Chapter 1

Hailey Reed always believed her life was a fairytale.

Born into a wealthy Connecticut family, parents in perfect health, she was the golden girl who, through sheer, relentless pursuit, had won the heart of Yale' s campus prince, Liam Vanderbilt. A direct descendant of the Vanderbilts, Liam was more than just old money; he was a prodigy. Graduating top of his class, he'd launched a fintech startup that disrupted Wall Street within two years, his net worth rocketing past a hundred billion.

Even back at Yale, Liam was a magnet for attention. At every alumni gala, Hailey' s former classmates would toast her, calling her a goddess for taming the notoriously aloof and sought-after Liam.

Two years into their marriage, she quit her job at a SoHo art gallery, ready to start a family in their Greenwich mansion.

But before she could share the news with Liam, he announced he was being dispatched to London for a year-long project, only returning every few months.

Hailey had always put him first. A few months apart? She could handle it.

The longing, however, was unbearable.

By the third day, Hailey had sent him over 99 texts on WhatsApp.

- Hubby I miss you, can we FaceTime?

- Ugh, this fertility tea is disgusting.

- Should I just fly over to you?

So far, radio silence.

Hailey lay in their king-sized bed, phone clutched in both hands, staring at the screen until it went dark.

The screen lit up again. A call from her best friend, Chloe.

The second she answered, Chloe' s furious voice erupted.

"Hailey! I just heard Liam' s old flame, Serena Dubois, is back from Paris? And she just got a job at his London office? What the hell is going on? Is he trying to write a sequel to The Affair?!"

Hailey froze, her voice trembling. "When did this happen?"

"I heard she flew in a couple of days ago! What' s the deal?"

A couple of days ago… the same day Liam left for his "business trip."

"I…" Hailey buried her face in the crook of her arm, her voice muffled. "I don' t know. All I know is he left for a year-long trip two days ago. He didn' t even come home to pack, just left straight from the city."

"A year?! Why didn' t he take you? And the timing is way too perfect. Serena comes back, he leaves? Have you texted him to ask?"

"I have. He' s not replying."

The words were a punch to the gut, leaving Hailey feeling hollow and sick.

"Not replying?! If you weren' t so head-over-heels for him, I' d personally key his vintage Porsche. You need to find out who he went with! Dummy! Call his assistant right now!"

After hanging up, Hailey dialed Liam' s executive assistant.

"Hi, could you tell me who Liam traveled with? Thank you."

"Of course, Mrs. Vanderbilt. It' s the new Vice President. She just transferred from our Paris branch and is very familiar with the European market, so…"

Hailey hung up abruptly, unable to listen anymore. Her eyes, red and stinging, stared blankly at the silk curtains swaying in the breeze.

She stared for a long time until her eyes ached. Defeated, she collapsed onto the bed, her quiet sobs turning into gut-wrenching cries.

She knew Liam had an old flame. Once, while playing with his phone, she' d found a private Instagram account. Curiosity got the better of her.

The account was a shrine to another girl. It was then she discovered that Liam had been in love with someone since his prep school days at Andover.

Hailey and Chloe had spent weeks speculating, finally concluding the mystery girl was likely Hailey' s own freshman roommate at Yale, Serena Dubois.

She knew when she started chasing Liam that she wasn't his type and that the competition was fierce. But their two years of marriage had been blissful. They had a marriage certificate; they were husband and wife. Hailey thought she could endure anything for that.

But now, a crushing, acidic pain filled her chest. A pain she couldn' t ignore.

A storm broke outside. A loud clap of thunder rattled the windows, illuminating the pale, tear-streaked face of the woman curled at the foot of the bed.

Clutching her cold phone, she bit her lip until she tasted blood.

She called Liam' s number dozens of times.

"The person you are trying to reach is unavailable…"

The robotic voice blended with another crash of thunder outside.

Hailey flinched.

After they were married, on every stormy night, no matter how busy he was, Liam would come home to hold her.

Now, he wouldn't even answer her call.

Hailey suddenly remembered a Reddit thread she' d once read.

A man' s first love is an unbeatable ghost. Even if she' s gone, she lives in his heart forever.

Hailey' s gaze fell on the nightstand, covered with prenatal vitamins, CoQ10 supplements, and folic acid. Now, her dream of a baby was shattered, and her husband was cheating.

Knock, knock-

"Come in," she choked out, getting up.

The housekeeper, Maria, entered with a large bowl of soup, placing it on the small dining table in the corner of the suite.

When she lifted the lid, a fishy, herbal smell filled the air.

Hailey instantly covered her nose.

"This fertility soup, it helps with follicle…"

"Maria…" Hailey' s weak voice stopped her.

She' d been forcing down similar concoctions for months, each time fighting back nausea.

She was here, suffering through fertility treatments, eagerly awaiting her husband's return.

Meanwhile, he was off in Europe with his first love.

Hailey' s eyes were swollen and red. "You don' t need to make this anymore."

Her voice was hoarse as she asked Maria to take the soup away.

She sent one last message to Liam.

- Liam, I want a divorce.

The phone remained silent. No reply.

Hailey clutched her phone and drifted into a restless, tormented sleep.

That night, at 4 a.m., she woke up in a cold sweat, ripped from a nightmare.

She had a new message from Liam.

- Fine.

The sweat-soaked hair clung to her cheeks. Her already swollen eyes instantly reddened again, hot tears streaming down her face like broken pearls.

After sending the text, she had hoped he would explain, beg for forgiveness, comfort her.

Hundreds of messages, and this was his two-word response.

He could ignore everything else, but he replied to her request for a divorce.

Of course. Why would Liam Vanderbilt ever beg or comfort her?

Hailey took a deep, shuddering breath, a sharp, stabbing pain piercing her heart.

First thing in the morning, she called their private jet coordinator. She had to go to London.

At the very least… she needed to ask him to his face.

Why marry her if he didn' t love her?

Why, after marrying her, would he be so shamelessly involved with another woman?

"Mr. Vanderbilt took the Gulfstream to London, ma' am. The other jet is currently in maintenance. Shall I book you a commercial flight?"

"Which jet did he take?" Hailey gripped her phone, her knuckles white, her teeth digging into her lower lip.

On their first anniversary, Liam had gifted her a private jet, naming it 'The Hailey.'

She prayed he hadn't taken that one.

Even if… even if he didn' t love her, surely he wouldn' t share a gift meant for her with another woman?

"It was The Hailey, ma' am. Is something wrong?"

Beep, beep, beep-

The line went dead.

Hailey shot up from the sofa. Suddenly, the world spun. She collapsed, darkness swallowing her whole.