Chapter 1

On our wedding anniversary, the gift my husband gave me was his lover's sexy lingerie.

I knew that woman, my new intern, with an angelic, innocent face.

And I even helped fix up her work a few hours ago. But now, she was sitting on my husband's lap, locked in a passionate kiss.

She said, "He loves you no more. He said you were no better than a dead fish in bed."

He said, "You've been all about work. You should thank her for taking good care of me for you."

Each of them was shamelessly bolder than the other.

However, when I exposed their affair online, they freaked out.

*****

I never forget that rainy night.

The moment I pushed open the front door, instead of the usual TV sounds from the living room, what greeted me were stifled gasps.

There on the couch, my husband Theodore Webster was locked in a tight embrace with a woman.

The woman? I knew her.

She was Judith Miller, the new intern at our company. Just twenty-two, with an innocent, angelic face, she would always greet me with sweet enthusiasm, calling out, "Hi, Isabella!" every time we met.

But now, there she was, sitting on my husband Theodore's lap, the two of them locked in a passionate kiss, completely lost in each other.

Stunned, I let the umbrella slip from my grasp, clattering to the floor.

They sprang apart instantly, Theodore's face turning ashen.

"B-Bella..." Theodore stammered. "What are you doing back?"

I stared at him blankly, my mind completely blank.

It was our wedding anniversary.

I had specially cleared my entire schedule, picked up Theodore's favorite seafood, and was all set to give him a wonderful surprise.

But the happy surprise turned into a shock.

Judith frantically straightened her disheveled clothes, tears instantly welling up in her eyes. "Isabella, I'm so sorry. I... I didn't mean to..."

"Didn't mean to?" My voice trembled with rage. "Then what the hell are you two doing?"

Theodore rose to his feet, reaching out toward me. "Bella, please... I can explain..."

"What's there to explain?" I took a step back, my voice shaking. "Why were you two making out on my couch? Or why did you have to pick today, of all days?"

He froze for a moment, clearly having forgotten what today meant.

And with that blank stare, my heart froze over.

If a man could forget his own wedding anniversary, there was really nothing he couldn't forget.

Theodore stammered, "Bella, it's not what you think..."

"Then what is it supposed to be?" I scoffed. "Go on, tell me—what is it supposed to be?"

Judith began sobbing again. "Isabella, it's all my fault... I was the one who initiated this... Theo is blameless..."

Theo, huh? I looked from Judith to Theodore.

The expressions on Theodore and Judith's faces screamed at me that it was definitely not the first time.

My voice shook with rage. "How long have you two been together?"

Theodore opened his mouth, but no words came out.

However, Judith was quick to interject, "Three months..."

It had been three months.

And that meant they'd been together since the very first day Judith joined the company.

But I'd been so naive, believing she was just a helpless newcomer who needed help.

When Judith mentioned looking for a place to rent, I even went out of my way to recommend several apartment listings to her.

But the fact was that she never needed to rent a place, because she already had my husband's place to stay.

Raindrops dripped from my drenched hair onto the floor, each drop landing with a sharp, clear sound that echoed through the silent room.

It sounded just like my heart shattering.

"Three months..." I murmured to myself. "That means, even when we just celebrated my birthday last month, you two were already..."

Theodore tried to explain, "Bella, please, don't think like that..."

"You told me not to think that way?" I burst into a harsh, mocking laugh. "Then what the hell am I supposed to think? Should I be showering you two with blessings? Or maybe I should thank Judith for 'taking such good care' of my husband for me?"

Judith cowered in the corner of the couch, terrified by my words.

Theodore's face darkened. "Don't take it out on Judith," he said defensively. "She's still practically a kid..."

A kid? Seriously? A twenty-two-year-old homewrecker was still a kid?

She was a kid who snatched others' husbands?

"Theodore, are you fucking kidding me?" I was almost losing it. "She's a kid? Then what does that make me? I'm only a few years older—so now I'm just some old hag to you?"

Theodore shook his head desperately. "That's not what I meant..."

"Then what do you mean?" I advanced on him step by step. "Five years of dating and three years of marriage—does all that mean nothing to you compared to three months of cheap thrills?"

Theodore was left utterly speechless.

Judith chimed in again, her voice laced with feigned innocence. "Isabella, Theo said he doesn't love you anymore. He said you two lost all affection for each other ages ago..."

Those words were a direct stab to my heart.

I looked at Theodore, desperately hoping he would deny it.

But Theodore simply turned his face away.

That simple gesture cut deeper than any words ever could.

"Fine." I nodded slowly, my voice steady. "If that's how it is, let's get a divorce."

Theodore spoke up, "Bella..."

"Don't call me that," I cut him off sharply. "From this moment on, we're over."

I turned on my heel and marched to the bedroom to pack my belongings.

From behind me, Judith's voice piped up with feigned concern, "Isabella, please don't do this... Theo actually still cares about you..."

I stopped dead in my tracks and whirled around to face Judith, fixing my gaze on her.

Even then, Judith was still putting on that innocent act.

"Judith," I said, fixing her with a cold stare. "Let me ask you something."

"What is it?" Judith stammered, clearly caught off guard.

I asked coldly, "What if one day, another woman does to you exactly what you're doing to me now? What would you do?"

Judith froze, her lips parting slightly but no sound coming out.

"You don't need to answer me," I sneered, "because your turn will come."

Without another word, I strode into the bedroom and began packing my things.

There was really not much to pack.

After three years of marriage, it felt like all I had were my clothes.

The car was Theodore's.

The house was his.

Even the makeup I was using right now—all of it was from him.

It suddenly hit me that after all these years of marriage, I'd ended up with absolutely nothing.

All I got was betrayal.

As I wheeled my suitcase out, the living room was empty except for Theodore standing alone.

Judith was already gone.

"Where is she?" I asked casually.

"I told her to go home first," Theodore replied quietly.

I pressed, "Home? To her rental, or to the house you bought for her?"