Chapter 1

The night Edward Grant went to pick up his first love at the airport, I hired eighteen host boys and made the front page of every tabloid.

He came personally to clear the place out, then leaned over the bed and nuzzled my cheek. "Babe, was that really necessary? Can't you stand Emily that much?

I didn't answer him. I reached into the bedsheets, wrinkled like dried seaweed, and pulled out divorce papers.

He glanced at them sideways, convinced I was still jealous. "Fine. If you don't like it, I won't bring her home anymore, okay? In my heart, you'll always come first.

"So, who was that hot guy who just left?"

He tried to catch me off guard, thinking he could blindside me the same way he always had. Like last time, when one of his mistresses set me up, and I panicked, groveled, begged him to forgive me.

But this time, I only shrugged. "That was my long-lost real father. I'm planning to take care of him for life. Want to split the cost?"

*****

Edward's eyes flickered as he twirled a strand of my hair around his finger. "Claire, you've actually gotten interesting."

He didn't care about my cold expression at all. In fact, he actually thought he was complimenting me.

Three years into our marriage, his opinion of me never changed: "Rough and unpolished."

The girls outside would slip condoms into his files, get his name tattooed on their waists, and spread rumors that I was a gold-digger trying to trap him with a baby. As for me, all I ever did was remind him to drink more water.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a message from Emily Rivers, Edward's first love: [Claire, I got married overseas.

[I didn't know Mr. Grant would be at the airport. Sorry for the misunderstanding.]

I replied naturally: [It's fine. There's no misunderstanding.]

We grew up in the same circle, so I knew exactly what Emily was like. She wasn't the type to chase after exes. That was Edward's thing.

Before he hit thirty, Edward was more of a player. He swore he was never getting married, and he'd cycle through seven girlfriends in a single year.

So, his pool of exes was always overflowing. No matter how many times he went back for seconds, there was always another one waiting.

I'd fought, made scenes, and had breakdowns. But all it ever did was make his bottom line lower and lower.

Emily sent back an OK, and I got up and started getting dressed.

After I pulled back the curtains, I could finally see how wild things had gotten last night. The air still carried a faint, sweet scent of flowers.

Edward's face changed a little, and he pushed me back onto the bed. He reached up and loosened his own collar. "Babe, you really went all out? Should've told me earlier.

"Do any of those losers look better than me? Or are they better in bed?"

Edward leaned in, his breath warm against my ear, fingers brushing my cheek. "I swear. I'll cut things off with Emily in three months, max. Sound good? No woman will ever threaten your spot with me."

As he spoke, his hand roamed over me, as if he were rewarding me. "Only I understand how reserved you are, how you don't get romance...

"But if I only stick with you, who's gonna keep me satisfied?"

He always had his excuses. Someone flirted with him, he was stressed, or he got drunk. Any of those could be his reason for crawling back to an ex.

Of course, his favorite excuse was always that I was too dull, never any fun for him.

I shoved him away and threw the divorce papers in his face again. "If no one's gonna take care of you, marry someone else. We're getting a divorce."

Edward's mood soured, his face darkening. "Claire, if you keep messing around like this, it's killing the vibe. You want a divorce? Go ahead, tell your mom if you dare."

He tossed the papers in the trash and got dressed. "I tried to give you some respect, but if you don't want it, leave.

"There are reporters outside, so watch your mouth, and don't bring up Emily."

He still thought I was jealous of Emily, his first love, the one he could never let go of. But what he didn't know was that I was cutting loose for the last time.

I was the long-lost child of the wealthy Bailey family in the Upper East. Since they'd taken me back, they hoped I would divorce Edward and marry a disfigured, lame man.

*****

Three years ago, my family went broke.

My elder sister, Julia Bennett, got poisoned by one of my dad's rivals and ended up mentally disabled.

I agreed to marry Edward so his hospital would waive Julia's medical bills.

Edward always liked to do things in style. When he chased me for four years, the whole Riverside University was talking about it.

We finally tied the knot and had a legendary wedding.

Two months after the honeymoon, he was already bored. He found I, the so-called ice queen, wasn't all that exciting once he got what he wanted.

He started hitting up nightclubs with other women, and the paparazzi caught him in the act. But instead of hiding, he wrapped his arm around the girl and made out with her right in front of the cameras.

He said, "Seriously, guys? Why so serious?

"You don't actually think the woman I've got at home can scare me, do you?"

Marriage didn't change a thing for him. He still did whatever he wanted, partied, hooked up, nothing different.

The only real change was at all those big events, he had me on his arm as his gorgeous trophy wife.

When I got home, I was in tears, asking for a divorce.

My mom slapped me hard. "Every wife has to deal with this, you know.

"Seriously? Can't you handle a couple of reporters? How pathetic are you?

"And you dare talk about divorce? If you leave, you're abandoning your sister to die. Is that what you want?"