Chapter 3

Julian hooked me up with a reputable divorce attorney.

Our consultation took place at a coffee shop right down the block from Brandon's office building.

Once we had drafted the preliminary asset division, Julian offered to walk up to Brandon's office with me.

I agreed.

My body was still covered in unhealed wounds. If Brandon lost his temper and got physical, I'd be at a serious disadvantage alone.

When we stepped onto the executive floor, Brandon was sitting in the reception lounge waiting on a corporate client.

Chloe was leaning down beside him, her mouth hovering centimeters from his earlobe, whispering something with a playful, teasing smile.

The sight triggered an instant, sickening wave of déjà vu. That was the exact scene I walked in on the very first time I met Chloe.

Brandon's ears were notoriously sensitive. They had flushed bright crimson, yet he hadn't pulled away from her.

Back then, I lost my mind. I charged across the lobby and tried to drag Chloe out by her hair.

The girl had burst into theatrical tears.

Brandon had swung his hand and slapped me hard across the face to pull her behind him.

"Serena, what kind of psychotic fit are you throwing at my workplace?"

I had clutched my burning cheek, standing there in sheer disbelief for an eternity. "Brandon, you hit me? You put your hands on me for another woman?"

"I knew you always skip lunch, so I spent hours making hot soup and brought it all the way here for you! And what do you do? You flirt with someone else at work, and then you strike me?"

"Flirting? We were discussing business!"

Furious, Brandon had snatched the thermos from my hands and smashed it onto the polished floor.

The violent crash brought the entire department rushing out of their cubicles.

Brandon pointed an accusatory finger at my face. "Can you do anything besides humiliate me? Get the hell out! Don't you dare step foot in this company again without my permission!"

His security team dragged me out of the building like a criminal.

The very next morning, the entire staff was whispering behind my back, labeling me the boss's crazy, unhinged wife.

When he came home that night, he handed me a generic luxury gift and explained that he had zero feelings for Chloe. He claimed he only kicked me out to maintain his authority as CEO.

Yet I remembered our early days with crystal clarity.

Back when Brandon and I first started dating, I noticed a stray strand of hair by his temple.

I reached out to tuck it away and accidentally brushed against his ear.

His entire face had flushed crimson red. He pulled me tight into his arms, his breath coming in ragged gasps against my neck.

He whispered:

"My ears belong to you. No one else is ever allowed to touch them."

Every sweet promise from the past flickered through my mind, then shattered into jagged, worthless pieces.

"Serena? What are you doing here?"

Seeing me standing there, Brandon shot up from his chair. The flush on his neck drained instantly, leaving him ghost-pale.

Chloe ducked behind Brandon's broad back, her fingers clutching the hem of his suit jacket as she spoke in a timid, fragile voice. "Serena probably forgot that you banned her from the office... But she is your wife, Brandon. Please don't start another fight with her on my account."

Brandon gently patted Chloe's wrist in a soothing gesture, his brows furrowing into a stern frown. "Serena, whatever this is, let's talk outside."

"We can talk right here."

I unzipped my tote bag and pulled out the divorce papers.

"Can you stop embarrassing yourself for once? Chloe was just briefing me on a client's confidential file. She couldn't let anyone overhear, which is why she—"

"I don't care. Honestly, you two look great together. It's totally fine if you want to be together."

As the words left my lips, the divorce decree landed squarely on the glass coffee table in front of him.

Surrounded by the wide, stunned eyes of his entire staff, I slid the papers right to his fingertips.

"If the terms look fine, sign it."

It wasn't just Brandon; every employee within earshot stared in slack-jawed shock.

None of them could comprehend how I—the pathetic, unhinged wife who had thrown away all her self-respect just to hold onto Brandon—could possibly be the one serving him divorce papers.

"You're crossing a line, Serena. Everyone is watching!"

Brandon's face twisted into an awkward, forced smile. "Plenty of founding partners are right over there. Drop this nonsense so we don't both look ridiculous."

I didn't blink. "If the terms look fine, sign it."

The cold certainty in my eyes finally cracked through his arrogance.

He realized that this time, I wasn't bluffing.