Chapter 1

I ended up throwing up three rounds in the bathroom outside the VIP lounge. All because I had spent the night taking shots for my husband at a high-stakes investor dinner.

Weak and leaning against the cold tile wall, I pulled out my phone and texted him, asking him to grab the stomach medicine from my clutch.

Two minutes later, his reply popped up on Snapchat.

"I just got a hand treatment. Do you not have legs of your own?"

But when I finally dragged myself back to the hallway, I saw Ethan Carter rushing past, carefully carrying Chloe Bennet in his arms.

I stood frozen in the hallway for a long moment. Then, I dialed my lawyer's number.

"Draft the divorce papers."

Ethan didn’t come home until the following afternoon.

When he walked through the door, he instinctively reached for the coat rack.

Usually, his freshly pressed loungewear would be hanging there, waiting for him.

Today, it was empty.

He frowned. "You didn't come home last night?"

"I went to my lawyer's office." I pulled a document out of my briefcase. "Sign this."

Ethan didn’t even look at it. He flipped straight to the last page and scribbled his signature.

Ten years of marriage, seven years of running a business together. He was so used to me handling every piece of paperwork that he didn't even bother to read what it was.

I took the papers and turned to leave, but he stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"Don't get the wrong idea. Chloe had acute gastroenteritis last night. I had to rush her to the ER."

He paused, his voice stiffening. "Nothing happened between us."

This was the first time in seven years he had ever bothered to explain himself to me.

Too bad he forgot what he had said to me three years ago when I was the one rushed to the ER with acute gastroenteritis.

He had snapped, "Clara, is your assistant just for ornament? I have an international conference tonight."

Suddenly, his phone buzzed.

Chloe’s tearful voice echoed through the speaker. "Ethan... am I totally useless? I've only been at the company for a month and I've already taken two sick days... Are you going to fire me?"

"Don't talk nonsense," Ethan said, his voice instantly softening. "Being sick isn't your fault."

He shot a cold glance at me, his tone dropping to sub-zero temperatures. "Some people force their employees to work around the clock just to hit their targets. That’s why people get sick."

"Be good and rest at home. I’m coming over to check on you."

He hung up and grabbed his car keys.

As he brushed past me, he glanced at my pale face and the folder in my hand. He said nothing, slamming the door behind him.

I looked down, opened an email on my phone that had been sitting in my inbox for three months.

I tapped reply: "I accept the offer. I can start next week."

While I was reviewing the equity agreement from my new company, a Snapchat notification popped up.

It was a voice note from Chloe, sweet and dripping with fake innocence. "Clara, I'm so sorry. Ethan insisted on coming over to take care of me. I hope I didn't ruin his board meeting this afternoon... Please don't be mad at him..."

I didn't bother playing the second voice note. My eyes locked onto her new profile picture.

I zoomed in. It was a photo of a man’s hand gently holding a thermometer against Chloe's forehead.

On that wrist was the limited-edition watch I had gifted Ethan for his birthday last year.

He really did care about her.

I closed the picture, went to my own profile, and changed our wedding photo to a blank white screen.

On the day of the new product launch, as the head of the project, I had to be there. After the presentation, I walked over to the media photo-op area, only to find Ethan already standing dead center, his arm wrapped around Chloe's waist.

The reporters' cameras flashed rapidly. "Mr. and Mrs. Carter look so in love!"

"I heard Mrs. Carter was the lead designer for this new product? Truly a match made in heaven!"

The two of them smiled at each other. Neither of them corrected the press.

It wasn't until Chloe spotted me that her face went white. She ran over to me and bowed deeply. "Clara, I'm so sorry! They misunderstood, and I didn't have time to explain... This project is entirely your hard work..."

The entire room went dead silent.