Betrayed by My Wife，I Turned Her Death Bet Into Her RuinChapter 1
While I was away on business, my wife's kept boy moved right into the Gilbert estate—bold as brass. He wore my clothes, drank my vintage wines, and had the audacity to think he could climb into my bed and sleep with my wife.
What he didn't count on was my mother catching him in the act. She called me back immediately. I had my men strip him naked and break one of his legs before tossing him out like garbage.
When my wife found out, she didn't blame me. Instead, she slapped herself across the face and apologized. "I'm so sorry, darling. I only helped him because I pitied him. I never imagined he'd try to take your place—he nearly caused a disaster. I'll have him driven out of the city myself. He'll never set foot here again."
Since she'd admitted her mistake so readily, I forgave her. And she didn't disappoint—she played the role of the perfect wife flawlessly.
Until six months later.
I drank the wine she handed me. The moment it touched my lips, my body gave out, and I collapsed onto the bed.
When I opened my eyes again, I was bound to a chair. My mother was locked in an iron cage. And my dear wife sat with her legs crossed, one arm draped around her little boy toy, watching as her men threw water on my mother.
"Your mother loves running her mouth, doesn't she?" May Harding's voice was silk over steel. "And you—you enjoyed stripping someone naked, didn't you?"
"Well then, let's play a little game. A wager. If you lose..." She smiled. "Your mother gets stripped bare and thrown to a crowd of lonely, desperate men."
——
The cage door swung open. A man stepped inside, grabbed my mother by the arm, and backhanded her across the face.
"Don't you dare touch her!" I roared, straining against the ropes. "May, what the hell do you want?"
May looked at me like I was the funniest thing she'd seen all day. Then her expression softened as she traced her fingers over the place where I'd broken Mark Delgado's leg. When she spoke again, her voice was ice.
"Justice for Mark, of course. Whatever you did to him that day—I'm going to pay you back double."
"Pay me back?" A bitter laugh escaped me. "So you've been in love with this pretty boy all along. Is that it?"
"Yes."
The word hit like a blade.