The Lies of Marriage, The Price of Love

Without even guessing, these photos were clearly taken by Dave for her.

Kate tossed her phone aside, too tired to argue. She just felt exhausted.

When she opened her eyes again, she realized it was already midnight. At this time, Dave was in the bathroom, getting ready for bed.

She slowly opened her eyes and the sound of a message notification caught Kate's attention.

Her gaze shifted toward Dave's phone. Perhaps Dave thought Kate had already fallen asleep and was not being cautious.

On the phone screen, it clearly showed his social media secondary account.

Normally, Kate didn't have the habit of checking his phone. Dave was also well aware that even if she did, he would have countless ways to deceive her.

At this moment, a message popped up on the phone screen.

Curious, Kate opened it and saw several photos sent by someone saved as "My Ona" in the contacts.

In the photos, the woman was dressed in stockings and a cute, sexy outfit. Kate immediately recognized that it was Leona.

"Dave, come find me. Same old place..."

As she saw those photos and the flirtatious messages, Kate's hand trembled uncontrollably.

It felt like the phone would slip from her hands at any moment.

Her breath quickened as she realized that, despite the wedding being only days away, they had already taken this step behind her back.

Seeing those messages with her own eyes again made her heart ache, as if the pain never truly left.

Hearing the sound of the water stop, Kate put down her phone, turned around and closed her eyes, lying down.

Dave picked up his phone, first glanced at Kate to confirm that she was asleep, then started typing a message.

His tone was flirtatious.

"But I just got back, babe. How about tomorrow?"

On the other end, Leona was chatty and even more audacious, directly calling with a voice message.

"Dave, don't you miss me? I miss you so much, I just want to see you. By the way, did you like the wedding dress I wore today?"

Dave didn’t hesitate at all. "Of course, it looked great."

Leona continued to press him. "Then, who looks better, me or Kate?"

Dave paused for a second, glanced at Kate, then replied into the phone.

"No one is as beautiful as my Ona."

These words felt like a sharp needle piercing into Kate's heart as they left his lips.

He had once said that Kate was the most beautiful and kindest woman he had ever known. Not long ago, Dave had even knelt on one knee in front of everyone to propose to her. The crowd had showered them with envious looks and even Kate herself believed that she would be happy for the rest of her life.

It was only now that Kate realized that Dave’s pursuit and proposal had always been about taking her away from the Shawn Family as early as possible. Only then could Leona safely take on the role of the Shawn Family's daughter, all while keeping Kate under her control, within her grasp.

It seemed like Leona had heard the answer she wanted, as her tone immediately softened. "Then, are you coming to see me? I’m waiting for you today..."

Leona's tone was soft and delicate and Dave couldn't help but soften as well. "Your sister is asleep now, so wait for me."

He stood up, grabbing his clothes, preparing to leave. Before he went, he made sure to send Kate a message.

"Darling, there’s something urgent at the company, I have to head back. Stay home and be good, I’ll be back soon."

Kate didn’t know how many nights Dave had lied to her like this. Perhaps every night he claimed to have work was actually spent secretly meeting with Leona.

It had become impossible to count how many times it had happened.