Chapter 1

A new intern invited me to her wedding, but the groom’s name was my husband’s, Christian.

I tell myself it was probably just a coincidence.

At the moment, My colleague Sarah laughed and teased.

"Chloe Evans landed herself a real catch—a self-made millionaire, even though he's like fifteen years older than her."

"But he's so hot. Honestly, he doesn't look a day over thirty."

As she spoke, Sarah pulled up a photo of Christian to show everyone.

The entire office gasped in envy.

I saw the photo too.

It was my husband's face. Identical.

My heart turned to ice.

On their wedding day, I arrived early.

Chloe wore a custom haute couture gown, beaming as she grabbed my hand.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Vance, for taking time out of your busy schedule to witness my special day."

...

A cold, bitter smile tugged at my lips.

To be precise, I was here to witness their affair.

At the entrance of the hotel stood two massive wedding photo standees.

In the photos, Christian had his arm wrapped around Chloe's slender waist.

Both of them looked radiant, blissfully happy.

Staring at those images, I felt something rip my heart apart.

Chloe's smile was as bright as sunshine as she pulled me toward the guest lounge.

"Ms. Vance—" She paused, her smile turning tentative.

"Since today's such a special occasion, I hope you don't mind if I drop the formalities and call you Eleanor instead?"

She had just graduated from college this year. Only twenty-two years old.

Her eyes sparkled with youth, her skin smooth and flawless like porcelain.

At that age, even without makeup, she was devastatingly beautiful.

Seeing her smile so joyfully made my heart ache.

Still, I forced a smile. "Sure."

I sat down in the lounge while she fussed over me—offering tea, fresh fruit.

That love-drunk expression on her face was exactly how I had looked when I married Christian fifteen years ago.

My chest felt like it was stuffed with a heavy stone.

This morning, before coming to the wedding, I had called Christian.

He told me he was still on a business trip out of state.

Over video call, he looked like a homesick puppy, his eyes full of longing for me.

He even showed me a necklace he'd bought for me.

"I won't be back for another three days. I miss you so much, babe. I can't stand being away from you."

I had nearly broken down right then.

But I held it in.

For the past fifteen years of our marriage.

In everyone's eyes, Christian was the perfect husband.

The perfect father. Even the perfect son-in-law.

Before all of this came to light, I truly believed he was the best man in the world.

The happier I had once been, the more unbearable the pain was now.

My coworker Sarah came over, grinning as she grabbed Chloe’s hand.

“You look absolutely stunning. So gorgeous!”

Chloe blushed modestly and glanced at me.

"It's just the makeup doing all the work. Eleanor is the truly beautiful one here."

At the office, I was known for my looks.

Back in school, I was voted the campus queen.

Even though I was fifteen years older than Chloe, I still looked better than her.

But marriage was never won on looks alone.

I showed no emotion. Just a faint smile.

Sarah leaned in, curiosity brimming.

"Chloe, I heard you and your fiancé have been together for four years. How did you even meet a self-made millionaire like him?"

Sarah playfully nudged her with an elbow.

"Are there more guys like him? Hook me up and I'll file for divorce tomorrow."

Hearing the words "four years," my insides shattered into ice.

Four years.

He had been lying to me for four years.

And I hadn't noticed a single trace of his infidelity.

I sat there, pretending to be calm, as Chloe spoke with shy sweetness.

"He's the best gift fate ever gave me."