Chapter 1

My mother gave Georgina, my wife, an heirloom jade bracelet. She wore it once, then gave it to her assistant's dog.

The assistant posted a photo bragging:

"My little buddy has his master's mark now. He'll be loyal forever."

My secretary, Sarah, sent me a screenshot.

The photo showed the assistant and his dog. The jade bracelet was shattered into two pieces.

One piece was on the dog.

The other piece was made into a necklace and worn by the assistant.

I messaged my wife, demanding an explanation, but she didn't reply.

Ten minutes later, I posted something on Ins:

"Turns out haute couture fabric is amazing. Even animals look a little more human in it."

The photo showed all of Georgina's designer clothes from her closet, cut up and draped over a pig.

After posting, I silenced my phone and put it in my pocket.

Then I grabbed my keys, got in my car, and drove to her fashion studio.

This morning, Georgina told me she was going out of town for a business trip.

Now I knew her "business trip" was actually a date with her assistant.

I called a locksmith to break the door open, then I walked straight to the display cabinets on the second floor with a pair of scissors.

All the clothes inside were her life's work for the past decade.

Next Saturday, she was supposed to take these designs to the fashion design finals.

If everything went as planned, she'd win the championship and finally achieve her dream, one she'd worked ten years for.

I smirked, then punched the glass display case without hesitation. It shattered instantly.

In less than ten minutes, all the clothes inside were shredded beyond recognition.

Looking at the empty studio, I finally sat down, satisfied, and pulled out my phone.

My phone was flooded with missed calls.

In our five years of marriage, this had never happened before.

As soon as I clicked on a voicemail, Georgina's call came in again.

The moment I answered, Georgina launched into a furious rant:

"Bradley, have you lost your mind?! Do you have any idea how much money I spent on those clothes?!"

I slowly settled into my seat, a slight curve on my lips:

"What? You're mad over a few pieces of clothing?"

"Why were you so generous when you gave the bracelet my parents gave me to your assistant?"

"That heirloom jade bracelet from my parents was worth millions. Is it worth less than your clothes?"

Georgina was speechless. After a few seconds of silence, she finally spoke softly:

"That wasn't the one your parents gave me. I bought a new one as a reward for his hard work."

"Bradley, I'm still wearing your parents' bracelet. It's perfectly fine. I didn't give it to anyone."

Then she sent me a photo of herself wearing a bracelet.

But I knew, no matter how similar it looked, it wasn't the one my parents gave me.

That one was custom-made, with our initials engraved.

McCaw had scratched off my name and put that piece around the dog's neck.

The piece with Georgina's name was around his own neck.

It was almost impressive how much effort she put into lying to me.

I smirked:

"Is that so? Well, I'm sorry to say your clothes really were worn by a pig."

"I'm at your studio now. Get the bracelet back here in thirty minutes."

"Otherwise, I can't guarantee what will happen to the rest of the things in your display cases."

Hearing my threat, Georgina's voice was filled with boundless fury:

"Bradley!! Don't you dare!! If you destroy my designs, I swear I'll never forgive you!"

I calmly replied:

"I'll be waiting. Just a friendly reminder, it'll take you at least three hours to get back here. It'll take me less than five minutes to destroy everything."

Hearing my harsh words, Georgina hung up.

Two minutes later, Georgina sent me two photos.

One was the shattered pieces of the jade bracelet, the other was a shipping tracking number.

"Satisfied? I got it back! It's a pile of junk now. If you still want it, I'll send it to you!"

I casually flipped my phone over, took a picture of the messy floor, and sent it to her.

"Satisfied, very satisfied. But unfortunately, your clothes are also ruined. Looks like you won't be making it to next week's fashion show."

The moment the message sent, a hysterical roar came through:

"Bradley! Have you lost your mind?! That was my dream! I spent ten years preparing, ten years!"

I slowly fiddled with a design sketch in my hand, a smirk playing on my lips:

"How much is your dream worth? Making me unhappy is the price you pay!"

With that, I hung up the phone, no longer bothering with her impotent rage.

Georgina and I had an arranged marriage. Our parents were business partners.

On our engagement day, my mother gave Georgina my family's ancestral daughter-in-law's bracelet.

Our names were engraved inside the jade, a wish for us to be united in heart and support each other always.

After we got married, our feelings grew over time, and we spent a few sweet, happy years together.

Later, the initial passion faded, but we still treated each other with mutual respect.

I thought we could continue to support each other forever.

But I never imagined that in just five years, my partner would develop other intentions.

I understood that love doesn't come with a 'best before' date, and eternal devotion is a tall order.

But I would never allow my spouse to betray me so openly within our marriage.

And I certainly wouldn't allow my parents' keepsakes to be trampled on like that.