Her Heart Her Terms (Lily and Xavier)

Chapter 1

Cats were known to sneak out for a bite while men often strayed from fidelity.

Lily Joyner's mind echoed that sentiment as she watched the video of her husband's infidelity for what felt like the hundredth time after receiving it.

The footage showed a woman knocking on Xavier Fulton's hotel suite's door at 11:00 pm. He greeted her, clad in a robe, and invited her in. The door didn't open again until three hours later. It went perfectly with Xavier's persona.

The timestamp in the corner of the footage was from yesterday. It was his third day on a business trip.

She was probably someone he had called over to ease his loneliness and satisfy his physical needs.

After all, his desires at night were insatiable despite his refined and gentlemanly appearance. She had rarely been free in the two years since she married him.

Did this count as cheating if it was what she had thought?

This didn't count as cheating from the perspective of her mother's teachings. However, a barrier had formed in her heart.

Lily set down her phone and looked at the melting cake before her.

Xavier wasn't one for celebrations. He had never celebrated her birthday with her. Yet, it was his birthday today. She knew he disliked frosting, so she had deliberately learned to make an ice cream cake for him. He was like a fierce tiger to her. Hence, she had even learned to make a little fondant tiger.

The chill of late autumn seeped through the air. She had been waiting for too long. The cake was starting to melt, and the tiger sat lopsided on top, looking slightly silly.

She wasn't even thinking whether she should eat it or call to ask if he was coming back. She kept thinking about that video so much that she didn't even notice when his car pulled into the driveway.

The unlocking sound of the electronic door lock sounded before the familiar sound of his footsteps approached from afar.

Lily lifted her gaze and saw Xavier stepping out from the dimly lit foyer.

He had narrow brown eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin lips. He was dressed in a tailored black suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and lean waist, exuding an air of elegance and distinction. It still made her heart race even though she had seen that face daily for the past two years.

He was handsome, well-built, privileged, and competent. Lily simply couldn't find a single flaw in him.

She had fallen for him without question the first time she met him and discovered he was the fiancé promised to her since childhood.

Therefore, she agreed to a secret marriage. She had given up her dreams to become his secret wife, and her days revolved entirely around him. She had turned into a devoted wife like her mother.

and agreed to honor their engagement two years ago when the Joyner family had plummeted after a failed investment and her father intended to marry her off to an old tycoon for financial aid. Only then

must have

face made her think the video might only be a

today. She decided to ask him about it

take the black blazer Xavier had just taken off. A strong scent of

before she lifted her gaze to

was busy with work," he said tersely and glanced at the cake on the table before he

thoughts while appearing gentle and calm. Two small dimples appeared at the corners of her smile. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at

as usual. He ignored her friendly gesture as he tugged at his

smell alcohol besides the

and walked toward the kitchen. "You

didn't respond. She turned around and realized he had

first time she had been ignored like this. What once left her feeling aggrieved had become something she

her that men were just like

wave of frustration welled up inside her. It was probably due to the video that she had seen today. It took her a while to suppress

she prepared the hangover soup so it would

have been feeling too uncomfortable

cake once he had the

prepared to call him downstairs when the cake was salvaged and

popped up the moment her phone screen lit up. "The president of Nova Group threw a lavish birthday bash for the vice president of his company. The two are suspected to be in a romantic relationship." Lily's heart skipped a beat as she tapped on the

photos came into her

He was holding a woman's delicate hand with his well-defined hand while

the photo as Sarah Lynde, the vice president

to insiders, Xavier had personally planned the birthday bash as a

company's employees

Xavier's birthdays were on the same day. They exchanged gifts and sang Happy

had personally planned it. It was an advanced

happened when he claimed to be

Lily was thoughtfully planning a birthday

Sarah was jewelry from an international brand with

a tie in return and personally fed him with the

expression had softened. His eyes brimmed with

it was only a few photos, Lily could still recognize that Sarah was the woman in the video who knocked on his hotel suite's

hair and