Chapter 2

My brain short-circuited.

I knew Chloe was sexually liberated, but this was insane. What she said sounded wildly inappropriate.

This was a dog cafe. The room only held dogs, and VIP entry was strictly one person at a time.

So who was she stripping for... to taste her?

The more I thought about it, the sicker I felt. What if she was doing something depraved she’d regret for the rest of her life?

Hesitating for a second, I raised my hand to knock. But before my knuckles touched wood, the manager grabbed my wrist.

"Sorry, honey. Without an access pass, regular guests aren't allowed in this hallway."

My throat constricted. Questions burned on my tongue, but I didn't know how to voice them.

What if this was just Chloe's dark, private kink?

Calling her out would be exposing her most shameful secret.

Swallowing my words, I obediently returned to the lobby.

I petted a golden retriever by my feet, but my mind was trapped in that VIP room.

Was it just my imagination? Aside from the panting, I swore I heard faint, breathless female moans.

A long time later, Chloe emerged.

Compared to when she went in, she looked even more gorgeous—curves pronounced, skin luminous. Anyone walking past couldn't take their eyes off her.

Something felt terribly wrong, yet I couldn't put my finger on it.

That night, I tossed and turned in bed, haunted by the sounds from that room.

Marcus wasn't home yet. His phone went straight to voicemail every time I called. Just as panic began to settle in, Chloe sent me a photo on SnapChat.

It was Marcus, his arm wrapped around a strange woman, checking into a boutique hotel downtown.

Rage consumed me. I called Chloe, and we stormed the hotel together.

When I kicked the door open, Marcus was holding the woman's long legs up, thrusting into her like an animal.

Blind with fury, I slapped him across the face twice.

Marcus shielded his naked mistress with his body, shouting at me with words that pierced like daggers:

"Instead of screaming at me, look in the damn mirror! You're bloated, haggard, and ugly! Just the thought of sleeping with you makes me want to puke!"

Thank God Chloe was there. She held my trembling shoulders and whispered softly:

"Daisy, stop arguing. Leave him. A tainted marriage is worse than being a widow."

Drowned in grief, I failed to notice the chilling, twisted smirk creeping onto Chloe’s lips.

After that night, our marriage shattered completely.

Marcus left signed divorce papers on the kitchen counter and moved into his mistress's apartment.

The betrayal tore my heart to pieces.

Hopelessly codependent, I couldn't accept it. My brain spiraled into finding ways to win Marcus back.

But with my faded, exhausted looks, how could I compete with a fresh twenty-something girl?

Suddenly, that dog cafe flashed into my mind. The place that promised overnight youth.