Chapter 1

Tags: Awakened Male Lead, Cutting Losses in Time, White Moonlight Stand-in, Cheating and Betrayal, Face-Slapping the Scum

At our wedding, Mandy brought in a special effects makeup artist, insisting on turning my face into that of her long-lost first love.

Only by doing this could she suppress her resentment and go through with the ceremony with me.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror, a wave of nausea washed over me.

Yet that only infuriated Mandy. "You look nothing like him! How am I supposed to marry you like this?!"

Disgust filled my eyes. Right then and there, I called off the wedding and walked away from this woman.

She didn't care at all. Turning on her heel, she hooked up with his younger brother, who bore a striking resemblance to her obsession.

She was utterly convinced I would come crawling back.

Until the day my relationship with the renowned cellist, Chloe Quinn, was splashed across the headlines.

Furious, she barged right to my door, demanding to know why I was messing around with another woman.

I didn't even bother looking at her. Chloe simply flashed her massive diamond wedding ring in Mandy's face.

"Excuse me, but we're legally married."

The special effects makeup artist pressed her fingers across my face, gradually morphing my features into Sean's likeness.

Looking at the altered reflection staring back at me, I felt nothing but revulsion.

Beside me, however, Mandy looked as if she had struck gold, her eyes practically shining.

In all the years we had been together, this was the first time she had ever looked at me with such genuine infatuation.

Excitedly, she asked the artist, "How long can this makeup last?"

The artist replied, "If he's careful, keeping it for two to three days shouldn't be a problem."

Mandy rubbed her hands together. "Can I hire you to do this for him all the time? As long as you keep his face looking like this, I'll pay you triple!"

The makeup artist hesitated, looking uncomfortable. "The materials used for prosthetic makeup are very harsh on the skin. Long-term use is harmful to his health. It could cause skin ulcerations or serious infections. I really wouldn't recommend putting your husband through this."

Within just an hour, even an outsider could tell that the man Mandy loved wasn't me.

Forcing your husband to become another man on your own wedding day... Anyone witnessing it would feel sick to their stomach.

Mandy scoffed dismissively. "Let it rot, then! Since he's marrying me, what isn't he supposed to sacrifice for me? If he doesn't want to, we can just get divorced!"

The artist's hands froze. I clamped a hand over my mouth, fighting down the violent urge to vomit.

Watching her twisted, demanding face as she barked orders at me, my insides felt as though they were being wrung out by a fist.

It took me a long moment to lift my pale face, but that only provoked Mandy further. "You look nothing like him! How am I supposed to marry you like this?!

"If you don't want to wear makeup, go get plastic surgery! Spend whatever it takes to get his face once and for all! That way I won't have to look at your nauseating face every single day and lose my appetite!"

The makeup artist sighed, trying to smooth things over on what was supposed to be a joyous day. "Mr. Campbell has such great features, he could easily make it big in Hollywood."

Hearing someone speak up for me only gave Mandy a new target for her rage. "I just don't like it! Chase, I'm giving you two options today: either we don't get married, or you go under the knife!"

Looking at her smug, entitled expression, a bitter smile spread across my face.

"Fine. Then the wedding is off."

With that, I tore the prosthetics off my face with my own hands, turned around, and walked out without looking back.

The artist whispered, "Ms. Miller, shouldn't you go talk to him?"

Mandy shouted at the top of her lungs, "Talk to him my ass! He doesn't have the backbone you think he does! Give him a few days, and he'll come crawling back on his own! He's just a pathetic lapdog who loves being treated like dirt!"

Sometimes I really marveled at my own endurance.

How could any man endure this? Being pointed at, stripped of all pride and dignity, and cursed out in front of strangers for over three long years.

I pulled off the wedding ring and tossed it into the nearest trash can.

I had finally had enough of this woman.

From this moment on, I wanted nothing to do with her ever again.

When I got home, I hired people to pack up every single thing belonging to Mandy.

From our dating phase to our wedding day, she had insisted on taking the master bedroom all to herself, banishing me to the guest room.

Living in my house, spending my money, and tormenting me daily.

I had truly been too lenient with her, spoiling her into this lawless, entitled monster.

The living room was cluttered with luxury designer items she had bought with my credit card.

Back then, whatever she asked for, no matter how hard it was to find, I moved heaven and earth to get it for her just to see her smile.

I slumped on the sofa, feeling like the biggest failure in the world over the past three years.

When Mandy came back, she could take all these things with her.

Consider it her breakup settlement. No, we weren't even having a proper breakup.

Consider it my severance fee to cut all ties.

What I didn't expect was that when the front door finally opened late into the night, Mandy didn't return alone.

Beside her stood Nathan, the younger brother of her obsession.