Chapter 1

I'd been married to Derek Hart for ten years, and I'd met every mistress he'd had since our wedding.

Whenever he grew bored and wanted someone new, he used me as an excuse to convince them to leave gracefully.

He always said, "You know, if you marry me, your future will end up just like hers. We'll lose the spark we have now as we grow used to each other."

It was our wedding anniversary, yet I was consoling a college girl he just dumped while he was out at the movies with his new girl.

Seeing her cry, I saw a reflection of myself from years ago.

I calmly told Derek I wanted a divorce.

For once, he looked genuinely confused. "Not going to try anymore? Maybe I'll change my mind and come back to you one day."

I smiled faintly and said nothing. Then booked a flight abroad.

My patience had run out. It was time to leave.

*****

Being married to a playboy took some serious endurance.

That was what I thought when I glanced at the tissues in my hand.

The girl sitting across from me was Gloria Bolton, a senior in college.

She'd been crying for two hours since she walked in.

She and Derek had only been involved for about a month, tops.

Honestly, it wasn't worth crying so much that her makeup was a mess.

Just as I was about to say something, she looked up at me, her eyes red and swollen from crying. "He told me I was kind of like you. I guess he was right."

I was caught off guard because none of Derek's other girlfriends had ever said that to me.

Gloria sniffled and wiped her tears. With a mocking tone, she said, "I really don't need your comfort. Honestly, you're more pathetic than I."

She was right. Everyone in Rivenar knew Derek married the perfect wife.

I was always sweet and devoted, yet I got cheated on repeatedly and had to soothe his ex-girlfriends.

I always called every girl he dated after we got married his "ex".

I had long abandoned any claim to the dignity of being his wife.

My phone buzzed with a message from Derek.

Derek: [Are you done yet? The movie is about to start.]

I dropped my phone onto the table and looked up to meet Gloria's eyes, now even more swollen. "If you want any kind of compensation, just say the word. I'll make sure you get it."

I had said it countless times, with the practiced ease of an HR handing out layoffs.

She snorted and shot to her feet. "I don't need anything."

I sighed. "You should."

Money, a car, a house, just take something real.

Her eyes grew even colder. She raised her hand and slowly poured her cold coffee over my head.

She said, "I'm pregnant, and I'm keeping the baby."

I stared at her, stunned into silence, completely forgetting whatever words of comfort I was about to offer.

I forced a bitter smile that barely registered.

Derek, in the end, you never kept a single promise you made to me.

Dripping wet, I slid into the passenger seat while Derek was on the phone.

He made no effort to hide it, and I could instantly tell he was chatting up another girl.

My fingers unconsciously gripped the seatbelt so tightly that they hurt.

Whatever the girl said, it made him laugh, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "Alright, I'll come see you tonight," he said.

He hung up, started the car, and gave me a sideways glance. Then his grip on the steering wheel suddenly tightened, his face darkening. "Did she pour coffee on you?"

I was slowly blotting my hair with a tissue.

Seeing I was quiet, he leaned over and took the tissue from my hand. "Let me."

I instinctively tried to move away, but he pulled me back into his arms.

He wiped my hair with surprising care, though his face was tight with anger. "Did you just sit there and let her dump coffee on you? Briana, where's that fight you used to have with me?"

I said nothing.

Ever since meeting Gloria, that hollow feeling inside me had started to spread.

I pulled away from his arms, my face icy. "I can't blow up at a pregnant woman, right? What would you have me do?"

Derek looked embarrassed, but his jaw stayed tight as he stubbornly kept wiping my hair.

After that, we didn't exchange a single word. He drove, and I just stared out the window.

From the corner of my eye, I caught him glancing at me now and then, searching for a hint of what I was feeling.

I'd been disappointed so many times, and now, all that was left was numbness.

We barely paid attention to the movie, and Derek spent almost the entire time with his head down, replying to messages.

The whole "wedding anniversary vibe" had completely fallen apart by the time the movie ended.

Funny thing was, after the movie, I had to sit next to him and watch him act.

*****

A few days later, there was a party. Everyone invited was family or close friends in Rivenar. The Hart family had sent out invitations to all of them half a month ago.

Among the socializing and toasts, Derek poured me a glass of wine while chatting with guests.

My plate was stacked with food, but I just sat there, lost in thought, staring at his wrist where his sleeves were rolled up.

Whose hair tie was that?

My stomach was churning, and I'd already lost my appetite.

Just because someone took care of one during a party didn't mean they loved them. Even remembering anniversaries after ten years didn't guarantee love.

One who wouldn't even take off their wedding ring in the shower might not truly love their partner.

I should thank Derek for teaching me all this.

They grew up together, childhood sweethearts, and a perfect match in every way, but that was all about Derek and my elder sister, Joyce Gilbert.

Even when I barely understood what love was, I knew the Gilbert family and the Hart family had intended for them to marry.

I'd seen Joyce's cheeks flush whenever she went out with him.

I'd also seen the wild Derek everyone knew turn quiet and well-behaved whenever he was around Joyce.

When I was young and clueless, I stashed away all the records I'd gone out of my way to collect for him.

Among the three of us, I existed only as Joyce's shadow.

When their feelings for each other burned brightest, there was no room for me.