Chapter 1

On my fiancée's birthday, she told me she was heading back to her small hometown to visit family.

Wanting to surprise her, I secretly drove after her.

But the second I stepped out of my car, I saw her childhood best friend decked out in a full tuxedo, sneering at me.

"Look who decided to crawl back from the city! What's a corporate slave doing here? Don't blame me for your lost wages when nobody invited you!"

"Then again, it makes sense. You spent all those years simping after her, only for my goddess to become my wife. Guess you just had to get one last look."

"Watch your drool, man. Don't let it drip on my bride's dress!"

I stared at him in utter bewilderment. When had I ever been a simp?

As far as I knew, Chloe and I had been madly in love ever since college, and we were even talking about having a baby.

Seeing my blank expression, he stepped aside, revealing a massive wedding banner right behind him.

When I saw the bride’s gentle, familiar face, my entire world stopped spinning.

The woman smiling so sweetly in that wedding photo was Chloe—my wife, who had slept in my arms just last night.

I stared at the wedding poster in front of me, completely numb.

The woman who had kissed me goodbye this morning was now another man’s bride.

In my shock, my eyes frantically scanned the crowd, searching for any sign of her.

Today was her birthday, but she told me an urgent family matter had called her back to her hometown.

I had followed her car all the way out here to surprise her, never imagining I’d walk into this kind of gut punch.

Catching the sheer disbelief on my face, Austin burst into arrogant laughter.

"What are you looking for? Did you really come all this way to stare at my wife? We’re about to walk down the aisle. Have you got no shame at all?"

The surrounding guests chimed in, pointing and whispering at me like I was some pathetic freak.

My brows knitted together tightly. Without hesitation, I pulled out my phone and dialed Chloe's number.

I needed to know what the hell was going on.

She picked up on the third ring, her sweet voice floating through the speaker.

"Hey, babe. Don't you have a morning meeting? Why are you calling me right now?"

Hearing her casual, affectionate tone made my throat burn.

"Where are you right now?" I asked quietly.

"I told you, babe, an emergency came up with the family back home. I’m just visiting."

"Don't worry, I’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning. My aunt is calling me over to help in the garden, so I gotta run. Love you!"

Chloe hung up. My chest heaved, my pulse racing wildly.

Just visiting family?

I remembered our own small wedding two years ago. Chloe had insisted on keeping it tiny with no big party, claiming she had cut ties with her toxic hometown relatives.

She told me both her parents had died when she was young, and none of her relatives were willing to take her in.

She grew up relying on government aid and student loans.

Every time she talked about her childhood, her eyes would well up with tears.

In our two years of marriage, she had never once returned to her hometown.

Looking back now, I couldn't tell which of her words had been real and which were all a lie.

Right then, loud flattery from the crowd snapped me out of my trance.

A bunch of local guys were crowding around Austin, kissing his ass.

"Man, you and Chloe go way back! Her parents passed away early, and you were always the one looking out for her."

"I heard she’s a senior director at a Fortune 500 company now, rolling in cash! You hit the jackpot, Austin. Don't forget your boys once you're living large!"

Their words tasted like bitter ash in my mouth.

When Chloe first graduated, she was just an entry-level clerk at a tiny startup.

Because she was quiet and pretty, her sleazy department manager tried to take advantage of her.

Unable to watch her suffer, I pulled strings with my high-powered connections to get her a prime spot at a Fortune 500 firm.

Because my people were watching over her, no one ever dared to cross her again.

On top of that, she was ambitious and capable, so she climbed the corporate ladder fast.

In just three years, she made department director.

Right at that moment, my phone buzzed.

A notification from Chloe.

Before I could even swipe to unlock it, Austin snatched the phone straight out of my hand.

"What the fuck! You shameless creep, why the hell is my wife your lock screen?!"