Chapter 1

My daughter held up the provocative black lace teddy my husband’s secretary had deliberately left in our house, looking at me with pure innocence.

"Mommy, what is this?"

My mind went completely blank. A wave of humiliation and fiery rage surged through me.

I never imagined they would dare to cross this line!

Eight years of marriage had completely rotten whatever love Carter had once felt for me.

Time and time again, he had brought women home just to test my limits, and I had always looked the other way.

But this time, he had targeted my little girl.

I looked straight at Carter and spoke in a steady, dead tone:

"Carter, I want a divorce."

"Mommy, what is this?"

My daughter, Lily, stood in front of me holding a skimpy black lace negligee, her eyes wide with curiosity.

The second I saw what was in her hands, a roaring buzz filled my head.

It was scandalous lingerie.

Carter and I hadn't slept in the same bed for over a year. How could there possibly be a brand-new piece of lingerie in our home?

The answer hit me instantly.

My hands trembled violently as I snatched the lace dress from her hands. Deep shame and fury battered every inch of my body.

I hated Carter for betraying me, but what I hated even more was that he had allowed that woman to drag our innocent daughter into her twisted games!

I crouched down, desperately swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, and tried to keep my voice as gentle as possible.

"Lily, sweetie, this belongs to Mommy. Why don't you take your teddy bear and go play in your room for a bit?"

Lily nodded obediently, clutching her stuffed bear, and walked back to her bedroom.

Clutching the lace in my fist, the scene from two nights ago flashed vividly before my eyes.

Carter had brought his new personal assistant home with his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

She was young, barely in her early twenties—the exact age I had been when I first met Carter.

Her face radiated youth and vibrant beauty. Compared to my sickly, hollow cheeks, she was practically glowing.

Years of Carter's infidelity had long since numbed my heart. Seeing him drag yet another girl into our home didn't even hurt anymore; my heart didn't have the strength to ache.

Seeing me sitting silently on the sofa, Carter frowned with obvious disgust.

"Elena, do you have to sit there like a damn piece of wood? You—"

My eyes were filled with nothing but exhaustion. As I listened to him, my fingers dug hard into the envelope containing my hospital scans.

Then, I slowly curved my lips into a bitter smirk and looked at the girl beside him.

"What? Does my breathing in my own living room get in your way now?"

Chloe bit her lip, shooting me a thinly veiled glare of triumph.

"Elena, please don't be upset with Carter. There's nothing going on between us. We just brought some urgent company files home to work on.”

“You don't work, so you probably don't realize how much financial pressure Carter is under to provide for this family. Please try to be understanding."

Taking work all the way into our master bedroom?

I let out a mocking laugh, though my gaze couldn't help but linger on the man who had been by my side since I was twenty.

His face was cold and distant. There wasn't the slightest hint of guilt, let alone an urge to defend me. The last spark of light in my eyes faded away.

Forget it. What was I still hoping for? After all these years, I should have been used to it.

"Oh, I understand completely. After all, you're only the eighth secretary he’s brought home to 'work' with."

My words made Chloe's face go instantly pale. She turned to Carter in panic.

Carter's face darkened like a thundercloud.

Seeing their miserable expressions gave me a sudden burst of grim amusement. I let out a soft laugh, but the laughter quickly triggered an unbearable, dry itch in my throat, forcing me into a harsh coughing fit.

Impatient, Carter grabbed Chloe's hand and slammed the bedroom door shut with a violent bang.

"Ignore that sick freak. She's driving me crazy."

The moment the door slammed shut, tears finally broke free, cascading down my cheeks.

A suffocating weight crushed my chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

I was never actually a strong person. It was just that during these years in the frozen wasteland of Carter's neglect, I had slowly learned to use sharp words as armor to shield myself from his cruelty.