Archer Goodwin was cheating.
Rowena Goodwin stood outside the dim private room at the club, staring at the husband who was supposedly “away on a business trip” while he was tangled up with a curvy woman, going all out like nobody else existed. Her head buzzed hard, and her mind went completely blank.
It was obviously midsummer, yet she felt like she’d been dropped into an ice cellar. Cold seeped into her bones, and even her fingers wouldn’t stop trembling.
“So girls are into live shows too?”
A man’s voice suddenly sounded beside her ear.
Rowena turned her head and glanced over. The lighting was too dark for her to see clearly, only a blurry outline of his features, a sharp jawline, slightly permed short hair, sunglasses on his face, and a cigarette hanging lazily from the corner of his mouth. There was a reckless, untamed edge about him, the kind that screamed trouble.
Her gaze stayed on him for barely a second before she looked away. She had zero energy to deal with anyone.
The man asked again, “Looks good?”
Rowena’s voice was cool and flat. “Too small.”
He let out a low laugh, amusement written all over it. “You can even tell that? Damn, impressive eyesight.”
Rowena parted her red lips slightly. “He’s my husband.”
After tossing out that one line, she turned and walked away without looking back.
Today was the third wedding anniversary for Rowena and Archer Goodwin. They were supposed to have a candlelit dinner and celebrate properly, but Archer had said he suddenly needed to leave town for work.
Turns out it wasn’t a business trip.
It was his third leg that couldn’t stay put.
Caught red-handed like that, Rowena couldn’t even lie to herself anymore, no matter how badly she wanted to.
When she got home, she couldn’t avoid spiraling for a while.
After crying, her reason slowly came back online. Rowena quickly sorted through their assets and drafted a divorce agreement.
She thought she was strong enough, thought she could handle it. But when the night grew quiet and Archer still didn’t come home, she finally broke and cried for a long, long time.
The next day.
Not wanting anyone to notice how wrecked she looked, Rowena deliberately put on extra foundation to cover the dark circles under her eyes. Only then did she change into her office clothes and head to work.
Back then, Archer Goodwin had fought his parents tooth and nail just to marry Rowena Goodwin. For that, the Goodwin family cut off every last cent and kicked him straight out of the house.
Even so, Archer had never once said he regretted it.
At the time, Rowena had really believed she’d found her forever person.
So she took out two million and started a business with him. That was how Anseng Group had come to exist today.
On paper, Rowena was the head of the Strategic Investment Department. But everyone in the company knew the truth—she was basically the second-in-command.
That morning, the second she heard Archer was back at the office, Rowena went straight upstairs and headed for the president’s office.
She had only pushed the door open a tiny crack when a sweet, spoiled voice floated out from inside. “Come on, Archer, just one bite, okay? I never feed people myself, like, ever. If you still won’t eat it, I’m seriously gonna get mad. Hmph.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll eat it, I’ll eat it. Our little Princess Clara doesn’t get upset now, okay?”
Archer’s face was full of that soft, doting smile. His voice was gentle to the extreme. He even lifted a hand and ruffled the girl’s hair, every move dripping with intimacy. It was the kind of closeness that didn’t belong in daylight, like a secret crush that had long crossed the line. Just sitting together like that was enough for them to act like the whole world had turned sweet.
The scene felt weirdly familiar.
Only the female lead had changed.
A sharp pain stabbed through Rowena’s chest, like someone had carved out a piece of her heart with a knife. It hurt so badly every nerve in her body seemed to scream.
She drew in a slow breath, forced her emotions back down, then pushed the door open and walked in. With a half-smile that wasn’t really a smile, she said, “Wow. Did I come at a bad time or what?”
Her voice instantly shattered the sugary little bubble between them.
The two of them turned at the same time and looked at her.
“Rowena, what are you talking about?” A flicker of guilt flashed through Archer’s eyes. He quickly raised a hand and wiped the smear of ice cream from the corner of his lips. “This is... Shen... Clara Sheffield. Mr. Sheffield’s younger sister. She just got back from overseas. You’ve met before, remember?”
Clara Sheffield had big, bright, watery eyes, red lips, white teeth, and her hair was tied in a princess style. She wore a pale yellow dress that made her look fresh and delicate, like a flower just washed clean by rain. And that innocent first-love face of hers? Yeah, it was the kind men fell for at a glance.
Rowena’s gaze landed on the two obvious hickeys on Clara’s neck, and her eyes darkened a little.
Last night... had really been intense.
Clara looked Rowena up and down, her gaze far from friendly, with a hint of unconcealed disdain. “Hello, Director Goodwin.”
Back then, Archer Goodwin and Rowena Goodwin had loved each other like the world was on fire. Archer had even given up everything just to be with her, and for a long time, the two of them had been the talk of Hongcheng, the textbook definition of a perfect love story.
The Sheffield family had always been close with the Goodwins. How could Clara Sheffield not know exactly who Rowena was?
And yet she still called her, "Minister Goodwin."
Rowena wanted to pretend she hadn’t heard it, wanted to treat Clara like air, but professionalism won out in the end. She only gave a small, polite nod.
Clara curved her glossy lips and let out an awkward little laugh. Then, as naturally as if it were the most normal thing in the world, she slipped her arm around Archer’s. "Archer, my brother’s away on a business trip today. He told you to keep me company and show me around Hongcheng, remember? Don’t tell me you’re gonna bail because of work."
The second she touched him like that, Archer’s face turned red on the spot. He quickly brushed her hand off, guilt and panic flashing across his face. He didn’t even dare look straight at Rowena. "Clara, don’t mess around. I need to deal with work first."
He deliberately called her "Clara," casual and familiar, but with just enough distance, clearly trying to keep Rowena from reading too much into it.
If Rowena hadn’t seen it with her own eyes last night—hadn’t seen Archer and Clara tangled together on the sofa in that private club room, reckless and intimate—she might actually have bought it.
After all, Archer really was the kind of man people noticed. Everyone admitted that. In a well-tailored suit, he looked tall and clean-cut, all sharp lines and calm restraint. The gold-rimmed glasses on his nose gave him that polished, mature, gentleman vibe. The kind of man women were naturally drawn to.
Before and now, it had always been the same.
He never lacked admirers.
Rowena forced down the grief surging in her chest and walked over with the documents in hand. She flipped directly to the signature page. "These contracts are urgent. Sign them."
Because she had shown up out of nowhere, Archer had been tense from the moment he saw her. His heart was all over the place. He didn’t even check the papers carefully before taking the pen and signing in a swift, flowing motion.
The moment he finished, Rowena calmly gathered the documents off the desk. "You go ahead and stay busy. I’m leaving first."
She turned around and walked out without a backward glance, then pulled the office door shut behind her.
In the hallway, Rowena opened the folder.
Her eyes landed on the divorce agreement at the very bottom, on the neat signature that read Archer Goodwin. The sadness on her face was impossible to hide.
So what if they had once loved each other so fiercely?
In the end, it still couldn’t survive the slow wear and tear of time. Familiarity bred contempt. And people, sooner or later, chased whatever felt new.
At five-thirty in the afternoon, it was quitting time.
Rowena dragged her exhausted body together and got ready to head home.
Just then, the office door was pushed open.
What she saw first was a huge bouquet of blooming red roses, bright and extravagant, dotted with tiny white baby’s breath. Then a handsome face appeared from behind it. "Rowena, I’m here to pick you up after work."
Archer walked over and placed the flowers in her arms, then leaned down to kiss her.
In that instant, the scene from the club last night crashed into Rowena’s mind again. Her stomach turned. She frowned in disgust and instinctively tilted her head away.
His kiss landed on her cheek instead.
Sensing her rejection, Archer immediately explained, "Clara is Julian Sheffield’s little sister. You know that. Julian and I grew up together. His sister is basically my sister too. I’ve practically watched her grow up. Don’t overthink it, okay?"
