Chapter 1

On our tenth wedding anniversary, my wife unveiled her latest jewelry collection at a high-profile press conference.

Amid the gasps of the audience, she slipped a dazzling blue diamond ring onto the finger of her first love.

“I once owed you a grand wedding,” she announced softly into the microphone. “Let this make up for the regrets of our past.”

The multimillion-dollar ring was named “Endless Devotion.” Her first love’s initials were even carved into the platinum band.

Meanwhile, that same morning, my anniversary gift from her was a scrap diamond ring barely weighing half a carat.

To her, a decade of our marriage was as cheap as leftover diamond dust.

Watching the two of them embrace on stage under the flashing cameras, I quietly turned around and walked out into the night.

A marriage this tasteless was no longer worth keeping.

1

When Summer finally returned home, she reeked of expensive bourbon.

Her red lipstick was completely smudged across her lips. A button was missing from the collar of her silk blouse.

Seeing me sitting silently on the living room sofa, she cleared her throat and spoke.

“I was supposed to meet you at the steakhouse right after the gala,” she said casually. “A few key clients dragged me into unexpected business talks. By the time we finished, it was already too late.”

She paused, glancing at me. “How was dinner? Did you like the food?”

I gave a faint nod and handed her a fresh towel.

“Go take a shower,” I said. “It is late.”

Summer said nothing about what had unfolded on stage tonight.

Tonight was our tenth wedding anniversary. I had booked a private table at that upscale downtown restaurant two weeks in advance.

I had waited alone until closing time, but Summer never showed up.

I ended up sitting by the window, tearing into a cold ribeye with my bare hands.

My pathetic dining state even drew muffled giggles from a young couple at the next table.

At the launch earlier that evening, Summer had presented her crowning masterpiece.

A rare natural blue diamond, set upon a pure platinum band, radiated a mesmerizing glow under the spotlights.

Yet during her keynote speech, Summer called Caleb Hayes up to the stage.

In front of hundreds of elite guests, she slipped that very ring onto his finger.

“Caleb, I owed you a wedding years ago,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion. “Now that I am someone else’s wife, I can no longer keep that promise.”

“Tonight, let this ring put an end to all those years of regret.”

Gasps rippled through the grand hall as tears welled in Summer’s eyes.

As one of the country’s top jewelry designers, every piece she created was revered as a masterpiece.

Yet on such an occasion, she gifted a multimillion-dollar blue diamond to an ex-lover she claimed to have moved on from.

She even christened it “Endless Devotion.”

His initials were engraved right into the inner band.

In contrast, what I had received that morning was a ring with a microscopic speck of a diamond.

It was likely just leftover scrap from her workshop bench.

Compared to the stone on Caleb’s hand, mine was a total joke.

When she finished her shower, the chaotic scent of alcohol and cologne on her skin had washed away.

Summer walked over and leaned into my chest, her voice sweet and gentle.

“Honey, remember how you always wanted to see the Northern Lights?” she purred. “My schedule is clear next week. Let’s go to Alaska. It’s been so long since we did something romantic.”

She pressed closer. “It’s our tenth anniversary, after all. We shouldn't leave any regrets.”

Years ago, such sweet whispers would have easily deceived me.

Over the years, Summer made countless promises, but she never acted on a single one.

From our innocent college days to the altar, a decade had slipped by.

Summer had become a complete stranger to me.

Perhaps she had long grown tired of our peaceful, mundane married life.

I exhaled a long breath and asked in a calm tone.

“You already slept with Caleb tonight. What regrets could you possibly have left?”