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?"

her

were partially hidden in the shadows under the dim light. He exuded a cold and

all, and he certainly wasn't remorseful that his wife had found out about his

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

against him. After all, following what had happened the last time, her father, Bill Graham, had remarried, and Angela didn't have any support from her maternal family. They no longer wanted to have

also long forgotten his

question Dexter, the head of the household who provided for her. It didn't matter that she used

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

with a half-smile and suddenly came close to her. He chuckled in her ear and said, "What, tonight?

never gone easy on

them couldn't help teasing them watching their interaction. They joked that Dexter and Angela kept behaving like

a show. Dexter had never viewed her

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

chance to answer, Dexter nodded at the rest

home even later than usual. Angela glanced at the

When

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

"Dexter-"

she was immediately

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

Mrs. Bamford, a nanny who should always turn a blind eye to Dexter's tomfoolery, serve him food, and satisfy him in bed whenever he wanted. She was not to bother

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

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

up from the couch and didn't dare to look up at him. It had been so many years, and Dexter still managed to hypnotize her like this every

in high school, she had accidentally bumped into his table, knocking his textbook off to the ground. From the moment he had smiled at her and

the phone call she had received from Judy that afternoon, saying that Zack had racked up a huge debt from his gambling addiction. Apparently, they

had belonged to Marie all along and had nothing to do with