Love and Devotion No Longer His to Claim by Dream Fish

Chapter 1

It was actually very obvious whether a man loved a woman or not. Angela Graham knew it very well.

For example, Dexter Bamford could spend a fortune buying out all the billboards in the central business district to celebrate the birthday of his first love, Elena Carrey. He did so that the whole city would be able to tell his sincerity toward her.

But for Angela's birthday, all she got was just a small, six-inch cake. In fact, it was the very same cake the nanny had gotten on her birthday.

Angela chuckled when she saw the cake. It made sense, after all. Although she was Dexter's legally wedded wife, the actual Mrs. Bamford, her job scope wasn't much different from the nanny's anyway.

The only extra task she had was sleeping with Dexter.

Angela felt tears well in her eyes when she thought about this. The loneliness in her eyes stood out like a sore thumb amid the noisy surroundings of the party.

Dexter had been late to the party as always. Actually, he had planned on staying at the banquet hall for a while longer, but he had received a message just then.

He opened up the message, not bothering to hide anything from Angela. It was as if her feelings weren't even worth considering at any point.

"It kinda hurts... Can you come over?"

Along with the message was a photo of a woman's bare back, decorated all over with red hickeys and love bites, as if she had just finished rolling in the sheets with her lover a few minutes ago. It was very suggestive.

Angela couldn't even describe what she was feeling anymore. She just felt the discomfort in her stomach start to intensify.

She knew the person who had sent Dexter the messages. It was his secretary, Erica Carrey, Elena's younger sister. She had just never imagined that Erica was also one of Dexter's sex partners.

Angela stared at Dexter's phone for a long time. It wasn't until Dexter addressed her that she finally snapped back to her senses.

"Done staring?"

raised her head, her gaze meeting

hidden in the shadows under the dim light. He exuded a cold and aloof air as he threw Angela another glance and nonchalantly slipped the phone back

certainly wasn't remorseful that his wife had found out about his affair.

lowered her head like a guilty child who had just done something wrong. She shifted her

what had happened the last time, her father, Bill Graham, had remarried, and Angela didn't have any support from her maternal family. They

company called Jetson Co., but Bill had completely taken over the company. He had also long

she had no right to question Dexter, the head of the household who provided for her. It didn't matter that she used to be a very famous designer

about to leave, Angela tugged on the corner of his shirt and

to her. He chuckled in

had never gone easy on her

joked that Dexter and Angela kept behaving like newlyweds in

knew that this so-called intimacy was only a show. Dexter had never viewed her as

He had been forced to marry her, so she was a liability to him. He also thought this was all part of her devious plan to suck up to

Angela a chance to answer, Dexter nodded at the rest of the

got home even later than usual. Angela glanced at the clock and saw that

as she waited for him. When she saw him enter the house, she got up

thought it vaguely smelled like peaches. Obviously, this scent didn't belong to her.

"Dexter-"

she started to speak, she was immediately interrupted. However,

up? Why are you sniffing like a dog?" He said it nonchalantly, as if reminding Angela about her

always turn a blind eye to Dexter's tomfoolery, serve him food, and satisfy him in bed whenever he wanted.

can wait until I've showered," Dexter said, walking around Angela

short while later, Dexter emerged from the bathroom with a head of messy hair. His bathrobe hung

It had

into his table, knocking his textbook off to the ground. From the moment he had smiled at her and told her it was okay, with the sun shining in the back, Angela had fallen for him, hook,

up a huge debt from his gambling addiction. Apparently, they had no choice but to

and had nothing to do with them!