Chapter 3

I turned around and walked away without looking back.

Back home, I looked at our wedding photo in the living room. Ethan was holding me tightly, smiling brightly against a backdrop of snowy mountains.

That was right after he helped me close a massive European deal. We went on a trip to celebrate.

He had told me, "You are my entire world. I will never betray you."

How pathetic.

I sat in the dark living room, wide awake all night.

The next morning, the doorbell rang. When I opened it, Chloe was standing there.

She was wearing a white maternity dress, her belly prominent. Her eyes were red, and her voice was shaky.

"Olivia... can we talk?"

I poured her a glass of plain water and pulled out a chair.

Chloe kept her head down, nervously wringing her hands.

"We... we really love each other. Ethan told me that there's no love left between you two. You're only together because of corporate interests."

"And that money... I just thought, you're so rich, you wouldn't care about that pocket change..."

I stared at her quietly, my eyes landing on her stomach.

Deep down, I always knew Ethan stayed with me for the Vance family.

My father was a titan in the business world. Countless people tried to climb their way up to him.

Ever since I took over Ethan's career, I gave him the platform, the resources, and paved every single road for him.

I watched him grow from a nervous kid who couldn't even deliver a proper toast, to the confident "Mr. Miller" who could charm any boardroom.

He had told me a thousand times, "Marrying you is the greatest thing that ever happened to me."

Chloe clutched the glass, summoning the courage to look up at me.

"Olivia, you already have so much. But Ethan is different. He doesn't want to live in your shadow, or the Vance family's shadow, for the rest of his life. He needs a woman who can look up to him, who worships him. Besides, you're such a career-driven woman. Family and kids don't even matter to you, do they?"

My face instantly went cold. I slammed my glass onto the table.

"Get out."

Chloe gasped, startled. My voice dropped to a freezing register.

"Get. Out."

Her eyes welled with tears again. She stood up clumsily.

Just as she reached for the door, I called out to her.

"Chloe, Ethan and I are not divorced. You are, and will always be, just a homewrecker. Also, it took me seven years to groom him into the man he is today. You're just picking up my trash. You should be thanking me."

I watched her walk away, feeling absolutely nothing.

A few minutes later, Ethan called. His voice was laced with frustration.

"Chloe came back crying. You're so cold-hearted, Olivia. She's a pregnant woman. Your words are like knives."

I let out a cold laugh.

"You're the one who caused all of this, and now you're lecturing me?"

He was silent for a moment, then sighed.

"Olivia, we didn't have to end up like this. Why can't you just be happy as Mrs. Vance? In our circle, which man doesn't have a side piece?"

"I don't. I guess I'm just different."

"Cut the crap, Ethan. You disgust me."

A soft sigh came through the receiver.

"Olivia, then don't blame me for what comes next."

The next morning, Leo called, his voice panicked.

"Olivia, we have a massive problem! The merger with Astra Tech... has been blocked!"

My heart sank. That project was something my team and I had worked on for six months.

It was an $80 million acquisition -- our most important strategic move for the second half of the year.