Chapter 1

1.

My marriage to Julian Harrison had been dead for three years.

For three years, he paraded a string of young girls at every charity gala and high-end party, making me the laughingstock of the East Coast elite. But I never fought with him, never paid any mind to the gossip.

Then came another wedding anniversary.

The budding actress he brought this time was as stunning as all the others. But one look at her face, and I finally snapped. I lunged at her, my nails digging into her skin until she bled.

Julian exploded with rage, wrecking the entire party.

That night, his old illness flared up, and he was rushed to the hospital.

The tabloids and online trolls had a field day, all defending him.

"Did Ella have another episode? If she hadn't jumped off that cliff with their baby three years ago, would the Harrison heir's health be this fragile?"

"Exactly, the baby was only seven months old… What a terrible mother."

I scrolled through the comments with a bitter twist of my lips. I didn't say a word. I didn't go to the hospital.

I just waited for him to come home. And when he did, I handed him the divorce papers I’d had ready for a long time.

This time, I was choosing to let myself go.

When Julian returned from the hospital, I was sitting on the living room sofa, staring blankly at my phone.

The motion-sensor light in the foyer flickered on, accompanied by the sound of a man's suppressed cough. It startled me, and I looked up.

Julian’s face was pale as he leaned against the doorframe, breathing heavily.

My lips moved, but the words that came out were cold. "If you can stand, sign the papers."

Then I looked down again.

The silence in the room was deafening.

After a long moment, his icy voice cut through the air. "Ella, you've gone too far this time."

His footsteps receded. A few minutes later, he came downstairs dragging a suitcase, heading straight for the door. He didn't even glance at the agreement.

I shot up instinctively, clutching the papers to chase after him. "Julian…"

"You want a divorce? Fine," Julian cut me off, his face grim. "The legal process takes time. But right now, I don't want to see you for another second."

I froze, my nails digging deep into my palms. "Fine. I'll see you in a month."

I said it and turned to leave.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed as he kicked the suitcase across the floor. "Ella Vance, are you trying to drive me fucking insane?"

He stormed toward me, slamming me to the ground and wrapping his hands around my neck. "Do you have a conscience? Your husband was on his deathbed. Did you ask about me once? Do you even care?"

I smirked, looking straight into his furious, bloodshot eyes. "Didn't you have someone else taking care of you?"

The news was plastered everywhere: the famous actress Isabelle Reed, nursing the wounds I’d given her, had stayed by the Harrison heir's side day and night. She even brought her three-year-old son to the hospital to cheer him up.

Wasn't that enough?