She had perfectly curly blond hair, an hourglass figure, and was dressed in a golden gown. Whoever she was, our marriage must have caused her significant pain, as her brown eyes were filled with tears of deep agony and anguish. "Maleeka! Please, go back to your room. We'll talk later," Zeon spoke to her, but he didn't seem entirely focused on consoling her; he appeared worn out and agitated. "She's that girl you've been spending time with. How old is she? Just turned eighteen a few months ago, right?" Her tone and intense glare made me uncomfortable. "Who is she?" I asked in a hushed tone, trying to maintain my focus despite being extremely apprehensive. She seemed to grow even more furious when she heard me speak and started to move menacingly in my direction. She might have hit me in the face, possibly giving me a black eye, if Zeon hadn't stepped in between us. "As if you don't know who I am," she muttered, growing increasingly agitated that Zeon didn't allow her to approach me. "Don't you dare lay a hand on her," he warned, keeping her at bay with his hands on her shoulders. When she turned her tearful face back to him after glancing at my face and his hands, her cheeks were streaked with tears. "You're protecting her?" she asked the obvious question, her lips quivering. "You're not going to harm her. She's my mate--my wife now," she moved away from Zeon after he said that and covered her mouth with her hands. It was clear she hadn't anticipated this turn of events based on the way she had been observing us. The look of shock on her face was unsettling. "If she's your wife and mate, then what am I? Who am I to you? I'm your wife," as she uttered those words, I shuddered and turned to look at him. I hadn't known he had a wife. "You're my mate too," he began, but Maleeka, consumed by anger, blurted out loudly. "You cheated on me!" She began yelling and crying loudly this time. Wife? When I discovered that she was also his wife and mate, my body grew weak. He had kept such crucial information from me. "And so is she," he shrugged, once again reminding her of his betrayal. He didn't even seem concerned about her tears. I knew it was true, but I was afraid to ask him about it. I realized that I had been a fool for never questioning him about his past, or maybe I never did because I wasn't interested in him at all. He had mentioned that his first mate had betrayed him, but he had never mentioned this one in front of me. Our marriage had happened so quickly, and in hindsight, I could see why he had been so eager to marry us today. He had concealed his past, as well as his entire first wife and mate."Everybody has a first mate or a second mate--," he hadn't finished when I defensively slammed the bouquet of flowers onto the floor. He had lied to me. He had told me he didn't have anyone. "No! You had a mate, a wife. That's not something small. Why didn't you tell me?" I raised my voice, and his other wife rolled her eyes, as if she didn't believe me. "And you didn't know? He's been friends with your father for a long time. You were slowly seducing him away from me. Now that you're being confronted, you're acting all innocent?" She accused me, interpreting my honesty and confusion as deceit. "I don't want this conversation to drag on. Just finish it already; I'm tired," the one who had caused all this turmoil sighed and shrugged. "You want to rest when you just gave me the biggest shock of my life?" She began sobbing into her hands. Her alternating between anger and tears highlighted how miserable she must have been feeling at that moment. I had no idea he had a whole wife; otherwise, I would never have married him. It made sense now why he was so eager to get married immediately; he knew that if he delayed, someone might bring up his first marriage. "Come here," he walked over to her and pulled her into a hug, and what was astonishing is that she allowed it. "I don't want to stay here. You've deceived me," I declared audibly, my eyes widening, and my body trembling with emotions. Zeon pulled away from her and shot me a glare. "I said, everybody stays here, nobody's going anywhere, and that includes you," he declared. His tone was forceful and gruff, his words delivered in a rather stern manner. I didn't want to be a part of this messed-up situation. He had deceived me into thinking he was a nice guy, a gentleman. Panic swept over me as I recalled all the times he had acted like he was living alone, and that his first mate had left him. "I don't care; I won't be a part of your personal harem," I retorted, firm in my decision not to spend a single night here. I spun around and began heading for the door. At this point, I didn't care about his wife's opinion; she should be relieved that I was leaving her husband for her. But before I could step outside, someone grabbed my elbow and sharply turned me around. He pulled me close to his body, my hands pressed against his chest. "Enough!" he warned me, his anger evident in his stern gaze. "Let me go," I protested, but his grip on my arm only tightened, causing me to flinch in pain. He shook my body in frustration, his words dripping with anger, "I told you to go back to your room, yet you seem determined to provoke me. Why is it so difficult for you to understand such a simple thing?" He asked, his eyes burning with anger. I was in shock. My heart raced loudly as I realized that all the things and acts of kindness he had shown were nothing but lies.