Chapter 1

For the 999th time, my attempt to seduce the esports tycoon ended in failure.

We've been married for five years, yet he's never touched me. I even need his permission for a simple kiss.

I always thought he was asexual, uncomfortable with any physical contact. That is, until I received a private video of him in bed with someone else.

In the video, the man's body moved rhythmically, while the woman beneath him wore a cosplay outfit of his favorite game character.

His usual cold demeanor was gone, replaced by a look of desire.

"Baby... you're so beautiful..." he murmured.

That's when I realized he wasn't asexual. He just didn't love me.

After he rejected my advances once again, I said nothing. I simply left the divorce papers and walked away.

Later, Lucas Graham stood outside my apartment building.

As he watched me walk hand-in-hand with another man, his eyes slowly filled with tears.

The screen of my phone was still lit, and I hadn't yet recovered from the shock of what I'd just seen.

In the video, the man's lean waist moved rhythmically. The dim light cast shadows on his face, adding a touch of lust to his features.

The woman beneath him wore elaborate, seductive makeup. Her cosplay outfit was torn to shreds, hanging off her chest, hinting at their previous passion.

I had never seen Lucas Graham like this before. His eyes, fixed on the woman, were blood-red and filled with a hint of madness.

Who would have thought that the cold, seemingly asexual esports god would be so wild behind closed doors?

I shifted my gaze to the scented candle burning on the bedside table and let out a bitter laugh.

I had gone to great lengths to win Lucas over, even spending a fortune on aphrodisiac essential oils. I'd even added ylang-ylang to my shower gel for its reputed arousing effects.

I felt a lump in my throat and had to swallow hard to keep from crying.

When I first met Lucas after college graduation, his cold face and unapproachable demeanor made him seem like an unreachable flower on a high cliff.

But the colder he was, the more it sparked my desire to conquer him.

The more he pushed me away, the more determined I became to make him my boyfriend.

I even made a bet with him: "In three years, I'll definitely make you fall in love with me."

I pursued him relentlessly, using every trick in the book.

My closet was bursting with sexy lingerie, but Lucas remained unmoved.

Then, a year later, he suddenly proposed to me.

I thought my efforts had finally paid off. I was so touched I couldn't even speak.

But only now do I understand.

Marrying me was just a way to suppress the scandal of him sleeping with his fans.

I was nothing more than his shield.

Lucas came home late that night. Although he maintained his usual cold facade, I caught sight of the hidden red marks on his neck.

From the moment he entered until he reached the bedroom, he didn't even spare me a glance.

Just as the door was about to close, I called out to him.

"Lucas, do you remember the bet I made when we first met?"

Lucas's brows furrowed instantly, his impatience evident.

"I'm very tired today. I don't have time for your nonsense."

"If you're bored, go find a job. Stop being so paranoid."

I fought back the lump in my throat. "When we first met, I bet you that if I couldn't make you fall for me in three years, I would..."

But before I could finish, Lucas's phone rang, interrupting me.

He glanced at the caller ID and immediately answered. Whatever was said on the other end made his face, for the first time, show a panicked expression.

"Wasn't she fine this afternoon? How did she suddenly relapse?"

"I'll find a match as soon as possible!"

Lucas threw on his jacket and rushed out. As he passed the couch, he suddenly stopped.

"I remember you're O negative too. Come with me for a matching test."

Lucas didn't give me time to react, yanking me off the couch.

The temperature difference between day and night in spring was significant. I was only wearing a thin nightgown when Lucas pulled me out of the house. By the time we reached the hospital, my hands and feet were purple from the cold, and I couldn't stop shivering.

Lucas, on the other hand, was anxiously talking to the doctor, not sparing me a single glance.

It was a passing nurse who couldn't bear to see my state and gave me a blanket.

"She has the same blood type as Evelyn. As long as she's a match, we can take as many stem cells as we need."

Several nurses immediately surrounded me, inserting a needle into my skin. The anesthetic quickly took effect.

In my hazy state, I saw Lucas's cold face.

"As long as it can cure Evelyn, I don't care if all her stem cells are drained."

When I woke up again, there was a piercing pain in my lower back, and the IV in my hand had backflowed.

Across from me, Lucas was tenderly moistening the lips of the woman lying in bed with a damp cloth, occasionally looking up to check the IV drip.

The gentle tone he used to comfort her was something I had never heard in our three years together.

It was then that I realized, a heart that doesn't love me can never be warmed, no matter what I do.

I pulled out the IV needle from my hand, hissing in pain.

Seeing me awake, the smile instantly vanished from Lucas's face.

"Don't think acting weak will make me feel sorry for you."

"It's just stem cell donation, not like it's going to kill you."