Chapter 1

My credit card had been maxed out. Someone had stolen my identity.

I called the police.

Mid-way through giving my statement at the police station, I saw my husband, Rhys Davies, who was supposed to be away on a business trip. Trailing behind him, face flushed crimson, was Lila Stone – his first love.

"Aria, is this how you waste police resources?"

A withdrawal of charges statement was slapped onto the table by Rhys. "Just sign it, quickly. I don't have time to argue with you about this nonsense."

I looked at the amount displayed on the statement—it was equivalent to three years of Rhys's salary. I smiled.

"You want me to sign it?"

"Fine," I said, meeting the smug, assured faces of Rhys and his first love. I picked up the statement. "Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness."

"Grovel at my feet."

"You missed a step."

My voice dropped, icy.

"No deal."

My lawyer, who had come with me, immediately spoke up. "According to the law, fraudulently using someone else's credit card for over $50,000 constitutes a felony—"

"Enough!"

Rhys brutally interrupted my lawyer, then turned, his eyes burning into me. "Aria! We're married! Don't make this ugly. If you push me, *you'll* be the one regretting it, not me!"

Lila, Rhys's first love, immediately burst into tears.

"Aria, I know you resent me and Rhys being together for three years. I know my presence makes you uncomfortable, but you have to be reasonable. Rhys and I met and were together first. Just because you married him doesn't mean you can cut off all his ties with me."

Lila's voice was choked with sobs, yet it cut through the air, sharp as a blade.

"My son needed to get into a good school, and I couldn't afford the tuition! That's why I asked Rhys for help! Do you think I *wanted* to use your credit card? Do you think I felt good about it? It was humiliating for me too, okay?" Lila cried, her eyes red. "Before I came here with Rhys, do you know where I was? Trying to enroll my son in school! Now, the whole school knows I'm a credit card fraudster! Are you happy now?"

Lila screamed the last sentence, then crumpled into Rhys's arms. He gently stroked her back, comforting her.

"It's okay."

"I'm right here."

"As long as I'm here, I won't let anyone mess with you or the kid," Rhys said, still soothing Lila but not forgetting to warn me. "Aria, do you see? Even a sweet, gentle person like Lila has been driven to this by you! I advise you to sign the damn papers and clear things up with Lila. Tell everyone this was just a misunderstanding! Otherwise, how will she and her son ever live this down?"

I looked at Rhys's self-righteous, indignant face.

I remembered when I first found out my credit card was stolen. I'd even wondered if something terrible had happened to Rhys.

After all, Rhys hadn't been home for a while, always claiming he was handling some big project out of town. Even for our anniversary, all I got was a cold, terse text: 'Happy Anniversary, Wife.' No gift. No call. He just disappeared for the entire day.

Now, seeing Rhys stand there, defending another woman, I finally realized all my worries were for nothing. And if that's the case, why should I care about his 'face'? I walked over to Rhys, grabbed Lila's hair, and slapped her hard.

As Lila shrieked, I raised my hand again, delivering a stinging slap across Rhys's face. I then declared,

"Now, I'm not just dealing with credit card fraud."

I turned to my lawyer.

"I want to accuse my husband of possible bigamy, of having another family and even an illegitimate child behind my back."