed some cold water on her face and looked up. Only then did she notice that Sonia had changed into a long, cream-colored, spaghetti-strap dress.

Her curly hair was in an updo, and her makeup had been done flawlessly. She even had a diamanté under her right eye.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Willow was slightly taken aback. She dried her hands with a paper towel.

Sonia smiled brightly and linked arms with Willow. "Have you forgotten that there's a celebratory dinner tonight? It's for the project with Bassett Corporation."

Celebratory dinner?

It was only then that Willow remembered there was a party that night to celebrate the successful cooperation with Bassett Corporation. She'd worked on it for three months, and the contract had finally been signed.

The text from earlier had almost made her forget about it.

"Sonia, you—"

Willow stopped abruptly as her gaze landed on Sonia's back. The rose tattooed behind her shoulder was glaringly obvious.

"What's wrong, Willow?" Sonia looked like she had no idea what was going on. She even positioned her shoulder so the tattoo showed even more clearly.

Willow's heart sank. Before this, she could tell herself that the photo had been edited. But could she still lie to herself when the tattoo's owner stood before her?

Still … why did it have to be Sonia?

Willow had taken a liking to Sonia and hired her immediately after her graduation. Over the years, she'd treated Sonia like her own sister. Quentin always teased her and joked that she treated Sonia too well.

She never would've expected this.