HOT NOVEL: A Bed Too Empty, A Boss Too Close by Stella Montgomery

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In their first year of marriage, Melinda's husband never shared her bed, and the loneliness became a craving.

She understood why after catching him kissing her sister-she was just a stand-in.

When that restless craving finally sharpened into an ailment, she went to the hospital and met a doctor whose steady hands almost unraveled her.

The next day, he showed up as the company's new CEO and made her his assistant.

"Sir, I have a husband. Stop hitting on me." She had tried to resist, but eventually, she still became his girlfriend.

Her ex begged tearfully, "Melinda, let's start over. Don't leave me."

Melinda huffed, "Sorry. I'm not interested in a man who couldn't perform in bed."

A Bed Too Empty, A Boss Too Close by Stella Montgomery Chapter 1 Are You Married

"Remove your trousers and lie down on the bed!" a man's voice said, low and cold, leaving no room for argument.

At the sound of it, Melinda Palmer felt her pulse stumble inside her chest.

For reasons she could not pinpoint, this humiliating illness had crept into her life without warning.

Each time it resurfaced, an overpowering craving seized control of her body, and it did not care about time or place. Because of that relentless surge, her job performance had begun to suffer, and even her daily routine had turned chaotic.

After weeks of battling both fatigue and despair, she forced herself to schedule a consultation at the exclusive hospital. Although the consultation fee was several times higher than that of an ordinary hospital, the promise of absolute privacy persuaded her to come.

To make matters worse, she had deliberately chosen a middle-aged female gynecologist when she booked the visit. Instead, a tall and strikingly young male physician now stood before her.

"Must I really remove them?" she asked carefully, her voice trembling.

Embarrassment flooded through her at the mere idea of undressing before a man she had never met. Even if he carried the title of doctor, the thought still unsettled her deeply.

Maintaining a firm and professional tone, Lorenzo Harvey addressed her concern, saying, "Tell me how I am expected to conduct an examination if you remain dressed?"

"I just..." Heat rushed across Melinda's face, and she shifted uneasily as the words refused to come.

Although a medical mask concealed the lower half of his face, his piercing gaze held a depth that was difficult to read.

Without warning, a reckless image flashed across Melinda's mind, and she imagined him forcing her onto the bed and claiming control over her body.

Horror swept through her as she briskly shook her head, trying to drive away the disgraceful fantasy that had surfaced so suddenly.

To steady herself, she repeated over and over that he was nothing more than a physician, and he likely examined countless women each day as part of his routine responsibilities.

With that reminder anchoring her thoughts, she fought down her humiliation and slowly slid her trousers past her knees before easing herself onto the examination table.

"Tell me what seems to be troubling you," Lorenzo said in an even tone as he reached for the disinfectant to prepare the instruments.

Color crept up her neck while Melinda struggled to form the words. "It is... down there..."

Because she trailed off without clarifying, Lorenzo regarded her with quiet composure and continued, "Have you been engaging in frequent intercourse, or did something cause an injury?"

From his experience, most young women who scheduled visits to the gynecology department came in for concerns along those lines.

Instead of confirming his assumption, Melinda quickly shook her head while her blush deepened. "No. I have never been involved in any sexual activity."

At that unexpected admission, Lorenzo stilled and shifted his gaze toward her with visible surprise.

An arresting kind of beauty caught his attention, and he took in her refined features and flawless skin with quiet astonishment. Beneath her sweetness lingered a subtle charm that blended innocence with a hint of temptation.

Anyone who encountered her even once would likely carry the memory of her striking appearance for a long time.

Given how captivating she was, he found it difficult to reconcile her claim that she had never experienced intimacy.

Under the weight of his steady gaze, Melinda faltered and lowered her eyes. "It is just that... something does not feel right in that area," she said, and her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.

A faint tension traveled through Lorenzo's hand as his grip on the disinfectant swab grew firmer.

Outwardly, however, he remained composed, and his expression revealed nothing while he continued to study her face. "When you say something is not right, what exactly do you mean?"

Words seemed to abandon her at that moment, and Melinda sat there quietly because she had no idea how to explain something so mortifying.

"It's only that..." Struggling to continue, she pressed her lips together and tried again.

The intensity of her blush did not escape Lorenzo, and he swallowed as an unexpected flicker of desire stirred within his chest.

Professional discipline quickly took over, and he forced that impulse down before asking evenly, "Have you figured out what might be causing it?"

Embarrassment tangled Melinda's thoughts, and she could barely manage a coherent response. "It is just... I mean..."

No matter how hard she tried, the confession refused to leave her lips, and she simply could not admit that the hunger inside her had become almost unbearable and that she craved relief with desperate intensity.

Although she had been Kevan Palmer's wife for more than a year, not once had he reached for her or treated her like a husband should.

As the ache within her deepened, Kevan began to keep his distance, and he even looked uneasy at times, as though he feared she might demand what he was unwilling to give.

With no comfort coming from her marriage, she eventually turned to herself for release because there was no other option left to her.

Despite those private attempts, satisfaction always slipped through her fingers.

What she longed for now went beyond fleeting relief.

What she truly needed felt far greater than she dared to admit.

Carefully studying the shift in her expression, Lorenzo broke the silence. "Are you married?"

A reflexive nod was the only answer Melinda managed to give.

Unexpectedly, a faint trace of disappointment stirred within Lorenzo at her response.

A shadow passed over his features before he spoke again. "Lie back properly. I am going to begin the examination."

Without arguing, Melinda adjusted herself on the table and curled her slender fingers tightly into her palms.

Heat climbed steadily up her neck and settled across her cheeks, and she could not shake the burning sense of humiliation that overwhelmed her.

In a tone that had dropped into something rougher and far more commanding, Lorenzo fixed his gaze on her. "Do not move."

Silence was the only response Melinda could manage.

Embarrassment weighed heavily on her chest, and given the nature of her condition, remaining composed while he examined her felt almost impossible.

After a brief struggle with herself, she forced the words out. "Would it be possible to have a female doctor instead?"

At her request, a shadow deepened in Lorenzo's eyes. "Do you find me unsuitable?"

Panic flickered across her face, and Melinda quickly shook her head. "No, that is not what I meant."

Before she could gather the rest of her explanation, he said coldly, "You selected my schedule when you made the appointment. If you are unwilling to proceed, then you are free to walk out."

The sharpness in his voice stunned Melinda, and she had not expected him to speak so harshly.

A spark of indignation rose within her, and she silently vowed to submit a formal complaint about his attitude once this was over.

Despite that resolve, urgency pressed against her far more strongly than pride because her condition had already disrupted her life enough.

In the end, practicality won over anger, and she decided to place her trust in his professional ability, even if she disliked his manner.

"I did not mean to offend you. I only want to recover. Could you please help me?" Her voice carried a note of sincere pleading.

As it happened, this was Lorenzo's first day stepping in as a temporary replacement, and crossing paths with someone like her had not been part of his expectations.

Among all the cases he had studied, none resembled hers, and the fact that she was strikingly beautiful made the situation even more complicated.

For him, the moment felt less like a routine consultation and more like a quiet trial of restraint.

"Enough!" The word left him sharply, and he had to steady his breathing before continuing.

With deliberate movements, he slipped on a pair of gloves, took up a disinfectant-soaked swab, and approached her at an unhurried pace.

Unable to bear the intensity of the moment, Melinda pressed her eyelids tightly together as heat rushed to her face.

Not even Kevan had ever looked at such a private part of her body, yet now she had agreed to let a different man conduct the examination.

Although reason reminded her that he was a medical professional, the unease within her refused to fade.

A sudden sting escaped her lips before she could contain it.

At that small cry, tension shot through him, and he instinctively withdrew his hand a fraction. "Did that cause you pain?"

Moisture gathered along Melinda's lashes, and her eyes glimmered faintly.

Speech failed her when she tried to respond, and the words simply would not come.

Although she kept urging herself to remain steady, her condition betrayed her, and a wave of unwelcome longing rose within her without permission.

To Lorenzo, the sight of her fragile expression stirred something dangerously compelling.

After clearing his throat, he said to her, "I will be more careful."

He deliberately averted his gaze so he could concentrate on completing the examination.

Once everything was finished, a strange hollowness settled inside her, and the discomfort seemed heavier than before.

"Is it something serious?" she finally asked, uncertainty threading through her tone.

Methodically taking off his gloves, Lorenzo took a quiet moment to compose himself before answering, "What you are experiencing is a form of hysteria linked to hormonal imbalance, and it is connected to prolonged sexual deprivation."

At his explanation, Melinda's lashes lowered, and a fleeting shadow of shame crossed her delicate features.

In truth, it went beyond mere deprivation, because she had never experienced intimacy at all.

Due to an excessive fear of germs, her husband had always been obsessively particular about cleanliness, and throughout their courtship and even after marriage, physical closeness had been rare.

Ironically, the more distant he became, the stronger her yearning grew, as though every part of her body had been left aching for the warmth of human touch.

"I am going to write you a prescription to stabilize your hormones," Lorenzo said as he settled in front of the computer and began typing. "However, I must advise that maintaining a regular marital relationship would greatly ease your symptoms."

Crimson had already claimed Melinda's cheeks, and his words only deepened the color.

With hurried movements, she adjusted her clothing, stepped down from the examination table, and accepted the slip of paper he extended toward her. "Thank you, Doctor."

Moments after Melinda slipped out of the consultation room, the rear door swung open, and a woman in a white coat strode inside.

"Lorenzo, what exactly are you doing seeing my patient while I am not here?" Milly Harvey asked, clearly displeased as she confronted her younger brother.

Leaning back with infuriating ease, Lorenzo answered without the slightest rush, "You seem to forget that I graduated at the top of our class, while you placed second. In addition, I covered your appointments without charging a single fee. And since this hospital is under my ownership now, I would say I have every right to step in."

"Hey, you cannot just brush this off!" Milly shot him a sharp look, and irritation flashed across her face because of his stubborn attitude.

As her annoyance lingered, a flicker of confusion crept in, since he had always kept his distance from women and rarely involved himself with female patients, yet today he had personally handled one.

With casual indifference, Lorenzo slid a hand into his pocket and turned toward the corridor where Melinda had disappeared. "If my presence bothers you, then I will leave."

Before he could take another step, she hurried after him. "Hold on! I specifically asked you to come so I could introduce you to our newly appointed cardiologist, Dr. Carlee Elliott. She is exceptionally talented, remarkably attractive, and easily one of the brightest young doctors here. On top of that, she happens to be single."

Without pausing, Lorenzo responded in a flat tone that carried no interest, "We can arrange that some other time."

With that brief dismissal, he continued down the hallway and left her standing there.

A Bed Too Empty, A Boss Too Close by Stella Montgomery Chapter 2 What Are You Staring At

Stepping out of the consultation room, Melinda collected her prescribed medication and made her way briskly toward the hospital exit.

The memory of a male physician instructing her to remove her trousers for the examination replayed in her mind, and the recollection alone caused heat to surge into her cheeks.

Should anyone ever learn about what had happened inside that room, she was certain she would not have the courage to face them.

From that day forward, she silently vowed to seek out only female doctors and never again allow an unfamiliar man to conduct such an intimate examination.

At that exact moment, a sleek black Bentley rolled to a gentle stop in front of her.

Assuming it must be the ride she had ordered, Melinda leaned slightly to glance through the tinted window, and her breath caught when she saw a sharply defined and a remarkably handsome face framed behind the glass.

For a fleeting instant, their gazes locked, and an odd sense of familiarity stirred within her.

Recognition dawned as she focused on his eyes.

Without a doubt, he was the very same doctor who had examined her just minutes earlier.

Air seemed to leave her lungs as Melinda instinctively held her breath.

A flush bloomed across her face once more, betraying the turmoil rising inside her.

Never had she imagined that she would encounter him again within minutes of leaving the hospital, and certainly not right at the entrance.

Lowering the car window slightly, Lorenzo spoke in a calm but firm tone. "Get in. I will take you home."

Startled by the offer, Melinda waved her hands lightly and shook her head. "That will not be necessary. Thank you."

They were practically strangers. Accepting such a favor felt unbearably awkward to her.

More than that, the memory of lying on the examination table while he conducted such an intimate check still lingered in her mind, and he was honestly the last person she wished to face again so soon.

It would be far easier if they acted like strangers should they ever cross paths again.

A subtle shift darkened Lorenzo's gaze, and the slight arch of his brow carried a quiet yet unmistakable authority.

Until this moment, no woman had ever declined him so directly.

"I appreciate the offer, but there is no need. My husband is on his way to pick me up." Melinda added the words quickly as she sensed the change in his expression.

Deliberately stressing that single word, she hoped the reminder of her marital status would draw a clear boundary between them.

Silence was Lorenzo's only response.

At the corner of his mouth, a faint and distant smile appeared, carrying a trace of chill.

Without another glance in her direction, he instructed the driver to pull away.

Relief washed over her as she stood there watching the black Bentley disappear into traffic, and only then did Melinda release the breath she had been holding.

The doctor's earlier words drifted back into her thoughts, especially his remark that her condition stemmed from prolonged abstinence.

According to him, the medication would merely manage the symptoms rather than solve the root cause.

And true recovery required a healthy and active marital relationship.

Kevan was scheduled to return from his business trip that very evening.

Determination slowly replaced her embarrassment, and she decided she would not let this chance slip away.

With renewed purpose, she headed straight to a nearby mall and selected an elegant yet enticing nightgown that matched her husband's taste, along with a subtle but captivating fragrance.

Once she arrived home, she retrieved a bottle of aged red wine that she had carefully preserved for years.

A plan formed in her mind to share a few glasses with Kevan, allow the atmosphere to soften naturally, and then gently rekindle the intimacy that had long been missing from their marriage.

As a germaphobe, Kevan had never touched her.

Throughout the year since their wedding, every attempt she made to draw closer to him had been gently but firmly refused.

Repeated rejection had weighed heavily on her, and the strain had seeped into both her body and her emotions.

Because of the diagnosis she had received earlier that day, she felt compelled to take matters into her own hands and follow through with her carefully crafted plan.

Although the room was arranged exactly as she intended, a sudden wave of nerves caught her off guard.

Never before in their marriage had she tried to entice her husband with such a deliberate purpose in mind.

Inside her chest, her heartbeat drummed loudly and refused to slow.

To steady herself, she lifted a glass of red wine and took a measured sip, hoping the alcohol would ease her tension.

...

By eight o'clock that night, the sound of the front door signaled Kevan's return from his trip.

With a crisp click, he pressed the switch on the wall, and light immediately flooded the once dark bedroom.

Lying beneath the covers and pretending to be asleep, Melinda flinched at the sudden brightness and felt her body tremble faintly.

Slowly, she lifted her lashes and let her gaze settle on the tall silhouette framed by the doorway.

"You are finally home."

A bright smile spread across her face as she threw aside the blanket and hurried toward him.

A faint crease formed between his brows as Kevan studied her.

The deep burgundy slip she had chosen dipped low at the neckline, and against her silky skin, it made her appear luminous while emphasizing the curves of her body.

Paired with her delicate features and that blend of innocence and quiet allure, she presented a vision that many men would have found impossible to ignore.

When she closed the distance between them, a subtle yet intoxicating scent drifted through the air and reached him. For a fleeting second, a natural masculine impulse stirred within him in response.

Objectively, she looked captivating, and her charm was undeniable.

At the same time, the combination of purity and sensuality she embodied felt strikingly vivid.

Despite all that, she did not match the image of a partner he desired.

The brief spark in his eyes dimmed almost instantly and gave way to cool detachment.

Without hesitation, Kevan placed a hand against her shoulder to create distance and said, "I'm exhausted!"

His blunt refusal struck her like a splash of cold water, and much of Melinda's earlier excitement faded at once.

Even so, she forced herself to remain steady because giving up was not an option tonight.

Since the doctor had made it clear that intimacy was essential for her recovery, she knew she had to find a way to bridge the distance between them.

After all, she had carefully prepared her appearance and arranged the atmosphere with such effort.

Stopping halfway would make everything she had done feel pointless.

"Would you like me to help you relax with a massage?" she asked, reaching for his arm and softening her tone.

Revulsion flickered across his face, and Kevan shrugged her off as though her touch had offended him. "No."

Without another word, he turned and headed straight for the bathroom.

As he brushed past her, an unfamiliar fragrance drifted into her senses. The scent carried a polished and refined quality, yet it was certainly not the perfume she had applied earlier.

For a brief moment, she stood completely still. A shadow of doubt crossed her eyes as a troubling thought took root.

Was Kevan having an affair?

Reason quickly followed her rising suspicion, and she reminded herself that his schedule was filled with formal dinners and business gatherings. It was entirely possible that a trace of someone else's fragrance had lingered on him by coincidence and meant nothing at all.

Considering his fear of germs to the point that he rarely even touched her, the idea of him being involved with another woman felt almost contradictory.

Clinging to that reasoning, she quietly worked to calm her restless thoughts.

With renewed determination, she moved toward the table and poured a glass of red wine for him, resolved to carry out her original plan of loosening him up first.

About thirty minutes later, the bathroom door finally opened.

Wrapped in a simple white bathrobe, Kevan stepped out, and the untied belt allowed a glimpse of his well-defined chest.

Under the gentle amber glow of the bedroom lights, his presence seemed effortlessly captivating.

Long, straight legs carried him forward with quiet confidence, and the composed, handsome expression on his face held Melinda's gaze in place.

A sudden dryness crept into her throat, and she became acutely aware of her own breathing.

Whether it was the time they had spent apart or the familiar chill he carried himself with, something about the way he looked at that moment unsettled her composure.

Without meaning to, she swallowed to ease the tightness building inside her.

Before she realized it, her gaze dipped lower, and the glimpse she caught made her pulse quicken.

An undeniable heat began to gather within her, and she sensed her longing intensifying once again.

"What are you staring at?" Kevan's voice cut through the air without warning.

Startled by the sharpness in his tone, Melinda blinked and forced herself back to her senses.

Panic flashed across her face as she shook her head quickly. "Nothing at all."

She feared he might misinterpret her glance and look at her with even greater disdain.

Trying to recover her composure, she reached for the glass resting nearby and offered a tentative smile. "Would you care for some wine, baby?"

She knew he had a habit of taking a drink before going to bed.

Instead of responding at once, Kevan allowed a heavy silence to stretch between them.

Unease crept into her chest, and Melinda wondered if he had already guessed what she was trying to do.

With forced sweetness, she edged closer and called gently, "Baby."

She had intended to coax him into accepting the wine, yet Kevan turned toward her before she could continue and studied her with an unreadable expression. "It's getting late. Should you not be heading to bed?"

Hope flickered across her face as Melinda interpreted his words differently.

Without hesitation, she placed the wine glass onto the nightstand beside the bed.

A spark of anticipation lit her face as she hurried forward. "I will lie down right away."

Hope propelled her steps, and she reached toward him before thinking twice.

In an instant, his fingers closed firmly around her wrist. With a slight lift of his brow and a trace of ridicule in his tone, Kevan looked at her coldly. "Surely you were not under the impression that I intended to have sex with you tonight?"

A Bed Too Empty, A Boss Too Close by Stella Montgomery Chapter 3 You Are The Only Woman I Love

Color drained from her face, and Melinda stood there as though time had suddenly stopped.

A brief shadow of hurt passed through her eyes, and Kevan noticed it clearly.

Despite that silent plea, his tone remained distant. "I have explained this to you repeatedly. My fear of germs is not something I can simply ignore."

Desperation edged into her voice as Melinda tried again. "But, baby, I..."

The diagnosis echoed in her mind, and the restless ache within her body reminded her that she needed relief more than ever.

Patience had long since worn thin, and she felt as though she were standing at the brink of collapse.

"Please. I truly do not feel well. I need you." Her lower lip quivered between her teeth, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

Air slipped in and out of her lungs in uneven breaths.

An intense craving stirred within her, and it refused to quiet down.

Thoughts of intimacy circled through her mind.

Every attempt to suppress those urges only made them return with greater force.

A crease formed between his brows as Kevan studied her expression.

Irritation flickered in his eyes because he had always disliked the way she appeared so openly desperate in front of him.

A chill entered his voice as he rebuked her. "If you are that desperate, then handle it on your own."

The contempt in his tone struck her like a slap, landing precisely where she was most vulnerable.

Without sparing her a hint of sympathy, he dismissed the pain in her expression and continued in the same detached manner, "And I do not want to see you dressed like that in front of me again."

Light faded from Melinda's tearful eyes almost instantly.

An ache, sharp and bitter, unfurled across her chest.

The reality that Kevan still refused even the smallest touch cut deeper than she had expected.

"I understand." Barely lifting her gaze, she forced the words out in a faint whisper.

"From now on, you will not be sleeping in my room." Cold finality laced his next statement as Kevan looked at her with open distaste.

Shock flashed across her face as Melinda met his eyes. "What do you mean?"

A frigid warning slipped from Kevan's lips. "I will be staying in the next room from now on. Do not step into my space without my consent."

Without sparing her another glance, he rose and walked out.

Left alone, Melinda stood motionless.

Moisture gathered along her lashes before she could hold it back.

More than a year had passed since their wedding, yet the absence of intimacy and his constant detachment had slowly driven her into a fragile emotional state.

Instead of offering support as a husband should, he chose this moment to distance himself even further by separating their bedrooms.

To Melinda, that decision felt like a fresh wound layered over an old one.

The warmth that had briefly filled the room vanished as soon as he stepped out, and a hollow chill settled in its place.

Inside her, however, the restless yearning refused to quiet down and seemed to burn with renewed intensity.

Kevan's rejection cut deeply, and the emotional strain began to spiral once more.

Discomfort spread through Melinda's entire body, leaving her feeling tense, unsettled, and painfully alone.

An intense wave of unmet desire swept over her and left her trembling.

A strained whisper escaped her lips. "This feels unbearable. I want it so badly."

Heat flooded her cheeks as her thoughts betrayed her, and the memory of the doctor standing over her during the examination surfaced without warning.

Alarmed by the direction of her mind, Melinda shook her head as if that alone could scatter the image.

Confusion tightened around her heart because she could not understand why his face would appear at such a moment.

She was a married woman, yet her imagination had wandered somewhere it should not.

Guilt pricked at her conscience, and she questioned how she had allowed herself to become so reckless in thought.

Still, the truth remained that Kevan continued to keep his distance and refused even the smallest gesture of closeness.

Despite the title of wife, she often felt as though she lived alone.

Once more, the doctor's image crept back into her mind, especially the way he had looked at her outside the hospital when he told her to get into his car.

He possessed a striking charm that rivaled, and even surpassed Kevan's.

For a fleeting and dangerous second, a forbidden impulse stirred within her.

Startled by herself, Melinda pressed her lips together and forced that unethical desire back into the shadows.

Even though Kevan had never once laid a hand on her, the thought of entertaining another man still felt like a betrayal in its own quiet way. To her, even a wandering mind counted as a form of unfaithfulness.

However, discipline slipped through her fingers tonight, and she no longer had the strength to restrain herself.

A nervous tremor ran through her fingers as she reached for the drawer beside the bed and slowly pulled it open. From its shadowed interior, she retrieved the item she had hidden there.

Throughout their marriage, each time Kevan turned her away, and her emotions spiraled out of control, she had soothed herself by imagining that it was him. That had always been her way of calming the storm inside her chest.

However, this evening carried a strange shift she could not ignore.

Instead of picturing her distant husband, her thoughts drifted elsewhere. The face that surfaced in her mind belonged to the doctor.

...

Time dragged on before relief finally washed over Melinda's weary body.

A thin sheen of moisture clung faintly to the corner of her lips.

Exhaustion pressed down on her limbs until she felt hollowed out from within.

As she struggled to steady her breathing, a sobering realization settled over her that she could not continue living like this.

Without wasting another second, she forced herself out of bed, seized her handbag, and searched for the medication the hospital had prescribed earlier that day.

Not a single drop of water remained in her bedroom.

In response, she hastily slipped into a loose garment and made her way downstairs, intending to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen so she could swallow her medication.

While moving past Kevan's room, an unusual and restrained groan drifted through the door, stopping her in her tracks.

As a mature woman, Melinda did not need anyone to explain what that kind of sound suggested.

Compelled by unease, she edged closer and glanced through the narrow gap of the half-open door.

Under the faint glow of the bedside lamp, Kevan came into view as he sat at the edge of his mattress, touching himself while fixated on a photograph in his hand.

A strained sound caught in his throat as his Adam's apple moved, and in a hoarse whisper, he said, "Sloane, you are the only one I desire. You are the only woman I love."

Shock rooted Melinda to the floor. For a fleeting moment, her thoughts deserted her completely.

Disbelief flooded her expression as her eyes grew wide.

Sloane Douglas was none other than the daughter of her father's lawful wife.

Simon Douglas lived a double life, dividing his loyalties between a lawful marriage and a long-standing affair.

By his side stood Belen Douglas as his legal wife, and together they had a daughter named Sloane.

Beyond that marriage, he kept Kathryn Phillips as his lover, and she bore him two children, a son and a daughter, the latter being Melinda herself. Because of his wealth and influence, he did not bother to hide Kathryn, and he installed her openly in his residence.

At the moment Alec Douglas was born, Simon ensured that Belen would raise this "precious" male offspring as if he were her own child.

Unlike her brother, Melinda remained with Kathryn throughout her childhood.

Even so, warmth and tenderness were things she rarely received from Kathryn.

In truth, Kathryn's affection leaned heavily toward Alec, and she even treated Sloane with more care than she ever showed Melinda.

When it came to Melinda's future, Kathryn showed no real concern and allowed Alec and Belen to make decisions about her marriage.

Before accepting Kevan as her husband, Melinda had discreetly gathered information and discovered that he was seeking a bride from the Douglas family, and that knowledge ultimately persuaded her to go through with the wedding.

Back then, she had firmly believed that she was the woman who held his heart.

Only now did the truth begin to surface, and it became painfully clear that she had misread everything.

In reality, the person Kevan cherished had always been Sloane.

Because his status as an illegitimate son placed him beneath Sloane's standing, he chose Melinda as a substitute instead.

After the wedding, however, he consistently avoided sleeping with her and claimed that his extreme aversion to physical contact was due to a fear of germs.

And Melinda had accepted that explanation without question.

She finally saw how foolish she had been.

Rather than reach for his own wife, Kevan chose to satisfy himself in solitude.

He was saving every part of himself for Sloane.

From the time they were children, the entire Douglas family had revolved around Sloane.

In Simon's eyes, Sloane had always been the one who could do no wrong.

Affection from both Belen and Kathryn had always centered on Sloane, and they treated her as someone precious beyond measure.

By contrast, Melinda had long understood that she stood at the very bottom of the Douglas family hierarchy.

Neither Simon nor Belen, nor even Kathryn, who had given birth to her, ever showed genuine fondness toward her.

Marriage once appeared to her as a doorway to a different future, one where she might finally belong somewhere.

Instead of finding comfort, she discovered that even Kevan's devotion had never been hers to claim.

A sharp sense of irony settled in Melinda's chest, and it left a bitter taste she could not ignore.

Each time Kevan whispered Sloane's name with longing, the sound cut into her like a blade.

Through the haze clouding her thoughts, memories surfaced of Kevan visiting her family before their wedding.

During those visits, he had carried himself with calm restraint and unfailing patience, and he had looked every bit the considerate gentleman.

Whenever he arrived, he made sure to place a carefully chosen gift in her hands.

Because of those gestures, she had gradually formed a deep impression of him.

Only now did the truth reveal itself with cruel clarity, and she realized that those visits had never been meant for her.

From the very beginning, his footsteps had always led him there for Sloane.

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