Chapter 1

Six years of marriage. I gave up my career to focus entirely on taking care of our home.

Then came the text and photo from his so-called unforgettable ex.

"Thanks for the gift, Chase! I love it so much. Elena is truly the luckiest woman alive to have a husband like you."

I zoomed in on the attached image.

Chase had transferred the shares of the company I built with my own hands directly to her.

My fingers trembled with rage. I immediately called Chase to confront him.

He sounded completely irritated on the other end. "It's just a damn company. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

"Chloe is dead broke right now. How is she supposed to survive without any financial cushion?"

Ten minutes later, a notification popped up on my phone.

My credit card was charged.

Chase had used my money to buy her a luxury beauty salon.

Chloe texted me again, dripping with smug superiority.

"Chase is the sweetest. He bought me a whole salon just to cheer me up!"

I let out a bitter, cold laugh and didn't bother calling him back.

Because this time, I was done. I was filing for divorce.

Today was our sixth wedding anniversary.

I had spent hours cooking a lavish dinner.

I sat on the couch, watching the clock tick past one in the morning, but Chase still hadn't come home.

I couldn't stop thinking about the text Chloe Bailey had sent me that morning.

Without my knowledge or consent, Chase had transferred the shares of the business I slaved over for years into Chloe's name.

Seven years ago, we were dead broke, crammed into a filthy, rundown rental.

Chase used to hold me tight and swear he would marry me in the most glamorous wedding imaginable.

Back then, he worked late into the night, networking and returning home reeking of alcohol.

Every time he collapsed drunk onto the mattress, he would mumble the same words:

"Elena, I'm going to marry you soon. I promise."

I would sit by his side with a bowl of warm broth, watching him with tears in my eyes, my heart aching for his struggle.

To ease his burden, I dove headfirst into entrepreneurship.

Maybe it was luck, but an angel investor recognized my talent.

With her backing, I quickly built my own company from the ground up.

The business soared, catapulting us into a whole new tax bracket.

We finally got married and moved into a multimillion-dollar villa.

To take care of the household and prepare for having a baby, I stepped back from the front lines and handed full control of the company over to Chase.

All because I trusted him completely.

Riding on my coattails, Chase became the big boss.

Yet slowly, he lost himself in the intoxicating world of wealth and power.

He started staying out late again.

The difference was, he wasn't grinding for our family anymore. He was simply basking in the shallow flattery of sycophants.

He surrounded himself with gorgeous women and rekindled his flame with Chloe, his ex from college.

It all started subtly, yet it was impossible to ignore.

"Welcome home," the smart lock chimed.

Chase walked in, his shirt wrinkled and half-unbuttoned, with a glaring smudge of red lipstick on his collar.

He looked up and paused when he saw me, then glanced casually at the dinner table.

"Is it your birthday today?"

My chest tightened. "Today is our anniversary," I said softly.

Chase didn't even look at the food. He turned around to boil some instant ramen.

"Oh. Elena, you know I don't care about these silly holidays."

I clenched my fists, biting my lip to hold back the storm inside me.

Did he really hate celebrating anniversaries?

Yet the anniversary of the day he and Chloe started dating was still marked on his calendar.

Every year on that day, he would wire huge sums of money to Chloe.

He claimed that because he was poor back then, he wanted to make it up to her now that he had money.

He conveniently forgot that Chloe had dumped him precisely because he was broke.

I was the one who stood by him and built everything from scratch.