Chapter 1

1.

The night my husband, Carter, sent our son Leo's surgeon away for his first love, I changed.

Overnight, I cured myself of all the habits he hated.

When he stayed out all night, I stopped asking where he'd been.

When I saw texts and voicemails from Chloe on his phone, I looked the other way.

The day we buried Leo, he called me. "Evelyn, there's an emergency at the office. I can't make it."

I said only one word: "Okay."

Then I handled the entire funeral myself.

My assistant stood beside me, her face grim. "Carter said he'll rush over as soon as the meeting is over. Maybe he can still make it…"

I didn't say a word, just placed Leo's tiny urn into the grave.

Just as the stone slab was about to be sealed, a black Porsche screeched to a halt on the path. Carter burst out into the rain. His coat was soaked, the keys were still in the ignition, the engine still running.

"Evelyn! Why didn't you wait for me? I'm Leo's father, too!"

I looked at him calmly, my tone as mild as if I were discussing the weather. "Your work is more important. Leo would understand."

My excessive calm made his face change. He reached for me but froze as whispers erupted from the crowd around us.

"If it weren't for Chloe suddenly running off to Europe back then, Evelyn Hayes would never have had a chance to marry into the Sterling family."

He tried to explain, his voice urgent. "Chloe and I are just friends. I see her as a little sister―"

I handed him my black umbrella. "I know. It's raining. Don't catch a cold."

With that, I turned to leave.

He chased after me, grabbing my wrist. "If you want to be angry, take it out on me. Don't make a scene like this―"

His phone rang. He frowned but answered it.

"Carter… Oliver is throwing up again. Can you come? I can't handle this alone."

It was Chloe's voice.

Carter glanced at me. Seeing no reaction, he spoke into the phone. "Okay, I'm on my way."

I straightened up. My knees were numb from kneeling by the tombstone for so long, and I swayed.

"Careful!" he said, rushing to steady me.

I regained my balance and gently pulled my hand away. "Go. It's hard when a pet is sick. Drive safe."

I even straightened his collar, smoothing out the rain-soaked lapels.

Carter took the keys, but as he reached his car, he turned back. "I'll be home for dinner tonight."

"Okay. I'll wait for you."

Of course, he never came home.

I made his favorite Beef Wellington and creamy asparagus soup. I waited from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. I reheated the steak three times before finally dumping it all in the trash.

At 2 a.m., Chloe posted a story on Instagram.

【With you here, I'm not afraid of anything. Thank you, my guardian angel. ??】

The picture was a side profile of Carter―his brow furrowed in concentration, gently feeding her cat, Oliver, with a dropper.

I liked the post.

Then I sent a message to my parents in San Francisco.

"The divorce papers become final in seven days. About what you said before―the business marriage with the Croft family. I'll do it."