Chapter 2

The night in Sorwain was a dazzling display of neon lights, the city so lively that it felt strangely indifferent.

I didn't do any of the dramatic things one saw in TV shows, running out into the rain to cry, or drowning my sorrows at a bar.

I calmly hailed a cab and headed back to the villa that was supposed to be home.

This luxurious villa, perched halfway up the mountain, was bought by August before AscendTech went public. The renovation alone took a whole year. Yet I had stayed here only a handful of times.

Most of the time, I was at the company's R&D center, staring at cold servers and endless lines of code.

When I opened the door, the place was completely dark. I didn't turn on the lights. I made my way to the study like I'd done a hundred times before.

There was a photo on the desk, August and Megan grinning ear to ear during some team-building outing, blue skies and fluffy clouds behind them.

I was stuck in a hospital bed, getting IV drips for sudden tinnitus, all because I'd pushed myself way too hard.

I opened the safe. It wasn't for any jewelry or luxury items. I never cared about that sort of thing.

I pulled out a few documents. They were a supplemental contract August and I signed back when AscendTech was starting out, along with the original authorization for several key patents.

Back then, August tweaked the share distribution, maybe to cheer me up, maybe to show how much he cared.

He was the legal rep and the big shareholder on paper, but the core tech patents were always under my name.

And that supplemental contract made it crystal clear. If we ever got divorced, the patents for the core technology would go straight to me, and AscendTech would have to pay a huge licensing fee, or else, no rights to use them.

Back then, he said, "Abigail, this is your safety net. If I ever let you down, you can make sure I lose everything."

It turned out to be the biggest hole he ever dug for himself.

I slipped the documents into a folder, packed a few changes of clothes and some essentials, and that was pretty much it.

Aside from my laptop and hard drive, I hardly took anything else.

Honestly, there was barely anything in this house that actually belonged to me.

August bought all those designer bags and clothes were for appearances to keep up the image, and most of them had the tags on.

As I was dragging my suitcase toward the stairs, the fingerprint lock on the front door clicked and beeped.

August had returned. He reeked of booze and was practically dripping with rage.

With a sudden snap, all the living room lights came on, so bright that I had to squint.

August yanked off his tie, strode over, grabbed the suitcase from my hand, and slammed it down hard on the floor.

He snapped, "Trying to leave? So you've got guts now, huh, Abigail? You gave me attitude right in front of Kaden, and now you're running away from home? You think this is playing house?"

His face was red with anger, eyes fierce.

I looked at the old T-shirts scattered across the floor and said in a steady voice, "I'm not running away. I want a divorce."

August let out a mocking laugh, like I'd told the world's biggest joke, and stepped right up to me. "Divorce?

"Where do you think you're going after the divorce? Back to that broke-ass hometown of yours? Or maybe you'll end up begging under a bridge? Abigail, get real. Without me, you're nothing.

"Look at you. You are old, outdated, and deaf. Who else would ever want you but me?"

He poked at the hearing aid in my left ear so hard that he almost knocked it loose.

That label felt like needles piercing my heart. Who did I lose my hearing for, anyway?

Back when we first started out, pinching every penny, we couldn't afford a proper factory. So we set up shop in a tin shed in an urban slum, making molds for parts.

The noise was so loud that we had to yell to be heard.

I camped out by those machines day and night. When my ears were literally leaking pus, I only stuffed some cotton in and kept working.

Back then, August held me tight and said, "Abigail, when I get rich, I'll make sure your hearing gets better. I'll buy you the best hearing aids in the world."

Now, that was another thing he used to hurt me.

I brushed his hand away, giving him a cold look. "August, you're right. I'm deaf. But at least I can tell when someone's talking sense, unlike some people, who don't know how to behave themselves."

August raised his hand, looking like he was about to hit me. But before he could bring his hand down, he stopped.

It wasn't out of mercy. He saw the folder I was clutching in my hand.

August was a businessman. His instincts were razor-sharp, and he immediately sensed something was up.

He narrowed his eyes, his tone suddenly dark. "What are you holding?"

"It's nothing. It's only some old documents." I wasn't about to confront him yet, so I quickly tucked the folder away in my backpack. "Move."

August stood blocking the stairs, refusing to let me through.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and switched to that familiar, condescending tone he always used when he wanted to lecture me. "Abigail, stop making a scene.

"I was wrong today. I shouldn't have embarrassed you in front of everyone. But you have to understand. Kaden's project is huge for the company. We're talking millions.

"Megan's young, looks good, and speaks Konleian, so she can really connect with Kaden. I'm only supporting her because it's good for business, that's all.

"You're in your thirties now. Why are you still acting like some jealous teenager? We're husband and wife. We're in this together. If the company does well, you get to enjoy the good life, too, right?"

That was August's classic doing. He would humiliate me one second, then coax me the next. Whenever his interests were at stake, he could flip the script in an instant.

If this had happened before, maybe I would've actually believed him, maybe I would've wondered if I was overreacting or being childish.

But now, seeing that lipstick stain on his collar, clearly not mine, I felt disgusted.

"For work?" I pointed at his collar. "Is that part of your job, too? You really make some big sacrifices for work, Mr. Perry."

August followed my gaze, his expression shifting as embarrassment and anger flashed across his face. "Abigail, stop making a scene. That lipstick got on me during a business dinner, nothing intentional. Megan is only my subordinate."

"Really? But you said you were ready to marry her, didn't you?" I shot back.

"Those were empty words. Can't you tell? I was playing along for appearances," August snapped.

"Alright." I nodded, my voice cold. "If it was all for appearances, then tomorrow you can announce you're firing Megan and clear up what you said at the dinner tonight."

August froze, clearly caught off guard by my demand.

His eyes blazed with fury again, and he gritted his teeth. "You're out of your mind. Megan's the backbone of this project. Right now is crunch time. How could I possibly fire her? Abigail, can't you be a little more sensible?"

A secretary major who didn't know the difference between C and Java was suddenly the backbone of the team.

I didn't want to waste another second arguing with him, so I walked around him and headed for the door.

"It's too late for this. I'm not arguing with you tonight. I'll have my lawyer send you the divorce papers," I said.

When August saw that playing nice wasn't getting him anywhere, he dropped all pretense and showed his true colors.

He yelled at my back, "Fine, Abigail, you've got guts. If you walk out that door tonight, even if you come crawling back, I won't let you in. Let's see how long you survive without me."

I dragged my suitcase into the night, leaving everything behind.

Right then, fear never crossed my mind. If anything, the night air felt strangely liberating, cool and crisp against my skin.