Chapter 1
Before he married me, Darius Newton had loved another woman.
He brought her into his company, made her his personal secretary.
For her, he fought her ex-husband, broke his leg, even stepping in as a father to her child.
I'd argued with him over it, even cried. But every time, he just looked at me coldly.
He said, "Since you don't want to be my wife, this is what you get."
And so, I stopped being his wife.
*****
Three years ago, Darius and I got into a fight.
We'd barely spoken since.
Not long after, he arranged for his ex-girlfriend, Eve Fischer, to join the Newton Group as his personal secretary.
I never cried or made a fuss. I just clung to this hollow marriage and kept pretending to be happy.
Then one day, Eve called me up and asked me to pick Darius up from the police station.
When I arrived, I saw Darius with a bruise on the corner of his mouth and his clothes all rumpled.
When he saw me, his gaze flickered.
Eve stayed close to Darius, her eyes full of concern as tears slid down her cheeks.
I went over to the other guy, handling things like a pro and offering terms he couldn't refuse.
When I walked away, the guy's gaze lingered on me.
He remarked, "Tsk, with such a stunning wife, how could Mr. Newton ever be into that pretentious woman?" someone whispered.
People around gave me looks full of sympathy, but I kept my face blank as I walked out of the police station.
Suddenly, a hand clamped down on my wrist.
Darius's lips parted, his voice edged with anger he was clearly trying to hold back.
"What, cat got your tongue? Can't you even say a word?" he snapped.
I slowly turned to him, my voice barely above a whisper, though every word seemed to ring out in the room.
"What do you want me to say? Should I pretend you've got nothing to do with Eve, and that we're a happy couple?" I asked.
Darius's grip on my wrist tightened. He locked eyes with me for a full minute.
Then, he dragged me out and bundled me into his car.
Eve hurried after us, calling out to Darius.
"Darius, are you going home?" she asked. "I-I don't mean to stop you, but you've got a meeting at the office this afternoon."
"Just cancel it," Darius said.
With that, he got in the car and drove straight home.
Less than five minutes later, Eve's call popped up.
Darius frowned, but ended up answering anyway.
On the other end, Eve's voice was choked with sobs. "Darius, I fell down. It hurts so bad, and I'm bleeding all over."
Darius slammed on the brakes and pulled over. For a long moment, he just sat there in silence.
It seemed he didn't even know what to say to me.
I took the hint, opened the door, and stepped out.
He didn't hesitate for a second, turning the car around and headed back.
*****
Later, when Darius called, I was still holed up in the rented apartment, nowhere close to heading home yet.
He asked where I was, and said he'd come pick me up.
I didn't want him knowing this address, so I just told him, "I'm already on my way home, almost there."
An hour later, my car stopped at the villa gate.
Darius was sitting on the front steps, surrounded by cigarette butts.
He looked up at me, his fingertips red, luxury suit jacket tossed to one side.
"What took you so long?" Darius asked.
"Traffic." I made up some random excuse.
Just as I took a step forward, Darius suddenly pulled me into his arms, catching me totally off guard.
In the night, those captivating eyes of his I used to adore had become my nightmares.
I could still remember how, no matter how I begged, Darius sent my brother—the only family I had left—straight to prison.
He stared me down with those same eyes, his voice icy enough to freeze my soul. "Kathy, every mistake comes with its price."
For ages, I couldn't even look him in the eye.
After Eve got out of the hospital, Darius made her his personal secretary, like he was trying to make it up to her.
For the past three years, everyone knew Darius had a lover, Eve.
He'd even gotten into fights with Eve's ex-husband, broken his leg, and ended up at the police station—all for her.
They went on business trips together, celebrated birthdays together, and even attended parent-teacher conferences for Eve's daughter, Sasha.
Out in public, Eve was practically his wife.
Since Darius and I didn't have any kids, Darius' parents, Emmett and Maria Newton even wanted Eve to give them their first grandchild.
But to their disappointment, Eve never got pregnant.
I turned away, avoiding his gaze.
Darius blew out a ring of smoke, put out his cigarette, and spoke slowly, "Kathy, can we not fight anymore? Do you still hate me because of your brother?"
I didn't hate Darius anymore.
I had realized that hating him doesn't change a thing.
He still kept Eve glued to his side.
Meanwhile, my brother, Frank Adkins, was still stuck in prison and I was still haunted by nightmares every single night.
And so, I stopped hating him.
But I didn't love him anymore, either.
I slowly broke free from his hold, got up, and walked toward the house.
I said, "The ground's cold. Go inside."