Chapter 1

Seven years of marriage, and my wife's childhood sweetheart went viral with his graduate commencement speech.

"Having you in every season makes life worth living."

The video showed a slideshow of intimate photos of him and my wife.

I calmly posted our marriage certificate in the comments section.

The next second, my wife publicly slapped me in the face.

"I am the woman in the video. The only man I have ever loved in this life is Harrison Reed. I do not know this man who forged my marriage certificate."

"I will call the police on anyone spreading rumors."

Right after that, Harrison posted another update―a screenshot of a bank transfer for five hundred and twenty thousand dollars.

"True love always feels indebted."

I chuckled.

"You're right. You owe him way too much. Giving him our divorce papers will finally balance the debt."

1

When I heard the front door open, I had just placed the tiny embryo jar into a crystal container.

It was the remains of our unborn baby who passed away three days ago.

Today was our wedding anniversary, but Celeste was in a rush to leave early this morning.

It was freezing outside, with temperatures below zero.

I caught her arm, trying to wrap a scarf around her neck, gently reminding her to watch her step for the baby.

She lost her temper instantly.

She grabbed the scarf, yanked it away with all her strength, and slammed the door in my face.

The force pulled me off balance, and I tumbled down, my head getting caught in the heavy doorframe.

As blinding pain shot through my skull, she frowned with total disgust.

"I already went to the clinic and ended the pregnancy three days ago. I don't want kids right now."

Her casual tone shattered my heart into pieces.

My whole body trembled as I called her name, but she didn't stop for a second, pretending not to hear me.

I dragged my battered body to the clinic and spent hours pleading with them before finding the preserved tissue of our child.

I called her dozens of times during that ordeal, but she never picked up.

Then I left that single comment online.

Celeste threatened to report me to the cops and even sent her assistant to intimidate me.

I hyperventilated from sheer rage and went into respiratory alkalosis, seizing on the floor and foaming at the mouth.

I barely survived that trip to the emergency room.

"Is this the piece of junk you spent three hundred dollars on?"

Celeste walked over, glaring at me with an irritated scowl.

"Enough already, Garrett. Can't you be a little practical for once?"

"People who don't make real money truly have no idea how to be considerate."

I looked up at her.

She didn't blink an eye sending Harrison over half a million dollars, yet spending three hundred bucks to honor our baby was being inconsiderate.

The irony was that I hadn't spent a dime of her money.

Even though she constantly pressured me to become a stay-at-home husband, I kept my job as a college lecturer while managing the household.

All my personal expenses came from my own paycheck.

I had never asked her for a single penny, not even for her share of living costs.

Perhaps my steady gaze made her uncomfortable, because she cleared her throat and asked, "What is that ugly thing inside anyway?"

"An embryo."

"An embryo?" Celeste looked shocked. "Whose?"

I set the glass jar safely on the shelf before answering.

"It's fake."

"You're out of your mind."

Celeste visibly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that.

She frowned, muttering under her breath, "Acting like a complete psycho."

"You haven't even cooked dinner yet. I have no idea what you waste your time on all day."