Chapter 1

At the victory gala celebrating her championship,

my wife, Elena, walked toward me with a gentle smile, holding a custom Patek Philippe men's watch in her hand.

I thought it was a surprise she had prepared just for me.

Instead, she walked right past me and handed the watch to her new sponsor, Zane Cross.

Six months ago, she secretly commissioned this half-million-dollar timepiece.

She even specifically asked for the letter "Z" to be engraved on the back—a letter I was certain stood for Zachary, my name.

As it turned out, I was just flattering myself.

What she didn't know was that the watch was worth far more than the half-million she paid for it.

The master Swiss watchmaker only accepted the order because of my family's private standing. It was a one-of-a-kind favor.

Elena had no clue about any of it.

On the stage, Elena kissed the glittering gold trophy with tears of excitement in her eyes.

She raised her champagne flute high, toasting the roaring crowd.

As the first female driver to take the championship podium, she was undeniably the brightest star in the room.

Shedding her racing suit, she had changed into a custom off-the-shoulder evening gown.

Her sun-kissed skin and toned, athletic curves drew deafening cheers from every corner of the ballroom.

After a few rounds of drinks, she took the mic, smiling as she announced she had someone special to thank.

Then, taking a sleek black velvet box from an assistant, she walked slowly in my direction.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

After all these years.

Was she finally ready to acknowledge our marriage in public?

Inside that box was the ultimate token of love she had commissioned six months ago: a bespoke Patek Philippe.

One of one in the entire world.

A private commission from that legendary brand was nearly impossible to secure, no matter how much money someone had.

I knew every detail of that watch by heart:

The celestial blue dial, the rose-gold bezel, paired with an understated matte-black alligator strap.

And most importantly, the delicate "Z" engraved on the back case.

My palms were slick with nervous sweat as I waited for her to place it in my hands.

Yet, in the very next second, she brushed right past my shoulder and walked straight up to Zane Cross.

My hand froze in midair. The smile on my face hardened into stone.

With a radiant beam, Elena pressed the box into Zane's hands.

"Mr. Cross," she said softly, "thank you for believing in me and sponsoring my race. This is just a small token of my appreciation."

Zane arched an eyebrow. His gaze flicked between me and Elena, wearing an amused, knowing smirk.

Of course he recognized me. As Elena's assistant for years, I was by her side around the clock.

Everyone in the paddock knew who I was.

They used to joke that I was her "hood ornament"—a clingy tagalong who couldn't survive a single day without her.

Now, it seemed the old ornament had lost its shine.

She was already trading it in for someone wealthier, shinier, and more dangerous.

Sensing my humiliation, Zane let out a low chuckle.

"Elena, it's my absolute honor to back you."

"To show my sincerity, I'm committing twenty million dollars to your next run! Let's bring home the World Championship cup in three months!"

"Yes!"

The ballroom erupted into applause. Elena's eyes lit up like fireworks, pure joy radiating from her skin.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Cross. Let me put it on for you."

She popped the box open, lifted the stunning timepiece, and carefully fastened it around his wrist.

As she leaned in, their faces were inches apart—an intimacy so brazen it burned my eyes.

Once it was on, she held his hand with both of hers, admiring the watch with an adoring gaze.

The sight made my chest ache with sharp, suffocating pain.

She used to hold my hands like that. She used to press my knuckles against her cheek, completely open and dependent on me.

“Zach, I made it through the qualifiers!”

“Zach, I got past the semi-finals!”

“Zach, finals are tomorrow... I'm so nervous...”

Her breathless whispers felt like they were still echoing in my ears, yet the woman standing before me felt like a total stranger.

My breathing grew heavy.

Elena had no idea that the half-million she paid for that watch didn't even cover the raw materials.

Without my family pulling strings behind the scenes, not even a world-class champion could have gotten a meeting with that watchmaker.

And that twenty million Zane threw around so casually? It was barely enough to cover a base model in our private collection.

She knew none of this.

I really thought that tiny engraved "Z" was for Zachary.

I never imagined it stood for Zane.

From beginning to end, I had played myself like a fool.