“Ethan asked me to accompany him on a business trip. Last night, we took a yacht ride… It was so romantic I was close to tears!”

“Look at the diamond earrings he bought me,” she went on. “They must have cost a fortune, don't you think? He told me I looked lovely when I wore jewelry.”

Regina Morris shook her head coquettishly, overflowing with satisfaction. The gems sparkled in her ears, and the movement revealed the purplish marks on the side of her neck. It didn't take much imagination to figure out what had happened after Ethan gave them to her.

Rachel averted her eyes in disgust.

She and Ethan had been married for two years. Did Regina expect her congratulations on the gift?

Her husband wasn't just content to sleep with her best friend, he was giving her jewelry to strut her stuff.

As CEO of the Trent Group, Ethan Trent had a fortune worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Young, talented, handsome, and immensely wealthy, it was to be expected that, even though he was married, women would throw themselves at him.

Rachel Corbin had made herself the target of envy by becoming the wife of a man as exceptional as Ethan. But he was determined not to be faithful, especially with so many women around him.

The last straw was that Regina was his best friend!

“Come on, Rachel, give Ethan up, please!” Regina continued in a soft voice. “He loves me, what's the point of you two torturing yourselves like that?”

Rachel curved her lips in a sarcastic gesture, and narrowed her beautiful cognac-colored eyes before asking in an icy voice, “Do you think I'm holding him back? Are all mistresses as cheeky as you?”

Regina opened her mouth, looking surprised, “… I understand you're upset with me, but we can't control our feelings at will.

If you fall in love, well… It's just the way it is. Ethan and I really

love each other…”

As if it were that easy! Rachel's expression turned to stone.

“Wow, Regina, so now you're picking up not only the clothes I throw away, but also the men I'm not interested in?”

Regina's expression froze for a moment, “You're so unfair, Rachel! Why won't you let Ethan and I be happy? I promise I'll make it up to you…”

Was Rachel the villain standing in the way of the protagonist's happiness?

Regina was just a b*tch, trying to steal her supposed best friend's husband. How could she be so cheeky and say that Rachel was the one standing in the way of her happiness?

She bit her lower lip and continued, “When are you going to accept it? You and Ethan have been married for two years, and he's barely touched you. Isn't that enough for you to understand that he doesn't love you?”

Rachel turned and grabbed the teacup from the nearby table and, with an unexpected movement, threw the liquid in Regina's face.

Regina, not expecting it, screamed and jumped out of her seat. The tea was still hot.

“Rachel, you're crazy!”, she shouted.

But Rachel gazed at her blankly and said, “I thought you might be thirsty after all that talking.”

Unable to answer, Regina put both hands to her reddened cheeks.

Rachel, for her part, sat up, still looking dangerously calm.

“You're nothing but shameless! Do you think you have the right to be treated politely? I warn you! Don't provoke me again, or next time it won't be a hot cup of tea!”

She then pulled a piece of paper out of her handbag and threw it at Regina's feet, “Since you've chosen to be a sl*t, you'd better tuck your tail between your legs. If you dare to show such effrontery in front of me again, I swear everyone will know who you are”.

After threatening her, Rachel turned and left without looking back.

The hot tea had left streaks in Regina's make-up. She stared at Rachel's back and didn't bother to hide the hatred she felt.

“You just wait… Soon you won't be Mrs. Trent anymore”, she muttered between her teeth.

Later, Rachel arrived at her North Road apartment. Ethan had bought it shortly before the wedding, intending to take up residence there.

The apartment had cost a small fortune. In that privileged area, apartments were more expensive than the houses in other luxurious neighborhoods. Only the most powerful could afford such a luxury.

Mrs. Myers, the housekeeper, greeted her with a smile.

“Oh, Mrs. Trent! You're just in time, dinner is ready. Please go to the dining room”.

But Rachel shook her head and headed straight for the master bedroom, “Thank you, Mrs. Myers! I'm not hungry”.

Mrs. Myers opened her mouth to protest, but Rachel had already entered the room and closed the door.

It was an impressive bedroom. Although it was lavishly and tastefully decorated, it always seemed to Rachel to feel empty.

But no! It wasn't an empty room; it was just a desolate heart!

She immediately reached down, opened the bottom drawer of the nightstand, and pulled out a photo she had taken with Ethan on their wedding day.

She stared at her own face in the picture. There were stars in her eyes, and her beautiful features reflected her joy inside.

Then she looked at Ethan. His features were chiseled and manly, but he pursed his sensuous lips tightly and his eyes were hard. He didn't look like a man happy to be married.

He wouldn't even give her a polite smile.

Rachel had known that for a long time… That this man didn't love her and didn't want to marry her.

But at that moment, Rachel believed that his love would be enough to change everything.

How wrong she was!

It never happened.

Two years had passed, but Ethan's attitude towards her was still as indifferent as it had been at the beginning.

Rachel squeezed her eyes tightly shut, feeling the sting of tears struggling to escape.

Pulling herself together, she sat up and threw the photo into the wastebasket. With a snap, the glass cracked down the middle.

She was no longer the innocent child she was before.

It was time to get rid of all the unnecessary things.

She then entered the bathroom and immediately the water could be heard running.