Chapter 3

My heart skipped a beat.

Years ago, because of Chloe, I had a massive fight with my family and stubbornly chose to stay in Chicago.

But now that this marriage was dead, it was time to reclaim my life.

"Alright, count me in," I said without any hesitation.

I trusted Marcus completely. I had distanced myself from my old friends because of Chloe. It was time to fix that.

After hanging up, I started packing my bags.

Before leaving Chicago, I went to Chloe's company to pack up my personal belongings.

When I walked into the office, my former colleagues gave me weird looks. Whispers echoed around me.

I walked straight to my desk and realized Chloe wasn't there.

I asked around and found out she had gone out with Austin.

Without wasting any time, I packed my things and left the office where I had poured years of sweat and tears.

An hour later, I was on a flight back to New York.

When I arrived, Marcus had already set everything up. He booked me into a penthouse suite at a five-star hotel.

I dragged my suitcase into the room, freshened up, and got ready to meet him.

As I walked down the hallway past the neighboring suite, I noticed the door was slightly ajar. It was shaking.

Then, disgusting sounds came drifting out.

"Austin... faster... I love you so much."

The voice was hauntingly familiar. My body froze. My mind went blank.

Even though I didn't want to believe it, I knew that was Chloe’s voice.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms.

But I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm.

I used to cry over her betrayal. Now, I felt nothing but cold indifference.

This woman wasn't worth a single drop of my emotion anymore.

Over the next few months, Marcus and I poured all our energy into our new venture. The company grew at a breakneck speed, dominating the market and drawing massive attention from Wall Street.

Meanwhile, Chloe’s company, which used to rely entirely on my business strategies, began to tank.

During that time, Chloe tried to reach out to me countless times. My phone blew up with her calls and messages, but I blocked her. I was too busy.

After months of sleepless nights, our company was finally ready to launch its first massive round of series-A funding. We threw a grand gala.

The venue was magnificent, lit by crystal chandeliers.

I was chatting with some major venture capitalists when I caught a familiar figure out of the corner of my eye.

It was Chloe.

She was wearing a tight black dress. Her makeup was heavy, but it couldn't hide the deep dark circles under her eyes.

I later found out that a new intern in our PR department had made a mistake and accidentally sent an invite to Chloe’s struggling firm.

And Austin was standing right next to her.

Chloe spotted me and marched over, her high heels clicking loudly on the marble floor.

She stopped right in front of me. Ignoring the crowd, she yelled, "What is your problem, Ethan? Why aren't you answering my texts? Do you have any idea how ruined my company is because you left?"

Her voice was shrill. Instantly, the chatter around us died down. Everyone turned to look at us.

Austin patted her shoulder, and she calmed down a bit.

"Oh, look at you," Chloe sneered, crossing her arms. She looked me up and down with pure disgust. "Did you lose your job and come here to find a sugar mommy?"

Austin laughed along, his voice dripping with malice.

"Probably. He knew he had no future in our company, so he came here to beg for scraps. But honestly, a loser like him will never make it big."

The two of them laughed together.

I frowned slightly, feeling a spark of annoyance, but I kept my cool.

"Chloe, Austin. Long time no see. But I'm afraid things aren't quite what you think."

Chloe scoffed. "What's there to think? Don't tell me you’re the CEO of this company?"

She and Austin burst into laughter again. It was incredibly grating.

Just then, Marcus ran over. He walked straight to me and spoke loudly.

"There you are, Ethan! Come on, the lead investors from Goldman Sachs are waiting to sign the contract with you."

Chloe’s laughter cut off instantly. Her face turned pale, and then a dark, vicious look crossed her eyes.

"Hmph, stop putting on a show! Even if you are the boss here, don't forget we are still married! Half of this company belongs to me!"

She took a step closer, her chin raised in a scheming sneer.

"Ethan Carter, you better pack your things and come back to Chicago right now to pay off my company's debts. If you hadn't abandoned me, my company wouldn't be in this mess! This is your fault, and you have to pay for it!"

She spoke with such self-righteousness, as if I truly owed her.

But she seemed to have completely forgotten that she had signed the divorce papers on the night she got drunk.

I took a deep breath, suppressing my anger, and looked at her coldly.

"Chloe, you really have no shame. But let me remind you—we are already divorced."