Chapter 1
I could see random comments popping up in my sight.
That was one of my secrets. The other was that I was the head of a private bank.
I had a childhood sweetheart.
He was my husband now, and I wanted to stay by his side, to be a good wife.
So I chose to stay behind the scenes, running the bank in secret, while being his perfect wife—raising our child, supporting his dreams.
For years, life was peaceful. Until one day, all my love and effort were repaid with a divorce paper.
*****
There was a woman sitting right beside my husband, Andrew Shaw, in the spot that used to belong to me.
She was Vanessa Grant, a special guest Andrew had brought.
Vanessa was the director of one of the key branches under our group.
She had a stunning figure and flawless makeup.
Her outfit was a custom-made designer suit that traced every curve of her body, sharp and bold, almost aggressive.
Her eyes lingered on Andrew without hiding it, then swept past me with a cutting edge.
"Dad, Mom, Susan." Andrew cleared his throat. His voice sounded unsteady.
He avoided my gaze, but his eyes stayed fixed on the center of the table, firm and determined.
"I owe this promotion to Vanessa's incredible support." He paused, swallowing hard like something heavy was stuck in his throat. "She's... insanely good at what she does. Honestly, she's helped me out a ton."
The air froze for a moment.
"So, I've been thinking about this for a long time..." Andrew took a deep breath, like he was about to drop a bomb. "There's something I just can't avoid anymore."
He reached into his suit pocket.
That same hand had once held me warmly on cold nights and awkwardly changed our daughter Lily's diapers.
My heart plummeted, sinking into a freezing abyss.
Andrew pulled out a neatly folded sheet of paper.
With a reckless, almost desperate gesture, he slapped it down on the smooth walnut table and shoved it toward me.
The black words on the white paper glared back at me—the title "Divorce Agreement" burned into my eyes like a red-hot brand.
The air froze.
My mother-in-law, Margaret, dropped her knife onto the plate with a sharp clang.
"Andrew, are you crazy?" My father-in-law, Richard, slammed the table so hard the cups and plates rattled.
His normally composed and gentlemanly face was now crimson from anger and shock, finger shaking as he pointed at his son.
"Y-you want to ditch your wife just because of a promotion?" Richard's voice shot up, burning with disbelief. "Do you even remember how much Charlotte has done for this family?
"For you, for Lily—she even gave up her own career.
"And now you want to leave her?"
Margaret's eyes filled with tears in an instant.
She clutched my hand, her fingers icy, her palm slick with cold sweat.
"Andrew, have you lost your mind?" Margaret's voice shook with fury and sobs. "What did Charlotte ever do wrong?
"Lily's still a child! What's Charlotte supposed to do now? What's Lily supposed to do?"
Margaret turned to Vanessa, her glare sharp as a knife.
"This is all her fault!" she shouted. "She's the one who told you to do this, right?"
Vanessa let a barely-there, mocking smile twist her lips, inching just a bit closer to Andrew—as if claiming her prize.
She settled back with the lazy arrogance of a victor, watching the family trainwreck play out like she wasn't even part of it.
"Dad, Mom!" Andrew's sister, Susan, suddenly stood up. She was bold by nature, and now her anger made her eyes sharp and her chest heave.
She stormed around the table, grabbed the divorce papers straight from Andrew's hands—fast and fierce.
"You've lost your damn mind!" Susan's voice shook with fury, her eyes wide.
"Vanessa, right?" Her glare cut straight to Vanessa. "Who do you think you are? You really think we'd ever accept you? That you can steal Charlotte's husband just like this?"
She waved the divorce papers she'd just snatched away. "I'll make sure everyone at your bank knows what you've done by tomorrow."
Before anyone could react, a shrill rip echoed through the room. The divorce agreement, still carrying Andrew's warmth, was instantly torn straight down the middle.
Shredded paper drifted down like broken butterfly wings.
[Holy crap, the show's getting good. This guy's such a jerk.]
[I heard men always cheat after a promotion. Guess that's true.]
[Susan's a legend. That's exactly how you deal with a cheater and a homewrecker.]
[Poor Charlotte. She looks so calm, but her heart's probably bleeding.]
[That homewrecker is seriously unfazed, sitting there like she belongs. Talk about nerves of steel.]