Chapter 1

For fifteen years, I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into building a business empire from nothing with Robert. I thought our happily-ever-after was finally here. Instead, on the eve of our company's IPO, I discovered he had secretly married another woman. While he gaslit me into staying "simple" and frugal, he was dripping his pregnant new wife in diamonds and luxury properties bought with my hard-earned money.

He thought I would quietly step aside, or that I loved the company too much to destroy it. He thought my fifteen years of sacrifice made me weak. He was wrong.

I won't be the tragic, discarded woman. If Robert thinks he can build his perfect new family on the foundation of my life's work and walk away unscathed, he's dead wrong. I am taking everything back. I will gladly burn down the very empire I almost died building, just to watch his deceitful dreams turn to ash.

1

"Audrey."

The woman's perfectly manicured finger rested on the "Robert Sterling" line of the marriage certificate, her tone dismissive. "You have no right to be here, and even less right to put on airs in front of me, do you understand?"

The woman held the marriage certificate like a trophy, standing there like a delicate display doll. I recognized the bracelet on her wrist. Robert and I had bid for it together at an auction last month. He’d said it was for our fifteen-year anniversary. But the day before our anniversary, Robert had frantically told me the bracelet was missing. His eyes were filled with guilt, so much so that they’d reddened as he told me, "Honey, I promise I'll get you something even better." He’d caressed the calluses on my hand, tears of regret falling. "You've suffered so much with me all these years. Once the company goes public, we'll finally get married, okay?"

"Honey," Robert had said, embracing me, "I want to marry you. I want us to have a home."

And I believed him. I thought Robert and I were finally going to take that step. I thought these years with him, building something from nothing, had been worth it. That I had turned in a satisfying answer sheet for my life, and we would simply live out our days.

Now.

I looked at the tiny diamonds on the bracelet, sparkling. They felt like countless needles piercing my heart, making it ache so much I could barely stand. Yet, I forced myself to maintain my composure. "So what?"

I snatched the marriage certificate from the woman's hand, looking at the bride's name: "Sarah Miller." I met her perfectly made-up face and her visibly startled expression, and I smiled. "Are you trying to tell me that after fifteen years with Robert, it's finally my turn to step aside and let you live a good life?"

"Sarah," I said, tracing her photo on the certificate, "do you really think I'd hand over all the hard work and dedication I've poured into these years?"

I watched Sarah clearly panic, rushing forward to snatch back the certificate, but I dodged. She stumbled, hitting a cabinet, and let out a sharp cry. "Audrey!"

"Are you insane?!"

I watched as Sarah finally dropped her pretense, yelling at me. "Are you really going to try and ruin my relationship with Robert, to be an illegitimate mistress?!"

"Audrey!"

"Have you no shame?!"

Before Sarah could lunge at me, I calmly took out my phone, snapped a picture of the marriage certificate, and quickly sent it to Robert.

"Robert Sterling." I texted. "I hear you're married. Why wasn't I invited to the wedding?"

"Audrey!"

"Honey!"

The call connected. Robert’s voice echoed through the living room. "I can explain!"

"It's all a misunderstanding!"

"Honey!"

A commotion came from Robert’s end, followed by the sound of a car door closing. "I'm coming to you now. Don't worry. We can talk about everything when I get there."

Robert kept talking. Sarah, however, was furious. She started screaming into the phone. "Robert Sterling! Whose husband are you?! Whose side are you on?!"

Sarah’s hysterical voice resonated through the living room. I looked around the apartment again. It was decorated warmly, with pink-hued curtains, cream-colored sofas, and an entire wall of blind-box display shelves. Even the refrigerator was adorned with tiny lucky charms and couplets. The blue cartoon slippers by the shoe rack clearly matched the pair on Sarah's feet. Even the plain white walls were covered with many photos of Sarah, always with a few glimpses of Robert's back. It was clear that the person who decorated this apartment had poured a lot of heart into it.

One hundred and sixty-three thousand dollars. Paid in full. Sarah Miller’s name. Sarah’s bracelet. Three hundred thousand dollars. It was supposed to be my wedding anniversary gift. And Sarah's silk nightgown, and Sarah’s manicure, and the tea set on the coffee table, and the brand of tea leaves—none of it was cheap. Every single item spoke of luxury.

Every single item.

I looked down at my own plain, unadorned nails, then at the calluses on my palms from years of hard work, and then at my clothes, an outfit and shoes that together probably cost less than a thousand dollars. A sudden wave of bitter amusement washed over me. I laughed out loud.

"Robert Sterling." I cut Robert off. "Since you're already married," I said, glancing one last time at the marriage certificate in Sarah’s arms, "there's nothing left for us to discuss."

I didn't wait for Robert. I didn't need to hear his explanation. All I knew was that the fifteen years I had given had become a joke. And Robert Sterling had made me the biggest clown in that joke.

I sat in my best friend Chloe’s law office, placing the marriage certificate on the table. After explaining everything I knew to Chloe, I asked her only one thing. "In this situation, what are my chances?" My voice remained calm, as if discussing everyday matters. "Robert and I started from scratch. The company shares are equal, the assets split down the middle—all transparent. But then there’s Sarah." I tapped the table, thinking of the three hundred thousand dollar bracelet and the one hundred and sixty-three thousand dollar apartment.

"I don't want anyone to get off easy. Stepping on my blood and sweat, enjoying the fruits of my labor—there’s no such easy thing in this world, and no justice in it either!" I told Chloe. "I want them to pay the price!"

"But," Chloe said, still fuming but maintaining her professional demeanor, "your company is at a critical stage for listing. A scandal now…"

"I don't care."

"Then that's enough!" Chloe thumped her chest, promising, "I'll help you see this through to the end."

Emerging from the bank, I sat in my car, staring at dozens of pages of transaction records. The amounts Robert had transferred to Sarah ranged from thousands to tens of thousands, each followed by a note: "Voluntary gift." My chest felt like it was blocked, a suffocating feeling gripping my throat, making my eyes sting and burn.

I remembered how I, too, had envied other women’s manicures and their fashion. I had gone to a beauty salon, got a manicure like those young women, then returned home, deliberately showing off my pretty nails, waving them in front of Robert, hoping he would tell me I looked beautiful.

Instead, Robert had simply met my expectant gaze with a cold expression. "Honey," he’d said, grabbing my hand and looking at my nails, shaking his head in disapproval. "I know our lives are a bit better now, but the most important thing is not to forget where you came from. We can’t just start spending lavishly, right?" He’d continued, "What if things get difficult again someday? How will you adapt?"

"Honey," Robert had hugged me, "I still prefer you simple."

All my expectations had shattered into dust. Robert's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over my head, leaving me stunned, even forgetting to react. I just watched as Robert unceremoniously plucked off the tiny diamonds from my nails, saying, "What use are these flashy, impractical things?"

Yes. Flashy, impractical things. What use were they? Yet Sarah was adorned with flashy, impractical things, like someone from another world, as perfect as a porcelain doll. The ironic part was that every penny spent on Sarah’s adornments came from the blood, sweat, and tears I had poured into building our life over the years. Why?

Tears still flowed uncontrollably. I fiercely wiped them away, then, seeing Robert’s persistent calls, finally answered.

"Honey?"

"You finally answered!"

"Thank goodness!"

Robert's anxious voice came through. "I've been looking for you everywhere! Where are you? Whatever it is, can we just talk face-to-face?" He pleaded, "Audrey, we've been together for fifteen years! Not fifteen days! You can't just hide from me…"

"Robert." I suppressed the ache in my throat, my voice still calm. "Let's meet." I told him, "At that house in Northwood. Let's meet there."

He was clearly taken aback. After a few seconds of silence, "Okay," he said. Then, Robert's voice became surprised and relieved. "Honey, I'll head over right now! I'll pick up some soup dumplings from your favorite place and bring them!"

Before I could refuse, Robert had already hung up. I turned to meet Chloe’s worried gaze. "I'm fine," I said, forcing a smile. "Don't worry."

It had been almost five years since Robert and I moved out of that house. I looked at the weathered, old door, remembering how, when we first moved there from the basement apartment, Robert and I had put our hearts into decorating it together. Robert had said then, "Honey, this is our first home. It means something different!" He’d continued, "Later, when we're old, if you're willing, we'll come back here to retire!" He’d asked, "Every year, we'll come back and stay for a few days, okay?"

At the time, my heart was full of joy, feeling that my life was truly worth it. Now, only a few years later, everything had changed.

I pushed open the door. Robert was already getting up from the sofa. "Honey!" Robert was like a child seeking praise, picking up the ready-made soup dumplings and offering them to me. "They're still warm."

In the past, I always said I loved soup dumplings, loved how Robert would wake up before dawn every day to queue for them for me. Later, when I brought up soup dumplings again, Robert just offered perfunctory excuses. "Audrey," he'd say. "Time is money. I don't have that much leisure to wait in such a long queue for dumplings."

Now, the soup dumplings were before me again, but somehow, they no longer looked appetizing. "Robert Sterling." I ignored Robert's attentiveness, walked past him, and sat on the sofa. The old sofa creaked, incomparable to Sarah’s. "Do you remember this sofa?" I asked Robert. "You and I spent two days searching the secondhand market to buy it." I continued, as if recounting a mundane detail, "Because we couldn't afford to pay for delivery, you borrowed a flatbed cart, and I held onto the sofa armrest. We spent two and a half hours bringing it home together in forty-degree summer heat." I looked at him. "Back then, you said this sofa, no matter how rich we got, would never be replaced. You said it was proof of our love."

Robert’s eyes flickered, avoiding my gaze. I simply picked up the remote control from the coffee table. The remote was wrapped in tape; Robert had accidentally dropped it when he was drunk, and I couldn't bear to replace it, so I bought tape and wrapped it up. I caressed the tape on the remote. "But the truth is, things change, don't they?"

"No, they don't!" Robert rushed to my side, explaining frantically. "It's not like that!" Robert’s eyes turned red, just like every time he was agitated in the past. "Sarah and I were just an accident! I don't love her! I swear!"

Robert half-knelt before me, reaching for my hand, but I shifted, dodging his grasp. I saw the hurt flash in his eyes as he continued, "At the time, I drank too much at a party. I don't know how Sarah ended up in the hotel. When I woke up, I was genuinely scared! I didn't lie to you!" Robert’s tears fell. "I was afraid you'd find out and break up with me, that you'd throw a fit. I didn't know how to face you!" He stammered, "I just…"

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long?" My voice remained calm. "With Sarah, how long have you been together?"

Robert suddenly fell silent. He met my eyes, staring at me for a long time before speaking with difficulty. "Three and a half years."

I remembered Robert saying we'd come back to stay for a few days every year. But later, Robert always claimed he had no time. It wasn't that he had no time. It was just that all his time had been spent on someone else. My heart ached, and then I heard Robert explain.

"I wanted to break up, but Sarah clung to me. She kept saying her family background was poor, that her parents favored her brothers. I just felt sorry for her…" Robert's voice grew weaker. In the end, even he couldn't bring himself to say the next words with conviction. "Sarah… is pregnant."

It was like a dull thunderclap exploding in my ears. I clenched my fists tightly. Even though I had learned the full truth before coming, hearing it with my own ears still made me feel utterly cold.

While I was eagerly anticipating my wedding with Robert, he had already given another woman his identity, making me the outsider. Now, I listened to Robert say, "I thought you were getting older, and having a baby would be bad for your health…"

Getting older. Bad for my health. How laughable.

"So," Robert looked at me, "I thought her having the child would be good for you too."

Good for me. My nails dug into my flesh, but I felt no pain, as I listened to Robert continue. "Just forgive me! I'll do anything you ask!"

"Really?" I suppressed the anger raging within me, meeting Robert's gaze.

"Really!"

I suddenly smiled, rising from the sofa and walking to the door. I opened it, revealing the person outside, and my smile widened. "So, did you hear that clearly?"

"Who's the mistress now?"

I looked at Sarah, then pulled out my phone, still on a video call with Chloe. "This video, no editing. Release it directly to the media, word for word!"

"No matter how much it costs, I want the biggest impact!"

Then.

I was suddenly pulled back hard by the wrist, and meeting Robert's furious eyes, I smiled. "Robert Sterling. When you mess up, you can't just walk away unscathed." I looked at him. "Are you satisfied with this answer?"

"Robert Sterling!" Sarah, ignoring Robert's rage, rushed between us and demanded loudly, "Was what you just said true?! You said you loved me! You said you'd be responsible for me and our child's future! You said you married me out of love, but couldn't give me a wedding because of business ties with Audrey and it wasn’t the right time!" She was hysterical. "You've been lying to me all this time?!"

Sarah completely broke down, hitting Robert with all her might. Robert, however, paid no mind to Sarah being pregnant. The moment Sarah lunged at him again, he slapped her across the face. I watched Sarah’s eyes redden. She stumbled back a few steps, looking at Robert in disbelief.

"You hit me?"

"Robert Sterling!"

"You actually hit me?!"

"I'll kill you!"

Sarah started to rush at him again in a frenzy, but Robert grabbed her hair and slammed her to the ground. The gentleness on Robert's face was gone, replaced only by ruthlessness. He yelled at Sarah. "Haven't you had enough?!"

"If it weren't for you, Audrey and I wouldn't have come to this point!"

"Didn't I tell you?!"

"Didn't I tell you! I told you not to provoke Audrey! Why did you still provoke her?!"

"Why?!"

Robert walked over to Sarah, ignoring her tear-streaked face, ignoring her pregnancy. He lifted his foot, about to kick her. Sarah suddenly panicked, grabbing Robert and begging him, crying. "Robert Sterling, we have a child!"

"You can't do this to me, you can't!"

I watched the once haughty Sarah become disheveled, like a clown. Just as she had looked at me when I first met her, as if I were a clown. I watched indifferently, hearing Chloe say, "Don't worry."

"Everything you asked me to do, I'm taking care of it all."

"The company listing."

"Making it onto the rich list."

"Robert Sterling," Chloe’s voice was full of scorn, "he's just dreaming!"

Robert finally seemed to come to his senses. He rigidly turned, meeting my eyes, then his ruthlessness faded, and he became weak again, grabbing my hand and saying, "Honey!"

"You can't do this to me!"

"The company, we built it together, don't you remember?! Back then, to secure that investment, you didn't sleep for days and nights, guarding the investor's door before dawn, just to show them your sincerity first thing!" He pleaded, "It was a blizzard that day, and you had pneumonia from a high fever, and you were in the ICU for three days because of it!" He looked at me, "You loved our company so much, how can you destroy it with your own hands?"

I watched Robert try to remind me, and I too remembered that day. Robert had rushed to the mansion, listening to the investor say, "Robert Sterling, you're truly blessed! To find such a wonderful woman! You're worth it!" He’d continued, "I'm making this investment!"

I felt Robert trembling all over. He disregarded the contract, and just cried, hugging me and saying, "I don't want the partnership! I don't want the company! I don't want money! I only want Audrey, I only want Audrey! Audrey, don't leave me!" The high fever had terrified Robert. For that, Robert spent two full years tending to my health, learning to cook for me, making me medicinal meals.

Now.