Chapter 1
Caleb Morton's "little wildcat" had disappeared again.
And he was frantic, mobilizing his men and flying to the southern region personally to drag her back.
"This time when she returns, I'm giving her an official position," he announced before leaving.
I asked if he could come home earlier.
He irritably snatched the documents from my hands, snapping that all I ever did was beg him to come home and questioning if I was really that clingy.
He scribbled his signature hastily and stormed out.
He was too rushed to notice what he just signed: our divorce papers.
*****
In the third year of our marriage, Caleb kept a mistress.
As if he had me wrapped around his little finger, he didn't even bother to hide it from me.
Maybe he thought I was a pushover.
His "little wildcat" was Kelsie Coffey.
True to her nickname, she was wild and fiery, like a rose with thorns.
Maybe it was her troubled upbringing that made her so sensitive and vulnerable.
But that just made her all the more endearing.
Kelsie refused to settle for being Caleb's mistress.
Yet, it seemed that she was so hopelessly in love with him that she simply couldn't bring herself to leave him for good.
Every few days, she'd disappear.
And each time, Caleb would go into a frenzy, searching the world over for her.
Once he found her, he'd spoil her even more.
By my count, this was already the third time Kelsie had pulled her disappearing act.
And of all days, she just had to pick my birthday.
"Mrs. Morton, Mr. Morton has really left," Penny Lester, my assistant, exclaimed.
No sooner had Caleb walked out than she burst into the office.
Penny asked anxiously, "Aren't you going to stop him? Didn't he promise he'd..."
Caleb had promised to celebrate my 28th birthday with me.
I'd been looking forward to it for an entire month.
The truth was, I had the ability to vaguely sense strong emotions.
Right now, I could clearly "hear" that Caleb's heart was consumed by just one thing—the restless urgency to find Kelsie.
His promise about my birthday? It was weightless, utterly meaningless.
Suddenly, I recalled my first "chance encounter" with Kelsie.
That was right after Caleb returned from an overseas project. I'd heard that a local woman had done him a huge favor, so I asked him to take me along to thank her.
Kelsie was lounging on the balcony of the apartment Caleb had gotten just for her. The sunlight streaming on her made her look vibrant and defiantly bold.
But when Caleb turned away to take a call, Kelsie leaned in, her lips nearly brushing my ear as she whispered a mocking laugh. "So you're a perfect example of someone who's not loved, aren't you, Mrs. Morton?
"Do you think you stand a chance against me?"
There was no point competing with her.
I'd never stood a chance in Caleb's heart.
With a bitter smile, I carefully tucked away the signed divorce papers from the desk.
"Penny, you still have my prenuptial asset list, don't you?" I asked.
With my parents gone and no real family on my side, my prenuptial assets weren't top-tier, but they were far from meager. After years of pouring all my energy into our family and Caleb's company, most of my assets had become mixed with his. I instructed Penny to cross-check the list and verify every property, share, and fund under my name, one by one.
Under the cover of darkness, I discreetly transferred and segregated my assets through my lawyer and a trust company.
I instructed the small companies under my control to replace their liaisons and sever all business ties with Caleb's company.
Next, I had the housekeeping staff completely erase every last trace of my presence from his duplex penthouse.
That included my beloved potted plants, the ones I'd so carefully nurtured.
Finally, I sorted through my belongings myself.
There wasn't much, actually. Most of them were jewelry.
One of them was a necklace Caleb gave me when he proposed to me. I'd been hesitating, doubting his sincerity, so he gave me this one-of-a-kind custom piece.
As he clasped it around my neck, he vowed, "My heart beats for you alone."
That night, I was too overjoyed to sleep a wink.
The second piece of jewelry was a pair of earrings. It was a special gift from Caleb, given to me the first time we visited my uncle, Frankie Blaese, after our wedding.
"From now on, my home is yours. No one will ever dare to look down on you again," he had said to me tenderly.
At his words, tears welled up in my eyes.
The second piece of jewelry was a ring. Caleb slipped it on for me during the first New Year's morning after we got married.
Looking into my eyes, he had promised, "This will bind us together for life."
And then there was a watch, a limited-edition pen, and a pair of cufflinks.
He had been so good to me—so good that, for a time, I actually believed he truly loved me.
But that tenderness didn't even last a year.
"Vivi, I'm so swamped with work. Must you wait for me in my office?" Caleb had said to me impatiently.
"Vivi, I'm in a meeting. Can you find something to do?" He had told me this more than once.
He had even snapped at me. "Vivian, will you stop being so annoying?"
Beautiful things were always so fragile. Caleb had already grown tired of me long before Kelsie appeared.
I could "hear" his impatience with me growing louder and louder in his heart.