Chapter 1

After three years of marriage, I came home early for the first time.

The living room lights were on, and a coat that didn't belong to me had been thrown across the sofa.

It was a limited-edition Chanel from this season's fall collection, and I had seen it in a magazine.

Upstairs, someone was laughing.

I didn't go upstairs. I sat down at the dining table instead and ladled out the soup I had simmered for four hours, one bowl at a time.

Ten minutes later, David came downstairs in a bathrobe.

He saw me, and something awkward crossed his face for half a second before he smoothed it over and went back to normal.

"You're back?" he said.

"Yeah," I replied.

I pointed upstairs.

"Who's upstairs?" I asked.

He leaned against the banister, his face completely indifferent.

"Olivia," he said.

He didn't bother to hide any of it, and there was even a little impatience in his voice.

"She's moving in for a while," he added.

I set the spoon down.

"This is our home," I said.

"This is the Langley family's house," David corrected me. "You've lived here three years and you haven't put a single dollar into it. Olivia is different. She just closed a 27 million dollar deal for Langley Holdings."

The clicking of high heels sounded on the stairs.

Olivia came down the stairs in my bathrobe with her hair still wet.

She gave me a bright smile without a trace of embarrassment. "Oh, you're home? I used your bathroom. I hope you don't mind."

I stared at the necklace around her neck.

It was the gift David had promised me for our first anniversary.

Later, he said he'd forgotten.

He hadn't forgotten at all. He had given it to her.

"David," I said, standing up. "Let's get a divorce."

The living room fell silent for a couple of seconds.

Olivia White was the first to burst out laughing.

"Are you serious? Where would you go without David? He's the heir to Langley Holdings. You really think you can make it on your own? And what about your parents?"

"Be quiet," I said, looking straight at her. "I'm talking to my husband."

David pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

"You want a divorce? Fine by me. Just remember that your mother begged mine to make this marriage happen. You walk out with nothing. Not one dollar," David said, his voice flat.

"All right," I said without hesitation.

He arched an eyebrow, obviously surprised I agreed so quickly.

"So you're really walking away? No house, no car, not a dollar out of savings?" he pressed.

"I don't want any of it. Not a thing," I replied.

Olivia's grin grew even wider.

"That's generous of you," Olivia said, and the sarcasm sat right on top of the words.

I grabbed my bag from the table and headed for the door.

"One more thing." I glanced back. "Enjoy the soup. It took me four hours, and it would be a shame to pour it down the drain."

The door closed behind me.

The night wind in November was cold.

I was standing outside Langley Villa when my phone rang.

It was Helen Langley.

"Grace, have you lost your mind? David told me you want a divorce? Do you even know your own worth? Marrying into the Langley Family is the best thing that could ever happen to you—"

I hung up on her.

I hailed a cab and went to a hotel downtown.

The young woman at the front desk noticed I had no luggage, and her eyes flickered with uncertainty.

"Presidential suite," I said.

"Ma'am, the presidential suite is 9,300 dollars a night," she said.

I handed her a card.

Her whole manner changed the moment she swiped it.

"Ms. Sutton, right this way," she said, and her voice wavered.

I ignored her reaction, walked into the room, and stood at the floor-to-ceiling window for a long time.

It had been three years.

I had spent all three of them hiding who I was for a man who was not worth one of them.

My phone rang again, and the caller ID showed a number I hadn't seen in years.

"Ms. Sutton, your grandfather asked me to find out whether you're ready to come home," the voice on the line said.

I looked out at the lights of the city.

"Tell him," I said.

"Grace is coming home."