Chapter 2

2

A second later, a DM from Hailey popped up.

"Clara, it's just an act Zachary and I agreed on for business. Please don't be mad at him. There's really nothing between us."

She even attached a crying puppy emoji.

I ignored her cheap theatrics and didn't reply.

That night, Zachary came home before ten, which was an absolute miracle.

The moment he stepped through the door, his brow furrowed with rage.

"I told you to wait in the car! When did you leave? Do you know how long I looked for you? Do you not understand English?"

I pointed to my tightly wrapped ankle.

"I haven't even confronted you for abandoning your injured wife in a car for an hour, and you're already blaming me?"

Zachary stiffened. He pulled out his phone and scrolled up through our chat history.

I knew what he was doing. He was checking if he had missed any texts from me.

In the past, I updated him on everything I did, filling our chat with a solid wall of green bubbles.

Yet today, from the gala until now, I had been completely silent.

Zachary seemed to recall something, slamming his phone onto the coffee table in front of me.

"Fine, I won't hold that against you. Now explain to me what the hell this comment means!"

On his screen was Hailey's post, where my blunt comment stood out starkly among all the congratulations.

Back when the company stabilized, I asked him more than once to announce our marriage.

He threw a temper tantrum each time, accusing me of being vain and insecure.

After that, I stopped bringing it up.

Then Hailey joined the firm, and rumors began swirling that she and Zachary were secretly married.

That was the sole reason I pushed him to go public tonight.

No woman could stand seeing her husband's name tied to another woman.

Zachary had agreed easily this time.

I was overjoyed, believing my patience had finally paid off.

I never expected him to take the stage and publicly declare Hailey as his wife.

When I accidentally broke the glass, he cursed me out without hesitation.

And now, he had the audacity to interrogate me as if he had done nothing wrong.

"Did I say anything wrong? Since you announced to the world that she's your wife, what is that if not an affair?"

Zachary let out a scoff, his eyes dripping with disdain.

"So that's what this tantrum is about."

"Look at yourself, Clara. You're a washed-up housewife who lives off my dime. Do you honestly think you fit the image of a CEO's wife? Hailey is young and competent. Having her by my side makes our investors believe in our company's future!"

"Besides, it's just an empty title for the public. Why are you so damn obsessed with vanity?"

He accused me of being a useless freeloader chasing status.

He conveniently forgot that right after college, I was a top performer at a Fortune 500 firm.

When he started this company, I poured everything into landing him his very first million-dollar contract.

After we tied the knot, he coaxed me, promising he would provide for me for the rest of my life.

That was why I stepped back to become a full-time homemaker, building a warm sanctuary for him.

Zachary kept lecturing me relentlessly.

"You dropped a glass at a high-end gala. It proves you have zero class and can't handle high society, unlike Hailey, who is graceful and confident."

"If I had introduced you as my wife, you would have embarrassed me completely."

"Also, because of your comment, people are asking if Hailey is a homewrecker. You ruined her reputation."

"Apologize to her right now!"

This was Zachary's classic warning sign.

If my apology didn't satisfy him, he would unleash his silent treatment.

He would vanish for weeks, ignoring my calls and texts.

Even if I risked my safety tapping on his car window begging him to come home, he would slam on the gas and speed away.

What Zachary didn't realize was that all my submissiveness and pleading had stemmed from love.

The moment he declared Hailey his wife on that stage, six years of love vanished into thin air.

Hearing his insults now, my heart felt completely numb.

I looked straight at him and spoke calmly.

"Let's get a divorce."