Chapter 1

It was my son's sixth birthday, and I ordered his favorite takeout as a special treat.

The delivery was sent to my husband's secretary's apartment by mistake, and that's how I found his secret.

Nine years of a sweet marriage turned out to be nothing but a one-woman show.

I handed him the divorce papers without a second thought.

He sneered at me. "All this over a takeout order?"

Yes. If one delivery is enough to see a man for who he really is, it's more than enough.

1.

After hanging up with the delivery driver, I opened the app to double-check the address.

Suddenly, a notification popped up on my phone.

"Thanks for the treats, Boss~"

It was a selfie. A woman was holding a takeout container, smiling like a blooming flower.

I knew her. She was Bianca Whitlock, Leopold Sterling's secretary.

She had been to our house a few times to pick up files, always smiling and calling me "Mrs. Sterling."

My breath hitched as my eyes locked onto her neck.

She was wearing a familiar rhinestone necklace.

Leopold had given me the exact same one for our anniversary last year.

It was a trendy, youthful piece that didn't really suit a woman in her thirties like me.

At the time, I suspected he was cheating and my face went cold.

He held me all night, coaxing me, saying the secretary had mixed up the gifts. He claimed the necklace was meant for a young client.

The next day, he brought home a translucent emerald cuff.

The cold stone eventually warmed against my skin, and my anger faded.

I had tossed that mismatched rhinestone necklace into the bottom of my jewelry box.

So, that was it.

It wasn't a mix-up. I was never the intended owner of that necklace.

I suppressed the rising tide of emotion, my fingers trembling as I opened their chat history.

The thread was strictly professional―only work schedules, not even a single greeting.

It was too clean.

It felt staged.

The delivery driver's words echoed in my ears.

"I'm so sorry. We usually deliver to the Tinsley Heights apartment complex for this account, so I just assumed. We'll make a fresh batch and send it to you right away."

I logged into the restaurant's rewards program. The order history for Tinsley Heights was endless.

The earliest records went back a year. Most were placed after ten at night.

The notes occasionally asked for the "usual luxury bird's nest tonic."

A boss sending midnight tonics to his secretary?

Once might be a reward for overtime. Twice might be a casual gesture.

But a year's worth of midnight orders and specific notes?

This was way beyond the boundaries of a professional relationship.

"Heh..."

I felt like a masochist, scrolling through one order after another.

Leopold had promised me he would never have secrets. He told me I could check his phone whenever I wanted.

Through fifteen years of ups and downs, I had never doubted him for a second.

Unfortunately, my phone had broken. I had used his phone in the study to order food, and that's how I found this "accidental surprise."

The clock on the wall struck nine. My son, Aidan, ran over holding his action figure.

"Mommy, when is Daddy coming home to blow out the candles?"

I dialed Leopold's private number, the one reserved only for family.

"The person you are calling is busy..."

"The person you are calling is busy..."

The mechanical voice repeated the same line over and over.

My messages disappeared into a digital void.

On a whim, I checked Bianca's social media. Her profile was set to only show the last three days of posts.

The latest photo was posted four minutes ago.

She was sitting sideways on a sofa, her lips pressed against a man's throat.

The man's face wasn't visible, but I recognized him instantly. That was Leopold.

That spot on his neck was my favorite place to kiss him after we made love.

The image seared into my retinas.

Aidan's crying pulled me back to reality.

"Daddy said he would blow out the candles with me!"

I knelt down and wiped his tears, my voice sounding raspy. "Daddy is busy with work. Let's eat first, okay?"

This was the first time Leopold had missed Aidan's birthday.

He didn't even bother to send an excuse.

His phone screen lit up again. Bianca had added a comment to her own post:

"Mr. Sterling says this cake tastes better than the one from the last bakery~"

The photo showed a slice of Black Forest cake. A "Happy Birthday" candle was stuck in it, burnt down to a stub.