Chapter 6: Testing the Waters

Hearing those words now felt incredibly ironic.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror and decided right then to meet Lydia. If only to confirm whether the scent on her was the exact same one I had found on my husband.

The following day, after dropping Daisy off at school, I went to meet Lydia.

We had agreed to meet at a shopping mall for lunch. But the moment she stood beside me and that familiar, elegant fragrance drifted into my nose, I knew I wouldn't be able to swallow a single bite of that meal.

There was an eighty percent chance that Julian and Lydia were already entangled.

What mattered most to me now was finding solid evidence. Only then would I have the leverage in court to secure custody and claim the largest possible share of our marital assets.

"Sienna, how have you and your husband been all these years?" Lydia asked.

I hadn't expected her to be so bold as to pry into my marriage right from the start.

I stared at her, my gaze cold and silent.

"Why are you looking at me like that? It’s only been five years. Don't you recognize me anymore?"

"I hardly do. I’m wondering if you’re still the same soft-hearted, kind Lydia I once knew. Oh, by the way, you asked about my husband? We’re doing alright. He adores our daughter."

Lydia’s expression stiffened for a fleeting second. "Really? Actually, I’ve always wondered... since Julian was such a player, has he ever cheated since you got married?"

I looked into her eyes, trying to decipher what she was truly fishing for.

Or perhaps I didn't even need to look to guess. She simply wanted to know if Julian had been with any other women besides her since our wedding.

I smiled. "No. Since we married, he has never crossed the line."

"Is that so?" Lydia looked pleasantly surprised.

I saw her lower her head, a trace of a sweet smile touching her lips.

I couldn't understand where the joy of a mistress came from upon learning that my husband hadn't cheated with

anyone else

. I truly didn't get it.

But Lydia clearly didn't need my understanding.

"And you? Are you seeing anyone? Engaged yet?" I asked pointedly.

Lydia froze for a moment, then answered hesitantly, "I... no. Nothing. I’m single."

I acted surprised. "Single?!"

"Yes," she said.

My entire moral compass was being shattered by her words.

Clearly, the photo in Sebastian's wallet showed him and Lydia together.

Clearly, Sebastian had told me that woman was his fiancée.

How could Lydia sit here and claim she was single?

I couldn't help but wonder—

Is that what she told Julian, too?

But something felt off. If Julian knew she was single, he should have asked for a divorce immediately to marry her. Instead, he was hiding everything, not breathing a word about ending our marriage.

Did Julian plan to keep Lydia as a long-term mistress?

I thought of Sebastian’s handsome face and his meticulous professional attitude, and I suddenly felt a wave of sympathy for him.

That night, after tucking Daisy into bed, I returned to the master bedroom.

Julian was on the bed, playing a game on his phone.

I climbed in from the other side and leaned against the headboard, glancing at him. "I saw Lydia today."

I saw his hands freeze mid-game.

Usually, when he was gaming, nothing I said could move him. But today, his fingers faltered just because of that one name.

"You reached out to her?" Julian asked, his voice noticeably rushed.