Chapter 1

Everyone in Los Angeles said that Sean Sterling was madly in love with me.

If I wanted the stars, he would never settle for the moon.

Because I was a picky eater, he personally cooked all three meals a day for me for five years.

During an earthquake, he used his own body to shield me from falling bricks and stones.

And I had always believed that, too.

Until the night of our fifth wedding anniversary, when a friend request came from an unfamiliar number.

I tapped open the profile and saw every single image of Sean Sterling accompanying her to see the Northern Lights, celebrating her birthday, and passionately entangling with her on our wedding bed.

It turned out deep affection could be mass-produced, with a share for anyone who crossed his path.

Later, for her sake, he stole the bidding proposal I had worked on for over half a year, snatching away Vance Group's last saving straw.

On the day I miscarried, he refused to answer my calls.

Later still, I signed the divorce agreement and left with Raymond and Rosalind for Milan.

Everyone was waiting to see how pathetic I, the discarded wife, would become.

But Tristan Xavier, the man from Xavier Group who never let women get close, publicly kicked down a local thug who disrespected me at a gala, draped his coat over my shoulders, and declared to all of Milan:

"This lady, starting tonight, is under my protection."

Vivian's POV

"Raymond, Rosalind, why don't you immigrate and live abroad with me?"

Hearing my words, my father Raymond Vance and my mother Rosalind Vance were incredibly shocked.

"If we go abroad, what about Sean?"

"His entire business is here. He can't just immigrate with us. Can you really bear to leave Sean?"

"You two are practically joined at the hip every day, completely inseparable. If you don't see him for a single day, you can't even sleep."

"Not to mention Sean. Last time he couldn't find you for an hour, he was so frantic he searched the entire city. All of Los Angeles knows. How are you two going to handle a long-distance relationship?"

I lowered my head and remained silent.

Indeed, everyone in Los Angeles knew that Sean Sterling—the ruthless, cold billionaire CEO—was completely love-brained when it came to me, his childhood sweetheart and wife.

If I wanted the stars, Sean would never settle for the moon.

Because I was a picky eater, Sean personally learned how to cook and made all three meals a day for me with his own hands.

During a trip one year, we encountered an earthquake. Sean shielded me tightly beneath him, using his own body to block the falling bricks and stones.

On our wedding day, Sean even set off fireworks across the city for three days and three nights, declaring to the entire world that he had finally married me.

Yet, it was this very Sean who, a year ago, cheated on me with Joy Foster, the new young assistant at his company.

Yesterday was our fifth wedding anniversary.

Sean had booked the most luxurious restaurant in Los Angeles far in advance.

But no matter how long I waited, Sean never showed up, and my calls to him went unanswered.

Just as I was worrying if something had happened to Sean, I received a WeChat friend request from an unfamiliar number.

I accepted it out of habit.

The other side said nothing, so I casually tapped open her Moments.

As it turned out, this was Joy Foster's burner account, specifically used to document her daily life with Sean.

On Sean's birthday, I personally baked a cake and waited for him all night.

But Sean didn't return until the early hours of the next morning, looking exhausted and claiming that there was an issue with a company project and he had been in meetings all night.

In reality, he had spent that night with Joy in a hotel suite, in all sorts of positions.

I had always wanted to go to Antarctica to see penguins, but because Sean was busy with work, the trip never happened.

Yet on Joy's Moments, he had already accompanied her to that frozen continent to see them.

When I went on business trips, Sean would video-call me every morning, noon, and night, asking when I would be back.

He said that without me by his side, he had no appetite and couldn't even focus on his work.

In fact, he and Joy were inseparable every single day, living and eating together.

The office, the car, hotels, and even our home's bathroom and the master bedroom's large bed—every single place was their playground.

Tears blurred my vision, and my head buzzed so loudly I could barely think.

The latest post was published ten minutes ago, taken in a movie theater restroom.

The caption read:

[He says he's not free right now, and tells a certain someone to wait.]

The phone fell onto the table. With trembling hands, I picked it up again.

A new message popped up:

[In the bottom drawer of your master bedroom's wardrobe, there are some things belonging to Mr. Sterling and me. Doesn't Ms. Vance want to take a look?]

The waiter stepped forward cautiously to ask:

"Excuse me, ma'am, would you like me to serve the food now?"

I forced a bitter smile.

"No, thank you."

I didn't even remember how I got home.

Once home, I stumbled into the master bedroom and pulled open the wardrobe drawer.

Inside were all kinds of toys and devices, all used on Joy Foster.

My stomach churned violently. Covering my mouth, I ran into the bathroom and started dry-heaving.

That night, Sean didn't come back, and I didn't sleep a wink.

After a night of being torn apart by pain, despair, and self-doubt, I accepted the reality and decided to leave for good, taking my family with me.

The next day, I washed my face, wiped away my tears, and went to the Vance family home.

Seeing my silence, Raymond and Rosalind immediately noticed that something was wrong with their daughter.

"Vivian, did you and Sean have a fight?"

I looked up and calmly told them the truth.

"Raymond, Rosalind... he cheated on me. I've decided to leave him."

After their initial shock, Raymond and Rosalind didn't ask too many questions. They supported my decision without any hesitation.

"Good! Since Sean Sterling dared to mistreat you, our Vivian will just dump him. We'll find someone better!"

"That's right! As soon as we finish this last project, we'll immigrate. We'll support you for the rest of your life!"

Having the support of Raymond and Rosalind warmed my heart a little.

"Raymond, Rosalind, I'll find a way to divorce him. Once everything is settled, we'll leave the country."

The front door was suddenly pushed open, and Sean walked in holding a gift box.

"Who's going abroad?"

After greeting Raymond and Rosalind, he walked straight over to my side.

Raymond and Rosalind tactfully left the room without saying another word.

"I want to accompany Raymond and Rosalind on a trip abroad next month. Do you want to come with us?"

My expression remained perfectly normal.

"I have a project and need to go on a business trip for a few days, so I won't be able to make it this time. I'll go with you next time."

Sean looked regretful.

Of course he wasn't free.

Just this morning, Joy had posted on her Moments that Sean was going to accompany her on a vacation to the Maldives next month.

Sean opened the small box in his hand and took out a pigeon-blood ruby bracelet.

"Our fifth anniversary gift. I worked too late at the office last night and missed our candlelit dinner. I'll make it up to you next time, okay?"

I stared blankly at the bracelet.

It was an unreleased, limited-edition piece I had seen in a catalog half a year ago—a full set of pigeon-blood ruby jewelry that required a pre-order.

I had only lingered on the page for a few extra moments, yet I hadn't expected Sean to commit it to memory.

Seeing that I was silent, Sean gently ruffled my hair.

"Did you miss me after not seeing me last night? Or is it that you'll miss me during your trip next month?"

He gently took my hand to lead me home.

"It's just a trip for a few days. It's not like you won't be coming back."

But I truly planned to never return.

After next month, I would start a new life—one without Sean Sterling.

Once in the car, I noticed a corner of lace peeking out from under the passenger seat.

This wasn't the first time I had found Joy Foster's belongings in the car.

Lipstick, silk scarves, the scent of perfume—Joy had long been dropping hints and provoking me, both intentionally and unintentionally.

Every time, Sean would say it was left behind by a client or an employee.

In the past, I believed him and never thought twice about it.

But I would never believe him again.

"What are you thinking about?"

Sean noticed that I was acting a bit strange today—unusually quiet, constantly spacing out.

"Nothing. I just want to go somewhere first."

"Sure, where?" Sean asked, pulling his mind back.

"I'll just put it in the GPS for you."

I didn't give him a direct answer.

Halfway through the drive, Sean's phone rang.

Caller ID: Joy Foster.

Sean glanced at me and answered it calmly.

"What? Alright, I'm on my way."

Hanging up, Sean looked at me with an apologetic expression.

"Vivian, there's an emergency at the office..."

When you tell too many lies, you don't even bother coming up with fresh excuses.

"Go ahead. Just drop me off at the next intersection."

Seeing my calm demeanor, Sean felt a sudden pang of unease, but he quickly brushed it aside.

After all, it was perfectly normal for his assistant to call him.

Besides, I had always been sensible and never disrupted his work.

Watching the Maybach speed away into the distance, the tears I had held back for so long finally spilled over.

Sean Sterling, you were so close to finding out where I was going.