Chapter 1

For our fifth wedding anniversary, I was thrilled to win an antique brooch at an auction, only for my husband to sweet-talk me into donating it to charity.

A week later, I saw it pinned to the chest of a younger college alumna on TikTok, captioned: "Thank you, big brother."

In that instant, I realized what an absolute fool I had been.

Digging deeper, I uncovered that my husband had been using our marital assets to bankroll her for three whole years under the guise of philanthropy—he had even paid for her entire family’s luxury vacation across Europe.

Heartbroken and utterly disillusioned, I quietly gathered evidence to file for divorce.

My lawyer assured me I was guaranteed to win the lawsuit.

I just smiled. "Winning the lawsuit is the least of what I want."

Next week was our fifth wedding anniversary.

To surprise Henry, I had won a rare antique brooch at an auction named "The One."

Henry, however, seemed to have caught wind of my secret in advance.

That evening, he wrapped his arms around me from behind, his voice dripping with tenderness.

"Babe, I heard you recently acquired a gorgeous little treasure?"

My heart skipped a beat. I turned around in his embrace. "How did you know?"

He gently tapped the tip of my nose, his eyes crinkling with amusement.

"Is there anything about you I can't read like an open book?"

He took my hand, his tone shifting into something solemn.

"Brooke, I know how much you love that brooch. It's stunning, and the meaning behind it is wonderful."

"But..."

He paused, looking earnest. "Look, aren't we hosting that annual charity gala next month?"

"This year's theme is 'Igniting Hope,' helping underprivileged kids with artistic talent."

"I was thinking... what if we donate that brooch as our grand finale auction item? Wouldn't that be so much more meaningful?"

The smile on my face instantly froze. That was supposed to be our anniversary gift.

Sensing my reluctance, Henry pulled me closer into his chest.

"Brooke, I know it's hard to part with. But think about it—our love doesn't need a piece of jewelry to prove itself."

"It's already woven into every single detail of our daily lives."

He gazed down at me. "Let 'The One' fulfill the dreams of those kids. Let our personal love transform into something greater for the world. Isn't that beautiful?"

"Babe, you'll support me, won't you?"

Staring into his eyes, which seemed so full of noble righteousness, any words of refusal caught in my throat.

In the end, I nodded.

Henry let out a sigh of relief. "I knew it. Brooke, you're the best wife in the world."

I forced a smile, consoling myself that true love really didn't need material symbols. Maybe this truly was a more meaningful milestone.

A week later, I was lounging on the couch, casually scrolling through TikTok.

A photo suddenly flashed across my feed, making the blood in my veins run cold.

It was Chloe, a girl two years below me back in college.

She was beaming brightly at the camera, and pinned to her lapel was an antique brooch identical to the one we had donated.

Except I knew deep in my bones that the brooch she was wearing was the exact one I had bought.

It was named "The One" because it was a one-of-a-kind piece. There was only one in the entire world.

What truly shook me to my core, however, was the caption beneath the selfie.

[Thank you, big brother. This is the only gift that truly suits me.]

That pet name—"big brother"—stabbed straight into my eyes.

Every ounce of strength drained from my body.

Just then, the front door clicked open. Henry was home.

He slipped off his shoes and walked over. "Why are you sitting here in the dark looking so spaced out? You look pale."

He instinctively grabbed a throw blanket and draped it over my lap. "The temperature dropped today. Don't catch a cold."

His gentleness was flawless.

Yet right now, that thoughtful care felt like a razor-sharp blade, forming a grotesque contrast with his betrayal behind my back.

I watched him walk into the kitchen to brew some tea for me.

My mind spiraled, uncontrollably drifting back to our college years.