Chapter 1

"Chelsey, Luke's eyes have recovered, so it's high time you two consummate the marriage. You should go over to his place tonight!"

This was what Chelsey Jenson's mother-in-law, Josie Suthers, said as they were eating dinner.

Chelsey's heart skipped a beat. She said softly, "Okay."

She and Lucas Yates had been married for three years, and she'd cared for him throughout that period. But after he'd regained his sight, he'd moved out to live alone.

Chelsey made her way to Lucas' current abode based on the address Josie had given to her. She arrived at a standalone villa that was beside the river.

She keyed in the password and headed inside. The villa reeked of alcohol.

Chelsey found Lucas in the master bedroom on the second floor. He lay on the bed, buck-naked and snoring away. There were even unfinished bottles of liquor on the bedside table. The stench of liquor permeated every corner of the room. It was suffocating.

"Lucas …" Chelsey called.

He didn't respond.

She sat beside the bed and gently traced his handsome face. He was the best-looking man she'd ever laid eyes on. His nose, his eyes, his jaw … She'd stared at him countless times over the past three years, but she still hadn't had her fill.

As she watched him, her heart started racing. Her face also started warming up.

They'd been married for three years. Now, it was finally time for them to consummate the marriage.

Chelsey was both nervous and tentative. There was also a hint of expectation and excitement mixed in. She leaned down to press her soft lips against his forehead.

It had been three years; Lucas was now etched onto her heart. No one else would be able to burrow their way in there.

Chelsey mustered the courage to strip. Then, she lifted Lucas' arm and lay down in his embrace. She held him shyly yet enthusiastically, pressing her cherry-red lips against his thin ones. She inhaled his masculine hormones, which mingled with the smell of liquor. It intoxicated her as well.

"Mm …" Lucas seemed to stir a little. Then, he seemed to enter a different dream.

With his eyes shut, he pulled Chelsey close to him and deepened the kiss. The sweet taste of her lips drove him crazy. He was almost manic as he swallowed her inch by inch.

Lucas' body was as hot as an iron. It burned Chelsey up until they were equally hot.

His enthusiasm smothered her, and she almost forgot to breathe as she sank deeper into his embrace. Under his lead, she forgot about the pain as they lost themselves in each other.

Chelsey felt the heat he emanated and the rhythm of his heart as it pounded against his chest. For a split second, she felt like he actually loved her.

But everything was ruined when he murmured into her ear, "Shannon …"

Shannon White?

Chelsey immediately felt like she'd sunk to the bottom of an icy lake.

That was a name she'd heard countless times. When she'd first arrived at the Yates residence, Lucas often called her Shannon. Every time, she would correct him and say, "My name isn't Shannon, Mr. Yates. It's Chelsey Jenson!"

It wasn't that she'd never thought about Shannon being the woman Lucas loved. It was just that she had no right to question him—not with her identity.

When the heat and passion had subsided, Lucas fell deeply asleep again. To him, this night was nothing but a wet dream, and Shannon was the only woman who would star in it.

Chelsey dragged her heavy feet downstairs. As she turned a corner, a woman in a white dress suddenly appeared before her. It scared her so much that she fell backward onto the floor.

She stared at the woman, her eyes wide with fright.

Upon closer scrutinization, she realized it was nothing but a life-sized portrait. Chelsey pulled out her phone, turned on the flashlight, and shone it on the photo.