Chapter 1

The day before our wedding, I received a USB drive labeled "Sweet Memories."

I thought it was a surprise from my wife-to-be.

When I plugged it into my laptop, I found a compilation of a hundred different moments of her kissing a man named Casper Sterling.

I watched the two of them looking completely inseparable on the screen. Then, I calmly told Selene Thorne that I wanted a divorce.

A moment later, her little boyfriend called me, his voice trembling with feigned guilt. "Elias, I'm so sorry. I sent the wrong file. Please don't be mad at Selene. It's all my fault."

In the background, I heard Selene's voice, tenderly comforting him for a long time. Then, she screamed into the phone at me.

"I'm the one paying for your mother's hospital bills! Do you really think you can survive without me?"

Then, the line went dead.

1

I stared at the black screen of my phone and started packing my suitcase.

When Selene came home that evening, this was the scene that greeted her.

She walked over and kicked my suitcase, her expression full of annoyance. "Do you really think I'll fall for this act? How old are you, Elias? Stop playing these pathetic games."

"Do you have any idea how long Casper cried because of what you said? If you know what's good for you, go apologize to him right now. Maybe then I'll consider forgiving you."

That was Selene. In this relationship, she always acted like the one in power.

To her, I wasn't so much a fiancé as I was a loyal dog.

She believed I was only with her for the money. I knew it was because I loved her. In the past, seeing her look at me with such disgust would have sent me into a panic, apologizing and explaining myself.

But now, I just spoke softly. "Let's get a divorce, Selene. I'll pay back every cent I owe you."

She didn't mock me this time. Instead, she froze.

"Elias Vance, can you stop being so irrationally jealous? Casper and I grew up together. If something were going to happen, it would've happened years ago. Use your brain for once."

"If you're really that bothered by the gift... just give it back to me."

I let out a bitter laugh. She really couldn't bear to let go of those memories with him, could she?

"I don't care anymore. So stop talking. We're done."

I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door.

Selene grabbed a glass from the table and smashed it near my feet. She roared at me.

"Elias, don't you dare be so ungrateful! If you walk out that door today, your mother's treatment stops. I'll make sure she dies in that hospital bed!"

I stopped in my tracks. I turned around to look at the woman I had loved for so many years.

I couldn't understand how she had become this person. When my mom first got sick, Selene held my hand and promised me everything would be okay.

"Elias, your mom is my mom," she had said. "She watched me grow up. We'll pay for her care together."

Selene's mother died young, leaving her with an alcoholic, gambling addict of a father. Whenever he got drunk, he would beat her.

I spent my childhood cleaning her bruises and sharing my lunch with her.

The day her father tried to sell her off to cover his gambling debts, my mother was the one who chased those thugs away and brought Selene into our home.

We grew up as a family. On her eighteenth birthday, a lawyer showed up with a trust fund.

It was a massive fortune left behind by her mother.

That day, Selene threw herself into my arms. "Elias, I'm rich! I can buy a huge house for you and Mom!"

When I graduated college, I planned to move away for advanced studies. But Selene confessed her love to me that day. She begged me not to leave, saying she couldn't live without me.

So, I gave up my dreams and stayed by her side.

We got our marriage license right after graduation. We became a real family.

But after we got married, she changed. The thing she said to me most often was, "Elias, don't you realize how boring you are?"

The love in her eyes was replaced by a constant, simmering irritation.

I had wanted to leave then, too. But she promised to give me a grand wedding. She said she wanted the whole world to know we belonged to each other.

Because of that promise, I stayed. But later, I overheard her on the phone with Casper.

She was explaining things to him with a patience she never showed me. "Casper, the wedding is just to keep the company's stock price stable. Don't overthink it. He's just an old man; he could never compare to you."

At that moment, my heart completely died. I realized our love was nothing but a vanishing phantom.

Still, I remembered my mother's last words before she became bedridden. "Elias, Selene works so hard. You have to help her."

I thought I would help her one last time, stabilize the stock, and then leave.

But now, I didn't want to help anymore. It didn't matter who the groom was.

I didn't give her an answer. I just pulled my suitcase out the front door.

That night, I stayed in a hotel. I slept better than I had in years because I didn't have to wonder why Selene wasn't home yet.