"Rube, why did you stop?"

Louisa slithered up to him like a snake, pressing her body against his. Normally, Ruben would have pulled her into his arms without hesitation. But now, he stood frozen like a statue without moving.

Then, his body convulsed without warning, and he collapsed while vomiting blood in violent, heaving gasps.

Scarlet stains spread across the bed sheets. Louisa's terrified screams rang through the room as he struggled to his feet, still stumbling toward the garage.

Surely, nothing had happened to Estelle! He had to go looking for her himself!

As he got into the car, his gaze landed on the envelope Estelle had left for him, still sitting in the passenger seat.

A searing pain twisted through his chest as if his insides were being torn apart. He gasped for air, but every breath only sent the agony deeper into his bloodstream.

Why had he let Estelle fly alone? Why 

Asher instructed the nurses to keep an eye on Ruben before personally retrieving the envelope.

But when he returned, he found an unexpected scene in the hospital room. A woman was there, along with two children.

She was crying out, "Even if you don't care about anything else, at least think about your own flesh and blood!"

Asher frowned as his hand paused on the door handle.

What was going on? As far as he knew, Ruben and Estelle never had children. So where did this so-called own flesh and blood come from?

Did he cheat on Estelle?

Inside, Louisa's voice trembled with emotion. "If you die, I'll take our children with me! I have no reason to live without you!"

For a moment, Ruben seemed moved. He reached up to gently stroke Louisa's hair. "Why put yourself through this?"

Without a word, Asher stepped inside and tossed the envelope onto Ruben's lap.

"Here's what you asked for."

R

A few minutes later, Ruben walked out of the estate.

Estelle stood there silently, watching him for a moment. Then, she lifted her hand, showing him the bracelet on her wrist.

"You made this for me yourself. But today, I noticed that it's fading. Tell me, Ruben, do you think your love for me will fade too?"

"Of course not!" Ruben's expression seemed sincere as he said this.

He took her hand, pressed a reverent kiss onto it, and whispered, "My love for you only grows stronger with each passing day."

A quiet, unreadable smile curved Estelle's lips. He loved her, yet he was deceiving and humiliating her like this?

She had originally planned to leave quietly. But now, she had changed her mind.

She wanted revenge. Revenge for the two years of lies and betrayal, for the broken promises that left her drowning in pain alone, and for the love he had given her—only to carve an irreparable wound into her heart.

She wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "Ruben, I love you too. So, wait for me, okay?

"Wait for me and our child to come back and celebrate our third wedding anniversary together."

"Oh, right." She pulled out a document envelope and carefully placed it in his hands. "This is my gift to you. But don't open it until two days from now."

The content was her abortion record and screenshots from the videos Louisa had sent her.

By the time the news of her plane crash reached him that afternoon, he would inevitably open the envelope. And then he would know that it was his betrayal that crushed her spirit.

He would know then that it was his infidelity that cost him the child he had so eagerly awaited and that he was the reason he lost the wife he claimed to love.

She wanted him to spend the rest of his life drowning in pain and regret.

"Alright, I'll wait for you to come back," Ruben said, his eyes glowing with hope. "Love, let me take you to the airport."

Estelle shook her head. He had walked beside her long enough. She didn't want his company for this final stretch of the journey.

"There's no need. I know how busy you are. Plus, someone else will be looking for you soon anyway."

Ruben froze for a second. Was it just his imagination, or was there a trace of mockery in her voice?

A strange unease crept into his heart.

At that moment, Ruben's phone buzzed. It was a message from Louisa.

"Rube, did you get enough just now? After you send your wife off, come back and let's continue, okay?"

Then, Louisa attached a photo of herself draped in Estelle's lingerie.

Ruben's breathing grew erratic, and a rush of desire instantly drowned out the unease he had felt only seconds ago.

Their first time together had happened after his parents had forced alcohol down his throat. At the time, he had felt disgusted and tainted. The shame had been so overwhelming that he had nearly wanted to end his own life.

However, Louisa had knelt before him, stripped of all dignity as she pleaded, "Even though you ruined my family, I still love you, Ruben. I swear, I won't survive without you. I'll do anything as long as it makes you happy!"

She truly had no limits when it came to pleasing him. Every forbidden act, every game—things he had never even imagined—she had indulged in them all.

And then, one day, she had put on Estelle's clothes and whispered, "You can pretend I'm her. Anything you can't bring yourself to do to her, you can do to me."

At that moment, she had lit a fire in him.

There were countless filthy thoughts he had entertained about Estelle, but every time he got close to her, they had filled him with guilt. His wildest desire made him feel like he was the lowest form of life. 

The desire would fade, leaving behind only pure, almost sacred devotion. But with Louisa, he didn't have to restrain himself. With her, every twisted fantasy could come to life.

"Then… I won't take you to the airport, love. Be careful on the way."

Before leaving, Estelle gave him one last look. However, she only saw his back, which had already turned away.

She whispered her final goodbye. "Goodbye, Ruben Daye… forever."

A few hours later, Ruben was entangled with Louisa in the king-sized bed at The Skyloft, lost in pleasure. However, he soon received a phone call from his assistant, Phil Hanson.

He grabbed it and answered with extreme irritation, "You better have a damn good reason for calling."

But on the other end, Phil's voice was shaking.

"Mr. Daye… We just received word… that Mrs. Daye's plane… had crashed. It happened just after leaving domestic airspace… over the ocean."

Ruben's pupils constricted, and his entire body went cold.

"What… did you just say?"


"Rube, why did you stop?"

Louisa slithered up to him like a snake, pressing her body against his. Normally, Ruben would have pulled her into his arms without hesitation. But now, he stood frozen like a statue without moving.

Then, his body convulsed without warning, and he collapsed while vomiting blood in violent, heaving gasps.

Scarlet stains spread across the bed sheets. Louisa's terrified screams rang through the room as he struggled to his feet, still stumbling toward the garage.

Surely, nothing had happened to Estelle! He had to go looking for her himself!

As he got into the car, his gaze landed on the envelope Estelle had left for him, still sitting in the passenger seat.

A searing pain twisted through his chest as if his insides were being torn apart. He gasped for air, but every breath only sent the agony deeper into his bloodstream.

Why had he let Estelle fly alone? Why hadn't he arranged for experienced pilots to accompany her? Just why?

Frankly, he knew he had been 

Chapter 7