Chapter 1
At four in the afternoon, Seattle sunlight filtered through the blinds of my apartment. I had darkened the room, leaving only the eerie blue glow from my computer screen.
"No... please... it hurts..."
Sultry moans echoed through my headphones as I frowned, adjusting the volume parameters. As Nexus Games' ace designer, I was doing final sound testing for our new release, "Justice & Love."
Damn it, why was this bondage play audio so difficult to calibrate?
I pulled off my headphones, wanting to hear the nuanced differences more clearly. Instantly, those "Ah... no... let me go..." sounds amplified in the quiet room, sounding particularly... stimulating.
My face turned red as a cooked lobster in an instant. Despite designing otome games professionally for three years, this mature content still made me blush with embarrassment.
Honestly, I had zero real-world experience with these... intimate matters. All my design inspiration came from online research and references from other games.
Every time I encountered such scenarios, I felt like a middle schooler sneaking peeks at adult magazines—heart racing, face burning.
Especially lately, living alone in this empty apartment, hearing these sounds always made me inexplicably think about things I'd never experienced...
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Urgent knocking suddenly erupted. I jumped, frantically turning off the speakers.
Could it be... a neighbor?
I thought of Mrs. Perez next door, that busybody who always had opinions about us young people's lifestyles.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Open up! Police!"
What?!
My heart nearly leaped from my chest. Police? Why would police come to my place?
I hastily smoothed my messy hair and hurried to the door. Peering through the peephole, my breathing stopped instantly.
A tall man stood outside, wearing a crisp police uniform, broad shoulders, trim waist. Even through the peephole's distorted view, I could see he possessed a perfectly sculpted profile.
God... is this what they call uniform temptation?
I shook my head, dismissing these inappropriate thoughts. This wasn't the time for fantasizing!
I opened the door, preparing to politely inquire about the situation.
"Hello, I'm an officer with the Seattle Police Department." He showed his badge. "We received a neighbor's complaint and need to investigate the situation."
"Oh, okay." I nodded, trying not to stare at his impossibly handsome face.
But then he opened his mouth with a statement that made me explode:
"Besides me, are there any other men here?"
"What?!" My voice shot up an octave. "What do you mean by that?"
This devastatingly handsome cop's eyes seriously scanned the room behind me, his perfect face maintaining a strictly professional expression.
"Neighbors reported multiple people making unusual sounds here. I need to conduct a safety check." His voice was deep and magnetic, but his tone was as stern as interrogating a criminal. "So I'll ask again—besides me, are there any other males present?"
I couldn't believe my ears. What did this incredibly attractive officer just say? "Besides me"? What kind of perverted logic was that? Who did he think he was? My husband?
"Wait, wait, wait!" I held up my hand, blocking the doorway, glaring at him furiously. "What do you mean 'besides you'? Who do you think you are to me?"
He seemed slightly taken aback by my reaction.
"Actually, I am your husband." He admitted directly, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
"WHAT?!" I completely lost it. "You pervert! You creep!"
I trembled with rage, my voice rising several octaves: "Do all you cops have no shame? Just showing up at someone's door claiming to be their husband? I'm filing a complaint! I'm charging you with sexual harassment!"
The angrier I got, the louder I became, pointing at his chest: "What kind of nonsense is this? We don't even know each other! You think wearing a police uniform gives you the right to take advantage of women?"
Sure, he was heart-stoppingly handsome, but this perverted behavior was absolutely unacceptable! What kind of cop shows up claiming to be someone's husband? This was insulting my intelligence!
"Help! There's a perverted cop!" I shouted down the hallway, hoping neighbors would hear. "Mrs. Perez! Come out! Someone's impersonating an officer and harassing me!"
He looked at me, complex emotions flashing in his eyes, as if wanting to explain but hesitating.
"Cassidy, please calm down." He reached out to pacify me. "I can explain..."
"What?!" I stared wide-eyed, even more terrified. "How do you know my name?! You pervert! Who are you?!"
My voice was shaking as I backed away several steps: "We're not close enough for you to use my first name! Have you been stalking me? You creep!"
God, this person not only claimed to be my husband, now he knew my name too! He must be some perverted stalker!
"Don't touch me!" I stepped back, watching him warily. "If you don't leave, I'm really calling the police! Wait... you already are police... then I'm filing a complaint!"
My cheeks flushed with anger as I tried to calm myself. Just shouting wouldn't solve anything. "Show me your ID. I'm writing down your name and badge number!"
He sighed helplessly and pulled out his police credentials from his uniform pocket.
The moment he handed it to me, a photograph tucked inside the ID fluttered to the ground.
I instinctively bent down to pick up the photo. When I saw what it contained, I froze completely.
The photo showed two people in cosplay costumes—a woman in a cute bunny girl outfit and a man in a police uniform, embracing tightly with brilliant smiles.
And that woman... was unmistakably me!