The Hidden Ring Chapter 2

On the weekend, Arthur went into the office to work overtime.

I was bored at home alone, so I decided to tidy up the apartment.

Arthur had told me before that this place belonged to both of us.

He said he had absolutely no secrets, and I was allowed to go anywhere.

So, after cleaning the living room, I went into the study.

While wiping down the desk, I noticed a book tucked away in the corner.

It looked completely out of place among the business files.

It looked like a college textbook.

My curiosity piqued, I picked it up and flipped through it.

A piece of paper fluttered out of the pages and landed on the floor.

I instinctively picked it up and realized it was a photograph.

I flipped it over. The photo showed Arthur with someone else.

The two of them looked incredibly comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera.

The way they smiled at each other spoke volumes of their deep, familiar connection.

Beneath the photo, there was a single line of text written in elegant calligraphy.

[There is a beautiful one, clear and graceful. A chance encounter, she perfectly suits my heart's desire.]

It was Arthur's handwriting.

In that exact moment, I suddenly understood why we couldn't go public.

It turned out that someone else had permanently taken residence in his heart—someone he could never forget.

And that someone... was the person I had just heard him mention a few days ago.

It was Chloe. The girl he claimed he "would have gotten with a long time ago if it was going to happen."