Chapter 2

2.

When Chloe finally came home in the middle of the night, I was still sitting on the living room sofa.

My eyes were swollen and bloodshot from crying over my mother’s death.

Her face darkened, and she looked at me with open mockery.

“What’s this? Playing the victim now? Are you trying to claim you cried all night just because I didn’t come home?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling a searing ache behind my lids.

The thought of my mother tore through my chest like a knife.

“You’re flattering yourself. Being overly confident is rarely a good look.”

“Besides, my little act doesn’t hold a candle to Heath’s theatrics, does it?”

“You despise me and love Heath. This works out perfectly. We get divorced, and I clear the way for him.”

Chloe’s gaze turned sharp and menacing. “Gavin, are you out of your mind?”

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

The sneer returned to her face, dripping with disdain.

“Gavin, what about your mother’s hospital bills and surgery fees? Are you giving those up too?”

I snapped my head up, glaring at her with pure hatred. “How dare you bring up my mother?”

“You have no job and zero income,” she scoffed, crossing her arms. “What makes you think I’ll keep paying for her medical care once you leave me? Do you really think I won’t call your bluff on this divorce?”

Smugness dripped from every word.

She truly believed this was just an elaborate tantrum to get her attention.

Every word she spoke drove another dagger straight through my heart.

“Chloe, when you went public with Heath, what were you thinking?”

“Did you think about me for even a single second?”

She went quiet for a moment before replying coldly.

“Announcing our marriage would ruin my career, so going public with Heath was the only way. I did it to protect you.”

“Do you have any idea how many toxic haters would harass you if they knew you were my husband? I was doing you a favor!”

Before I could utter another word, Chloe’s phone vibrated violently.

She answered an unknown number, and an anxious voice spilled out. “Ms. Preston, Mr. Palmer is standing on the ledge of the roof! He’s completely out of control!”

In the next second, Chloe bolted toward the front door.

She did not spare me a single backward glance.

I stood by the window, watching her taillights disappear into the darkness until they vanished completely.

My phone chimed with an incoming notification.

It was a message from a college junior I had not spoken to in ages.

“Hey, Gavin. I saw the news and feel like you might be in a tough spot. Do you need any help?”

If I remembered correctly, she had majored in law and was now a top divorce attorney in the city.

I let out a tired, grateful smile and typed back: “Yes. I’m preparing for a divorce.”

A second later, her call came through. “I take it you need a divorce agreement drafted immediately?”

I nodded, a faint trace of relief in my voice. “As fast as possible.”

Vivian did not waste time with small talk. “Consider it done. That’s my specialty. You’ll have it shortly.”

Over the next few days, I arranged my mother’s funeral and finalized my plans to move abroad.

Back when I graduated from college, I had received a lucrative job offer from an international firm in Paris.

I had turned it down without hesitation the moment Chloe agreed to marry me.

After the wedding, Chloe told me her public profile made things complicated.

She asked me to stay home and avoid working outside so our secret marriage wouldn’t be exposed.

She promised her income was more than enough to support our household.

I saw nothing wrong with taking care of our home, so I gladly accepted.

Four years later, the whole thing felt like a sick, twisted dream.

Chloe never came back after that night.

For all practical purposes, we were already separated.

Not long after, that same Parisian company reached out to me again with an updated offer.

I packed up all my personal belongings and rented a small temporary studio apartment.

Fortunately, I had saved enough of my own money to cover my expenses until my flight.

Once everything was settled, I dialed Chloe’s number.

“When are you free? We need to go to the courthouse to finalize the divorce paperwork.”

There was a stunned silence on the other end, followed by Chloe’s furious outburst.

“Gavin, what is wrong with you? Can you stop making a scene for once?”

“Just let me know when you have time, and I’ll meet you at the courthouse,” I said calmly. “If you’re too busy, I can mail the settlement agreement to your agency. If you refuse to sign, I’ll file a lawsuit.”

Hearing how resolute I was, Chloe’s tone suddenly softened.

“Gavin, everything I did was for your own good. The entertainment industry moves fast, and people will forget about this hype in a few weeks. The man I actually married is you.”

“We’ve been married for four years. Didn’t you say you’ve loved me since high school? That’s eleven whole years, Gavin. You could never bear to leave me, so please stop bringing this up.”

Eleven years.

From that first crush in high school to four years of marriage.

It had really been more than a decade of my life.