Chapter 2

Not long after Victoria and I got married, Alexander returned to the States and entered the same tech consulting industry as me.

But I had already dominated the Los Angeles market. He couldn't get a foothold.

Desperate, he made a series of terrible investments and ended up owing a massive debt to predatory loan sharks.

During that time, Victoria always seemed distracted. She came home late, and her attitude toward me grew colder by the day.

Then, one night, she surprised me by preparing a romantic candlelit dinner at home.

I was thrilled. I thought she was finally coming back to me.

After all, for weeks before that, she had been coming home every night reeking of the heavy scent of men's cologne.

That night, she eagerly poured me glass after glass of wine.

I let myself drown in the illusion of her affection.

I never suspected that once I passed out, she would bypass the biometric security using my fingerprint to access Strategic Technologies' internal systems.

To save Alexander, Victoria hijacked my admin clearance, forged the corporate ledgers, and tampered with the electronic records.

Then, she reported me to the authorities herself and committed perjury during my criminal trial.

Five years of love, rewarded with three years in prison.

I never imagined that trusting the wrong person would cost me eight years of my life.

Victoria drove us back to the upscale suburban house in Los Angeles.

The spot on the wall where our wedding portrait used to hang was now occupied by a massive photo of her and Alexander.

In the picture, they looked like the perfect, loving couple.

I walked in carrying my flimsy duffel bag, and almost immediately bumped into our housekeeper, Margaret Zhang.

Margaret had taken care of me ever since I first started my company. She had been there through my toughest early days, treating me like her own son.

Seeing me, she froze. Then, her eyes quickly welled up with tears.

"Mr. Lin, you're finally out."

"Margaret?"

Victoria's displeased voice cut through the air from behind me.

Margaret immediately lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Grant."

I watched in shock as Margaret, her face pale with fear, walked over to Victoria and Alexander and gave a slight, submissive bow.

Only then did Victoria's expression relax.

"Go prepare dinner."

With that, Victoria linked arms with Alexander and led him into the master bedroom.

Margaret waited until their door clicked shut before she dared to speak to me again.

She pulled a wad of cash—clearly all her savings—from her pocket and pressed it into my hand, her face full of guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Lin. This is all I can do."

It was obvious that during my time in prison, Victoria and Alexander had made her life hell.

To keep her job and a roof over her head, she had been forced to accept Alexander as the new master of the house.

She insisted so fiercely that I had no choice but to take the money. I looked her in the eye and promised, "This kind of life will be over soon."

That night, Victoria assigned me to sleep in a storage room at the back of the house.

The room hadn't been used in years. It was coated in dust and held a faint musty smell.

Yet, after three years of prison, this cramped space felt like paradise compared to a cell.

Still, the moment I walked in, the dust made me sneeze violently.

Victoria leaned against the doorframe, entirely unbothered.

"You know Alexander has a big heart. He loves animals. We used to keep a few dogs in here."

She smirked. "But for a convicted felon fresh out of a three-year sentence, you should be grateful you even have a roof over your head."

Alexander chuckled from down the hall.

"Victoria, you can't compare Ethan to a dog."

Victoria shot me a look of pure disdain and lowered her voice into a threat.

"Stay put tonight, Ethan. Or I'll make sure you don't even have a doghouse to sleep in."

Covering her mouth, she walked off, giggling with Alexander.

Three years ago, seeing her treat me like this would have shattered my heart and kept me awake all night.

Now? I felt absolutely nothing.

Because I had already made up my mind to divorce her.

And I was going to take back everything that was mine.