Chapter 1

From blue school uniforms to the white wedding gown, Darian Ford and I spent ten years together.

On our seventh wedding anniversary, he gave me a set of matching outfits.

When I walked out of the hospital with the miscarriage report in hand, I calmly handed him the divorce papers.

Soon, my phone rang.

It was Reina Snyder, his secretary.

Reina was sobbing, "Ms. Preston, please don't be upset with Mr. Ford. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have sent it to you without asking him first."

Darian tried to calm her down, and once her crying finally stopped, he replied with indifference. "If you want a divorce, let's just do it."

*****

When I heard Darian say that, my heart sank.

This was the man I'd loved for ten years, and yet he'd put any other woman before me.

"Let me tell you, Milena. I'm tired of this game. If you're not sick of it, I am. Stop threatening me with divorce all the time. It just makes me look down on you," Darian snapped.

He probably thought his words weren't harsh enough, so he just had to throw in one more cruel jab.

The person who knew you best could hurt you the deepest.

The sound of the call ending kept replaying in my ears, but I no longer felt the disappointment and pain I used to.

I admitted that I tried every desperate measure to get Darian to come home.

I cried, threatened divorce, and even tried to end my own life. I did whatever it took.

It was only natural for Darian to think this way, but he didn't realize that every time I made a scene, I quietly docked points from him in my heart.

Now, he'd hit rock bottom. It was time to end things.

I ripped the miscarriage report to shreds and tossed it straight into the trash.

There were things Darian didn't need to know. Even if he did, it wouldn't make a difference.

When I got home and started packing, I realized I had pathetically little of my own in this house.

Halfway through, I heard the key turn in the lock. I turned to see Darian panting in the doorway.

"Milena, don't take my kindness for granted. That's enough. All you're doing is making me hate you even more!" Darian snapped.

I wondered when I had ever taken his kindness for granted.

I could still remember those familiar lips, once speaking to me with such tenderness.

"Milena, if I ever betray you, may I die a miserable death," he had promised.

It sounded so extreme, but back then, when I was young and naive, I truly believed Darian would keep his word and love me forever.

Now, all that came from his mouth was nothing but contempt.

I pressed my lips together and forced a bitter smile as I stared at Darian.

Darian's expression grew even more impatient.

"Alright, I'm back. Are you satisfied now?" Darian said.

The tone in his voice, as if he was granting me some charity, made all those years of companionship and all my sacrifices feel like nothing but a joke.

He once gripped my hand so tightly, saying he was all alone at the top of the world and needed me by his side for life.

Now, to see him, I had to pull every trick in the book.

I forced a smile, the taste of salt and bitterness rising in my throat.

"Yeah, I'm very satisfied," I said.

With that, I handed Darian the printed divorce papers.

"Since you wouldn't look at the digital copy, here's the hard copy. I've already signed it. Don't keep me waiting," I said.

Suddenly, I remembered our wedding day. Because of a phone call, Darian made me wait from morning till night, and I ended up as a joke among all the guests.

When he finally showed up, he apologized over and over and promised to make it up to me with a proper wedding.

But even now, that proper wedding never happened.

I'd waited seven years. I hoped I wouldn't have to wait for this divorce, too.

Darian seemed to know exactly what I meant. He frowned, not out of guilt, but as if he was blaming me.

He snapped, "Are you seriously still hung up on the fact that I never gave you that proper wedding?

"Is that really why you've been making a scene all these years? How many times are you going to bring up the same old thing?"

Sure, I used to bring it up every time we argued, but Darian never understood that I kept bringing up the past because it was never really dealt with.

Back then, I'd argue with Darian until we were both blue in the face. This time, I didn't see the point anymore.

I answered calmly, "Believe whatever you want." Then I went back to packing my things.

"Milena, are you playing hard to get now? Trying out a new move? I'm giving you an easy way out, so don't drag this on," Darian shouted.