Chapter 1

I was in the middle of negotiating a business deal when my husband Ethan’s newly hired intern, Lily, barged in and demanded I go buy her breakfast.

Watching the client’s face darken, I immediately threw her out.

Afterward, I apologized repeatedly before finally securing the partnership.

Just as I was about to share the good news with Ethan, patent agreement in hand, he slapped me twice across the face in front of the entire company.

“You vicious woman! Is money all you ever think about? Do you know you almost got Lily killed?”

That’s when I learned Lily had been hospitalized for low blood sugar from skipping breakfast.

But there was clearly chocolate on her desk that I’d bought for her earlier.

I looked up at Ethan’s furious face. My cheeks burned, but my heart went cold.

After a long silence, I finally spoke:

“Ethan, let’s get a divorce.”

The moment those words left my mouth, Ethan’s expression froze.

Then he grabbed a janitor’s mop bucket and dumped the filthy water over my head.

Ice-cold, reeking water soaked through my clothes.

My white shirt clung to my skin, revealing the color of my bra underneath.

The stench spread through the air.

I was completely drenched, hair plastered to my face, water dripping down my cheeks. Under everyone’s stares, I’d never felt more humiliated.

Ethan pointed at me, his tone violent:

“Not thinking clearly? Let me help you wake up.”

A deathly silence fell over the room. All the employees kept their heads down.

I clutched the patent agreement, now soaked, my fingertips ice cold.

A wave of bitterness surged in my chest as I shot back:

“Ethan, do you know what this project bonus is for? It’s to save my mother’s life.

What could be more important than keeping the company from going bankrupt, more important than keeping my mom alive?

Lily had low blood sugar, but her desk was full of soda and chocolate I gave her.

Why didn’t she eat any of it?

There were so many idle colleagues just now.

Why did she specifically barge in to find me while I was negotiating a hundred-million-dollar project?

Let me be blunt—I’m the Vice President of this company. Why should I buy breakfast for an intern?”

Ethan’s face turned pale. He seemed at a loss for words, then let out a cold snort:

“Since you want this money so badly, fine.

I’ll tell you right now—I won’t give you a single cent of this project bonus. I’m awarding it all to Lily.”

My whole body shook. I couldn’t believe these words were coming from my husband of ten years:

“On what grounds?”

His tone was cold, looking at me with contempt:

“Your mom’s already got one foot in the grave. Does this money even matter?

Lily is young with a bright future ahead.

This money suits her better.

It’ll also knock down that arrogant attitude of yours.”

Those words stabbed into my chest like a knife.

I steadied my trembling body as tears finally spilled down my face.

This company survived until today not because of him, but because of the patent my mother developed by exhausting her life’s work.

My mother contracted cancer precisely because developing that patent meant long-term exposure to experimental metal radiation.

It was because of my mother’s sacrifice that I threw everything into securing this project.

For this project, I pulled every string I could, drank until I had stomach bleeding at business dinners, just to connect with this well-established partner who could provide a hundred-million-dollar collaboration deal.

But now...

My voice trembled, tears beyond my control:

“Ethan, have you forgotten how you begged my mother when you were penniless, begging her to give you the patent?

My mom felt sorry for me, pitied you, and let the company use her core patent for over a decade for free—not asking for a single cent.

Now you talk about her like this.

Doesn’t your own heart ache?”

Complete silence fell. My accusation echoed through the office.

All the employees looked at me with sympathy, then began discussing in lowered voices.

“Ethan went too far. How could he say something like that?”

“Right? We were all free at the time.

Lily didn’t come to any of us—why did she specifically go find Jordan while she was in the middle of a project meeting?”

“So this company exists today because of Jordan’s mother. Ethan’s words are just too...”