Chapter 1

At the company's year-end banquet, right in front of three hundred employees, my husband slapped his new assistant on the backside.

I walked out of the banquet hall, called my OB-GYN, and booked an abortion.

Then I called my lawyer to have divorce papers drawn up.

Mason received the papers and sent me a furious message, his anger practically bleeding through the screen.

"What is this? You're doing all this just because my hand accidentally brushed Chloe’s butt?"

I held up my phone and played an audio clip of a woman's seductive moans.

"And how about the three-hour sex tape of you and your little assistant in the office? Do you want me to play that for everyone to see?"

The lively year-end gala continued.

The host was busy praising the teams that delivered strong performances this year.

My team always came in first place every year, and this year was no exception.

Just as I finished texting Mason, I saw him take the microphone from the host.

He picked up right where the host left off.

"This year, we recruited quite a few new faces from top universities. Some of them have worked hard and achieved great results, and I’ve seen it all."

"Taking advantage of today's opportunity, I announce that I am transferring 10% of the stock fund from my personal shares to Chloe, as a reward for her hard work this year. Additionally, because Nora stole Chloe's performance metrics, her bonus for this year is completely forfeited, and the 0.2% company stock I rewarded her with last year is hereby revoked."

"Rewards and punishments—I see everything. I hope everyone will keep up the good work!"

As his words fell, a sharp gasp echoed through the room.

After a long moment, a few scattered, awkward claps broke the silence of the hundreds of attendees on the floor.

Chloe looked slightly embarrassed on stage, but tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes as she looked at Mason.

Mason smiled gently and helped her step down.

With just that single gesture, I knew Mason—the man I had kept in the very center of my heart since I was a teenager—belonged to me no longer.

With a single sentence, he had erased my ten years of sweat and toil at the company, wiping out the achievements my team had poured their hearts into all year long.

Since he was showing such blatant favoritism right out in the open, I no longer had any baggage holding me back regarding whatever I chose to do next.

I pulled out my phone and immediately booked the abortion procedure.

Then, I dialed a number I hadn't called in a long time.

"Draw up divorce papers for me. I'm coming over to pick them up right now."

The person on the other end agreed instantly, a hint of hidden joy in his voice.

"Well, well. What made Nora finally see the light and decide to get a divorce? I've thought that jerk was bad news from day one."

"Just get the papers ready and stop asking unnecessary questions. After all these years, you still haven't fixed that motor mouth of yours!"

"Nora, I swear I must owe you in a past life!"

I hung up, left the building, and headed straight for the law firm.

The divorce papers, printed in duplicate, sat snugly in my bag.

Less than five minutes after I got home and sat down on the sofa, Mason opened the front door and walked in.

The corners of his lips were tilted upward. As he held his phone to his ear, he absentmindedly tapped the back of it, radiating an unmistakable wave of smug happiness.

In the past, whenever he took a call, his expression was completely unreadable, never giving away his emotions.

Lately, though, he was glued to his phone, his eyebrows curving into a happy arch whenever he caught a glimpse of a text.

"When did you get back?"

When he asked me, Mason had already wiped the smile off his face, reverting to the familiar, detached expression I knew so well.

I answered honestly that I’d only arrived a few minutes ago.

The man just gave a faint "Oh."

I knew he didn't really care when I got home; he just asked out of sheer habit.

Otherwise, he wouldn't know what to say to me.

And as for me, quiet and unbothered as ever, I pulled out my phone and started drafting my resignation letter.

When Mason reached for his mug and found it empty of the calming herbal tea I brewed for him every single day, his gaze finally refocused on me.

"Nora, you were the one who poached Chloe's project this time. Don't blame me for docking your team's bonus like that. Newcomers need encouragement, or they'll never grow."

I paused for a second, unable to help myself from speaking up.

"I was a newcomer once, too. When I first joined the company, I accidentally missed a few page numbers on a project proposal, and you docked my entire year's bonus."

"You said back then that we couldn't give special treatment just because someone was new. Well, don't I need encouragement? Don't I need to grow?"

Even to my own ears, my voice carried a layer of grievance I hadn't intended to show.

Mason's expression shifted slightly. He slammed his mug down onto the table and said coldly,

"Nora, are you just looking for trouble? Can you even compare yourself to Chloe?"

He had never spoken to me like that before.

And I had never laid my grievances out so bluntly before either.

So what if I said it? It was just words, floating into empty air.

Earlier that afternoon, after leaving the law firm, I had gone straight to the hospital.

At three months, the fetus wasn't big or small, but it was a child I had prayed for and waited a whole decade to conceive.

Ever since marrying Mason, by day I was his business partner fighting on the front lines.

By night, I was his subordinate stepping in to take heavy drinks off his hands, and when we finally got home, I still had to cook, do laundry, and revise project proposals for him.

I had endured a life like that for ten years.

Back when he loved me, every bit of it felt sweet and willing.

But now? Now, all of it felt utterly meaningless and vile.