When the Heart Dies

"Fine, I admit I lied to you. Yesterday wasn't a business thing.

"Chase got promoted and I was just celebrating with him. Having dinner with a close friend is perfectly normal, isn't it?"

"Then where did this necklace come from?"

"Chase gave me this necklace. We're close friends. Can't he give me a gift?"

"Right. Sleeping with your 'friend' makes you more like his mistress than his buddy."

Scarlett froze, her eyes filled with panic. "What are you saying? I didn't do anything."

Watching her expression, I understood immediately. Chase must have blocked Scarlett from seeing the video he posted last night.

He was deliberately showing off to me.

"Whether you did or didn't doesn't matter anymore."

I turned and went back to my room, slamming the door hard and leaving Scarlett standing alone in the living room.

…

It was a clear night after the rain when Scarlett and I first met. On my way home from work, I passed by a dark alley behind a bar and heard a woman's faint cries for help.

Driven by a sense of justice, I charged straight in. Scarlett was being pinned to the ground at the time, kicking with her bare legs and struggling desperately.

Several punks told me to mind my own business, but I was young and still had a fiery sense of righteousness. I grabbed a brick and rushed at them.

The thugs got what they deserved, but I ended up covered in injuries. An artery in my leg was severed and the bleeding would not stop.

If the ambulance had not arrived in time, I probably would have lost my life that day.

During my recovery, Scarlett came to take care of me whenever she could. As time passed, feelings developed between us.

However, the moment we announced our relationship, Scarlett's mother vehemently opposed it.

That was when I learned that Scarlett was actually the heir to the Hayes Corporation, worth billions. I was just an ordinary office worker. We were not from the same world.

I felt inferior at the time, thinking I was not good enough for Scarlett, but somehow Grandma had a connection with the Hayes family.

Under the combined pressure from Grandma and Scarlett, her mother eventually agreed.

After marriage, I became a live-in son-in-law. Even the Hayes family household staff looked down on me.

Despite the humiliation, I treated Scarlett like a treasure, handling her as if she were made of glass.

As a corporate heiress, Scarlett had plenty of faults. She was demanding, willful, had a serious case of princess syndrome, and needed to control everything around her.

I tolerated everything and obeyed her every word, taking care of her with meticulous attention.

My friends laughed at me, saying even lapdogs were not as servile as I was. Was I even a man?

I did not care. I genuinely wanted to do these things. I wanted to spoil her, love her, care for her, and live happily ever after with her.

All of that was shattered when Chase returned from studying abroad. The two had an extraordinary relationship and were inseparable during their school days.

Although he presented himself as her male best friend, I noticed that their relationship went far beyond friendship.

From what I understood, the two had always stayed in contact and never lost touch. Chase had voluntarily returned to the country, and Scarlett was giddy with excitement that day.

She brought me along to pick him up from the airport. I had never seen her so excited.

The moment they met, they embraced tightly while I felt like a third wheel. However, at the time, I did not think anything of it. I thought it was normal for close friends, especially 'best friends,' to act that way.

When Scarlett introduced me, Chase looked at me strangely, though he politely greeted me out of courtesy.

Thinking back now, his heart must have been full of jealousy and hostility.

The first thing Chase did after returning to the country was join Hayes Corporation. With his connections with Scarlett, he smoothly became a mid-level manager.

I, on the other hand, had started as the lowest-ranking employee. Aside from a few top executives, no one knew I was the CEO's husband.

From that point on, Scarlett and Chase were practically inseparable. They commuted together and he would often drop by our house.

To help maintain Scarlett's image, Grandma became the household cook. Her cooking completely won over Scarlett's taste buds. Whenever she did not have work dinners, she would come home to eat Grandma's meals.