Chapter 1

The night my wife was on a business trip, her male assistant sent me a photo.

In the picture, they were naked, wrapped in each other's arms, sleeping soundly.

He even provocatively added a line: "Mr. Carter, your wife is mine now."

I didn't reply.

I opened the company SnapChat group, two hundred and thirty-six people online.

I posted their intimate photo.

"Congratulations to our assistant, Leon Miller. Effective immediately, he will also serve as CEO's husband. Salary and benefits negotiable."

Then I turned off my phone and went to sleep.

The next day, when I turned it back on, I had 136 missed calls.

My wife was crying and cursing in her voicemails.

But the only thing I wanted to say was: You picked him. You deal with him.

My phone vibrated.

I swiped to unlock it.

Someone had sent me a picture.

Kelly, my wife, and a man.

They were naked, tangled together on white hotel sheets.

Her cheeks were flushed in sleep, a faint smile on her lips.

The man leaned in, kissed her forehead, and held up his phone for a selfie.

Only half of his face was visible, his eyes full of triumph.

I recognized him: Leon Miller, Kelly's assistant.

Below the photo, a line of text followed.

"Mr. Carter, your wife's quite good in bed. She's mine now."

I stared at that line for a long time.

My finger hovered over the screen.

No reply.

No anger.

My heart felt like it was gripped by an icy hand, then that hand released, leaving only a hollow numbness.

I exited the chat and opened another app, finding a group chat.

"Carter Tech Group (236)."

Two hundred and thirty-six people. Everyone from top management to junior staff, except the cleaning crew, was in it.

I posted the intimate photo Leon had sent me in that group.

Then, in the input box, I typed out each word, one by one.

"Congratulations to Mr. Leon Miller, our company's CEO assistant. Due to outstanding performance, he will also be taking on the role of CEO's husband, effective immediately. Salary and benefits are negotiable. Please be informed."

Send.

I scrolled to the group member list and found Kelly's profile picture.

It was a photo of us on the beach, her smiling brightly.

I tapped on her picture, selected, and removed her from the group.

Then I found Leon Miller.

Removed from group.

After doing all that, the world went quiet.

I switched my phone to airplane mode.

And tossed it onto the nightstand.

The room was dark, curtains tightly drawn.

This was our master bedroom. In our three years of marriage, Kelly had spent less than three months sleeping here, total.

She said she was busy. The company was in its growth phase; she had to travel, attend events, hold meetings.

She'd say, "Mason, you understand me."

I used to.

I handed her the company I had founded, along with the "CEO" title.

I told her, "Go chase your dreams. I'll hold down the fort."

Now, her dream was caught, and the home was gone.

Good riddance.

I lay down and closed my eyes.

For the first time in three years, I fell asleep so quickly.