Chapter 2

Olivia's POV

I picked up a napkin from the table and slowly wiped the coffee stain from my sleeve, as if wiping away something utterly repulsive.

"Amber, you better pray he can protect you for the rest of your life."

Amber sneered. "Of course he will. Because the heir to the family fortune is inside my belly."

I looked at her, and suddenly, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion hit me.

I wasn't tired of losing to Amber.

I was tired of the fifteen years of love, trust, and the marriage I had built with my own hands, all collapsing into dust in a single second.

I didn't argue.

Arguing was cheap and pathetic.

I grabbed my purse and turned to leave.

Behind me, Amber's voice chased after me, dripping with smug victory.

"Don't forget to look at the giant billboard downtown tonight, Olivia! Ethan's anniversary confession is broadcasting live city-wide!"

My footsteps paused, but I didn't look back.

I pushed open the glass door of the coffee shop. The cold wind rushed over me, making my eyes sting.

The next second, the massive digital billboard in the center of the plaza lit up.

The crowd around me gasped in awe.

"Oh my god, look! It's Ethan!"

"Wow, his wife is so lucky. Fifteen years of marriage and he's still this romantic!"

I stood frozen in the middle of the crowd, slowly raising my head.

On the screen, Ethan wore the custom black suit I had handpicked for him. His eyes were as warm and gentle as always. Looking straight at the camera, his deep voice echoed through the speakers.

"Happy fifteenth anniversary, Olivia."

"You are the only one I will ever love."

All around me were whispers of envy and admiration.

To me, it was nothing but a sick joke.

I thought of the hotel video, of his heavy breathing as he held Amber. I thought of him kneeling by my hospital bed, swearing he didn't want kids. I thought of our wedding day, when he promised that if he ever betrayed me, he would disappear from my life forever.

Promises really do expire.

Looking at the deeply devoted man on the screen, I let out a soft, cold laugh.

Since Ethan forgot his vow...

I would make sure it came true.

Starting today, I would plan my disappearance.

I would make sure Ethan could never find me again.

On the screen, Ethan was still smiling.

His face was magnified to a towering height, the city lights reflecting in his dark eyes—perfect, handsome, and utterly flawless.

"Olivia, thank you for being by my side for fifteen years."

Below the screen, a young girl holding a cup of boba sighed. "This is true love. Fifteen years and he still does this."

"She must be the happiest woman in the world."

Standing in the crowd, listening to the waves of envy crashing over me, I felt like a prized exhibit in a museum.

Everyone was admiring my "perfect life."

But only I knew that beneath the shiny, golden shell, it was completely rotten.

On the screen, Ethan lowered his head slightly, as if looking directly at me through the sea of people.

"I know you've endured a lot of pain over the years, and I know I owe you so much. I promise to spend every anniversary with you for the rest of our lives."

My fingers went numb.

Owe me so much.

Oh, he absolutely owed me.

He owed me a body that could no longer bear life. He owed me for the fifteen years I swallowed my pride to keep his family happy. He owed me for every single time I had to pretend everything was fine in front of his toxic mother.

And he owed me an explanation.

But he didn't give me one.

Instead, he gave Amber a baby, and gave me a public humiliation masquerading as a love letter.

My phone buzzed in my hand.

It was an image from Amber.