Chapter 1

On our fifth wedding anniversary, I received seven formal complaint letters.

Every single one listed why I wasn't devoted enough, why I wasn't smart enough, and why I didn't deserve to be the wife of a brilliant tech CEO.

Meanwhile, Julian's sweet little assistant, Chloe, was named co-inventor on seven of his core patents.

For five long years, I threw away my own research to support his career.

I stayed behind the scenes, ran his household like clockwork, and managed his chaotic life.

And my reward? Seven performance reviews telling me I was a failure as a wife.

Last night, while Julian was celebrating the new patent launch with Chloe by his side, I was burning up with a dangerous fever at home. I called him over thirty times. He sent every single call straight to voicemail.

At that exact moment, he was holding Chloe's hand on a lavish stage, proudly announcing to the press:

"Chloe understands my vision better than anyone. She's the best partner I could ever ask for on this journey."

He showered another woman with all the glory and gratitude.

All he had left for me were those seven cold complaint letters and an even colder excuse:

"Last night was a huge industry event, Stella. Chloe fits that world far better than you do. You should read those notes and reflect on yourself."

I didn't yell. I didn't make a scene. I just quietly nodded.

I slipped off the tight diamond wedding band that had choked my finger for years and set it right beside the complaint letters.

Then, I booked a one-way ticket to Finland.

This time, I was done reflecting on myself. I was finally going to live for me.

Julian didn't notice anything was off. He gave his usual orders without looking up.

"Make an extra dinner tonight. Chloe and I need to review the latest model."

He paused, then added, "Her stomach has been acting up lately, so keep it light and easy to digest."

"She likes fresh fruit, too. Wash it and slice it up nicely—she hates dealing with peeling it."

I cut him off. "Julian, do you even know what I like to eat?"

"If you want something, just buy it yourself," he snapped, his brows furrowing with annoyance. "What are you throwing a fit about now?"

Then, as if a switch flipped, he let out an irritated sigh. "Are you still bitter about last night? I told you, it was all for the company."

*All for the company.* I had heard those exact words a thousand times.

In the beginning, I was foolish enough to believe him. I truly believed he was just exhausted and drowning in work.

And now, I had seven complaint letters to show for it.

"Are you going to explain those seven letters?" I asked.

Julian's tone instantly turned sharp and condescending. "It was just a harmless joke. Why do you always have to blow things out of proportion?"

"Asking for an explanation is blowing things out of proportion?"

My voice was terrifyingly calm.

Five years of love and sacrifice meant nothing to him.

When I offered to visit the office, he claimed I was out of touch with the industry and would only embarrass him.

When I begged him to take a vacation with me to see the Northern Lights, he dismissed it, saying auroras were just meaningless atmospheric phenomena and flying out there was a complete waste of time.

Yet when Chloe casually mentioned she wanted to see the ocean, he booked red-eye tickets that very night just to watch the sunrise with her on the beach.

Seeing that I stayed silent, Julian groaned in frustration.

"You sit at home all day doing nothing, yet all you care about is comparing yourself to Chloe."

"Chloe has ambition. She has raw talent. She can actually contribute to my projects. You don't hold a candle to her."

His impatience was practically dripping from every word.

Right. I could never measure up to her.

Which meant he never had to remember my favorite foods. He never had to care about my needs. And it gave him every right to complain about me.

His phone rang. He answered it.

His voice softened instantly—a tenderness I hadn't heard in years.

Julian hung up, sighed, and turned back to me with his usual scowl.

"Stop acting like a child. Once this funding round wraps up, I'll take a weekend off to take you somewhere."

"Chloe needs me at the office right now. I'm heading out. Hurry up with that food."

"Her stomach is sensitive. Don't make her wait too long."

The pot of soup on the stove had long gone cold. And in that quiet second, my heart went completely dead.

"There is no food," I said.

Julian's face instantly darkened. "Stella, you literally do nothing all day. Can you not handle one simple task?"

*One simple task.*

Waking up at dawn to run his errands, pressing every single one of his dress shirts, and driving across town to his mother's hospice care just to endure hours of her verbal abuse.

Everything that drained the life out of me was reduced to a "simple task" in his words.

I wiped a drop of water off my fingers, my voice entirely flat.

"Tell Chloe to order DoorDash."

"I'm not making her anything today."

The living room went dead silent.

In Julian's mind, I had never had the right to say no to him.

After a tense beat, he warned me coldly, "Don't let your petty housewife drama get in the way of my career."

*Housewife.*

I looked down at the faint burn scar on the back of my hand from hot cooking oil.

Cooking three meals a day for him wasn't companionship.

Nursing his sick mother wasn't sacrifice.

In his eyes, only someone standing beside his multimillion-dollar project was worthy of being called an equal partner.

Every time he spat out the word "housewife," it was just another calculated attempt to keep me beneath his boot.

Yet when we graduated college, I had a fully funded graduate fellowship waiting for me.

That was the year his mother fell critically ill, and his first startup was barely getting off the ground.

He held me in his arms, begging, "Stella, just help me get through these two years."

"As soon as the company goes public, I swear I'll support you going back to school."

I believed his empty promise.

Two years turned into five.

His tiny firm grew into a publicly traded empire holding dozens of core patents.

And I went from an honors graduate on the dean's list to a clueless, useless housewife who allegedly had no real-world experience.

Even his new employees spoke about me with casual disdain.

*"You mean Mr. Vance's wife? I heard she's never held a real job."*

*"Honestly, Mr. Vance looks way better with Chloe. That's what a real power couple looks like."*

Before hanging up, Julian dropped one last dismissive line.

"You're becoming totally unreasonable."

I stared at the apron draped over the back of the dining chair.

The girl who used to love him without conditions was truly, pathetically naive.

A confirmation notification pinged on my screen.

Destination: Helsinki.

Departure: In three days.