Ch. His Infidelity 17 His Infidelity 17

17 

I stared at the flash drive on my desk, a heavy sense of foreboding hanging over me. Something deep in my gut told me that the moment I opened it, everything I thought I knew-everything I had convinced myself was true-could be turned completely upside down. 

But then I thought of Willow. Of how I still hadn’t been able to reach her. 

That alone was enough to make up my mind. 

With a resolute expression, I plugged in the flash drive and opened the files. 

I leaned forward, eyes fixed intently on the screen, watching each clip one by one. Not just once but over and over again. 

In footage after footage, I saw the countless confrontations between Haven and Willow. And in every single one of them, it was Haven who deliberately threw herself to the floor. 

She had schemed against Willow using every dirty trick in the book. 

Even worse, she hadn’t bothered to delete the surveillance footage afterward. 

And I-I had actually been deceived by such cheap tricks. 

As the truth unraveled before me, my expression darkened. 

A storm brewed in my eyes, a cold fury seeping into every line of my face. 

If Haven dared to appear in front of me now… I didn’t even know what I might do. 

My gaze returned to the screen where Willow’s eyes shimmered red, on the verge of tears. And somehow, my own eyes began to sting as well. 

What the hell had I been doing these past few weeks? 

How could I have treated Willow like that? 

I was the one who promised to protect her. I told her I’d treat her well. 

My hand trembled as I pulled out my phone and, clinging to a final shred of hope, dialed her 

number once more. 

Still, the call didn’t go through. 

For the first time, I opened our old chat history. 

I typed. 

[Willow, I know I messed up. Will you come back, please?] 

[I swear, I’ll treat you right. I had no idea Haven would go that far… I’m so sorry.] 

But no matter how many messages I sent, they all came back with that same red exclamation mark-undelivered. 

I looked around at the villa that once felt like home, now unfamiliar and cold. The silence was suffocating. 

Without Willow, it felt like someone had hollowed out half of my heart. Only now did I truly begin to taste the bitterness of regret. 

Outside, the sun was shining, its warm light spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows. 

If everything were still the same, Willow would’ve dragged me out into that sunlight to enjoy some afternoon tea together. 

Eventually, we’d sit on the same chair and talk about life, about anything and everything. 

“She always said I’d drop dead from overworking if she wasn’t around,” I muttered to myself, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. 

Back then, I would just smile. I never said anything in response. 

I believed, no matter what happened-Willow would never leave me. 

I was certain we’d grow old together. 

What I didn’t know at the time… was that one day, I’d betray her. 

All for Haven-my so-called first love. 

Back when RH Limited was in trouble, Haven had been the first to abandon me. 

And yet it was Willow who reached out her hand, without hesitation, to pull me out of the abyss. 

So why? Why did I let myself get swayed by Haven’s casual flirtation? 

Maybe it was pride. Maybe I just wanted to prove something to her. To make her regret leaving me all those years ago. 

But things spiraled out of control. 

Now, it was too late. 

I looked around the villa that no longer held Willow’s presence. And only now did I finally-truly- feel the crushing weight of regret. 

I shouldn’t have lost control. 

I shouldn’t have broken the promise I made to her. 

I shouldn’t have repaid Willow’s loyalty and kindness with betrayal-shouldn’t have let her 

parents die without justice. 

The entire night, I stayed in my study, watching the surveillance footage on loop, my mind unraveling as guilt consumed me. 

It wasn’t until dawn that Kade walked into the room, arms full of documents. 

snapped out of my trance, a sudden rush of urgency jolting me back to life. 

‘Did you find her?!” I asked hoarsely. “Did you find Willow? Tell me! Now!” 

Kade hesitated, casting a conflicted glance at me before replying carefully, “S-Sir, we weren’t able to locate her. We also brought your marriage certificate to the police station, like you asked.” 

He paused, then added, “But they said… you have no right to access her whereabouts.” 

“What? Why not?” My voice cracked. 

Kade lowered his gaze and muttered, “Because… Sir, you and Ma’am Willow are already legally divorced.”