Chapter 1

In the third year of my marriage to Julian, I fell in love with someone else. I was ready to burn everything to the ground just to break free from him.

Everyone said I was crazy.

Julian had finally clawed his way to the top of the tech world, yet right at the peak of his glory, I wanted a divorce just to run away with a broke nobody.

Julian let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head.

"Chloe, marrying me was the smartest thing you’ve ever done in your pathetic life. And now you want to throw it all away?"

I looked him dead in the eye and said calmly, "Yes. I don't want you anymore."

Before the words fully left my mouth, an ashtray flew across the room and shattered against my temple. Blood trickled down my forehead as Julian roared.

"Chloe, don't you dare come crawling back crying!"

I wouldn't. Years later, it was Julian who called me at midnight, sobbing hysterically, begging me to come back.

By then, another man was kissing the scar on my temple, hot tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Chloe... all those stolen years... what on earth did he put you through?"

There were countless rumors about Julian in New York.

He was the illegitimate son of the Sterling family, cast aside and despised in his youth. But once he grew up, he brutally fought for his place among the heirs, only to turn his back on the Sterling empire to build his own startup. He quickly became the city’s newest billionaire, adored by everyone.

The tabloids painted him as an unstoppable self-made king. It sounded like an exaggeration, but I knew it was all true. I had known him since high school.

Julian was fiercely ambitious, dangerously competent, and proud to a fault. Even in the most superficial social circles, he shone brighter than anyone else.

Because of his fame, there was another rumor that followed him everywhere: how madly in love he was with his wife.

People said we were high school sweethearts who survived the hardest struggles together, and even after striking gold, he never abandoned his high school sweetheart.

Once, an investor made a crude joke about me. Julian flipped the table on the spot, cut ties with him immediately, and practically crushed the guy’s business in the industry.

He spent millions spoiling me, buying up designer clothes and jewelry across the city, declaring to the world that his wife deserved nothing but the absolute best.

Those rumors were true, too. Because I was that wife.

For our third wedding anniversary, Julian booked an entire rooftop restaurant in Manhattan. Fine red wine, fireworks bursting across the night sky, and a massive diamond necklace he personally picked out for me. It was dripping with textbook romance.

He leaned in, fastening the cold necklace around my neck, and pressed a kiss to my forehead. His eyes gleamed behind his glasses as he whispered,

"Chloe, you're breathtaking."

I gave him a faint smile. And that was the exact moment Noah walked into my life again.

He was working as a server at the restaurant, and he "accidentally" spilled a newly decanted glass of Cabernet all over Julian’s shirt.

Julian frowned, quickly told me to stay put, and rushed to the restroom to clean up.

Left alone, my eyes locked with Noah’s. He still had those deep, soulful eyes that looked gentle no matter who he stared at, yet the words out of his mouth were stiff and rough.

"Chloe. Have you been happy all these years?"

"As you can see. I'm doing great."

"Liar. You hate that necklace Julian just gave you. But you didn’t say a damn word."

The smile slipped from my face. He was right. I despised flashy, meaningless trinkets.

If I had to wear jewelry, I preferred simple jade or understated raw gemstones. Something quiet. Something gentle.

Noah pressed his lips tightly together. His gaze was tense, stubborn, and completely fixed on me—just like back in high school.

Julian didn't recognize him at all. To Julian, Noah was just the poor kid on financial aid from our old class. But the second Noah and I made eye contact, we knew each other instantly.

I whispered, "Julian will be back any second. What else do you want to say?"

Noah pulled out his phone without hesitation and had me scan his SnapChat.

When Julian returned in a fresh shirt, I couldn't help but chuckle. He asked me what was so funny, and I just shook my head in silence.

I was honestly wondering: if Julian knew that while he was gone, I had just reconnected with the boy I used to have a crush on, would his head explode with rage?

For the rest of the dinner, Noah stood quietly to the side, but his gaze never left me.

He watched me force down a meal I didn't like. He watched Julian wrap his arms around me.

And I watched Julian. I watched his rehearsed, repetitive routine of "deep love" that hadn't changed in three years. He never bothered to put any real thought into getting me something I actually wanted.

Every holiday, every anniversary: it was always fancy steak, fireworks, and an overpriced diamond necklace.

Right then and there, the thought of divorcing him flashed through my mind once again.