Chapter 1

On our tenth wedding anniversary, my husband unveiled his newest masterpiece at a high-profile jewelry gala.

Amid gasps of awe from the crowd, he slipped the dazzling diamond ring onto the finger of his first love.

"Years ago, I owed you a grand wedding," he said into the microphone. "Let this make up for the regrets of our past."

The multimillion-dollar ring was named "Endless Devotion," and her initials were engraved right onto the platinum band.

Meanwhile, that very morning, the anniversary gift I received from him was a cheap diamond chip weighing less than one carat.

It turned out that in his eyes, a decade of devotion was worth nothing more than leftover scrap.

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

A dead marriage wasn't worth clinging to anymore.

1

When Zachary came home, he reeked of cheap liquor and expensive perfume.

A smudge of bright lipstick stained his collar, and the top button of his dress shirt was missing.

Seeing me sitting silently on the sofa, he hesitated before speaking in a low voice.

"I was supposed to meet you at the steakhouse right after the gala," he murmured. "A few key clients dragged me into urgent business talks, and it slipped my mind until it was too late..."

He paused, trying to sound casual. "How was dinner? Did you like the food?"

I nodded calmly and handed him a clean towel.

"Take a shower first. It's late."

Zachary didn't say a single word about what happened at the exhibition.

Today was our tenth anniversary, and I had booked that rooftop restaurant two weeks in advance.

Yet he never showed up, not even when the staff started flipping the chairs over the tables.

I had sat alone by the window, tearing into a dry ribeye with my bare hands while choking back tears.

A young couple at the adjacent booth had laughed at how pathetic I looked.

At the gala earlier that evening, Zachary had showcased his crowning achievement.

A rare, flawless blue diamond sat nestled in custom platinum, a gem so mesmerizing it took everyone's breath away.

Yet during his keynote speech, Zachary invited his ex, Gigi Brooks, onto the stage.

In front of every guest and reporter, he slid the ring onto her finger.

"Gigi, I once promised you a lavish wedding," he said, his voice trembling with emotion. "I'm another woman's husband now, and I can't keep that promise. But tonight, let this ring close the chapter on our regrets."

Gasps rippled through the ballroom, and Zachary's eyes welled with tears.

As one of the nation's top jewelry designers, every piece he created was treated like sacred art.

Yet on such an occasion, he gifted a ten-million-dollar masterpiece to a woman he claimed was just an old friend.

He named it "Endless Devotion."

Her initials were carved into the inside of the band.

What I got for our milestone anniversary was a speck of dust under a single carat.

It was probably an off-cut sweep from his jeweler's bench.

Compared to what he gave Gigi, my ring was a humiliating joke.

When Zachary stepped out of the bathroom, the chaotic stench of perfume was finally washed away.

He sat beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, his tone sickeningly tender.

"Babe, remember how you always wanted to see the Northern Lights?" he whispered. "My schedule is clear next week. Let's go. It's been too long since we did something romantic."

He kissed my forehead. "It's our tenth anniversary. We can't leave any regrets."

Years ago, words like that would have melted my heart.

Now, I knew his sweet promises were nothing more than empty smoke.

From our broke college days to walking down the aisle, he had drifted further and further away.

Or perhaps he had simply grown sick of this safe, predictable life with me.

I let out a slow, quiet breath and looked him in the eye.

"Now that you've slept with Gigi, what regrets could you possibly have left?"