Chapter 1

I had just finished work and was passing the cafe downstairs when I saw Melody Thorne laughing with a young man.

The man was touching her, fixing her collar and brushing hair behind her ear.

I stood by the window for hours, watching his hands stay on her the entire time.

Eventually, he confessed his love to my wife.

Melody didn't get angry. She just smiled. "Don't you know I have a husband?"

The man didn't care at all. "A beautiful woman deserves a real man. I'm sure Mr. Reed would understand."

I smiled bitterly. None of Melody's friends had ever respected me.

After all, I was just the house husband who took her name. I had no voice in the Thorne family.

When Melody didn't argue with him, my heart went cold. They kept rubbing my dignity into the dirt.

I knew this marriage was over.

1

The man was about to say more, but I stepped inside and grabbed a cup of coffee from a nearby table. I poured it directly over his head.

He stared at me in shock, his face turning red with rage. "You loser! Do you have any idea who I am? How dare you do this to me!"

The cafe was near the office, so many of our coworkers were there.

The scene drew a crowd instantly.

"Isn't that Justin Reed? Is he crazy? How does he dare lose his temper in front of CEO Thorne?"

Melody watched me, but she wasn't angry. She just brushed it off with a cold smile.

The man hid behind Melody, looking at me with pure contempt.

Then he pouted. "Melody, you have to do something! He's bullying me!"

His eyes filled with tears. He looked exactly like someone from her past.

He was the image of Melody's first love, the one who got away. I had spent five years trying to compete with a ghost.

Melody stirred her coffee with a spoon. She looked up, completely indifferent. "What's the big deal? Why are you so upset?"

She looked at the boy and said, "If you don't like him, I can make him stay out of your sight."

Then she looked at me. "I promised my mentor I would take care of you. No one will take your spot as my husband."

Thinking of my late mentor made my chest tighten. I reached into my shirt and pulled off the emerald pendant I wore. I handed it to her.

"Your mentor gave this to me, but it belongs to the Thorne family. I'm giving it back."

Melody looked at the gem. "They say jewelry reflects the wearer. You've worn this for years, and it still looks dull. I guess it doesn't suit you."

She tossed it carelessly into the boy's lap. "Here, it's yours. A multi-million dollar emerald is wasted on someone like Justin."

It wasn't that the emerald didn't suit me. It was that I didn't suit her world.

To Melody, I was just a nobody from a small town who didn't belong in high society.

She waved her hand and wiped her fingers with a napkin.

She looked as if she had touched something filthy.

Watching her look at me with such disgust felt like a giant hand was crushing my heart.

"Mr. Reed, I never wanted to replace you," the boy said. He was smart. He knew Melody's words meant I was staying for now.

But he was also clever enough to play the victim. "I just want to be by Melody's side and serve her."

"Hear that?" Melody raised an eyebrow at me. Then she turned to him. "Go wait for me outside. I'll be there in a minute."

The boy nodded obediently.

Before Melody left, she gave me a warning.

"Justin, if you lose something, it's gone. Don't lose yourself, too."

"I'll let this slide once because you're acting out, but remember your place!"