Chapter 1

Ten years into our marriage, my wife's assistant, Chase, posted a screenshot on social media showing a fifty-two thousand dollar transfer.

His caption read: 【Best boss in the world, love you forever!】

Without overthinking, I left a calm comment under his post: "Keep working hard. You earned every penny."

Barely thirty seconds later, my wife called and screamed at me through the speaker.

"Are you out of your mind? That was Chase's legitimate year-end bonus! Why are you threatening him?"

"Neil, if you want this marriage, act like it! If not, get the hell out!"

Before I could even speak, she hung up and blocked my number.

Less than a minute later, Chase posted another update.

It was another screenshot, this time of a one hundred and thirty-one thousand dollar transfer.

Staring at his mocking post, I quietly pulled out the divorce agreement from my desk.

1

When Rachel finally came home, I was lying alone on the living room sofa.

She did not notice the cold sweat drenching my forehead.

Just two days ago, I had been diagnosed with early-stage liver cancer.

Fortunately, it was caught early enough to be treatable through surgery.

Today was our tenth wedding anniversary, so I had checked out of the hospital early to surprise her.

I had planned so many sweet moments and even cooked a lavish steak dinner.

Yet I had waited for her all day, only to be completely ignored.

It was not until an hour ago, when I saw Chase's post, that the truth hit me.

She had spent the entire day celebrating with Chase.

If I had not seen that post, I would still be waiting by the door like an idiot.

In the end, I cleared away all the anniversary surprises and threw the cold dinner into the trash.

Then, I poured myself a glass of bourbon in bitter silence, which triggered a searing pain in my abdomen.

The doctor had strictly warned me never to touch alcohol again.

Heavy drinking during corporate dinners was the exact cause of my illness.

Yet the emotional ache was so sharp that I just wanted to numb my mind.

I never expected the physical agony to hit this violently.

I curled up on the couch, gritting my teeth in agony.

Rachel looked down at me with cold indifference.

"Neil, what is your problem? You are a grown man. Why are you picking on a young kid?"

"Chase is my personal assistant. Giving him a generous bonus is completely normal."

"Why did you threaten him in the comments? Can you show a little maturity for once?"

Her sudden barrage of accusations left me utterly stunned.

What did I even say wrong?

Did I not just tell him to keep working hard?

I gritted my teeth and looked up into her eyes.

"When did I pick on him? I was only―"

"Stop making excuses, Neil. I know you feel insecure because my success outshines yours."

"But that is reality. I am the CEO of this company, and you are just an operations manager."

"Do I not give you enough respect at the office already?"

"Why do you have to target Chase? What are you trying to accomplish?"

Looking at Rachel's arrogant face, my lips trembled from both anger and pain.

She was a woman who had barely finished middle school. Where did she get this overwhelming arrogance?

When we first founded the company, she was nothing more than an errand girl handling odd chores.

If I had not taught her every piece of business strategy, she would not even qualify as a cleaner today.

Once the business got off the ground, I handed executive power over to her so she could feel accomplished.

During that time, she played the role of a brilliant executive while I ruined my health drinking at corporate dinners to close contracts.

My liver cancer was the exact price I paid for our wealth.

Yet once the company grew into an empire, she took credit for everything.

She painted herself as a self-made businesswoman and pushed me into the shadows.

I never complained because I wanted to support her ambition.

Whenever real technical crises or hard roadblocks arose, who was the one who solved them? It was always me.

Now that the business was stable, she had stripped away my authority, reducing me to an insignificant employee.

She had become the supreme boss, and I was merely a department manager.

I closed my eyes and shook my head slowly.

What on earth did I ever see in her in the first place?

"Answer me! What are you trying to pull?"

"Why are you making that face? Are you rolling your eyes at me?"

Rachel glared at me angrily, completely oblivious to how pale and sick I looked.

My lips trembled, but I lacked the energy to fight back.

Suddenly, her phone chimed with a message alert.

I saw a sweet, radiant smile bloom across her face as she checked the screen.

It was the exact same smile she used to give me when we first fell in love.

Only now, it was reserved for someone else.

Rachel slipped her phone into her designer purse. "Something came up at the office. I have to go handle it."