Chapter 1

When we got married, Gavin Cole couldn't afford a diamond ring for me.

He promised to make it up to me with a blue diamond on our fifth anniversary.

I waited five years. On that anniversary, the blue diamond showed up on the hand of his secretary, Jolene Raine.

Jolene posted it online to show off. “Who has a boss this generous? He bought his employee a ring worth over seventy thousand dollars.”

The comments were wall to wall praise and envy from Gavin's staff.

In the past, I would have screamed and cried at Gavin and made everyone miserable.

Not this time. I was tired, so I calmly liked her post and booked an appointment to end my pregnancy.

Chapter 1

Gavin came home that night right after I dumped the dinner I had spent all day making for our fifth anniversary.

He was drunk, with a smile on his face he couldn't hide.

In the past, when he came home drunk, I would rush over and take care of him first.

Not tonight. I had seen the photo of him and Jolene having a candlelit dinner on her social media.

I sat quietly on the couch and kept watching TV, acting like I hadn't noticed him come in.

Seeing me not move a muscle, Gavin frowned and gave me an impatient nudge. Then he pulled a necklace out of his pocket and handed it to me.

“Is it because I missed our anniversary for work? Can't you be a little more understanding? I bought this necklace specially for you.”

So he did remember today was our anniversary.

If I hadn't scrolled past Jolene's post, I would probably still be waiting up for him right now.

I recognized the brand on that necklace at a glance. It was the same brand as the blue diamond. It was obviously a free gift that came with the blue diamond.

He had long forgotten the promise he made five years ago.

And he was calling a gift Jolene didn't even want a present he “bought specially” for me.

I only glanced at it and ignored him. I couldn't even be bothered to call out his lie.

Gavin got angry at being ignored. He sat down right next to me and yelled, “Are you done yet, Aurora? What kind of wife are you? I kill myself working out there, and when I come home, you can't even pour me a glass of water.”

His shouting just made me laugh. It was also a little annoying.

I turned off the TV and went to the kitchen to pour him a glass of hot water.

I was about to warn him it was too hot to drink, but he gulped it down anyway.

He spat it all out and glared at me with pure resentment. Then he hurled the cup at me in anger. Glass flew everywhere, and a piece cut my calf.

“God, I'm so unlucky. I married a wife like you, and you can't even get a glass of warm water right.”

Gavin looked at me like I was an idiot. He grabbed a Band-Aid from the drawer, tossed it at me, and went back to the bedroom cursing.

The cut on my leg was not small. By the time I bandaged it and went back to the bedroom, Gavin was already asleep.

When he heard me come in, he sat up impatiently, put his clothes on, and got ready to leave.

“Jolene's place lost power. She has to hand in some company files tomorrow morning, so I have to go help her. Otherwise she'll hold up the whole company.”

I had heard that excuse so many times I had lost count. Every time, Jolene could call Gavin away from me with any excuse, no matter how late it was.

I let out a cold, mocking laugh.

“Her place loses power twenty times a month. Maybe you should just buy her a new house.”

Gavin expected that from me. In the past, when he abandoned me in the middle of the night for Jolene, I had thrown plenty of scenes. I had even threatened divorce if he dared to go.

Seeing the look on my face, Gavin stared at me with disgust.

“Aurora, Jolene is just a girl in her early twenties with no boyfriend. It's normal that she can't fix a broken light bulb. Not everyone is as scheming as you seasoned women. And stop threatening me with divorce. It's getting old.”

His eyes were full of anger, like he could see right through me.

“Fine.”

Seeing his trick work, Gavin rushed out without looking back.

The door slammed shut behind him, swallowing the words I said next. “Not anymore. That would be too stupid.”

Too bad I only woke up after five whole years of marriage to Gavin.

Five years of my youth, wasted before I finally saw things clearly.