Chapter 2

02

Skylar and I were high school sweethearts.

The year my parents divorced, my world collapsed. It was Skylar who stayed by my side, encouraging me to focus on my studies.

We got into the same university, fell in love, and naturally tied the knot. But my mother, who had abandoned our family for wealth, vehemently opposed our marriage.

“I’ve lived through it. I know how miserable a marriage is when there’s no money.”

“Leave Skylar, and your stepfather Marcus will hand his entire pharmaceutical corporation over to you.”

For Skylar’s sake, I refused.

I wanted to prove to my mother that not everyone worshiped money the way she did.

Skylar and I both studied medicine. After graduation, I became a surgical resident at a major trauma center. The pay was modest, but the job was stable.

Skylar lacked academic drive, but she was tall and gorgeous. She was quickly hired as a receptionist at a high-end cosmetic clinic.

For the past three years, I worked myself to the bone just to build a better future for us.

Skylar used to appreciate my efforts. Whenever I stumbled home from a brutal graveyard shift, there would always be a warm bowl of soup waiting for me.

I foolishly believed that as long as I worked hard, our happiness was guaranteed.

Yet Skylar changed much faster than I could have ever imagined.

A star plastic surgeon joined her clinic.

Rumor had it he was an Ivy League graduate with a stellar resume and an annual income in the millions.

Every young woman at the clinic threw themselves at him, and Skylar was no exception.

She traded her modest clothes for sheer stockings and heavy makeup, leaving her blouses unbuttoned to flash lace lingerie.

I had brought it up before, gently warning her that her outfits were borderline indecent.

Skylar had snapped right back. “That’s the whole point.”

Realizing she had slipped up, she quickly backtracked. “You don't get it. The med-spa industry is cutthroat. If I don't stand out, younger girls will take my spot. You don't want me to lose my job, do you?”

I loved her too much. I loved her so blindly that even when the red flags waved right in front of me, I chose to trust her.

If I hadn't seen her in the ER with another man tonight, I would still be clinging to this pathetic fantasy.

Looking at her shivering in the icy wind with a radiant smile, and hearing the lewd banter streaming over the car’s Bluetooth speakers, I finally woke up.

It had all been my own delusion.