Chapter 1

After Stella Lane and her mother, Lily Lane, showed up, our family completely fell apart. Stella got involved with my husband, Kevin Sutton, while Kevin's father, Logan Sutton, had an affair with Lily.

"Mrs. Sutton, I want a divorce," I said helplessly to Kevin's mother, Amelia Sutton.

"Good. Then I'll file for divorce, too," Amelia replied, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

I stayed quiet for a moment.

I hadn't expected Amelia to say that, let alone with such enthusiasm. It seemed the drama was only going to escalate.

*****

"Emily, have you had enough? I told you already. Stella is just a friend. If you dare hurt her again, I'll make you pay for it, even if we've been married for years," Kevin snapped.

Hearing Kevin Sutton's fury through the phone, I stayed silent. All I could smell was the sharp sting of disinfectant in the air.

In the past, I would've argued with him. But now, I had no desire to fight anymore.

The nurse standing next to me waited patiently for me to hang up.

From Kevin's tone, it was painfully obvious who mattered more to him. Yet he still insisted on denying it.

I suddenly found it all rather dull.

"Mrs. Sutton, the baby's heartbeat still hasn't shown. I suggest you terminate the pregnancy," the nurse advised gently once I put down the phone.

"Alright," I murmured, resting a hand on my still-flat belly.

At that moment, I felt nothing but relief. I had planned to surprise Kevin with the news on our wedding anniversary, so he never even knew I was pregnant.

That was better this way. He didn't deserve to know.

I told myself the baby must have sensed that its father didn't love its mother, and so it chose not to come into this world.

After I lost the child, the one who rushed in to see me wasn't Kevin—it was his mother, Amelia Sutton.

"Emily, I'm sorry." Amelia hurried to my bedside, her eyes rimmed red.

Then her grief shifted to rage. "Stella's just as shameless as her mother. That woman clung to my husband, and now her daughter is after Kevin."

Still weak, I looked at Amelia—over fifty, yet so well-kept—and with a pale face, I shook my head. "Mrs. Sutton, I want a divorce."

I didn't want to fight anymore. In the year since Stella had appeared, I'd run out of love for Kevin.

Amelia froze, surprised by my words. She studied me carefully but saw no bitterness, no petty anger—only calm resolve. "Are you sure?"

I nodded with conviction.

"Then I'll get a divorce, too," she said.

Her response stunned me. I hadn't expected Amelia to say that. Suddenly, things had become even more dramatic.

"Don't worry. Over the years, I've built up a fair amount of assets in my name. Once you and Kevin split, you'll get your share. Added to mine, it'll be more than enough for us to live out our days without worry. We can keep living together just as we do now." Amelia said it all in one breath, as if she had been planning this for a long time.

Still groggy from the anesthesia, I couldn't quite process what she was saying.

Seeing my dazed expression, Amelia only grew more animated. "Stella's mother, Lily Lane, was Ethan's first crush. She was the one he couldn't have back when he was poor. Even after more than thirty years of marriage, I still can't compete with Lily. So while Ethan still feels guilty toward me, I should grab what I can and walk away." Ethan Sutton was Kevin's father, Amelia's husband.

"Mrs. Sutton, then why didn't you leave earlier?" I asked, fully drawn into her story now.

For more than a year, both Amelia and I had watched helplessly as our husbands' hearts belonged to other women.

"I was waiting for you," she admitted with a sheepish smile. "Kevin's just like his father—he has the same lousy taste in women, all plain and forgettable faces."

"If you weren't ready to leave, then I wouldn't either. I've always wanted to stay with you. But I couldn't push you into a divorce. So I kept waiting for the day you'd finally see the truth."

I stayed in the hospital two more days before going home.

"Emily, you've really grown bold. Now you even dare stay away for two days without coming back," Kevin sneered.

Kevin was sitting on the couch, waiting for me.

I changed into my slippers without even looking at him. "I was worried that if I stuck around, I'd ruin your mood. What if you couldn't take proper care of Stella because of me?"

"You burned Stella, and I haven't even come after you for that yet. And now you're giving me attitude?" Kevin shot back accusingly.

I finally lifted my gaze to him. Kevin, in his thirties, had kept his body in perfect shape. The gold-rimmed glasses on his nose only added to his refined, almost aristocratic air.

I had to admit—he really was handsome. Otherwise, I wouldn't have tolerated him for so long, even after the mistress showed up.

But now, all of a sudden, I was tired of looking at him.

Dragging my slippers across the floor, I sat down a short distance away. "Let's get a divorce."

The next second, his anger flared hotter. "Do you even know what you're saying? "

I found it strange. Wasn't I setting him free, letting him and Stella be together without guilt? Shouldn't that make him happy?

"I know. Let's get a divorce," I repeated calmly.

My composure clearly rattled him. Normally, by now, I'd be yelling, arguing, making a scene.

But I had no interest in that anymore. It was beneath me. I had loved him, but I could also let him go.

"Emily, are you cheating on me?" Kevin suddenly loomed closer, his hands clamping down hard on my shoulders, fury blazing in his eyes.

I almost laughed, "You're the one cheating, Kevin."

"Stella is pure and innocent. She's just a friend to me. You keep misunderstanding her, hurting her. She even told me not to blame you. If you had even a fraction of her grace, I wouldn't be so angry with you," he barked.

His grip on my shoulders hurt so badly I couldn't break free.

I struggled against him, but the fight only made my stomach cramp, a sharp pain spreading across my abdomen as cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

"Stop faking it, Emily." Kevin finally let go, letting me collapse onto the floor. He looked down at me with smug satisfaction. "What is it now? Switching tactics, trying to play the tragic victim?"

The doctor had told me after the miscarriage that I was weak and needed careful rest at home. The pain must have been triggered by the stress just now.

It hurt so badly I couldn't even find the strength to argue back.

Kevin's phone rang.

"Hello? Don't worry; it's okay. I'll be right there," he said, his tone suddenly full of patience and tenderness.

It had to be Stella.

And I remembered that call from two nights ago—the one where he'd come at me full of accusations.

So this was the difference. Love, or no love, was as clear as night and day.

"Emily, I'll pretend I never heard your insane rambling tonight. Don't you dare test my limits again." With that icy warning, Kevin grabbed his coat and stormed out.

I lay there drenched in sweat, watching his back disappear through the door, before the pain dragged me down into darkness.