Chapter 2

Although this was Emma and Seth's marital home, the number of things that belonged to Emma was laughably few. On the second day of their marriage, Seth and his secretary, June, had gone to the bar to drink their sorrows away. In that one month, Seth had come back to their home less than five times. However, that only made it easier for Emma to slowly pack up her things. Then, she put her house up for sale online. When she walked out the door with the divorce settlement agreement, the only thing she took with her was her last box of clothes. She drove to the luxury apartment that she'd just purchased in Eastside. As soon as she unlocked the door, she was unexpectedly pulled into a warm and nice-smelling embrace. Lucas Jones' warm and intimate breath fanned against the side of her neck, making her shiver. A flush quickly crept up her cheeks. "Stop—hey—" Emma said shakily. She was unable to even speak a complete sentence. Lucas' movements stopped. He looked up, revealing his charming and nearly perfect face. His damp, glittering eyes looked sad. For some reason, it made Emma think of a certain animal. "Em, I haven't seen you in 48 hours and five minutes," Lucas said. His typically cool voice was now husky with desire, making Emma's knees go weak. "Do you know how much I missed you? Do you know how much I want you?" he continued. He placed heavy emphasis on the last two words. Emma's face turned as red as a cooked lobster, and she silently cursed Lucas for being such an incubus. However, when Lucas' warm and perfectly muscular body was pressed against hers, she couldn't bring herself to push him away from her. The only reason Emma had been able to meet such a remarkable person was because she had taken a page out of Seth's book. The matter could be traced back to their wedding night. When Emma had stood naked before him, Seth had merely regarded her coldly and even spat humiliating words at her. "Let's sleep in separate rooms. I don't have those needs," he'd said. He had just stomped her self-esteem into the ground. He hadn't even given her a reason; he simply allowed her to wallow in self-deprecation and self-doubt. The following day, Emma had wanted to break the ice, so she had gone to Seth's office. However, what she saw was Seth and June locked in an intimate embrace in broad daylight. His voice was husky with arousal as he said, "June, my body belongs to you and only you. You are the one that I love. "To me, Emma is nothing but a chunk of lard that I can't bear to swallow. "I swear, if I ever touched her, I would punish myself by never seeing you again." Ever since that day, her long-anticipated marriage with the man that she'd loved for years had turned into a big joke. Seth continuously promised June that he would never touch Emma or even look directly at her. While he and June lived in romantic bliss, Emma felt like she was being tortured. She nearly went insane and even thought about dying. Afterward, she did something very out of her obedient heiress character and went to the bar for the first time. Plastered, she met her current man. Lucas would give her the emotional validation that she wanted. He would gaze at her face with infatuation, like he couldn't bear to avert his gaze. Back in the present, Lucas sighed quietly while holding Emma. "Em, I really can't imagine my life without you." He'd shown Emma what true love and respect was. But he was just a little too clingy. He was the perfect lover. He didn't want Emma's money; he just wanted her. Just as Lucas carried her onto the bed, Emma's phone suddenly started to vibrate. Two words flashed on the screen: Seth Hunter.