Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Allen Cooper and I met at the gym. Back then, I was a complete beginner who would feel nervous every time I walked in. I didn’t know how to use most of the equipment and would just run on the treadmill every day. It was Allen who approached me first. He offered to help, trained me, and eventually became my coach. He was cheerful, handsome, and always polite. Even in close contact, he maintained proper boundaries. It wasn’t long before we fell in love. The day after he confessed to me, he transferred all his female clients to his colleagues, giving me a deep sense of security. I never doubted that I had found my true love—until the day I discovered another woman’s lipstick stain on his workout pants. What position was she in when she left that mark? Was it an accident? Did Allen consent to it? I desperately tried to make excuses for him, but after going through all the check-in photos he had sent me, I had no choice but to accept the truth. Although the woman was never directly captured in the previous photos, the metallic reflection of a dumbbell, a glimpse of red nails and strands of golden curls resting on Allen’s shoulder spoke louder than any words could. Allen had been cheating on me for a long time. Heartbroken, I saved every photo as evidence. I even kept those joggers with the lipstick stain, storing them separately. Lately, Allen had been working overtime more and more often. When he came home, he would fall asleep instantly, rarely touching me. I thought he was genuinely busy with work. I had no idea he was just busy satisfying another woman. I took a deep breath, forced myself to stay calm, and texted Allen. "What time do you get off work? I’ll come pick you up." His reply came quickly. "No need, darling. You’ve been working so hard preparing for our engagement ceremony. Just take a good rest. This male client is a total beginner, so I need to spend extra time training him, and I’ll be late." A male client? If I still believed Allen, I’d be the biggest fool alive. Seeing him voluntarily mention our engagement ceremony made my tears fall again. So, he still remembered. He remembered that we were getting engaged. He remembered how much effort I had put into making it the perfect event, how I had been working tirelessly to make everything flawless. Just a day ago, I had been arguing with the event planner over whether to use white roses or lilies. I had been willing to spend any amount of money to make it perfect. Alas, now none of it mattered anymore. I would not let a cheating liar become my fiance. I would not let him toy with my feelings so easily. The engagement ceremony would proceed as planned, and I would make sure that Allen never, ever forgot it.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Ignoring Allen’s rejection, I quickly changed my clothes, got in my car, and sped straight to the gym. I parked a little distance away, and got out of the car. I found that one of the training rooms was still lit. In the lobby, I found the class attendance sheet for the day. The woman with Allen was named Vivian Olsen. As soon as I reached the second floor, I heard Vivian’s heavy breathing mixed with Allen’s husky voice, which was thick with excitement. I took out my phone, aimed it through the crack of the door, and hit record. On the Smith machine, a blonde woman was lying on the bench. She wore only a sports tank top and yoga pants. Each time she lifted the barbell, her ample curves strained against the fabric. Allen stood in front of her, holding the barbell to assist her. As she lowered the weight, he bent slightly, his lower part nearly brushing against her face. With a gasp, Vivian whined, "Coach, I don’t have any strength left. Help me rerack the bar." Allen stared directly at her curves, his eyes dark and lecherous. "No strength left? But you’ve only done two reps. If you do one more for me, I’ll let you off." Vivian giggled. "You’re so mean. If you keep teasing me, I might leave a lipstick mark on your thigh this time and let your girlfriend see it." Allen smirked. "Wouldn’t it be even more exciting if someone saw us?" With that, he placed the barbell back on the rack. Freed from the weight, Vivian sat up, turned to Allen, and planted a kiss right on some private part. "Am I the only one getting excited? Coach, should we call your girlfriend again like the last time? That was so thrilling." Allen’s breath hitched at her touch. He pulled Vivian up, running his hands over her back. "Don’t mention that boring woman right now. In bed, she’s as lifeless as a corpse." Then, they kissed and started "working out" using the gym equipment in ways they were never meant for. I gripped my phone tightly, rage surging through me. I wanted to burst in, confront these two disgusting cheaters, and expose them on the spot. However, I held back. If I stormed in now, it would only lead to an argument and a breakup—no real consequences for them. The only one humiliated would be me. They wanted excitement? I’d make things even more thrilling. I shouldn't be the only one privy to a scene this scandalous. After ensuring the recording was saved, I walked back downstairs, took a picture of Vivian’s membership details, and then headed home.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I sent Vivian’s photo and the phone number from the gym membership records to my cousin, Franklin. He had some connections and could help me look into her background. Just as I sent the message, my phone rang. It was my cousin. "Mia, what happened? Did that bastard Allen do something to you? Tell me, and I’ll bring people over to teach him a lesson right now!" A warmth spread through my heart. I shouldn’t waste my anger on a man who didn’t love me; I still had family who did, after all. My cousin had been close to me since we were kids. Ever since he found out I was dating, he had never liked Allen. The first time he met him, he warned me that Allen was untrustworthy. Unfortunately, I had been madly in love back then, brushing off his words as childish jealousy. Time proved everything—Allen really was just a scumbag. I stopped my cousin from acting impulsively. "I’ll make him pay. I just need you to help me find out more about this woman." After reassuring him, I took a hot shower. I sat on my bed as usual with a book in hand, but my mind was elsewhere. I glanced at the framed photo of Allen and me on the nightstand. Our smiles were so blissful. What a joke. Getting up, I pulled out a large box and started tearing down every photo of us in the house, stuffing them inside. By the time I was done, the box was full. I never realized we had created so many beautiful memories in five years, but now they were just meaningless. I dragged the box to the backyard, struck a match, and tossed it inside. The flames slowly consumed the pictures, turning them into ashes. "What are you burning?" A voice suddenly called from the doorway. I glanced at my phone. It was 11 p.m. Allen was back. By now, the photos had been reduced to nothing but ashes. Keeping my face expressionless, I replied, "Nothing, just some company documents I didn’t need anymore." Allen grabbed my hand, concern written all over his face. "You should’ve let me handle this. What if you got burned? I’d be so worried." I almost wanted to applaud his acting skills. Then, he leaned in, attempting to kiss me. When he got closer, I caught the faint scent of moisture on him. He had just showered at the gym. The thought of his lips being all over Vivian’s just moments ago made my stomach churn. I barely held back the urge to vomit. "I left some food for you in the kitchen. Aren’t you hungry? Let me heat it up." I quickly dodged backward, slipping out of his arms and into the kitchen. Maybe he was exhausted from his workout with Vivian because after eating, Allen fell asleep right away. He even forgot to give me his usual goodnight kiss. Lucky me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even know how to reject him. At this point, the thought of sharing a bed with him disgusted me. Grabbing a blanket, I curled up on the couch. Something poked my lower back. I reached behind and pulled out Allen’s work phone. No wonder Allen had always been so generous, letting me check his personal phone whenever I wanted. I had even done so a few times and never found anything suspicious. On the other hand, his work phone required a password. I tried my birthday and then his—both were wrong. Then, an idea struck me. I entered Vivian’s birthday from her gym membership records. The phone unlocked instantly. The first thing I saw was a photo of Allen and Vivian together. Then, a message popped up from a contact labeled "Wifey". I thought I had already come to terms with Allen’s betrayal, but my heart still skipped a beat. In just two weeks, Allen and I were supposed to have our engagement party, yet he had never even called me his wife.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

The message that popped up was a photo from Vivian. In the picture, there was a red handprint on her backside. "It’s all your fault! Look at this huge mark you left on me." I scrolled up, checking more of their chat history. Aside from their daily flirting and dates, the entire conversation was filled with insults about me. "Mia is so plain. How do you even bring yourself to kiss her?""I know, right? Her underwear looks like something my grandma would wear. I don’t even feel like taking it off. I have to picture you in my head just to get through it with her. "But she’s obedient. As long as I sweet-talk her a little, she’s willing to buy me anything I want. "Of course, I’d never actually marry her, baby. I’d rather die than marry her. I’m just going along with the engagement ceremony to keep her happy. Before the wedding, I’ll make sure to get my hands on the inheritance her grandfather left her. Then, we’ll leave the country and live the good life together." My hands trembled. So, from the very beginning, he had never loved me. The only thing he ever cared about was my money. Four years of cheating. Tens of thousands of messages. Every single word stabbed into my heart like a needle. They had met at a fitness competition. Back then, Allen was just an ordinary trainer. Winning a ranking in the competition would have boosted his career, so I had encouraged him to enter. That competition had earned him a title—and Vivian’s heart. That was when their secret affair began. The most ironic part? I was the one who had paid for all the expenses for him to attend that competition. I backed up all the messages onto my phone. As I stuffed Allen’s work phone back into the couch, I noticed Vivian’s latest message. "Baby, don’t forget—same place as last time. Room 221 at the Rose Hotel, the day after tomorrow. I’ll be waiting. ❤️" I memorized the address and time. That night, I crashed on the couch. Just being near Allen for another second was unbearable. … The next morning, I left early and went to a cafe. That’s when my cousin called me with news about Vivian. And wow. The deeper we dug, the dirtier it got. On the surface, Vivian was just a fitness influencer. However, behind the scenes, she was the mistress of Wesley, one of the most notorious gangsters in Apralis. Vivian was smart. She knew her place as a mistress and never provoked Wesley’s real wife. However, Wesley was over sixty years old, fat, bald, and needed bodyguards just to walk a few steps. There was no way he could satisfy a woman like Vivian. Allen? He was just one of many lovers. Almost every night, after Wesley fell asleep, Vivian would put on her skimpy outfit, hit up the bars, and find a new man to spend the night with. It wasn’t just their bodies she used—she drained their wallets too. One of her past lovers, a businessman named Ryan Umricht, had embezzled company funds for her and ended up in prison. He swore that once he got out, he’d hunt her down for revenge. The more I learned, the more deliciously scandalous it became. Well, the dirtier she was, the better it was for me. Vivian thrived in the shadows, slithering through the filth like a rat. All I had to do was drag her into the light. And I was going to be the one to do it. … Later, Allen texted me, lying again about working late. I smirked and sent a half-hearted reply. Then, I ordered twenty servings of oysters and dark chocolate drinks to be delivered as his lunch. After all, he’d need the energy for his little “workout” later. Today, I had a special audience waiting for him. This time, Allen would finally learn what it feels like to be played. Because Mia Lemmings’ love was not something you betrayed. … I drove to the gym and parked at a distance. From afar, I watched as Vivian strutted inside, swaying like a snake. Moments later, the curtains of the VIP training room on the second floor were pulled shut. I pulled out my phone and typed in Wesley’s number. Attached was a photo of Vivian sprawled over a treadmill, panting like a woman lost in ecstasy. "Useless old fart, do you think you could ever make Vivian look like this?" I hit "send".