Chapter 2

I looked at her and laughed. The laugh was empty and cold.

"What does it mean? Exactly what it says. You had your wedding with him, you spent your wedding night with him, and now you’re asking me what it means?"

She frowned. A flicker of panic crossed her eyes, but she quickly covered it up with her usual aggressive tone.

"Can you stop being so insecure? Austin and I are just old college friends. Yesterday was an emergency. Nothing happened between us!"

Then, she sat back down on the couch, fake-wiping tears from her dry eyes.

Every time we fought, she did this.

Whenever she was in the wrong, she would play the victim. In the past, I always fell for it. The moment she cried, I would panic and do everything to make her happy.

But this time, I just looked at her coldly. I didn't move an inch.

Seeing that I wasn't backing down as usual, she stopped her fake sobbing. Her eyes filled with disbelief.

During our years together, I had given Chloe everything she wanted. I tolerated all her whims.

Maybe that was why she thought she could walk all over me without caring about my feelings.

"Can't you show me some trust? Fine, stop acting like a child. Delete the post. Don't make us look bad in front of everyone," Chloe said. It was laughably pathetic.

I had seen the live streams. The way they touched on stage was not something you could explain away with "an emergency."

Besides, she knew exactly how much those actions would hurt me, but she did them anyway.

"I'm not deleting the post," I said. I reached into my briefcase, pulled out the divorce papers I had prepared, and slammed them on the table.

"Sign this."

My voice was dead calm. Too many disappointments had turned my heart to ice.

Chloe’s eyes widened as she stared at the divorce papers.

"Ethan! Are you insane? We just got married yesterday, and you want a divorce over this little thing?"

Yes, I felt like I was going insane.

Since we got together, I had sacrificed everything for her. I turned down a high-paying job in New York just to stay in Chicago to help her build her startup. I worked day and night to give her a luxury lifestyle. I took care of her family. And in return, she trampled on my dignity.

I remembered one time she went to take a shower and left her phone on the table. It lit up with a text from Austin.

I caught a glimpse of it. The message was incredibly flirtatious.

When I confronted her, she simply shrugged it off. "It’s just an inside joke between college friends. Don't be so dramatic."

Back then, because I loved her too much, I chose to believe her.

I even blamed myself, thinking I was working too hard and neglecting her.

So, I made more time for her. I bought her expensive gifts. I took her on trips she always wanted to go on.

But she just accepted everything as her right, never changing her behavior.

Austin was her college sweetheart. She had never gotten over him.

Back then, Austin was broke and had no stable job, so Chloe's parents forced them to break up.

Later, I met Chloe at a business gala and fell for her.

She pursued me, and we naturally started dating. She was sweet and caring back then. We had good memories.

But Austin’s return shattered everything.

Pulling myself back to reality, I pointed at the papers. She stared at them for a second, and then a sneer appeared on her face.

"Ethan, do you really think this reverse psychology works on me? It’s so old-school! You’re just jealous of Austin. Do you have to make such a big deal out of it? Stop acting up!"

She swept the divorce papers off the table, grabbed her purse, and slammed the door as she went to her room.

As she brushed past me, the scent of men's cologne hit my nose again. It wasn't mine. It made me want to throw up.

My phone rang. It was my best friend, Marcus.

I looked at my exhausted face in the mirror before answering.

"Hey Ethan, how’s life? Any new plans lately?"

Hearing his familiar voice made a lump form in my throat.

"Lately... it’s been okay. Everything is... normal."

I tried to keep my voice steady, but the words felt empty.

Marcus seemed to sense something was wrong. He didn't press me. Instead, he changed the subject.

"I'm looking for a partner for a few of my tech startups in New York. You know you’re the smartest business mind I know.

Besides, your family has deep roots in New York. Why don't you come back and build this empire with me?"