Chapter 1

I almost died in the Colorado mountains. I got bitten by a rattlesnake trying to save my wife and her first love from a flash flood.

The doctors barely pulled me back from the brink.

I lay in the ICU for a month. My wife, Claire, didn't visit me once.

Instead, I saw her Instagram post—she bought him a million-dollar Ferrari.

I called her for the ninety-ninth time, only to hear Adrian's voice on the other end.

"Claire, I slipped in the bathroom. Come help me up."

My heart finally died. I hung up the phone and called my wealthy, formidable grandmother.

"I want to come home."

But after I walked away for good, she came crawling back, begging like a madwoman.

Because without me, she was nothing.

"Grandma, I've made up my mind. I'm coming back to take over the family business and help you manage the company."

Silence hung on the line for a second before Eleanor's sharp laugh broke through.

"Good. Good. I'm thrilled you're finally ready to run Whitmore Holdings. I'll pack my things and fly back to Chicago immediately. Three days. I'll host a welcome-home dinner for you myself."

I had just hung up when Claire strutted into the apartment, her heels clicking against the floor.

She glanced at the empty dining table, and her face instantly dropped.

"Where's dinner?"

Fresh out of the ICU, my face was still pale. I didn't look up from my phone.

"Didn't you eat out?"

In the past, the second she asked, I would have jumped up to make whatever she wanted. I used to run all over Chicago just to buy her favorite cake, like an absolute fool trying to win her smile.

Claire didn't notice anything different. She just tossed a cardboard box onto the table.

"For you. You look like it's the end of the world. Anyone else would think someone owes you a million bucks."

I glanced at the box. I didn't open it.

Inside was a leftover slice of cake. The frosting was smashed, a few pieces of fruit hanging off the edge.

I didn't move.

Claire had never seen me this cold. Before, even if she tossed me a three-dollar candy bar, I would have taken it with a smile.

Her expression hardened. She slammed her hand onto the table.

The vase I'd bought her toppled and shattered across the floor.

"Ethan, what gives you the right to throw an attitude?"

"Yes, Adrian and I were trapped in the mountains. You called the rescue team, and I went down with them. So you got bitten by a snake. You're fine now. The hospital had nurses. Why did I need to be there?"

"Bennett Industries is about to close a deal with Whitmore Holdings. Obviously, the company comes first. Do you have any idea how exhausted I am? You practically blew up my phone."

A shard of glass bit into my foot. I drew in a sharp breath.

When I looked up, I saw a fresh red mark on her neck.

I remembered a month ago. To save Claire and Adrian from the flash flood, I waded back into the danger zone alone and got bitten by a rattlesnake.

The doctors fought for twenty-four hours just to drag me back from the brink of death.

I kept calling Claire because I just wanted her to come to the hospital and check on me.

But on the ninety-ninth call, Adrian picked up. Her secretary.

"Claire, I slipped in the bathroom. Come help me up."

My heart shattered right then and there.

Not to mention, before Claire even walked through the door today, I had already seen Adrian's Instagram Story.

"Best birthday ever. Claire gifted me a Ferrari. A cool million. I'll stay by your side forever."

The photo was of them kissing back in college.

I could never figure it out. If they loved each other so much, why was she the one who proposed to me?

Isn't a marriage a little too crowded for three people?

I looked up at her. Flawless makeup. Stunning.

Meanwhile, I was pale, weak, and fresh out of the ICU.

"Claire, I lay in that hospital for a whole month. Every single day was a living hell. And for that entire month, you were with Adrian."

"You bought him a house. You celebrated his birthday. If you love him so much, you should just be with him."

"We're getting a divorce."

Claire froze. Then her eyes turned hostile.

"Ethan, drop the joke."

"I'm on the rise. Once this Whitmore Holdings project goes through, my net worth will only go up."

She looked me up and down, her lip curling in disgust.

"And you? You might share the Whitmore name, but you're just a penniless loser. I've been providing for you all these years."

"Where would you even go without me?"

The revulsion was written all over her face.

If we hadn't struggled through the last five years together, she probably would have kicked me out a long time ago. She was only worried a divorce would ruin her public image.

But she had no idea Whitmore Holdings was my family's company.

She didn't get to where she was on her own merit, either.

Over the years, I had secretly used my family's resources and connections to pave the way for her. Clients, projects, funding—I spoon-fed them to her.

I had planned to wait until she achieved real success before bringing her home to my grandmother, so my family would accept her.

I never expected the path I paved for her would become the foundation she used to chase her first love.

My expression stayed completely flat.

"If I don't divorce you, what happens to your first love? Are you going to keep him hidden outside your marriage like a dirty secret forever?"

Chapter 1

I almost died in the Colorado mountains. I got bitten by a rattlesnake trying to save my wife and her first love from a flash flood.

The doctors barely pulled me back from the brink.

I lay in the ICU for a month. My wife, Claire, didn't visit me once.

Instead, I saw her Instagram post—she bought him a million-dollar Ferrari.

I called her for the ninety-ninth time, only to hear Adrian's voice on the other end.

"Claire, I slipped in the bathroom. Come help me up."

My heart finally died. I hung up the phone and called my wealthy, formidable grandmother.

"I want to come home."

But after I walked away for good, she came crawling back, begging like a madwoman.

Because without me, she was nothing.

"Grandma, I've made up my mind. I'm coming back to take over the family business and help you manage the company."

Silence hung on the line for a second before Eleanor's sharp laugh broke through.

"Good. Good. I'm thrilled you're finally ready to run Whitmore Holdings. I'll pack my things and fly back to Chicago immediately. Three days. I'll host a welcome-home dinner for you myself."

I had just hung up when Claire strutted into the apartment, her heels clicking against the floor.

She glanced at the empty dining table, and her face instantly dropped.

"Where's dinner?"

Fresh out of the ICU, my face was still pale. I didn't look up from my phone.

"Didn't you eat out?"

In the past, the second she asked, I would have jumped up to make whatever she wanted. I used to run all over Chicago just to buy her favorite cake, like an absolute fool trying to win her smile.

Claire didn't notice anything different. She just tossed a cardboard box onto the table.

"For you. You look like it's the end of the world. Anyone else would think someone owes you a million bucks."

I glanced at the box. I didn't open it.

Inside was a leftover slice of cake. The frosting was smashed, a few pieces of fruit hanging off the edge.

I didn't move.

Claire had never seen me this cold. Before, even if she tossed me a three-dollar candy bar, I would have taken it with a smile.

Her expression hardened. She slammed her hand onto the table.

The vase I'd bought her toppled and shattered across the floor.

"Ethan, what gives you the right to throw an attitude?"

"Bennett Industries is about to close a deal with Whitmore Holdings. Obviously, the company comes first. Do you have any idea how exhausted I am? You practically blew up my phone."

A shard of glass bit into my foot. I drew in a sharp breath.

When I looked up, I saw a fresh red mark on her neck.

I remembered a month ago. To save Claire and Adrian from the flash flood, I waded back into the danger zone alone and got bitten by a rattlesnake.

The doctors fought for twenty-four hours just to drag me back from the brink of death.

I kept calling Claire because I just wanted her to come to the hospital and check on me.

But on the ninety-ninth call, Adrian picked up. Her secretary.

"Claire, I slipped in the bathroom. Come help me up."

My heart shattered right then and there.

Not to mention, before Claire even walked through the door today, I had already seen Adrian's Instagram Story.

"Best birthday ever. Claire gifted me a Ferrari. A cool million. I'll stay by your side forever."

The photo was of them kissing back in college.

I could never figure it out. If they loved each other so much, why was she the one who proposed to me?

Isn't a marriage a little too crowded for three people?

I looked up at her. Flawless makeup. Stunning.

Meanwhile, I was pale, weak, and fresh out of the ICU.

"Claire, I lay in that hospital for a whole month. Every single day was a living hell. And for that entire month, you were with Adrian."

"You bought him a house. You celebrated his birthday. If you love him so much, you should just be with him."

"We're getting a divorce."

Claire froze. Then her eyes turned hostile.

"Ethan, drop the joke."

"I'm on the rise. Once this Whitmore Holdings project goes through, my net worth will only go up."

She looked me up and down, her lip curling in disgust.

"And you? You might share the Whitmore name, but you're just a penniless loser. I've been providing for you all these years."

"Where would you even go without me?"

The revulsion was written all over her face.

If we hadn't struggled through the last five years together, she probably would have kicked me out a long time ago. She was only worried a divorce would ruin her public image.

But she had no idea Whitmore Holdings was my family's company.

She didn't get to where she was on her own merit, either.

Over the years, I had secretly used my family's resources and connections to pave the way for her. Clients, projects, funding—I spoon-fed them to her.

I had planned to wait until she achieved real success before bringing her home to my grandmother, so my family would accept her.

I never expected the path I paved for her would become the foundation she used to chase her first love.

My expression stayed completely flat.

"If I don't divorce you, what happens to your first love? Are you going to keep him hidden outside your marriage like a dirty secret forever?"