Chapter 1

My husband was famous for being a devoted, caring partner.

After we got married, he insisted I quit my job to become a stay-at-home wife so I wouldn't have to work hard anymore.

Right before we were supposed to drive out to his parents' place in the countryside,

I found a used pair of black lace panties hidden under the spare tire in his trunk.

I recognized the style instantly. Chloe, an intern at his firm, had posted them on her Snapchat story.

Her caption back then was: "My new armor. Wishing myself good luck tonight."

Logan had liked the story.

He even replied with a comment: "You'll definitely get lucky."

Turns out, her "good luck" was a wild night in bed with my husband.

I snapped photos of everything and shut the trunk.

It seemed I had been treating him far too well, letting him completely forget how he got to where he is today.

Turning around, I noticed the dashboard screen in the car was still lit up.

There was an active parking record on the console.

Three nights ago, at 11:47 PM, the car was parked in the underground garage of a luxury hotel downtown. It didn't leave until 9:00 AM the next morning.

That night, Logan had told me he was out drinking and entertaining clients for work.

I had actually felt bad for him back then, waiting up for him all night.

A wave of sheer disgust washed over me. He wasn't working—he was sleeping with someone else.

Even this Range Rover was something I gave him.

It was a company car registered under Cen Holdings.

Knowing how demanding his career was, I had handed him the keys on his thirtieth birthday.

He hugged me tight back then, saying, "Jane, you're the best thing that ever happened to me."

He even swore that once he made it big, he'd give me the world.

I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves.

After taking photos of the screen, I sent a message on WhatsApp to my executive assistant, Marcus.

"Archive the car's GPS history, Bluetooth connections, and parking logs."

"Audit all of Chloe's expense reports from the past six months, and pull the full transaction history on Logan's secondary card."

Marcus replied almost instantly.

"On it, Ms. Cen. Should I have Legal and Internal Audit step in as well?"

I texted back: "Secure the evidence first. Don't tip them off."

"Freeze his secondary card."

After sending the texts, I took the panties and headed up to the second floor.

Logan was standing on the terrace, on a call with his back to me.

The glass sliding door was cracked open.

His voice was hushed, but his tone was dripping with tenderness.

"Don't worry, baby, I've got it all handled."

"I'm dragging the hag out to my parents' place. She won't be breathing down my neck."

"I hid your panties in the car. I'll bring them back when I return."

"Be a good girl, don't be mad. I'll be back to spend the holiday with you."

Standing outside the door, I quietly tapped the voice memo app on my phone to record.

A "hag." So that was what I had become in his eyes.

The tenderness in his voice left me in a brief daze.

It was in such sharp contrast to the impatient bark he had given me just minutes earlier when telling me to pack.

Logan had dumped the gifts for his parents right by the front door, his tone full of annoyance.

"Put the massage chair in the back. Mom specifically said we have to bring it this time."

"And don't forget those two boxes of high-end supplements."

I had looked up at him. "Can't you load them yourself?"

Logan had paused, clearly caught off guard by my pushback.

"What is your problem today?"

"I'm the one driving for hours later. Is it going to kill you to load a few boxes?"

I hadn't said another word.

He had grown colder and more impatient with me by the day, making me almost forget how gently he used to make promises to me.

Back before he had any of this success, we shared a tiny bed in a cramped studio apartment.

Holding me in his arms, he used to make those same sweet promises.

Looking back now, the moment I handed him those car keys, he began treating the company car, the corporate funds, and every resource I gave him as achievements he had earned entirely on his own.

He began looking down on me as an unemployed housewife with zero income.

He convinced himself I wasn't worth the effort anymore, showering all his love and money on that intern instead.

He brushed aside my needs while taking Chloe's side on everything.

I had spent so long lying to myself, thinking maybe he was just bad at setting professional boundaries.

The harsh truth was, he just never cared about me at all.

I walked back into the living room and tossed the lace underwear into the trash can.

Right as I finished tying up the bag, the terrace door slid open.

Logan stepped inside. Seeing me still sitting on the couch, his brow immediately furrowed.

"Why haven't you finished packing?"

"Mom's making stew, waiting for us to get there."

He walked over and reached out to touch my forehead.

"Why are you looking so pale? If you're not feeling well, just say so. Don't mess up our schedule."

I tilted my head, pulling away from his touch.

His hand froze mid-air, and his fleeting concern instantly turned into annoyance.

"Jane, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now?"

I stood up, opened the trash can, and picked the underwear back out.

I walked right up to him and held it out.

"You forgot your stuff."

The moment Logan saw what was in my hand, all the color drained from his face.

I let go.

The lace panties dropped right beside his leather dress shoes.

"Chloe's battle armor. Aren't you taking it with you?"