Chapter 1

In the fifth year of my secret marriage to Jesse Pierce, I decided to get a divorce.

I was ready to give up billions just to get custody of our son, Harry.

But Harry, just like Jesse, had grown to love Jesse's girlfriend, Priscilla Kelly.

"I don't want you or Harry," I told Jesse.

"Let's get divorced."

On the day we signed the papers, Harry cried his heart out. But I never looked back.

Jesse stood in the snowstorm for a long, long time.

*****

"Mr. Pierce will arrive at the company in 30 minutes. Prepare the refreshments now."

Yolanda Carter, the Service Department Manager, walked briskly into the office in her high heels and barked the order at me.

All eyes were on me—some filled with envy, others with scorn.

Everyone in the Service Department knew I had a knack for making drinks—which caught the CEO Jesse Pierce's eye and landed me the job of handling refreshments for the executive office.

I had just finished preparing the refreshments when Mike Jenkins from the secretary's office came over.

He handed me a bag of coffee beans. "Two cups of freshly ground black coffee. Needed in fifteen minutes."

Of course I recognized this bag of coffee beans—Jesse had gone out of his way to bring them back from overseas last time.

He normally didn't drink coffee, let alone black coffee.

Mike hesitated. "Can you make it in time?"

I nodded.

Time was tight. Controlling the flavor profile required precision in both grinding and brewing—a delicate process indeed.

Yet, fifteen minutes later, I still managed to serve two cups of rich, aromatic black coffee.

The entire top floor housed the executive office and the secretary's office.

Just as I reached the top floor with the coffee, I heard hurried footsteps from the secretary's office, followed by a chorus of voices behind me. "Hello, Mr. Pierce, Ms. Kelly."

My steps faltered. Instinctively, I moved aside.

Jesse and Priscilla brushed past me.

Both of them merely tilted their heads slightly and cast a glance at me.

"Thanks, I'll take it from here." Mike stepped forward and took the coffee.

I nodded.

When I looked up again, Jesse and Priscilla were already comfortably seated side by side on the office sofa.

They nestled together, without a hint of awkwardness.

Mike knocked on the door. "Mr. Pierce, Ms. Kelly, your coffee."

Both of them looked up, saw me again, and in perfect unison shifted their gaze to Mike.

I turned and walked away, the picture of professionalism.

Even though it was already half an hour past closing time, no one in the Service Department made a move to leave. It wasn't until the secretary's office called to say that Jesse and Priscilla had left that everyone let out a sigh of relief, collected their coats, bags, and keys, and called it a day.

Only when they were safely out of the office cameras' view did anyone dare to gossip.

"Wait, isn't Mr. Pierce married with a kid? So what's going on with Ms. Kelly then?"

"Clearly, Mr. Pierce doesn't care for his wife at all. Otherwise, why hasn't he ever acknowledged her publicly?"

"Last time, I overheard Ms. Kelly let it slip—Mrs. Pierce used some shady tricks to get with Mr. Pierce. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if that's true."

My chest tightened as I tried to calm the turmoil within. Wordlessly, I chose the emptiest path, circling around to where my car was parked.

I parked my car in a spot so out of the way that hardly anyone else would ever go there.

Most people wouldn't dare park here—the underground garage was poorly marked and easy to get lost in, and its haunted history made even the superstitious think twice.

But only in places like this could I find some respite.

"Just got off work?" Jesse's cool, detached voice cut through the darkness.

I looked up and met his gaze.

The garage was dimly lit.

Jesse leaned against the hood of my car, his smile indistinct in the dim light.

I walked over, pressed the ignition button, and started the car.

He pushed off from the hood.

"I've already arranged for the company driver to pick up Harry," he said. "Don't bother with dinner preparations tonight. We might be out late, so try to get some rest early."

Jesse looked down at me. Only after settling into the driver's seat did I meet his gaze and ask, "It's Harry's birthday today. Did you even ask him who he wants to spend it with?"

He replied coolly, "I did."

My chest tightened, leaving me speechless.

Jesse quietly closed the car door for me.

I started the car. Jesse leaned down by my window and said, "Drive safe."

All the pent-up anger in my heart almost erupted at that moment.

Yet I just nodded, my expression completely blank.

Honestly, I had no right to be angry.

As everyone said, I brought this on myself.

Ten years ago, I fell head over heels for Jesse at first sight. Five years later, by some twist of fate, I ended up in his bed—and had Harry.

Jesse only married me because his family pressured him into it—he never really had a choice.

He hated being manipulated.

At first, I fantasized that my genuine devotion could win him over and make him change his mind.

I did everything I could to clear up the misunderstanding from all those years ago. For the first couple of years, it actually worked—he started to see me differently.

But three years ago, at a racing event, Jesse fell for Priscilla Kelly—that bold, dazzling woman—at first sight.

But Harry was still too young to be without his mother.

So we made a deal: we'd wait until Harry turned four before getting divorced.

I'd already accepted the divorce three years ago, so there was no point resisting.

The one thing I could never accept was him demanding custody of Harry.

I could give up all my property and walk away empty-handed, but I could never give up my child.

I couldn't bear the thought of the child I carried for ten months and raised with my own hands calling another woman 'Mom.'

Clearly, Jesse had anticipated this as well. Over the past year, he'd been deliberately arranging for Harry to spend more time with Priscilla.

To make me give up custody of Harry, he really went all out.