Chapter 1

Vivian's golden boy loved going raw, but he hated the idea of kids.

So my wife booked an abortion without a second thought.

By the time I rushed to the hospital, she was already about to walk into the operating room.

I grabbed the edge of the door, knuckles white, glaring at her with gritted teeth.

"You're killing our baby... just for him?"

Vivian Sterling looked at me with chilling detachment.

"Stop making a scene. Throwing a tantrum won't change anything."

"This baby would only get in the way. It's better to end it now."

Yet, when her phone buzzed and she answered Julian Vance on the other end, her voice softened into a gentle murmur I had never heard before.

"Yes, the penthouse is yours. Take the Black Card and spend whatever you want."

"Wait for me to get back. I'll always have your back. You don't need to be afraid of anyone."

When she said "anyone," her icy glare flicked toward me.

In her eyes, I was nothing more than an annoying nuisance getting in their way.

I snapped my head up, my eyes bloodshot.

"You gave him our home, too? Do you have any idea how much sweat and blood I poured into that place?"

"It's just a house. He suffered so much living abroad all these years. Why do you have to be so petty about everything?"

"If you know what's good for you and behave, I might still reconsider divorcing you..."

Petty. The word pierced right through my chest.

She had brought up divorce before, but back then, I refused to let go.

Now, my heart was completely dead. I cut her off mid-sentence.

"Fine. Let's get divorced."

"What did you just say?" Vivian looked slightly caught off guard.

"I said, let's get a divorce. I don't want you anymore. Go live with whoever you want," I scoffed, declaring it coldly.

I turned around and dialed my lawyer. "Yeah, that job offer overseas? I'm taking it."

"While you're at it, draft a divorce settlement for me."

"Fine, Lucas Graham. You've got guts," Vivian sneered, turning to her assistant with an icy expression.

"Since you want a divorce, you can step down as the Executive Director. Julian will take your spot."

"And you'd better actually mean it, instead of playing hard to get."

"Don't worry. I always keep my word," I replied flatly.

In the past, her sharp words would have sparked a full-blown argument between us.

Now that I had decided to walk away, an unprecedented wave of calm washed over me.

Right then, the doctor walked over with the final consent form, looking for a family member's signature.

"Ms. Sterling, we need a family member to sign this."

She frowned, about to speak.

I cut in first.

"I'm not her family. Tell her to go find her new husband."

"I'm not wasting another second here."

Vivian seemed taken aback by my reaction. After all, I had been the textbook definition of a devoted husband.

I knew all her tastes and allergies by heart.

I tracked her cycles, made sure her heating pads and remedies were ready before her period even started, and catered to her every whim.

Yet everything I had ever done was worthless compared to her golden boy.

She stared at me for a long beat before letting out a cold scoff. "Look at you, finally learning your place."

"Though acting smart now isn't going to change anything."

"Suit yourself, Ms. Sterling." I didn't say another word, turning around and walking away.

We had supported each other through thick and thin to get here. I genuinely thought we would grow old together.

I never imagined we'd end up with nothing left to say to one another.

I hadn't walked far down the hallway when Vivian's assistant called out after me.

He handed me a cardboard box.

"Ms. Sterling said we should start dividing things up. Starting with the car."

Inside were all the little things I had put in her car, the lumbar cushion, the seat covers, the little ornaments.

Even the tissue packs I bought were tossed inside.

Seeing my hardened expression, the assistant awkwardly explained.

"Mr. Graham, these were Ms. Sterling's exact orders. She said..."

"She wanted a clean break, just to avoid any future hassles."

I let out a long, heavy breath. So she had been waiting to get rid of me all along.

Even though I was mentally prepared, a bitter ache still squeezed my chest.

Ignoring the assistant's hesitant look,

I dumped the entire box into the trash can right in front of him.

"Tell her she doesn't need to be so paranoid. I mean what I say."

"I'm not going to crawl back to her."

With that, I turned on my heel.

Before leaving, I slipped off my wedding band and threw it into the trash alongside the rest of the junk.

The moment I stepped out of the hospital, Zack sent me a text on WhatsApp.

"I heard you're finally willing to head overseas and join our team?"

"What about Vivian?"

Exhaustion settled deep into my bones.

"We're getting divorced."

The chat stayed quiet for a long while.

"Are you serious? You cared about her so much... Is this because Julian Vance came back?"

Julian Vance was the precious golden boy Vivian had sheltered for years.

He majored in Finance at a top university, and Vivian paid for him to study abroad for two years during his master's degree.

The moment he landed back home, he walked straight into Sterling Group as an intern.

She thought she had hidden it so well, but I had uncovered the truth long ago.

Over the past three years, all I did was repeatedly prove and confirm the harsh reality: Vivian didn't love me anymore.

This time, I was done wasting my breath on her.

"Yeah. I'm done with her."