Chapter 1

When Austin brought his newly hired secretary into our marital home for the sixth time, he looked down his nose at me and scoffed.

"No offense, Chloe, but you're just so boring. Why don't you find someone younger? Maybe get rid of that stale, old-lady vibe you've got going on?"

Hearing that, I just nodded in agreement.

Honestly, I thought so too. Maybe it was time for me to find someone young and vibrant to bring some passion back into my life.

But why did Austin's eyes well up with tears, begging me not to divorce him, when I finally brought Julian to stand right in front of him?

For our sixth anniversary, I lovingly prepared a full-course, home-cooked dinner.

"Beep. Unlocked."

The digital chime of the smart lock echoed through the house. I looked up toward the front door.

Austin stumbled in, completely drunk, his arm wrapped tightly around a young girl's slender waist as they lurched toward me.

The girl was wearing a white button-down shirt, unbuttoned just enough to show off her generous cleavage. Her face was flushed as she giggled, playfully tapping Austin's chest.

"Oh, Mr. Miller, don't be so impatient~"

Then, she caught my eye and feigned a gasp of panic.

"Oh... you must be Mrs. Miller? Please don't misunderstand! There's nothing going on between Mr. Miller and me. I'm just his new secretary, Amber. He had too much to drink, so I was just making sure he got home safe."

Austin chuckled, his hand sliding down to squeeze her hip.

"Is that so, Amber?" he smirked. "So we're just a boss and his secretary? Nothing more?"

"Oh, stop it!" Amber teased, stamping her foot. "You love teasing me, Austin. You know exactly how I feel about you."

Austin laughed and finally looked over at me.

My expression didn't change. I just smiled and gave him a polite nod.

In my head, I counted on my fingers.

Including Amber here, she was number six.

Austin stared at me, then at the dishes I had spent hours preparing.

He let out a dry laugh. "Seriously? You're still doing this?" he asked, pointing at the plate of cheap spaghetti sitting in the center of the table.

Years ago, when we first started our business, we were just broke kids from ordinary families. We didn't have a penny to spare. We used to buy those massive bags of generic store-brand pasta for a dollar. If we rationed it carefully, it could last us a whole week.

Back then, Austin looked at me like I was his entire world. He would tell me, "I love your cooking so much, Chloe! I want to eat this pasta for the rest of my life!"

I would just laugh and tell him to slow down.

Whenever he found a tiny piece of beef in his bowl, he would look so surprised. He'd quickly pick it up and put it in my bowl. "Babe, you eat it!"

I would always stop him, kiss him on the cheek, and lie, telling him I had already eaten and was completely full.

Austin's eyes would well up with tears back then, and he’d promise me that once he made it big, he would treat me like a queen, a million times better than this.

I would just smile, nod, and say, "Okay! I trust you."

We were so happy back then. We were so deeply in love.

And God, I was so incredibly stupid. I didn't even take a single bite of the meat just so he wouldn't feel guilty, lying that I was full. And because of his sweet words of "love," I willingly stepped down from the company's executive board.

Nobody knew that the business proposal and marketing strategy that launched Austin's career and made him famous were actually created by me, after countless sleepless nights.