Chapter 1

The day before our wedding, I received photos of my wife in a wedding dress―with another man.

I looked at the two of them in the pictures. Then, I calmly told Marianne I wanted a divorce.

Marianne's little assistant called me, sobbing over the phone, begging me not to be angry.

"Nate, it was all my fault. I sent them to the wrong place. Please don't fight with Marianne because of me," he whimpered.

Over the line, I could hear Marianne gently comforting him. "It's fine, Enzo. He won't be mad. He can't live without me."

I hung up the phone. I left the divorce papers on the table and walked away.

1 When Marianne came home, I was already packing. I was directing the movers as they hauled my boxes out.

She stood at the doorway, glancing at the movers before her eyes finally landed on me.

"Nate, stop this drama. How old are you? You're really playing the 'running away from home' card?"

Her voice was filled with annoyance. Her face was a map of impatience.

In the past, if she were this angry, I would have rushed to her. I would have asked what was wrong and showered her with comfort.

But now, I didn't want to force myself anymore.

I looked back at her and picked up the divorce agreement from the table. I walked toward her.

"You're back just in time. Sign this. When you have a moment, we'll head to the courthouse to finalize it."

Marianne looked down at the papers in my hand. Her brow furrowed again.

"Nate, is this necessary? Enzo just sent the photos to the wrong address. Because of your one phone call, he cried in my office for half an hour today."

"He's just a kid. Why are you making things so hard for him?"

Enzo Young. Marianne's private assistant.

He was young, handsome, charming, and romantic.

Aside from being broke, he could satisfy every single one of Marianne's needs.

And Marianne had more than enough money to go around.

Seeing that I remained silent, Marianne's temper softened slightly.

She snatched the agreement from my hand, tore it into pieces, and tossed it into the trash can by the door.

"If you're so bothered by those photos, I can have them handled."

Was I bothered?

Any normal person would be furious seeing their fiancé taking intimate wedding photos with another man.

But I wasn't. I wasn't jealous, and I wasn't angry.

I just felt a brief moment of numbness before the feeling of letting go washed over me.

"No, I don't care. You two can do whatever you want. It has nothing to do with me," I said.

"Nate, stop acting like a child. After the wedding tomorrow, just apologize to him and we can move past this."

I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

"Apologize? Me? To him?" My eyes were full of mockery as I looked at her. "Do you really think he's worth it?"

Marianne's face went completely dark. She gave me a low warning. "Nate, don't push your luck. You will apologize to Enzo tomorrow, or else…"

"Or else what? You'll hit me? Or kick me out of the Moretti family?" I cut her off. "You don't have to go through the trouble. We're divorcing. The wedding is canceled. Or you can just marry him instead."

Marianne saw my resolve. Realizing that the soft approach wouldn't work, she turned cold.

"Nate, are you sure you want to leave? If you dare step out of this door today, don't even think about coming back. You'll be dead to the Moretti family."

I frowned at the woman I had loved for so many years.

I didn't know when she had become this person.

Her face was the most familiar thing in the world to me, but her words and actions were those of a stranger.

Marianne thought I couldn't live without her. She thought I needed the status, the power, and the money her family provided.

But in reality, she had no idea what I truly wanted.

I pushed past her, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out without looking back.