Chapter 1

It was the day of the Pre-K Family Fun Day.

My husband, Quinton, was supposed to be out of town on a business trip.

Instead, he was standing on the stage in a pink tutu, performing as the 'dad representative' for the Swan Lake dance.

I was about to walk up to him when a little girl in a floral dress ran into his arms.

She called him "Daddy" in a voice as sweet as honey.

He was even wearing a matching family outfit with her and his assistant, Sienna.

When our eyes met, Quinton immediately stepped away from her.

"Sienna is a single mother and has it rough, Faline. I was just helping her out," he said.

I smiled thinly and handed him the divorce papers.

"Then do me a favor too. Stop wasting my youth."

1

"Faline, you know how busy I am. Can you stop causing drama for once?"

Quinton buttoned his shirt while staring at his phone.

Messages from Sienna were popping up one after another.

The divorce papers I held out looked like nothing more than a scrap of paper to him.

My phone buzzed with a notification.

Quinton looked down and couldn't help but let out a helpless, yet fond smile.

"Hand me another shirt. The charcoal gray one."

He pulled off his white shirt and reached out toward me.

He waited for me to hand him a freshly pressed shirt, just like I had done a thousand times before.

His screen was still lit up. I saw Sienna's message.

"Mr. Miller, we're wearing gray for the banquet tonight."

Her tone was professional, but the cat emoji that followed made it feel playful.

"What are you staring at? Where's the shirt?"

Quinton's face grew impatient when I didn't move.

I didn't say a word. I just pushed the divorce papers closer to him.

He looked at the page where I had already signed my name.

His annoyance turned into mockery.

"Fine, I get it. You're tired from taking Zachary to that event alone today. But I'm swamped!"

"You don't need to threaten me with divorce again. Tonight's gala is huge for the company. Just give me a break, okay?"

He brushed my hand away. The contempt in his voice was sharper than ever.

Since becoming a stay-at-home mom, I had become sensitive.

I used to pick fights over small things just to feel like I still mattered to him.

When things got bad, I would bring up divorce.

But before today, I had never actually meant it.

"Quinton, this is the last time. I'm really divorcing you."

I looked him dead in the eye, my voice steady.

"Faline..."

His voice dropped into a warning growl.

"Sienna has been waiting at the venue for an hour. She's my assistant, and she's working her tail off to help me network."

"She does everything to make sure I succeed at the firm. And you? What do you do besides chores?"

His words felt like a physical blow.

My body began to shake, though I tried to stand tall.

Seven years as a housewife, and he thought I was useless.

"Look, Faline. I'm just helping Sienna out today. She just got divorced, and her daughter is struggling."

"The poor girl doesn't want the other kids to know she doesn't have a dad around."

"I promise this won't happen again, okay?"

He changed his tune, trying to sound soft and reasonable.

"Just get me my shirt. We'll talk when I get back."

His sudden shift from cruelty to kindness made my head spin.

I started to doubt myself. Was I being too petty?

If Quinton didn't work so hard, Zachary and I wouldn't have this comfortable life.

Sienna was just an assistant. She couldn't really be a threat, right?

In that moment of weakness, I let the divorce papers slip onto the table.

Seeing that I had calmed down, Quinton hurried out of the room.

But he forgot his phone in the closet.

I was going to chase after him to give it back, but then a message from Sienna lit up the screen.