Chapter 1

I finally brought my wife's first love back from a Middle Eastern war zone after three years of hell.

When the helicopter touched down on the Leigh family's private helipad, everyone was stunned into silence.

Seraphina Leigh looked at me with a mix of shock and pure ecstasy, asking me how the hell I pulled it off.

She had spent a fortune and used every connection she had, yet the government never granted her the clearance to bring him home.

I simply smiled and didn't say a word.

She had no idea that I traded my entire existence―agreeing to join a top-secret, classified research project―just to buy him a ticket back to the States.

From this day forward, my identity would be erased, and I would be sent to a remote facility in the Nevada desert.

I would never see her again.

1.

"Mr. Reed, please settle all your affairs within three days. Headquarters will send a car to transport you to the Nevada facility then."

After giving my confirmation, I started packing the few things I actually owned.

Looking around the house I'd lived in for eight years, I didn't feel sad about leaving. Instead, I felt a strange, liberating sense of relief.

The wedding photo that once hung in the living room had been replaced by a shot of Seraphina and Weston Sterling the moment he got back.

Matching couple's outfits, matching mugs, matching towels…

Everything had been swapped out for Weston's stuff.

You couldn't find a single trace of my existence in this house anymore.

I still remember our wedding day. Seraphina's eyes were sparkling as she told me,

"Kaelen, this home will be a record of every moment we're in love."

Back then, her eyes were full of hope for our future. She never imagined this house would become a shrine to her and Weston instead.

In the middle of the night, I got a text from her. I could practically hear her impatient tone through the screen.

[Get over here. We need to talk.]

She attached a location for a high-end lounge downtown.

It was rare for her to reach out first, but I didn't feel the usual spark of excitement. My heart stayed cold.

After hesitating for a moment, I got up and got dressed.

When my Uber pulled up to the lounge, the scene inside was exactly what I expected. Seraphina was draped over Weston, kissing him with a passion that suggested they couldn't wait to get a room.

Her group of friends immediately turned their mocking gazes toward me.

"Kaelen Reed, are you Seraphina's lapdog or something? One text and you come running."

"What do you call this? The 'official husband' having a big heart?"

In eight years of marriage, Seraphina's friends had always looked down on me. Every meeting was an exercise in sharp-tongued ridicule.

And Seraphina never once stood up for me.

She finally pulled away from Weston amidst the cheering, but she didn't get off his lap. She just squinted at me with a lazy, bored expression.

"Weston says he wants to thank you in person."

Weston picked up a glass of whiskey and held it out to me.

There wasn't a hint of gratitude on his face. Only the smug, condescending sneer of a victor.

"Kaelen, thanks for getting me out of that hellhole. I'm toasting to you. Don't embarrass me in front of everyone by refusing."

I didn't take the glass. I just looked at Seraphina, my face like stone.

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?"

She clicked her tongue in annoyance, not even bothering to answer my question. Her brows furrowed with displeasure.

"Weston is offering you a drink. Are you blind?"

"Stop being dramatic. Drink it, and then maybe you'll be worth talking to."

The icy temperature of the glass and Seraphina's freezing attitude collided in my chest. My heart felt like it had been shattered into a thousand pieces.

She knew better than anyone that I had been forced to drink and then was mistreated by a group of thugs years ago. I still had the psychological scars.

Back then, she had held me while I cried, telling me how much she hurt for me.

She had promised she would never force me to do anything I didn't want to do ever again.

Under the weight of their insults, I trembled as I downed the glass in one go.

"Now tell me. What is this really about?"

I forced myself to stay steady, trying to keep some shred of dignity.

Weston let out a mocking chuckle and wrapped his arm around Seraphina's waist.

"I just told her I was bored and wanted some entertainment. Kaelen, you have no idea how pathetic you look when you're forced to do something."

"It's almost sad. Too bad Seraphina doesn't fall for your act anymore."

Seraphina didn't even give me a second glance. She leaned in and kissed Weston's cheek, murmuring sweetly,

"I only care about you."

Someone nearby laughed and leaned in.

"Seraphina, tell us―which one of them is better in bed?"

"Please, he can't even hold a candle to Weston."

Seraphina finally looked at me again, but her eyes were full of nothing but mockery and disdain.

I didn't even feel angry. Just hollow.

I clenched my fists until my knuckles popped, the pain barely registering against the ache in my chest.

I turned and walked away, unable to listen to another word of their humiliation. The moment I stepped out of the bar, the tears started falling.

I wiped them away quickly, grateful for the dim streetlights. I didn't want her to see me cry.

She'd just think I was still in love with her and mock my desperation.

These tears weren't for her. They were for the version of me that had sacrificed everything for a woman who never cared.