Chapter 1

After the ninth time I brought up making our marriage official at City Hall, Derek finally agreed.

"You know I've always been skeptical about marriage. Do you really need a piece of paper to feel secure?"

"Haven't I treated you well all these years?"

Well? He was beyond great. Gentle, caring, wealthy, and he never once complained about the fact that I couldn't have children.

Everyone envied me for having such a devoted partner.

Other than a wedding ring and a marriage license, Derek seemed ready to give me the world.

Seeing my silence, Derek sighed, wrapped his arms around me, and coaxed softly:

"Fine. If it means that much to you, we'll go downtown tomorrow and get the paperwork done."

Yet when tomorrow came, Derek suddenly claimed he had an urgent business trip and rushed out the door.

I stared at his departing figure, unable to utter a single word.

It wasn't until I noticed the confidential folder he had left on the desk that I snapped out of it. When my calls went straight to voicemail, I drove directly to the hotel where he was staying to drop them off.

But the person the front desk paged down wasn't Derek—it was a young, pregnant woman.

Her hand rested gently over her baby bump, a sweet smile gracing her lips:

"Hello. I'm Derek's wife. Can I help you?"

My entire world shattered.

Before I could reply, Derek sprinted across the lobby and instantly pulled the girl behind his back, shielding her.

Pointing at me, he cleared his throat:

"This is Chloe."

"She's... my cousin."

I stared at Derek in sheer disbelief.

Before I could even react, Derek grabbed my wrist with bruising force and dragged me into the blind spot of the hallway security cameras.

He stood against the light, his face terrifyingly dark.

"What are you doing here?! Who told you that you could come here?"

He sounded like a total stranger. In all these years, he had never raised his voice at me like this.

Looking at his furious face, a bitter pang rushed to my nose. Choking on tears, I demanded:

"Is it because of her?"

"You cheated on me. How long has this been going on?"

Derek ignored my question. He instinctively glanced back toward the lobby where the pregnant girl was waiting, looking around in confusion.

He snapped his head back immediately and hissed under his breath:

"It's not what you think. Just go home."

"I'll explain everything tonight."

After that, he didn't even dare to look me in the eye, as if terrified she might notice something.

He hurriedly waved down his private driver, ordering him to take me away.

As the car pulled away from the hotel, I looked through the rearview mirror. Derek had already returned to the girl's side. His hand rested tenderly on her shoulder, whispering something into her ear.

The girl giggled sweetly, and Derek held her hand with utmost care.

I looked down.

All I could see were the dark purple bruises blooming across my wrist where Derek had grabbed me.

In that single second, everything clicked.

Why, in our five years together, Derek always claimed to be anti-marriage, refusing to tie the knot. Why he wouldn't even give me a simple ceremony. Why he brushed off my infertility with an easy smile.

He had someone else in his heart all along.

I collapsed into the backseat, sobbing until my whole body trembled.

By the time the car pulled up to our house, I stumbled out, wiped the tears off my cheeks, and started packing my bags.

Late into the night, as I dragged my suitcase downstairs, I ran straight into Derek.

He glanced at my swollen eyes and let out a weary sigh.

Reaching out, he tried to wrench the luggage handle from my grip:

"Chloe, Vivian is the heiress of Hayes Corporation. Being with her is a strategic move for the business. Besides, you can't have kids. I'm not getting any younger, and I want a child of my own."

"Can't you just pretend you don't know? We can keep living like we always have. Isn't that enough?"

I recoiled from his touch.

"Derek, none of that justifies your betrayal."

"We're done. Let's break up."

The air froze.

Derek let out a dry, mocking chuckle, looking at me with pure disdain:

"Break up? What right do you have to break up with me?"

"Chloe, do you honestly think anyone else would treat a barren, aging woman like a prize? You're not twenty anymore. Stop acting like some naive girl straight out of college. Money, houses, cars—I can give you everything except a title."

"Just play dumb and stay with me. What's so bad about that?"

I looked up at Derek, my heart bleeding. It felt like I was seeing his true face for the very first time.

The contempt in his eyes was sickeningly real.

The man I loved with all my heart had looked down on me from the very beginning.

Lying in the hotel bed, memories of the past five years flashed through my head like a tormenting reel.

I couldn't sleep.

Subconsciously, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

I was thirty-two. My figure wasn't as slender as before, and faint fine lines were creeping around the corners of my eyes.

An ordinary degree, ordinary skills, and unable to bear children.

I really wasn't young anymore, and maybe I didn't deserve to be cherished.

My hands fell limp, and my resolve began to fracture.

Maybe I should just crawl back.

Pretend I never saw anything. Remain his caged bird, living a comfortable, ignorant life forever. Wouldn't that be easier?

Yet my pride choked on the thought of swallowing that humiliating compromise.

Tossing and turning, I stayed awake the entire night.

The next morning, when I walked down to the lobby, the front desk receptionist called out to me:

"Ma'am, a gentleman named Derek came by late last night. He mentioned he was your husband. Worried you wouldn't be comfortable, he upgraded you to the presidential suite for the entire month. Please make yourself at home, and let us know if you need anything."

"He asked me to pass this note to you."

[Chloe, I'm waiting for you at home. I love you.]

Staring at his familiar handwriting, the bitterness inside me threatened to drown me whole.

I was on the verge of surrendering to him.

Suddenly, a woman's voice sounded behind me:

"You're Chloe, right?"

"Hi. I'm Vivian Hayes."