Chapter 1

When my billionaire husband signed the divorce papers, he was certain I’d come crawling back within three days.

"Chloe, you're nothing without me."

Once, I thought I truly couldn't live without Brandon. He used to be so patient, so generous, giving me everything within his reach.

Yet underneath it all ran an obsessive need for control.

He couldn't stand seeing me near any other man.

Just because the specialist I booked was male, Brandon went into my calendar and canceled an appointment I had waited an entire year for. My chronic stomach condition worsened drastically, landing me in the emergency room.

On the day of our engagement party, simply because my private driver was a man, Brandon walked out in a fit of rage, leaving me to become the laughingstock of high society.

And the night before the major board election, he blocked the assistant who was supposed to deliver my presentation files, nearly making me miss the voting window and costing me the CEO seat.

Back then, I desperately rationalized his actions, telling myself it was just his intense way of loving me.

Until I caught a glimpse of a notification on his laptop from his young personal assistant:

"Brandon, when I accidentally canceled Mrs. Sterling's doctor appointment before, she didn't throw a fit at you, did she?"

In that split second, my stomach plummeted.

Keeping my composure, I took a picture of the screen, turned away, and shot a quick text to my family's firm:

"Put the Vance Group's bid on hold for our upcoming tender."

Remembering the years we had shared, I still wanted to give him one last chance to come clean.

Masking my emotions, I forced a playful chuckle.

"That little assistant of yours seems awfully clingy. It makes me uncomfortable. I'm taking her off your personal line—you two can stick to official work emails from now on."

I reached for his phone, pretending I was about to delete her contact. Brandon’s brows instantly snapped together, and he instinctively shoved my arm away.

"Chloe, stop playing these childish games. It doesn't suit you."

"Do not cross the line into my business affairs."

The shove threw me off balance, and my lower back slammed hard against the sharp corner of the desk. A dull ache flared through my spine.

His words hit me like a bucket of freezing water. The playful facade dropped completely.

Seeing my face twist in pain, he hesitated for a fraction of a second.

Then, he simply pulled his hand back, shifting the blame entirely onto me. "Look what you did! You're a grown woman. Stop making such ridiculous jokes!"

"So I can't make a joke, but it's totally fine when she 'jokingly' cancels my doctor’s appointment and blocks my work contacts?"

I pressed my lips together and stared right into his eyes.

The room fell dead silent. The air grew so thick it felt suffocating.

There wasn't a trace of guilt on Brandon’s face. His tone remained completely flat, as if discussing the weather.

"She's young and still learning boundaries. I apologize on her behalf."

"Don't be so petty."

My heart felt like it had been dropped off a cliff and shattered on the rocks below.

I shook my head in utter exhaustion. In the end, I was the one being labeled "petty."

The man who had supposedly loved me above all else had, without my realizing it, shifted his loyalties to someone else.

I turned away, a bitter, suffocating laugh trapped in my chest. It was pathetic.

I had actually spent months making excuses for him. I had been completely blind.

Brandon had no idea how hard I worked on our engagement party. I spent six months planning every detail, from the floral arrangements to managing the press, all because I wanted a beautiful beginning to our life together. Instead, it became my greatest humiliation.

He had no idea I had spent half a year preparing for that board meeting, solely to prove to the shareholders that I was capable of leading.

And he certainly had no idea how long my stomach ulcers had been tearing me apart, leaving me awake and crying in agony through the dead of night.

Yet with a dismissive "she was careless," he expected to wipe away all my pain and humiliation.

Perhaps seeing how pale and stony my face had become, Brandon tried to offer a concession.

"Alright, look. She's just a kid. I look out for her like a younger sister, that's all."

"You're the one who matters to me. How about that designer bag you were eyeing last week? I'll buy it for you. Just drop this attitude."

He leaned in, trying to press a kiss against my cheek. I instinctively pulled back, taking a deliberate step away from him.

"Save it for your little assistant sister. I wouldn't dream of taking it."

A flash of annoyance crossed Brandon's eyes. He sneered, his voice turning harsh.

"What exactly do you want, Chloe?"

I drew a steady breath and enunciated every single word:

"Fire her. Or transfer her to another department."

Without a second thought, Brandon snapped back, his brow furrowing deep.

"Don't push your luck."

"She moved to this city with nothing to build a life from scratch. She worked her ass off to earn this position. If I fire her, where is she supposed to go?"

His patience had clearly run out, revealing the cold, unyielding man beneath.

"Do it, or we get a divorce," I said, my voice dropping to ice.

Our road to marriage hadn't been easy. We had fought through countless obstacles to stand together at the altar.

I needed a definitive answer right now. I needed to know who he chose.