Chapter 1
My husband had a fear of germs. He never let me kiss him. Later, I found out it was because his sister was the only person he wanted to kiss.
He only slept with me during my ovulation window. Just so I could give birth to a Morgan heir.
As I looked up at the man moving above me, I couldn’t help but lean in, trying to kiss him. But he shoved me away.
“I told you, I have mysophobia.” His voice was cold.
I nodded and didn’t push it.
But the next night, I saw his sister kiss him right on the lips. And he didn’t pull away.
She grabbed his belt, smirking. “Do you have to think of me to even get it up?”
“Yes,” he answered.
That was the moment I made up my mind. With tears pouring down my face, I decided to divorce him.
***
May 6. Grace Spencer’s ovulation day.
Owen Morgan flew back from New York just for this.
The bedroom that night was hot, practically burning.
Grace’s cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were hazy as she looked up at him. His skin was pale, his features sharp, and his arched brows tinted red with arousal. He was almost too beautiful to look at.
Grace couldn’t stop herself. She leaned up, wanting to kiss him. But the second Grace moved, his brows furrowed, and he pulled away.
“I told you. I’m a germaphobe.”
His words were like ice water, pouring over whatever warmth she had felt inside. She blinked the hurt out of her eyes and backed off. “I got it.”
The bedside lamp cast a warm glow, outlining our tangled silhouettes. The low, rough groans in the air made it clear he’d just finished.
Owen pulled out and rolled away, tossing a pillow beside Grace. She was still catching her breath as she grabbed it and propped up her hips.
She had to hold that position for thirty minutes every time. It was supposed to be the “optimal angle for conception.”
0.0%
11:53
Chapter 1
Steam filled the bathroom.
288 (Vouchers
By the time Grace finally lowered her aching legs, Owen walked out. He wore a robe. His damp hair was tousled. Droplets slid down his neck, tracing the muscles beneath.
He stripped off the robe quickly, put on a button-up, and flatly said, “Hannah’s coming back tomorrow. You’re going with me to the airport.”
As he buttoned his shirt, his vibe shifted back, cool, restrained, like always.
With broad shoulders and long legs, he could wear anything and still look like a model. And with that face, it wasn’t
fair.
Grace turned away, murmuring, “Okay.”
He replied with a distracted voice and walked out the door.
They never shared a bed, except for the seven days of her ovulation. That’s the only time they had sex, strictly on schedule, always in the same position, no exceptions. It was all just for one thing. Producing an heir for the Thomp- sons and Morgans.
Owen was the kind of man who needed everything scheduled, at the right time, place, and number of times.
During ovulation week, they had sex for seven days in a row, always in the same position, like clockwork.
Any other time? They barely acted like a couple at all.
Grace stared at Owen’s back. She wanted to stop him, say anything, but just as she opened her mouth, he walked out the door.
Her lips closed silently, a dull emptiness settling in her chest.
She knew exactly how Owen saw their marriage. It was just a business deal, a partnership without love.
He didn’t know she had fallen for him when they first met.
Owen said flatly back then, “This matchmaking thing is just for our families’ interests. I’m in love with someone else, so I can’t give you anything emotionally. If that’s a problem, we don’t have to go further.”
But Grace had been so young. Naive. She thought he could learn to love her back if she loved him enough.
So she married him. Willingly. Hopefully.
Two years had passed, and he was still the same cold wall she couldn’t break through.
The next morning, Grace got up early to make breakfast. Owen had just come back from a two-week business trip. She thought she would appreciate a home-cooked meal after a bit of distance.
She brought the food out and set it carefully on the table. Owen gave it a passing glance and sat down to eat.
Grace smiled at him. “How is it? You like it?”
23.3 %
11:52
Chapter 1
1288 Vouchers
“It’s fine.” His face remained unreadable, polite but distant. Then he added, like it was nothing, “You could’ve just let the housekeeper handle it.”
Just one sentence and her mood plummeted.
He always found subtle ways to remind her. “I don’t care about you. I don’t love you.”
They finished the meal quietly and then got in the car to head to the airport.
The VIP area of the airport was quiet.
Owen stood wordlessly, eyes fixed on the exit. His expression was hard to read, but Grace could tell he was in a bad mood.
Trying to ease the tension, she asked, “Why did Hannah go abroad, anyway?”
Hannah left the country right before Grace and Owen’s wedding. She had not even returned for the ceremony.
It seemed like a normal question to Grace.
But Owen’s face darkened instantly. His voice was sharp. “She had her reasons. You don’t need to poke your nose into it.”
Grace’s mouth snapped shut.
She looked at him, at the sharp lines of his face, and felt a stab in her chest.
She was his wife. And asking one question made her nosy?
A woman in designer sunglasses and expensive clothes came out of the VIP exit. She spotted Owen and ran toward him, waving.
“Babe!”
Before Grace could even react, the woman threw herself into his arms.
“Babe, I missed you so much! Did you miss me?”
The woman acted like Grace didn’t even exist.
Owen let her hug him for a few seconds before pulling back. Then he reached for Grace’s hand. “This is my wife, Grace, from Spencer’s.”
Then he gestured to the woman. “This is my sister, Hannah.”
Grace started to say hello, but Hannah’s smile turned sharp.
“So you’re Owen’s wife, huh? Be a dear and grab my bags, would you?”
Without waiting for a response, she threw her luggage at Grace and casually wrapped her arm around Owen’s.
Grace blinked, frozen, before silently following behind them.
53.2 %
11:53
Chapter 1
288 Vouchers
Grace was about to take the passenger seat when they got to the car, but Hannah shoved past her and opened the door.
“I always ride shotgun with Owen. You’re not gonna fight me for it, are you?”
Before Grace could reply, Hannah was already in the seat. With no choice, Grace swallowed her frustration and sat in the back.
The car pulled onto the highway.
Hannah casually reached up and flicked the peace charm hanging from the rearview mirror. Her tone turned odd. “Since when did you start believing in this kind of stuff?”
Grace jumped in, trying to keep things light. “Oh, I got that for him. To keep him safe.”
In the rearview mirror, she saw Hannah’s face change. Her glare could’ve cut glass.
“Do you not have any manners? Who taught you to interrupt when someone’s talking?”
Grace froze.
She was about to say something back, but Owen’s cool voice interrupted from the front. “How long are you staying this time?”
He was speaking to Hannah.
Her annoyed look shifted to a playful pout. “What, you already want me gone? Can’t I stay a little longer?”
Owen didn’t flinch. “Don’t be childish.”
At that, Hannah turned to stare out the window in a sulk, not saying another word.
The air in the car turned heavy.
Sitting in the backseat, Grace felt like she was on pins and needles. Deep down, she couldn’t shake the feeling. The way Owen and Hannah acted didn’t feel right.
After dinner, the three of them headed back to the house.
Later that night, Grace laid in bed waiting for Owen. But he didn’t come.
She finally got up to look for him. As soon as she reached the top of the stairs, what she saw stopped her cold.
In the dim hallway, Hannah, wearing a skimpy lace nightdress, stepped close to Owen. Her bare arms wrapped around his neck. And then, she kissed him.
