Chapter 1

In the middle of the night, I received a text from my drunk wife.

I rushed over in my car to pick her up, only to walk right into her French-kissing her childhood sweetheart.

When I confronted her, she did not care at all.

"It was just a party game. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Later that night, I went through her phone and saw the messages between her and her sweetheart, Kendrick Shaw.

"If I had crashed your wedding back then, would you have run away with me?"

"Yes. I only chose him because he looks so much like you."

I stood on the balcony holding my wife's phone for a long time, reading that message over and over again.

As the sky slowly turned gray, my heart sank inch by inch into the dark.

It was not until full daylight broke and her alarm went off that I heard a voice behind me.

"Where is breakfast?"

I turned around. My wife, Audrey Mercer, was sitting in a chair rubbing her temples, looking pale and miserable from the hangover.

In the past, I would have already brewed ginger tea to soothe her stomach and prepared warm oatmeal.

I would have packed her favorite lunch for work without her even asking.

Now I realized that everything I had ever done was a total joke.

No matter how hard I tried, I could never compete with Kendrick's place in her heart.

"Do you still need me to cook for you?"

Audrey rubbed her forehead with visible annoyance. "What are you throwing a fit about now?"

She looked at me and frowned deeply.

"Did I not already explain what happened yesterday? It was just a game to welcome Kendrick back home."

"If anything were going to happen between us, it would have happened years ago. Why else would I have married you?"

"By the way, you dragged me away so aggressively yesterday that Kendrick must have felt uncomfortable. I am hosting a dinner tonight, and you are going to apologize to him."

Her voice was calm, but the tenderness in her tone whenever she said Kendrick's name was unmistakable.

An overwhelming exhaustion washed over me, and I could no longer hold back my emotions.

"Let us get a divorce."

She froze for a moment, then leaned back against her chair, her eyes turning cold.

"Over a silly drinking game? Jaren, stop being so unreasonable."

"Kendrick is the one you actually love, and now that he is back, I will not keep taking up his spot."

I held up her phone.

The moment she saw what was on the screen, her expression shifted, and she snatched the device from my hand.

"Did I not tell you never to touch my phone?"

I did not want to argue with her anymore, so I spoke in a dead tone. "I will have a lawyer draft the papers. I am moving out today."

I turned to leave, but Audrey's sharp voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Jaren, I have given you enough face. There is a limit to how far you can push this tantrum!"

She slammed her hand onto the table and raised her voice. "Even if you do not care about yourself, you have to think about your grandmother, don't you?"

"She is still lying in the hospital. Can your meager paycheck cover her medical bills?"

"Besides, the specialist in charge of her treatment is the top doctor from my family's healthcare group. If you choose to divorce me now, your grandmother will…"

I froze, my eyes widening in utter disbelief.

"Are you threatening me?"

Audrey shrugged nonchalantly. "I am just stating the facts."

A faint smile returned to her face, and her posture relaxed completely.

"Now that you know the truth, just play your part as his stand-in. Take good care of me, and your grandmother gets to keep breathing."

"You…"

I glared at her with burning hatred, my face drained of color.

"You are shameless!"

"I am a businesswoman. I do not make deals that lose money."

She stood up and stretched lazily. "I am eating out for breakfast and lunch, so do not bother cooking."

"And do not forget to come apologize to Kendrick tonight."

With that, she walked into the bedroom.