Chapter 1

Two years of marriage. Then, my husband got into a car accident and ended up in a vegetative state. Without hesitation, my mother-in-law whisked him out of the country for medical treatment.

I was left behind, running his family company and paying off their massive debts, working like a relentless machine day in and day out.

Tonight, at yet another high-pressure corporate dinner, I drank myself to the point of nausea again.

My stomach was in knots, and I collapsed onto the sofa in the hotel lobby, too exhausted to even walk up to a room.

My Bluetooth earbuds slipped out of my purse. I mindlessly put them on, wanting to listen to some music to take the edge off.

But my phone accidentally paired with someone else’s device nearby.

The voice that came through the earbuds made me sober up instantly.

It was my husband's voice—

"Once that idiot Chloe pays off all the company's debts, I'll bring Vivian back."

"By then, I’ll have plenty of ways to make sure she leaves with absolutely nothing."

A year ago, Miller Group suddenly faced a massive cash flow crisis, leaving the entire company on the brink of collapse.

Right at that critical moment, my husband, Austin, collided with a semi-truck due to fatigued driving.

The crash left the truck driver dead and two passengers injured, while Austin himself was rushed straight into the ICU.

By the time I rushed to the hospital, the emergency surgery was over.

The doctor said that if he stayed in the country, there was a high probability he would remain in a vegetative state forever. However, if we sent him to a specialized clinic in Europe, there might still be a chance.

My mother-in-law, Eleanor, made the decision on the spot to send him abroad.

"Chloe, I’m taking Austin to Europe. I will cure him and bring back a healthy husband to you."

"You’ll be running the company all by yourself. It’s going to be so hard on you. Please, take good care of yourself."

I didn’t think twice back then. In fact, I was deeply moved.

I truly believed that as long as we stood together as a family, things would eventually get better.

"Eleanor, don't worry. I won't let Miller Group fall apart."

"Don't worry about expenses over there either. Just tell me whenever you need money."

...

And just like that, Eleanor took Austin abroad for treatment.

Meanwhile, I stayed behind, struggling to keep the company afloat.

The voice in my earbuds had cut off.

I snapped back to reality and looked up, only to see a familiar face walking into the hotel lobby.

It was Cole Bennett, Austin’s childhood best friend.

It clicked. He must have been on the phone with Austin just now and accidentally paired his audio with my earbuds.

Cole didn't see me. He was still talking on the phone.

"Sorry, my Bluetooth accidentally paired with some random device just now, but it's good now..."

I didn't know what Austin said on the other end, but Cole let out a sly, mocking laugh.

"You're really something, Austin. Having a woman so insanely devoted to you."

"Vivian hasn't even come back to the country all these years because of you. Once you guys return this time, you definitely need to throw another massive wedding."

Sitting not far away, I heard every single word clearly.

The "Vivian" he mentioned was the girl they had grown up with. Her full name was Vivian Thorne.

Supposedly, she and Austin were once engaged.

But later, the Thorne family went bankrupt, and the engagement was never mentioned again.

Before marrying Austin, I had asked him about this. He told me he only saw Vivian as a sister.

"That was just a joke our parents made when we were kids. No one took it seriously."

"If my family were really that superficial about wealth, why would I have married you?"

The hotel lobby’s air conditioning was blasting, sending chills down my arms and raising goosebumps.

I sat on the sofa, frozen.

In the dead of night, the hotel lobby was nearly empty and incredibly quiet.

Quiet enough that I could even hear the muffled leaks of the voice from Cole's phone.

Cole sat down on the sofa directly behind me, completely oblivious to my presence.

Cole: "Seriously though, Chloe is a beast. Not to mention your family's living expenses in Europe this past year, what about the thirty million dollars of debt your company had? Your mom said Chloe has almost paid it all off?"

"Almost," Austin’s lazy voice drifted through. "Once she grinds through another few months and clears the last chunk of it, I’ll head back."

"What do you plan to do then?"

"What do I plan to do?" Austin chuckled. "I'll just hire someone to set her up, take some compromising photos, and claim she cheated. As the guilty party in the divorce, she won't get a single penny. She'll leave with absolutely nothing."

Cole burst into loud laughter.

"Man, you are absolutely destroying her."

"She brought it on herself," Austin’s voice turned cold. "A girl from a nobody family, marrying into the Miller family was already the luckiest thing that could ever happen to her. Letting her run the company these past few years was basically giving her a chance to see the real world. What more does she want?"