Chapter 1

When headlines blazed with news of my husband Andrew Lane's affair with his co-star Sophie Grant, I still went to his premiere to stand by him, even though I was pregnant.

Then the chandelier fell.

His first instinct was to throw himself over Sophie, shielding her with his body.

I was knocked down in the panicked stampede.

Through the chaos, he only shot me a cold glare and said, "Vivian, must you cause a scene right now?"

Then he walked out with Sophie in his arms, leaving me alone beneath the flashing cameras.

This time, when reporters pressed about the affair and the divorce rumors, I didn't explain.

I simply replied, "It's all true. We're getting a divorce."

Every reporter in front of me looked absolutely stunned.

"Yes, we are," I repeated.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, and everyone exchanged stunned glances, clearly caught off guard.

Whenever Andrew got tangled up in some scandal, I was always the first to rush to his side and shut down the rumors for him.

But today, seeing him walk away with that actress like I didn't even exist, leaving me there seven months pregnant, I knew I'd never do that for him again.

I was the most rebellious daughter of the Carter Group, the one who made it clear I'd never go along with an arranged marriage for business, and instead, I went and married a theater actor.

And now, he didn't care about his pregnant wife at home, choosing instead to have an affair with an actress from his own cast.

I was sure this bombshell would be splashed across every headline tomorrow.

I shoved my way through the reporters, but they were relentless, still hot on my heels.

Just then, my assistant Cole Moore charged in with a squad of bodyguards.

"Damn it, who do you think you are, crowding my boss like that?" Cole said.

Ignoring his own slight build, he barreled into the crowd, forcing a path open for me.

The bodyguards hustled me into the car, shielding me from the chaos.

A sharp pain shot through my belly, and panic gripped me. I was terrified something was wrong with the baby. I yelled at the driver, "Please, take me to the hospital!"

A few hours later, I woke up in the hospital room and saw Cole sitting beside me, his eyes rimmed with red, worry written all over his face.

The doctor said, "You're lucky, you're already in the late stage of pregnancy, and your baby is strong. Everything looks fine, so don't worry."

Cole, still fuming, slammed his fist on the bed, his breath coming in ragged bursts.

He said, "That bastard Andrew. He couldn't care less about you, knowing full well you're seven months pregnant."

I lowered my head; the image of Andrew holding Sophie so tightly kept flashing through my mind. My heart hit rock bottom.

When our eyes met, Andrew saw me fall in the audience, saw me lying there all messed up, but he just ignored me completely.

The way he was so worried about Sophie, so protective of her; I'd never seen him act like that before.

Even when I was sick and in the hospital, Andrew would just tell me to rest and take my medicine; he never risked himself for me like that.

Maybe at some point after we got married, he stopped loving me.

Seeing me keep quiet, Cole started worrying I might make myself sick from being upset. He wanted Andrew to clear things up between us.

So, right in front of me, Cole put Andrew on speaker and dialed his number several times, but no one picked up. Just as Cole was about to give up, Andrew's voice finally came through.

"Cole, what do you want? I'm busy," Andrew said.

"Mr. Lane, Vivian's in the hospital right now. Do you even care she almost had an accident at the theater? She's carrying your child. Aren't you afraid something bad might happen to her?" Cole said.

Andrew paused for a second, then scoffed.

"Like anything could happen to her. Honestly, I'd be shocked if she managed to stay out of trouble for once," he said.

"You ditched Vivian just to be with that actress. How could you treat her like that?" Cole demanded, his frustration boiling over.

"Cole, remember your place. I've told you before, nothing is going on between Sophie and me; we're just colleagues. Stop bothering me," Andrew replied coldly.

With that, Andrew hung up, not sparing me a single word.

Cole was stunned, so angry and frustrated that he couldn't even get a word out.

After a long silence, I let out a faint, relieved smile and looked at Cole.

I said, "Cole, I've decided to get a divorce. Can you help me get the divorce papers ready tomorrow?

"Also, don't mention this to Dad for now."

After Cole left, the hospital room fell silent, so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat.