"Where is she?"
The man dressed in a black suit asked the guy who greeted him when he just got out of the car.
A few minutes ago, his assistant sent him a photo showing his wife in a hotel with another man. He, who was accompanying his friend for a drink, went to the location immediately.
"Over there!" The guy pointed to a taxi ten meters from the Moon Hotel lobby. "They're leaving."
Levin Arley's blue eyes fell on the direction his assistant was pointing. His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes narrowed. His expression became darker than before.
"Livia?"
He couldn't believe what he saw. A woman with long hair tied back seemed to laugh happily with another man, and they even got into the same car. He intended to catch up with them, but he heard his assistant speak, "I don't know if it's a good thing or not, but if you came sooner, you would hear what Livia said to that guy in person. I still can't believe that she has betrayed you."
'Livia betrayed me? So, it's true,' Levin thought.
All this time, his mother always warned him that Livia was not a good girl, but he always ignored her words. And now, it turned out that what his mother said was true.
He thought he had given his best to his wife, so why did she betray him?
Levin stopped looking at the car that was getting farther away from his range of sight and turned around to look at his assistant. "You know the consequences of what you say if you lie, right?"
Levin's serious and cold expression made his assistant pause before he finally talked.
"I know. I didn't lie to you. Livia told the guy that she missed him, too. And ...."
"Bart!" Levin snapped. He didn't want to waste any time and let his wife with another man.
"She said that she will divorce you if she has earned enough money from you." Bart's voice trembled as he felt intimidated by Levin's gaze. Although they were friends, Bart couldn't match Levin from any side.
"I didn't think it was Livia because they came out of the hotel together. But when I looked closely, it turned out that she was Livia," he continued.
Levin clenched his fists. He didn't want to believe Bart, but he saw with his own eyes how his wife was so intimate with that man, and it was impossible if Livia just met him once. They must have known each other for a long time.
Bart could feel that the surrounding atmosphere was so tense, but he kept talking, "I wanted to record their conversation but couldn't. My position didn't allow it, so I only could send you that picture."
Levin's heart sank. He couldn't hear anything else from Bart. He got into the car and drove away from the Moon Hotel.
He tried to contact Livia, but her number was off. It made him think that Livia indeed cheated.
"What does our three years of marriage mean to you, Livia?" Levin muttered.
Unable to reach Livia, he went home. Hope Livia was already there. But when he arrived home, he did not find her. Nothing left but emptiness after he asked the servants and bodyguards to leave the main house.
He sat on the couch and looked back at the photo of Livia with that guy whose face was not visible clearly. He didn't see his face too when he was in front of the hotel. However, he remembered Livia's loose laughter clearly.
"Levin."
A female voice from the door made Levin shift his focus to the source of the sound.
"Esme?"
"Why are you making that expression? Aren't you happy to see your lovely friend is coming?" asked Esme Lindsey as she approached Levin.
"Get out! Don't bother me," Levin said coldly.
Esme ignored Levin's words. Instead, she sat next to him. Then, placing a paper bag containing two bottles of wine on the table. "How can you say that? I came to Simon's house to meet you, but you weren't there. And now you're kicking me out? We haven't seen each other in a month. Don't you miss me?"
When she pulled out one of the wine bottles along with the corkscrew, she continued. "Where is Livia? I think you are in a bad mood. Isn't she able to make your bad mood better in an instant?"
Levin did not answer her question. He took the wine bottle that Esme had just opened, then drank it straight.
"Why are you so impatient? I was just about to ask a servant to get a glass," Esme protested, but she let Levin then.
"What happened to you?" she continued after being silent for a while. "Did you and Livia quarrel? I didn't see your wife."
Levin almost didn't leave any wine in the bottle when he said, "What did you see in him that made you betray me, Livia? What can't I give you until you don't laugh like that for me?"
"Levin, are you drunk?" Esme asked as she grabbed Levin's arm and turned his body towards her. They exchange glances.
Levin looked at Esme as if he was looking at Livia. He dropped the bottle in his hand and grabbed her shoulders. "Livia, what are you doing with him in the hotel? Did you play with him?"
"Levin, I'm not Livia!" Esme tried to let go of his hands, but she couldn't. His power was too strong.
"Can't I satisfy you? Is that why you betrayed me? Well, if you keep silent, let us see who is better. Him or me?"
Levin pushed Esme until her body hit the backrests.
"Levin—mmm"
Esme couldn't continue her words because Levin covered her mouth with his lips. A powerful aroma of wine was not only smelled but also felt by Esme through his mouth.
This guy was really drunk!
When Levin released her and let her take a breath, Esme snapped. "Levin, I'm not Livia! I'm Esme!"
Levin didn't listen to what Esme said. His body was increasingly hot and tensed.
Did a wine react this strongly?
Before Esme could talk, Levin closed her lips tightly with his.
This time, his common sense was out of his control. He was letting anger take over him.
Meanwhile, a taxi stopped in front of the mansion's fence.
A woman got out of the car and tightened her sweater immediately when the night wind hit her body. The coming winter made the night air even colder. She made a small run down to the mansion before her body shivered.
"That's Levin's car. He's home."
Livia's eyes lit up instantly when she saw her husband's car parked in front of the mansion. Her smile widened.
"But why don't I see any bodyguards? There are only gatekeepers outside."
Livia shook her head. She didn't care about anything else because she couldn't wait to see her husband. She hurried to speed up his pace and entered the mansion.
When she arrived in the living room, her steps stopped because she saw Levin's suit and shirt lying on the floor beside the couch. Not only that, she also saw a long dress and cardigan.
Instantly, her heart beat fast as negative thoughts settled in her mind.
"No, Livia. Don't think nonsense. Levin—"
Livia didn't continue her words because she heard a female voice from the main room, but the voice was very faint because her position was far away from the sound source.
She had already twisted her foot towards the stairs, but for some reason, she was afraid to approach the source of the sound.
What if she found something inappropriate?
Not wanting to struggle with her inner voice, she immediately ran to the second floor only to find the bedroom door wide open. Showing the action of her husband and his friend playing on the bed with voices shouting at each other.
The woman who was under her husband seemed to enjoy their play.
As if lightning struck her, her body felt electrocuted, causing her to feel extreme pain. She froze where she stood with both hands covering her mouth.
It must be a dream!
That was her hope. Unfortunately, what she saw now was the reality. Levin slept with Esme in their room.
Her heart seemed to be pierced by a sharp spear that felt so painful. However, no blood was a witness to the pain. Only tears of disappointment could reveal her heart.
Feeling someone was watching him, Levin turned his head toward the door only to find Livia standing there.
Their eyes met, but without a word for a while, until he saw Livia's tears, which made his senses back.
When he realized he had slept with a woman who was not his wife, it was too late.
"Livia!" called Levin when he saw Livia turn around and walk away from him.
No! He couldn't let Livia go.
"Levin," Esme prevented Levin from leaving by hugging and keeping him on top of her, "you have taken my virginity, so you are responsible for this. You must marry me, Levin Arley! Or I'll tell the media about what you've done to me."
"What?!"
Levin forcibly let go of Esme's embrace and got out of bed. Didn't care what the woman's expression was now.
"Stop dreaming! I'll never marry you, Esme!" he exclaimed as he walked to the closet and took out two kimonos.
He threw one of them at Esme and commanded, "Get out!"
"But Levin—"
Esme kept her mouth shut and only swallowed her saliva when Levin stared at her fiercely.
"No rejection, Esme! It's just a mistake, so pretend it never happened," Levin snapped. He was already wearing the kimono.
After speaking, he turned around and ran to catch up with Livia.
Meanwhile, Livia couldn't stop her tears. Her world turned upside down.
How could Levin betray her love?
"Livia, stop!"
Levin's voice did not make Livia's movement stop until his hand held her wrist and stopped her.
"Let go of my hand, Levin!" shouted Livia, slapping his hand away.
She stepped back. For some reason, she felt disgusted when she smelled another scent.
Levin wanted to explain the situation that happened between him and Esme, but he undid it when he saw Livia looked angry.
"Why are you angry? Isn't this what you do with that guy?" Levin asked between angry and anxious. He had never seen Livia cry before, and seeing her cry made his feelings so complicated.
Livia shook her head in disbelief at his words. He was the one who had just betrayed their love. But he instead accused her of flirting with another man.
She was speechless.
"Why are you silent? So, it's true you slept with another man?"
Slap!
She slapped Levin hard enough to make that man stunned.
"I'm not like you, who easily betrayed our marriage vows. I—"
Levin grabbed her hand, pulling her until there was no distance between them.
"Really? Then where have you been?"
Livia swallowed her saliva when she saw his domineering gaze. The warm gaze that Levin always gave her wasn't in the slightest now.
"I went to the shop with Delila," replied Livia, a little nervously.
Levin smiled bitterly. He didn't know that she was such a good liar. If he didn't see it for himself, maybe he would buy into Livia's bullshit.
"Since when do you always lie to me, Livia?"
Livia's heart beat fast when she heard the question. Did Levin know something?
"Ouch! Levin, let go of my hand! It hurts!" Livia groaned in pain as his grip tightened.
"It hurts? What about me? You broke my heart, Livia. You have betrayed me. I thought all along you loved me, but it was just bullshit!"
Livia stopped from trying to release his grip.
She looked up and saw Levin in disbelief.
"Betrayed you? It's you who has betrayed me, Levin! Before my own eyes, you slept with Esme! I should be the one who was asking, since when did you cheat? Is our marriage just to cover up your relationship with Esme?" asked Livia with tears drying up and leaving only disappointment.
"You don't need to play victim! You were the one who started it! I saw you with that guy at the Moon Hotel. Has Delila turned into a man, huh? Don't fool me, Livia!"
'Levin saw me? Did Levin see him too?' inner Livia.
Livia's heart beat so fast.
Oh, no. What if Levin revealed the man's identity?