Even cats stray, and men will cheat.

After watching her husband’s cheating video multiple times, Lilith Johnson couldn’t shake off this thought.

In the video, a woman knocked on Hendrix Foster’s hotel suite door at eleven at night. He welcomed her in wearing a bathrobe, and the door didn’t open again for three hours.

That duration seemed typical for Hendrix.

The timestamp in the upper right corner indicated yesterday, the third day of his business trip.

Perhaps Hendrix was lonely and needed a physical release while away from home.

After all, despite his genteel appearance, his nighttime desires were strong. In the two years since she married him, she rarely had free time at night.

If it was really as she thought, did that count as cheating?

From her mother’s perspective, it didn’t, but she still felt a weight in her heart.

Lilith turned off her phone and glanced at the nearly melted cake in front of her.

Hendrix was a man who valued no rituals; he never celebrated her birthday. But today was his birthday. She knew he disliked cream, so she had specially learned to make ice cream cake.

He was a tiger in the zodiac, so she even made a fondant little tiger.

As the autumn chill set in, she waited too long; the cake was melting, and the crooked little tiger looked a bit ridiculous.

She couldn’t focus on whether to eat it herself or call Hendrix to ask if he was coming home. Her mind was consumed by that video, and she didn’t even notice his car pull into the driveway.

Click—

The electronic lock clicked open, and familiar footsteps approached.

Lilith looked up to see Hendrix stepping out from the dimly lit foyer.

With his long, dark brown eyes, high nose, and thin lips, he wore a black designer suit that showcased his broad shoulders and narrow waist, exuding an extraordinary elegance.

After two years of marriage, she saw this face every day, yet it still made her heart flutter each time.

He was handsome, well-built, from a good family, and capable. Lilith found it impossible to spot a single flaw in him.

So when she first met him and learned he was the one she’d been betrothed to since childhood, it was inevitable that she fell for him at first sight.

That’s why she agreed to a secret marriage, gave up her dreams, and became the unseen Mrs. Foster, revolving her life around Hendrix like her mother had.

As for whether Hendrix liked her... Lilith recalled that two years ago, when the Johnson Family faced a disastrous investment, and her father planned to marry her off to an old man for money, it was Hendrix who stepped in to honor their engagement, allowing her to stand here as Mrs. Foster.

So... he must like her too.

A strange sender, a blurred face... Maybe that video was a misunderstanding, she thought.

It was his birthday today. She’d ask him about it tomorrow.

“Weren’t you supposed to be home by six?” Lilith walked over, taking the black suit jacket from him. A strong scent of perfume hit her.

She froze for a second, raising her eyes to study Hendrix.

“Work kept me.” His response was curt, and his gaze briefly fell on the cake before a slight frown appeared.

“Happy birthday!” Lilith brushed aside her doubts, smiling gently. Dimples appeared at the corners of her lips, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at him.

His expression remained as cold as ever, indifferent to her goodwill. Tugging at his tie, his toned, honey-tan chest peeked through the collar. “Make some hangover soup.”

Along with the overpowering perfume, Lilith now smelled alcohol on him.

She immediately headed to the kitchen. “Go take a shower; the water’s ready.”

When there was no reply, she turned back, only to see that he had already gone upstairs.

Being ignored like this wasn’t new. At first, she felt hurt, but over time, she got used to it.

Her mother had told her, “Men are just like that”, and Lilith had eventually come to accept it too.

But today, perhaps because of that video, a wave of frustration rose within her. It took her a moment to push it back down.

While the hangover soup simmered, she tidied up the cake, making sure it didn’t look too messy.

He must’ve had too much to drink, which was why he’d overlooked her birthday greeting.

Once he drank the soup, he’d try the cake too.

With the cake set and the soup ready, Lilith picked up her phone, preparing to call Hendrix downstairs.

The moment her phone screen lit up, a news notification popped up.

[President of CloudSync Holdings Throws Grand Birthday Party for Vice President Amid Romance Rumors.]

Lilith's heart skipped a beat as she tapped on the article.

Several photos appeared on the screen.

In one, Hendrix was wearing a shirt with the top buttons undone, his defined hand holding a woman’s slender one as they cut a towering six-layer cake.

The caption identified the woman as Xenia Larkin, Vice President of CloudSync Holdings.

According to insiders, the birthday party was personally organized by Hendrix as a surprise celebration for Xenia. Every employee at the company received a birthday bonus.

Xenia and Hendrix shared the same birthday, exchanged gifts, and sang the birthday song together.

[Personally planned. Prepared in advance.]

That was what he’d been doing earlier today—when he told her he was too busy with work.

So, while Lilith had been preparing a surprise for him, he had been doing the same... but for Xenia.

His gift to Xenia? High-end designer jewelry worth six figures.

Xenia’s gift to him? A tie—and she fed him cake with her own hands.

In the photos, Hendrix’s usually cold expression was softened with warmth, his gaze on Xenia so tender it could melt ice.

Though just a few pictures, Lilith instantly recognized that Xenia was the same woman from the hotel video.

The wavy hair, the curvaceous figure—they matched perfectly.

It all came together now.

Hendrix traveled often, sometimes for a few days, sometimes for a week. During these trips, he rarely answered her calls or texts.

So, he had been spending those nights with Xenia.

While she lay awake missing him, he was tangled up with someone else.

The video... it wasn’t a mistake.

The truth hit Lilith like a lightning strike, draining all the color from her face.

She didn’t dare think about how long this affair had been going on. All she knew was that she’d been a fool.

On their wedding day, Hendrix had told her he wanted her to be a full-time wife, and she gave up her dreams for him.

Two years of her life, trapped by his offhand promise... Only now did she realize what kind of woman he truly admired—someone like Xenia, a powerful career woman.

There was no room left for self-deception.

Her mother had always told her to endure whatever hardships marriage brought—but infidelity? That, Lilith could not forgive.

“Pack a few things for me,” Hendrix's cool voice interrupted her thoughts.

He came downstairs, his messy hair falling over his forehead. The soft gray loungewear made him seem more approachable, though the exhaustion in his eyes was evident.

He sat down next to her, drinking the soup in silence, not sparing her a single glance.

Lilith’s phone lay on the table, still displaying the photo of Xenia feeding him cake.

Hendrix’s gaze flicked briefly over the screen, then returned to his soup without a word.

“Throwing a birthday party for a subordinate—does that count as part of your job?” Lilith finally broke the silence, her tone sharp.

It was the first time she’d ever spoken to him in such a confrontational way since they married.

Hendrix frowned deeply, his dark gaze heavy with displeasure. “Of course.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me your vice president—the one always by your side—was a woman?” Lilith’s anger surged at his matter-of-fact response.

“There was no need.”

He drained the last of his soup, stood up, and made his way toward the stairs.

His indifference lit a fire within Lilith. In that moment, all the advice her mother had drilled into her about patience and compromise flew out the window.

She stepped in front of him, blocking his way. “What do you mean, ‘no need’? We’re married! The gifts you give other women, the money you spend—it’s our shared assets. I have the right to know, the right to decide—”