Chapter 1

On our seventh wedding anniversary, I sat alone at the dining table, staring at the cold dishes until dawn.

The next morning, Garrett Hayes, the man who claimed he had a business dinner, appeared on every major headline with his first love, Sienna Pierce.

I flipped the table, set fire to his study, and crashed Sienna’s welcome party with bloodshot eyes.

“Come home right now, and never see her again,” I demanded.

“Otherwise, we get a divorce.”

Garrett did not even blink.

It was only when Sienna stumbled and sprained her ankle that genuine panic flickered across his face.

He glared at me and shouted, “Haven’t you caused enough drama?”

I stood frozen for a long time before throwing the signed divorce papers in his face.

“Let’s end this.”

Garrett scribbled his signature without hesitation and immediately knelt down to massage Sienna’s ankle.

As I turned to leave, someone in the crowd whispered, wondering if I was actually being serious this time.

Garrett let out a cold sneer.

“Good riddance. She’s pulled this exact stunt for seven years. I’m sick of it.”

The freezing wind bit into my chest as I gripped my one-way ticket.

Just as he wished, this time, I was truly letting him go.

1

“Have you made up your mind? When are you flying over?”

“My flight leaves in two hours.”

There was a brief silence on the other end before a deep, familiar voice responded.

“Got it. I’ll pick you up at the airport.”

A bitter gale swept through Chicago, carrying the first snow of the year.

Catching a falling snowflake on my fingertip, my mind drifted back to the snowy night seven years ago when I chose Garrett.

I had known since childhood that I was nothing more than a bargaining chip for the Mercer family.

For twenty-one years, I fought tooth and nail against my family’s suffocating control.

Yet in the end, they still drugged my drink and tried to lock me in an old billionaire’s hotel suite.

Desperate and terrified, I was saved when Garrett burst in, wielding a broken glass bottle to pull me out of that nightmare.

He carried me through the deserted streets in the dead of night.

It had been snowing just as hard as tonight.

In his arms, all my tough defenses collapsed, and I looked up at his sharp jawline through a blur of tears.

His brow was furrowed, looking as cold as the ice falling around us.

Yet back then, only one thought consumed my mind.

He was the one.

Even if his heart was made of stone, I swore I would warm it up.

I spent seven years trying.

My phone vibrated violently against my palm.

Every social media feed was dominated by Garrett.

He was no longer the broke, struggling artist from seven years ago.

He was now the celebrated CEO of Hayes Enterprises.

Being spotted repeatedly with the same glamorous woman had sent the internet into a frenzy.

Netizens speculated whether this mystery woman was his hidden wife.

The answer seemed obvious to everyone, because Garrett had never smiled at anyone so tenderly before.

Once Sienna’s identity as an internationally acclaimed pianist was revealed, people became even more convinced they were soulmates.

Staring at the headline calling them a match made in heaven, a bitter laugh escaped my lips.

Seven years ago, I gave up my dream of jewelry design and gathered evidence of the Mercer family’s tax fraud.

I forced my family into submission, and I forced Garrett to marry me.

To build an empire strong enough to crush the Mercer family, I poured every ounce of my connections and resources into him.

He transformed from an ambitious rookie into a ruthless corporate titan, and the people flocking to his side multiplied by the day.

Once, someone even had the audacity to send a model into his hotel bed.

Furious, I canceled that business partnership and posted our wedding photo online.

Garrett had an intense reaction, working overnight with his PR team to scrub every single picture from the internet.

All that remained online were vague rumors about his devoted love for an anonymous wife.

Now, all my hard work had merely paved the way for someone else.

My assistant texted me, asking if we should have the trending news taken down.

I lowered my gaze, watching the snowflake melt into freezing water on my skin.

Seven years of throwing myself into the fire had earned me nothing.

It was time to let him go, and time to set myself free.

I texted back a simple no, grabbed my suitcase, and headed for the door.

Just as I reached for the handle, my phone rang again.

Garrett’s voice was laced with ice. “Mara Mercer. Did you leak those rumors to the press?”