Chapter 1

1

Six years of a secret marriage to Zachary, and he finally promised to take our relationship public the day his company went public on Wall Street.

Instead, his little assistant, Hailey, walked onto the stage in a custom designer gown. She clung to his arm, basking in the spotlight as the proud, sweet lady of the house.

Stunned, my fingers slipped, and my champagne glass shattered on the floor.

Zachary sneered at me in front of the whole room, calling me a pathetic country girl who could never handle the high life.

I didn't scream or cause a scene to fight for my rightful title as his wife like I used to.

I simply slipped off my wedding ring, turned around, and walked away.

...

I had just finished consulting a divorce attorney over the phone when Zachary caught up with me, scowling deeply.

"Clara, what the hell is wrong with you? Giving me attitude and storming out? Where are your manners?"

Tonight was the company's IPO gala, filled with high-profile partners and top investors.

It was also the day Zachary swore he would finally introduce me to the world as his wife.

I spent an entire month prepping for tonight, making sure everything was flawless just to stand by his side.

Yet in the end, all my hard work became someone else's stepping stone.

I brushed his hand away and kept walking.

"I'm tired. I'm going home."

Seeing how cold I was, Zachary grabbed my wrist aggressively.

"What kind of tantrum is this? Did I spoil you too much?"

His sudden yank threw me off balance. My three-inch heels wobbled, and my ankle twisted with a sickening crack.

A sharp, throbbing pain shot up my leg, making me gasp for air.

Zachary muttered that I was an idiot, then scooped me up into his arms.

"Are you blind? You can't even walk on flat ground without tripping."

He effortlessly pinned the blame on me.

He conveniently forgot that it was his violent pull that made me twist my ankle in the first place.

My ankle hurt too much to walk, and I was exhausted from arguing.

Zachary shoved me into the passenger seat of his car. As soon as I looked up, I saw Hailey's selfie taped right to the dashboard.

A Disney plush was tied to the headrest, and cute cartoon figurines lined the front.

Zachary cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Those are Hailey's. She begged me to put them there, claiming she gets carsick without them."

I nodded numbly, only wanting to get to the ER.

"Young girls like that kind of stuff."

Zachary glanced at me sideways, seeming like he wanted to explain more.

Before he could say a word, his phone rang.

It was Hailey's special ringtone.

"Zachary, where are you? Everyone is toasting me as the CEO's wife. I feel so dizzy, I think I'm going to pass out."

The moment he hung up, Zachary unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out of the car.

He tossed only two words over his shoulder: "Wait here."

An hour passed, and he never returned.

My twisted ankle was swollen into a purple balloon.

I had to drag my excruciatingly painful foot out of the parking lot, inching my way toward the main street.

After waiting in the cold for another thirty minutes, a kind stranger finally gave me a ride to the hospital.

By the time I got my ankle bandaged and returned home, I opened my phone and saw Hailey's post from two hours ago.

In the photo, her fingers were intertwined with Zachary's, both of them beaming happily.

Her caption read: "Finally taking our private romance public today!"

I tapped my screen and typed a comment underneath.

"First time seeing someone flaunt an affair so shamelessly. Hope you two stay trapped together forever."