Chapter 1

My father suffered a severe heart relapse and was rushed to the ICU. Right before the emergency surgery, he gripped my hand with whatever strength he had left.

"Once I am gone, Garrett will be the only one left to look after you. You have to promise me you will stay happy with him."

I never imagined those would be the last words he would ever say to me.

Completely shattered, I called my husband, Garrett Cole, begging him to come home and be by my side.

"Garrett is in the shower right now…"

While my father took his final breath, my husband was sharing a hotel room with his secretary.

The very day Garrett returned from his business trip, I tore down our facade in front of everyone.

"Garrett, I want a divorce."

A sudden flicker of panic washed over his face. "Callie, haven't you made enough of a scene already?"

1、

My father had another heart attack and passed away in the ICU less than three hours after being admitted.

His employees, close friends, relatives, and executives from across the city came to pay their respects.

"My condolences, Callie. Your father's company is in your hands now."

I nodded numbly, drained of every ounce of energy.

My facial muscles had grown stiff after maintaining a hollow, polite expression for three straight days.

For three days and three nights, I had not closed my eyes once.

I had to handle every single detail of my father's funeral alone.

Meanwhile, his son-in-law never showed his face.

From the moment my father was placed in the ICU, I sent Garrett dozens of messages and called him repeatedly. Not a single attempt was answered.

It was only in the early morning hours right after my father passed away that the call finally went through.

"Garrett! I need to talk to Garrett! My dad just passed away, please tell him to―"

The voice on the other end suddenly sounded distant. "Garrett, Callie is calling. She says…"

It was Leila King.

Before I could even process what was happening, Leila's voice came back through the receiver, dripping with subtle arrogance. "I am so sorry, Callie. Mr. Cole is still in the shower. I will hand him the phone as soon as he gets out."

The line went dead with a series of sharp clicks.

I stood frozen in place.

Garrett had brought Leila along on this business trip, and he had never mentioned a word of it to me before leaving.

It seemed Leila had been looking after his daily needs throughout his entire time abroad.

No wonder he warned me repeatedly before he left, telling me not to call him all the time.

He simply did not want me ruining their precious alone time.

I was too exhausted to care about whatever was going on between them. All I wanted was for Garrett to come back and help me lay my father to rest.

I kept calling him, but no one ever picked up again.

I sent him messages explaining how critical my father's condition was, begging him to call me back right after his shower.

Even on the night before the funeral, I dialed his number relentlessly.

Still, there was no reply.

I contacted his travel assistants, only to be told that Mr. Cole was tied up in marathon meetings.

By the time the funeral ended, he had not sent a single word of comfort.

I genuinely thought he was swamped with critical business deals.

Then, I opened my social feed and saw Leila's latest post.

Her caption read, "Who has a boss as amazing as mine? Treating me to lavish feasts every single day!" It was followed by several red heart emojis.

The photo showed an upscale omakase dinner, but the frame clearly captured the man sitting across from her, casually scrolling through his phone.

Although his face was cropped out, the watch on his wrist gave his identity away instantly.

It was a custom-made Italian watch worth over a hundred thousand dollars, a birthday gift I bought for him last year.

The moment I saw that photo, I could no longer lie to myself.

He had time to treat his secretary to fine dining, and he had time to play on his phone. Yet, he never had a few seconds to reply to my urgent messages.

Did my father's death mean so little to him that it did not even warrant a quick text?

My heart turned completely cold, and I stopped sending him anything.

Quietly, I began planning our divorce.

When friends and family came by to offer condolences, they watched me run around handling everything by myself.

Inevitably, some began whispering. "Callie, your father just passed away. Where on earth is Garrett?"

I did not want to humiliate him publicly, so I forced a smile and covered for him. "He is overseas closing a major corporate deal. Things have been really hectic for him lately."

He was indeed working on an international project.

Garrett graduated with an MBA from an Ivy League university and had been the top student of his class.

He was originally set to take over his family's enterprise, but their company went bankrupt shortly after he graduated.

My father recognized his talent and offered him a lucrative executive position.

Garrett proved himself quickly, securing multi-million-dollar contracts within his first year.

My father soon promoted him to Executive Vice President, second only to the CEO.

Many women in the company developed crushes on him, and I was one of them.

From the first moment I saw him in my father's office, feelings took root in my heart.

I even made a bet with my friends. "I am going to win him over within a month!"

In reality, we started dating in less than a week, and we were married within a year.

My friends had warned me back then. "Callie, you need to be careful. He might only be with you because of your family's wealth."

I shook my head, defending him with unwavering trust. "Garrett is not that kind of man!"

At our wedding, he looked into my eyes in front of all the guests and made a heartfelt vow. "Callie, I love you. I will stand by your side forever."

Now, those sacred vows felt like soap bubbles that vanished into thin air after just a few seconds.

How utterly ridiculous.

I forwarded the drafted divorce agreement to my friend Paige, who was an experienced divorce attorney.

"Could you look this over and see if there is anything else I should include?"

She called me back immediately, her tone laced with deep concern.

"Callie, why are you the one asking for a divorce this time? What did Garrett do?"

I gave a bitter laugh.

Our friends had known for a long time that our marriage was on the rocks.

Garrett had brought up wanting a divorce around them on more than one occasion.

He hated it whenever I checked his phone.

He hated taking me to company galas.

Most of all, he hated me questioning his relationship with Leila.

"I have told you a thousand times, Leila had nowhere else to turn after her family kicked her out! Did you want her living on the streets? Callie, why are you so cruel?"

Leila was his college sweetheart. Back then, his family looked down on her background and forced them to break up before sending him overseas.

Who would have thought that after his family went bankrupt and he was left with nothing, Leila would find her way right back to him?

"Nothing dramatic," I replied softly. "We just cannot make it work anymore."

Paige did not pry further. She answered briskly, "Do not worry. I will make sure you get everything you deserve. I won't let you take a single loss."

One year of dating, two years of marriage.

Garrett, isn't total freedom what you always craved?

I am giving it to you.