Chapter 1

"Evelina, Julian. I'm afraid I have some difficult news."

"Years of overworking and the severe hormonal damage have taken a devastating toll on your eggs. I'm sorry the last embryo we had in the lab has stopped developing. And your ovarian function has now completely failed. There isn't another IVF cycle we can safely do."

The doctor's face was filled with regret inside the consultation room of a New York hospital.

His words hit like a death sentence, shattering every hope I'd held onto through thirty-three years of my life.

Every needle I'd injected into my stomach. Every swollen, sleepless night. Every ounce of pain I'd endured suddenly meant nothing.

I would never be a mother. Ever.

The thought shattered what little strength I had left. Tears spilled down my face as my whole body began to shake.

Julian reached over and took my hand.

His deep, steady voice wrapped around me. "Don't cry, sweetheart. Maybe... we just weren't meant to have children."

I turned to him, my vision blurred with tears, searching his handsome, composed face.

But I couldn't find the heartbreak a husband should have felt after hearing news like this.

Instead, buried deep in his eyes, was relief.

Before I could even reach for the medical report on the table, Julian quickly extended his hand and slid the documents into his briefcase.

His voice was gentle, yet carried a quiet urgency that left no room for argument.

"Don't look at them, sweetheart, those numbers will only hurt you more. I'll handle all the hospital paperwork. You don't need to worry about any of this."

I was overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness.

I truly believed he was protecting me.

That he was trying to spare me from facing the cruel reality written on those pages.

And I was grateful.

Julian slipped an arm around my shoulders.

"Maybe this isn't such a bad thing, darling. You've pushed yourself far too hard building the Croft brand these past few years. Your body has been paying the price."

"Now that your body can't take any more, let me handle everything. Stay home. Get some rest. Stop worrying about the company. I'll carry the burden from here. Your only job now is to take care of yourself. Okay?"

Slowly, I relaxed into his embrace. His tenderness filled the empty space in my chest.

Even after losing my last chance to become a mother, I believed that as long as I still had this man beside me, my marriage—and my future—weren't beyond saving.

The next evening, Croft's tenth anniversary gala began.

I stood in the shadows at the edge of the ballroom, fighting the dull ache in my lower abdomen as my eyes followed Julian's every move.

Tonight was the company's most important night before going public.

Before we left the house, Julian had wrapped me in his arms and promised, "Tonight, I'll make you the happiest woman in the room."

So I had put on my best smile and ignored the pain.

"Lately, everyone's been asking me the same question."

"What's next for the Croft brand? Where do we go in the next decade?"

Julian's deep, magnetic voice echoed through the ballroom as he stood confidently behind the microphone, every bit the polished Wall Street executive.

I took a slow breath, ready to step into the spotlight beside my husband and celebrate everything we'd built together.

Julian smiled.

"Tonight, at the start of this exciting new chapter, I'm honored to introduce the person who will lead Croft into its next decade..."

He extended one hand toward center stage.

"Our new Global Partner—Ms. Chloe Dupont."

A woman in a striking red gown stepped gracefully into the spotlight.

Twenty-nine-year-old Chloe Dupont.

The ballroom erupted into thunderous applause.

My mind went completely blank.

The champagne glass slipped in my hand, nearly crashing onto the marble floor.

How could it be Chloe?

The designer Julian had promoted out of nowhere just six months ago.

The same designer whose online fame had been carefully manufactured with expensive PR campaigns and bought engagement.

I stared at my husband onstage. It felt as though someone had shoved a block of iron into my chest, crushing the air from my lungs.

Julian seemed to notice my gaze. Then he simply smiled.

He turned naturally toward Chloe, reached for her hand, and held it.

Under the blinding flashes of countless cameras, they looked every inch the perfect power couple.

Chloe lifted her chin ever so slightly.

Across the glittering champagne tower and the sea of elegantly dressed guests, she found my eyes. A slow, triumphant smile curled across her lips.

There wasn't a trace of respect in Chloe's eyes. Only the smug satisfaction of a winner.

Before I could recover from the shock, Julian's voice filled the ballroom once again.

"And there's one more person I need to thank tonight."

He smiled warmly as the spotlight found him.

"My incredible wife, Evelina."

"We recently suffered the heartbreak of a failed IVF journey. As her husband, I can't bear to watch her sacrifice her health for work any longer."

He paused, his gaze soft with practiced affection.

"So, starting tomorrow, Evelina will officially step away from Croft. From this day forward, Ms. Chloe Dupont will take over her role and help lead the company into its next chapter."

Around me, the society wives looked visibly moved, several of them lifting trembling hands to cover their mouths.

Meanwhile, disappointment and humiliation wrapped around my throat like poisonous vines, squeezing tighter and tighter until every breath tasted like blood.

He had weaponized the deepest wound of my life, using it to justify stealing the career I'd spent a lifetime building.

The man I'd loved for ten years had just ripped my dream away with his own hands.

I have to make him explain why.