Chapter 1

I checked my phone, flooded with trending topics like "Giovanni Combs Returns Home With New Flame", "Brynlee Case: The Combs Group President's True Love", and "Victoria Burke: Cast Aside by the Rich and Powerful".

The glow of the phone screen reflected off my bare face, mocking me.

And on that screen, my husband of three years—Giovanni Combs—had his arm around Brynlee Case, the trending starlet, as they walked shoulder to shoulder into the home we shared in Eastville's Cloudtop Villa.

The paparazzi's lens was shaky, but the shot was clear enough.

I could even catch the blinding diamond necklace around Brynlee's neck—the very one I fell in love with at the auction earlier this year, which Giovanni bought without a second glance, saying it was my anniversary gift.

Now, it gleamed on another woman's collarbone, inside the house that was supposed to be mine.

"Mrs. Combs, please, stop watching..." our housekeeper Madison Richardson stood wringing her hands at the kitchen door, her eyes flicking between the cold dishes I had spent all afternoon cooking and my frozen figure.

Today was our third wedding anniversary. What a sick joke.

My fingertips were ice-cold as I numbly kept scrolling.

Brynlee's comment section was already blowing up.

"Brynlee is gorgeous! She's the one who actually matches Mr. Combs!"

"Finally, the real queen steps in. Did anyone really believe Giovanni would fall for that stiff Victoria Burke?"

"Get lost, Victoria! Stop hogging what you can't handle!"

"Word is, she's just a country nobody who clawed her way into marriage!"

"My poor Brynlee wasted three years of her youth thanks to this manipulative witch!"

"Insiders say Mr. Combs was forced into marrying her. He never loved her!"

"Someone dig up Victoria's dirt. Let's make sure she stays canceled for good!"

Every filthy word hit me like a bucket of ice water, drenching me in shame.

My phone dinged again. It was another push notification from a starred contact.

It was Brynlee.

She had gone live.

There she was on camera, wrapped in a silk robe, lounging in my master bedroom—the chandelier, the giant windows, even my orchid that took three years to bloom, all unmistakable.

She slouched lazily on the sofa, fingers playing absentmindedly with the diamond necklace at her throat.

The live chat exploded.

"Holy crap! Is this Mr. Combs' place?!"

"Confirmed, confirmed. Brynlee's officially the new lady of the house!"

"The real queen has arrived. Victoria, pack your bags and get lost!"

"That diamond necklace is blinding. Is it a love token from Mr. Combs?"

Brynlee glanced at the comments with a coy smile, her voice soft and sweet as she said, "Oh come on, don't overthink it... I'm just crashing at a friend's place. Giovanni's just... very hospitable."

She paused, her fingertip brushing the orchid-shaped pendant, catching the cold glint of the light.

"As for this," she purred, stretching out the syllables, "Giovanni said it matched my dress today, so he just handed it to me. He said, 'Out with the old, in with the new.'"

Something exploded in my head. "Out with the old, in with the new."

The gift meant to celebrate our wedding anniversary had become her casual prop, her badge of conquest.

My stomach twisted, as if it were stuffed full of ice.

I leapt up and stumbled to the bathroom, doubling over the toilet as I dry heaved uncontrollably.

Nothing came up—just a crushing wave of cold despair crawling up my spine.

We had been together for three years, and to Giovanni, I probably wasn't even worth as much as that necklace. At least that still had value for his new lover.

Weak and trembling, I leaned on the cold sink, staring at the ghostly woman in the mirror with swollen eyes and bloodless skin.

She didn't even look like me anymore.

My phone was still buzzing like mad outside, no doubt from those so-called friends and relatives.

"Victoria, is it true? Oh dear, what are you going to do now..."

"Victoria, listen to me, you can't keep a man without the right tricks. Look at you..."

"Victoria, Mr. Combs really brought someone home? Don't take it so hard, men are like that..."

Take it hard? I curled my lips, and the woman in the mirror gave a twisted smile that looked more like a sob.

My heart had frozen over long ago. What remained now was the fury of being stripped bare and stomped into the dirt for the world to see.

Well played, Giovanni.

It wasn't enough that our marriage had turned to dust.

Now, to crown your new queen, you burned me at the stake for everyone to watch.

Fine. You really outdid yourself.