Chapter 1

Prologue

During all the years I was married to Sean, he missed almost every single important moment of my life.

All because he had to be there for a far more important woman: Chloe.

He went so far as to rip out my IV needle and force me to hand over the design drafts I spent years cherishing—all for her.

Enough was enough.

I stopped waiting for him to look back. I called my lawyer and had the divorce papers drawn up right away.

Sean, since I never had a place in your heart anyway, I'm done with this marriage.

Raven's POV

In all the years of our marriage, Sean left me completely on my own seventeen times.

I remembered every single piece of humiliation with crystal clarity.

I had booked the restaurant for my birthday, the candles were already in the cake, and he flew abroad for an acquisition deal.

I ended up in the emergency room in the middle of the night, waiting for a spouse's signature, and all he said was to let his assistant handle it.

My father was on his deathbed and wanted to see him one last time. Sean was at a contract signing ceremony, and in the end, he never showed up.

All seventeen times, I never threw a fit. I even made excuses for him.

On our wedding night, Sean made it clear: our marriage was just business, and I shouldn't expect anything more.

I held onto my title as his wife only because he treated everyone with that same cold distance.

Over the years, there were never any rumors about other women. Everyone said he was clean.

Until Chloe's name came up.

She was the girl who had stayed by his hospital bed back then, the one who took credit for saving his life.

Everyone said Sean spoiled her rotten.

I refused to believe he could ever treat anyone so well.

I pulled together all my savings and connections over the years, determined to dig up everything on Chloe.

The investigators returned quickly, but their reports were strangely vague.

The first one said, "Mr. Miller truly treats this Ms. Chloe differently. It's the first time we've ever seen him like this."

Another added details: "He picks her up from work in person. He accompanies her while she shops for cheap little trinkets. She only has to make a passing complaint, and the issue is resolved the next day."

I asked, "Is that all?"

The man rubbed his hands together. "That's it. It's Mr. Miller's private business; we didn't dare pry any deeper."

I spent half a month digging, only to get a single, blurry photo.

It was pulled from security footage outside a restaurant. The resolution was poor, but the people were unmistakable.

Sean stood at the bottom of the steps. He pulled the girl gently into his chest, shielding her from the crowd surging behind them, his hand resting tenderly on her shoulder.

That gesture was something he had never, not once, given me since the day we married.

My entire world collapsed.

He knew how to lower his guard. He knew how to reach out. He knew how to hold someone close. He had simply refused to give any of it to me.

All seventeen excuses I had made for him were completely meaningless.

I grabbed the photo and drove onto the highway.

Halfway there, the right front tire suddenly dropped. The steering wheel jerked violently to the side. I gripped it with all my strength, and the car scraped along the shoulder for dozens of yards before screeching to a stop.

A blown tire. Yet I had stopped by a service shop before leaving, and the tires had been perfectly fine then.

I sat in the car, my hands trembling uncontrollably.

In the end, a passing truck driver helped me make a call and helped push my car to the side of the road.

At a nearby clinic, I got the scrapes on my arms cleaned up. By the time I walked out, the sky was completely dark.

Parked outside the clinic was a car I recognized all too well.

Sean’s assistant, Jason, stood by the vehicle. Seeing me walk out, he politely greeted me, "Mrs. Miller."

I asked, "You're waiting for me?"

Jason said, "Yes, ma'am. Please stop looking into people you shouldn't be investigating."

I looked at him. "Where is he?"

Jason lowered his eyes, avoiding my gaze. "Mr. Miller is busy. This comes directly from him. If you take my advice, you'll act as though you never looked into this. The things in your hands—burn them, throw them away, whatever you like. Just don't pursue this any further."

I asked, "And if I refuse?"

Jason didn't answer. He walked over to my car, pulled the door open, and gestured for me to get in.

I stood there without moving.

Did Sean know all along that I was investigating? Was that blowout on the highway really an accident?

Both questions rolled over my tongue, but I swallowed them down.

Even if I asked, he wouldn't tell me.

I had nearly lost my life on the highway today. He knew I was digging, he knew I had an accident, and he knew which clinic I was at. Yet all he sent was an assistant, with a message telling me to burn my evidence.

He knew everything. He just refused to show up himself.

I walked past Jason and slid into my car.