Chapter 1

On the day I was supposed to marry my CEO boyfriend, William Grant, I rushed to the city hall, only to find he'd already married his dream girl, Cecilia Henn.

My face went livid as I stared at the marriage license in their hands.

Suddenly, Cecilia broke down and began to beg me piteously.

"I'm a single mom," she sobbed. "I only pretended to marry William so my child could have a complete family."

William grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him protectively, eyeing me warily, like a mother hen protecting her chick.

He snapped, "It's just a marriage license. Who do you think you're giving that look to?

"Alex keeps begging Cecilia for a dad. What do you expect her to do? As a mom, she can't just ignore that, can she?

"Once Alex's old enough to understand, I'll divorce her. Will it kill you to wait a bit longer?"

He held up three fingers.

"If you behave, I'll marry you in three years," he said.

I replied coolly, "No need."

This five-year relationship? I was done.

*****

William was stunned.

He frowned. "What did you just say? Repeat it."

I stared into his eyes, despair flooding mine, and said slowly, emphasizing every word. "I said, no need. We're over."

His brows twisted together, and after a few seconds, realization dawned across his face.

He said, "Yvette, what game are you playing now? Are you trying reverse psychology, or just playing hard to get?

"Cecilia just got back to the country, and raising a kid on her own isn't easy. Alex's still so young. If I don't help her, they'll both get picked on. Why can't you understand that?

"Alex needs a father at his age. He'll grow up messed up in the head without one. Don't you have any sympathy?

"It's not like I won't marry you. Can't you just wait three years?"

Cecilia suddenly burst into tears, crying her heart out.

She sobbed, "William, don't argue with Yvette because of me. It's really not worth it."

She wiped her tears away.

She went on, "It's only natural that she doesn't understand me. Who am I to expect everyone to get it?

"Let's just get the divorce. I don't want you two fighting because of me."

William shot me a look, clearly fed up.

He barked, "Hurry up and apologize to Cecilia. What, you want to push her over the edge? To kill herself?"

Cecilia broke down in tears.

When I ignored him, William smacked me across the face.

I stared at him in disbelief.

The next second, we started grappling.

But he was too strong. He easily overpowered me and shoved me to the ground.

Cecilia showed a smug smile, but in a flash, her expression turned innocent.

She gave me a little bow.

She said, "How could I possibly accept Yvette's apology? It's better if I apologize instead. I'm sorry."

William frowned and pointed his finger at me.

"Look at Cecilia, then look at you," he said.

I got up from the ground and dusted myself off.

I grabbed my phone and called the police.

Soon, the cops showed up, pulled the footage from the courthouse entrance, and confirmed that William had hit me.

We were taken to the station for mediation.

In the end, William had to write me a handwritten apology letter.

As we walked out of the police station, William gritted his teeth and sneered, "Yvette, you've got guts now, huh? Calling the cops on me."

I replied calmly, "Why wouldn't I? You hit me, so of course I called the police."

"Fine. You're something else," he said.

*****

I never expected my first encounter with Cecilia would be at the city hall.

When William and I first started dating, he came clean about his romantic history.

Cecilia was always the one he could never forget. She was his college senior, the girl he put on a pedestal.

After graduation, she moved overseas and got married.

William and I had been together for five years, and we hardly ever fought. Even when we did, it only brought us closer.

But for the past two months, he'd been working late all the time, ignoring my texts, and barely picking up my calls.

It felt like, out of nowhere, a wall had suddenly appeared between us.

Today, I finally realized that wall was Cecilia.