Chapter 1

Five years into our marriage, Victoria Foster brought her boy toy to the annual Foster family gala.

The moment I took a single step toward him, Victoria signaled her bodyguards to slam me to the ground.

"Stay the hell away from him," she snarled. "Don't you dare pull your filthy tricks on Dylan."

"Just because I married you doesn't mean you have any right to act superior. You are nothing more than a stray dog the Foster family bought."

Everyone in the grand ballroom held their breath, waiting for me to lose my mind.

After all, that was exactly what I used to do.

This time, though, I just got up and walked out of the Foster estate without a word.

1.

As I crossed the threshold, Victoria ordered her guards to drag me back.

Her gorgeous, ice-cold face was twisted with disgust.

"Dylan said he wants to be friends with you," she scoffed. "Stay here and keep him company."

She turned toward Dylan Ross, her tone instantly melting into pure, doting affection.

"I have no idea why you'd even want to be friends with someone like him."

Dylan blushed innocently and whispered just loud enough for the three of us to hear.

"Chase has been with you for so long. I just thought he might know you better..."

Victoria silenced him with a deep, possessive kiss.

After a moment, Dylan pushed her away gently, his cheeks flushed red.

"Chase is watching, and everyone is staring at us."

Victoria swept a freezing glare across the room.

Instantly, the wealthy guests averted their eyes and pretended to be busy with their drinks.

She looked back at Dylan like a woman seeking praise.

"See? No one is looking anymore."

Dylan gave her a playful, pouty glare.

Then, he walked up to me with a sympathetic sigh.

"Chase, is Victoria always this intense with you? She's so mean."

If it weren't for the smug triumph gleaning in his eyes, I might have actually believed he cared.

Before I could say anything, Victoria threw me another look of utter disdain.

"Don't waste your breath on him, Dylan. He's just a dog. Why compare yourself to an animal?"

I could feel the gleeful, mocking stares burning into my back.

To the rest of high society, no matter how much Victoria humiliated me, I was still the husband of the Foster heiress and the General Manager of Foster Enterprises.

It was a position they coveted but could never have.

So every time Victoria publicly degraded me, their eyes were a toxic mix of jealousy and pity.

People are funny like that.

When the party officially started, Victoria ordered me to look after Dylan.

I glanced at the apparently innocent young man beside me, wondering if I should warn her about him.

Then I remembered the besotted way she looked at him and realized it would be pointless.

As the opening waltz began, Victoria took Dylan's hand and led him onto the dance floor.

All eyes locked onto me once again.

This was the first time Victoria had ever danced the opening waltz with another man.

No matter how much she loathed me, she had always danced with me to maintain corporate appearances.

Sure enough, as the music faded, Victoria brought Dylan onto the stage.

She held his hand firmly and spoke into the microphone with absolute authority.

"Starting today, Dylan Ross is officially appointed as the new General Manager of Foster Enterprises."

"Chase Donovan will be demoted to Dylan's personal assistant to help him transition into the role."

The ballroom erupted into whispers about how soon I would be kicked out of the family for good.

At the center of it all, my chest burned with a hollow ache.

Four years of devotion, and I still hadn't warmed Victoria's frozen heart.

Looking at the handsome couple on stage, a crushing exhaustion finally swallowed me.

For the very first time, I just wanted to run away.