Chapter 1

On our first wedding anniversary, my husband, Julian Carter, was two hours late.

I noticed a prominent, dark red stain on his collar. It wasn’t wine. It was cheap chili sauce.

I knew immediately. The woman he had been obsessed with for years was back.

Faced with my cold, questioning gaze, Julian ripped off his tie in frustration.

"Audrey, I know exactly what you’re going to say. Can’t you just let me breathe for once?!"

I slowly took off my wedding ring and placed it on the table. If he wanted to breathe, I was about to give him all the space in the world.

Seeing my reaction, Julian let out an impatient sigh. "Audrey, it’s just a dinner. Why do you have to be so uptight every single day?"

"Look at you. From head to toe, every single strand of your hair looks like it took hours of effort!"

"You’re perfect. Flawless. I can’t find a single thing wrong with you!"

"But it’s exhausting for me!"

I hadn't said a single word. One look from me was all it took to trigger his defensive rant.

I looked down at my haute couture dress. He had probably forgotten that today wasn’t just our anniversary—it was also the day of the contract signing with Apex Enterprises.

I had reminded him days ago. But he forgot.

I stood up. "Julian, save your energy for the board of directors."

"Since I’m so exhausting, I’ll set you free. Go to Chloe. I won’t stand in your way."

My words stunned him. Then, his face flushed with anger. "Audrey! Are you seriously doing this just because I was late for dinner?!"

"No. I’m doing this because your absence cost us the Apex Enterprises contract. Their representatives pulled out of the deal."

"Are you satisfied now?"

Julian’s face went completely pale.

Finally, it registered. He remembered what today was.

"I..."

He stepped forward, trying to wrap his arms around me. I took two steps back, avoiding his touch. "I’m tired. Do whatever you want."

I left my wedding ring on the table and walked away.

After changing into comfortable clothes, I rubbed my temples. My phone buzzed on the nightstand. It was a FaceTime call from my dad.

"Julian isn't home tonight? You've only been married for a year, Audrey. What is going on?"

"Dad, it was just a strategic marriage. Did you really expect him to love me? I’ve already arranged for the Apex representatives to stay at our hotel. Since Julian’s family blew the deal, we will take it over entirely."

My dad immediately understood the play. His voice softened. "Good. I’ll make the calls. Get some rest."

Right after I hung up, Julian walked into the bedroom.

The mattress sank beside me, and his hands wrapped around my waist.

"Babe, I’m sorry. Today was my fault."

His hands started wandering under my shirt. I pushed him away coldly. "Julian, I’m tired."

I turned my back to him. His hands froze, and his voice dipped into irritation. "Okay, that’s enough!"

"Audrey, I literally just had one casual dinner. I’ll go talk to the people at Apex tomorrow morning. There’s no need to give me the cold shoulder!"

"You always act like a lifeless block of wood!"

He slammed the door as he stormed out. I looked at the Snapchat message from my assistant showing the signed, finalized contract with Apex in our family's favor. I smiled.

Tomorrow?

Tomorrow, the deal would already be dead and buried for him.

I closed my eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, Julian got rejected at the Apex headquarters. Out of the blue, he asked me out for lunch.

Coincidentally, I wanted to talk about the divorce, so I accepted.

As I walked up to the private dining room at the restaurant, I heard a high-pitched, giggling voice from inside.

"Oh my god, why do you only eat this fancy, boring stuff? I want glazed donuts and a cheap Starbucks frappuccino with extra syrup!"

"Julian, you should try it. Don't be so uptight!"

"I seriously can't stand how tense you high-society people are all the time!"

"But now that I'm here, is Audrey going to be mad?"

Julian sneered. "Order whatever you want. Audrey is like a robot. Just looking at her is exhausting."

"It's so much easier being around you."

"Right? I told you so! She must have thrown a fit when you didn't go home last night. Did she finally show some real human emotion?"

So, last night was intentional.

I pushed the door open, and the room instantly fell dead silent. Beside Julian and Chloe, a few of Julian's wealthy friends were sitting at the table.

Seeing me enter, they quickly tried to break the awkward tension.

"Hey, Audrey! You're here!"

"Come sit, we were just waiting for you."

I nodded politely and sat next to Julian. Chloe was sitting right on his left.

When Chloe looked at me, a smug gleam flashed in her eyes. She exchanged a knowing look with Julian and giggled behind her hand.

"Is something funny?" I asked, looking directly at her.