Chapter 1

It was my dad's birthday. Eric Shaw, my husband, opened the wine he'd brought and, as he raised his glass, suddenly asked, "Sir, I've always wondered.

"How did you manage to raise a daughter like Emily—so brash, so unreasonable, and totally oblivious to it?"

My dad's fingers froze on his glass.

I calmly set down the napkin I'd been using to wipe my mouth.

"I'll agree to the divorce," I said.

Eric's fingers paused on his glass for a split second, but then he smiled and said, "Glad you finally came around."

That night, he handed me the divorce papers.

"Don't worry," he said. "If you ever need anything, you can always reach out to me."

I didn't say a word. I just picked up the pen and signed my name.

Eric had cheated on me a year ago, and for the past six months, he'd been hell-bent on making me leave.

It was like he'd gone completely off the rails; he pulled every disgusting stunt imaginable.

He'd stooped so low as to threaten my best friend with her job just to pressure me into divorce.

He'd openly video chat with that high school classmate he was cheating with right in front of me at home.

And now, he'd taken things to a whole new level, mocking my dad in front of everyone just to push me into a divorce.

If he was so desperate to get a divorce, I'd give him what he wanted.

But when he's left with nothing, he'd better not regret it.

*****

As soon as Eric got the signed divorce papers from me, he couldn't wait to call his lawyer.

"Yeah, she's already signed.

"Alright, come over to Harbor Two Café in a bit. We'll go over the divorce process in detail," he said.

As I listened to him on the phone, I didn't say a word. I just quietly took down the wedding photo from the wall.

That photo was taken when Eric and I were flat broke.

It only cost 688 dollars, which was dirt cheap. Honestly, I thought it looked awful from the start; our faces were photoshopped so much, we looked totally fake.

But I still kept it hanging in our home.

Guess I had no choice. It was the only thing left that showed what Eric and I once had.

My heart felt heavy. After Eric finished his call, he watched me take down the photo, not the slightest bit surprised. Instead, he spoke with a relaxed, almost cheerful air.

"No need to rush packing," he said. "There's still a month before the divorce is finalized. You can stay here in this apartment for the whole month, no worries.

"And as for the assets, you'll get your fair share. You've been with me for ten years, after all.

"Honestly, I'm glad you agreed to the divorce. At least we won't have to embarrass ourselves fighting it out in court."

With that, he glanced at his watch.

"Now that this is all sorted, I'm heading out. That crybaby is waiting for me at home; if I'm late, she'll throw a fit again," Eric said.

Without waiting for my reply, he hurried to the entryway, changed his shoes, grabbed his car keys, and was out the door in a flash.

The moment he slammed the door shut, I just melted into the couch, the wedding photo slipping from my hands and hitting the floor. The old wooden frame broke apart.

I really didn't want to cry. But my chest hurt so much I could barely stand it.

Honestly, since I caught Eric cheating, I've spent way too much time crying this past year.

At first, what tore me up was that Eric had betrayed everything we'd built over ten years.

But what really got me later was how heartless he could be. Even after I turned a blind eye to his cheating, he still wanted out.

He even pulled all sorts of cruel and humiliating stunts just to make me miserable and force me out.

But what could I do? Like those so-called experts on social media always say, if someone really wants a divorce, it's gonna happen no matter what.

Especially when it's the guy who wants out.

You can never imagine how shameless a guy can get, and what dirty tricks he'll pull to force you out.

Just like tonight, when Eric mocked my dad in front of everyone, like my dad totally screwed up raising me.

He knew my dad had a heart condition—he'd just had major heart surgery three months ago.

Even during all this divorce drama, I didn't let my dad suspect a thing about what was happening between Eric and me.

But Eric, just to get his divorce, exposed my lies without a second thought.

My chest felt like it was being crushed. I just couldn't take the pain anymore. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and escape for a while.

But I'd barely taken two steps when my phone suddenly rang.

It was the nanny who took care of my dad.

My heart skipped a beat. The moment I picked up, I heard the panic in her voice.

"Ms. Lane, you need to get to Ridgeview Medical Center right now. Your dad... after the birthday party, his heart started acting up. He's been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment."

A tear dropped with a soft plop.

Even my fingers were shaking as I gripped the phone.

I was panicking. Really panicking.

Back when my dad was discharged, the doctor had warned me again and again.

His heart condition was serious, and he couldn't get upset or worked up.

He was lucky to survive last time; it was a miracle he made it.

Trying to steady myself, I told the nanny to make sure my dad was okay, and promised I'd get there right away.

Then I rushed back to my room, threw on my down jacket, and started calling Eric.

My father only pulled through last time because Eric used his connections to bring in a specialist.