Chapter 1

After I found out my CEO husband, Edward Lane, was cheating on me, rage and jealousy consumed me.

I totally lost it, trashing our bedroom, screaming at him, forcing him to stay.

Edward remained eerily calm. In a soft voice, he dropped the most brutal words.

"Yvonne, be good, okay? I'm only human. I've been basically celibate for three years. Do you expect me to keep going like this?" he asked.

My heart shattered. I stared at him, someone so familiar yet now a total stranger, tears streaming down my face.

From the pit of my despair, I begged, "You promised to love me forever. Please, don't leave me for someone else. I can't live without you."

Edward scoffed. Without another word, he turned away and went straight to his new flame.

That same night, drowning in hopelessness, I swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills.

But I didn't die. Lucy, our part-time maid, found me passed out and immediately called 911.

I was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Even while I was out cold, I could feel the torture of getting my stomach pumped. Honestly, it felt worse than dying.

While I was fighting for my life in the ER, Edward was off in Alpinelley, hitting the slopes with his new flame.

He was so worried I'd cause drama and ruin his romantic getaway that he switched off his phone completely.

It took him a whole week before he bothered to turn his phone back on. As soon as he heard about my suicide attempt, he rushed back from overseas.

By the time he arrived at the hospital, I was already about to be discharged.

He rushed to me, his handsome features haggard and etched with worry.

He said, "Yvonne, why did you have to be so reckless? It's so close. How could I possibly live without you?"

He pulled me into a tight embrace, murmuring apologies and swearing he'd never get involved with another woman again.

I was surprised to find I felt absolutely nothing inside.

Maybe it was because I'd stared death in the face, but suddenly I realized the love I'd been willing to die for wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

I suddenly realized that I could live without Edward.

My suicide attempt dragged Edward back home, but it also made me the ultimate joke among Rivergate's high society.

Everyone knew me as the jealous wife in a wheelchair, the one Edward could never touch.

They said I'd make a fuss over nothing and threaten Edward with suicide at the drop of a hat.

Meanwhile, Edward became the object of everyone's sympathy, a handsome, rich guy forced to live like a monk for life.

And his devoted husband persona tugged at everyone's heartstrings.

And me? I was like a rat scurrying in the gutter, with everyone pointing fingers, gossiping, and laughing at my expense.

I struggled with severe anxiety and depression. It took ages to pull myself out of that dark place.

After things finally calmed down, I stopped beating myself up and quit obsessing over Edward.

I started picking up new hobbies and focused all my energy on getting healthy again.

I kept going back and forth between home and the hospital, but my health never improved.

So I took the high-speed train alone to Betrico, hoping to find a doctor who could help.

After a full check-up at Betrico's top orthopedic hospital, the specialist dropped a bombshell on me.

Turned out, my body wasn't as messed up as I thought. If I kept up with the treatment, there was hope for my crippled legs to get back to normal.

Honestly, after five years with Edward, this was the best news I'd ever heard.

I clutched the doctor's report to my chest, practically floating home, ready to share the news with Edward.

To make it feel special, I asked Lucy to set the table with a delicious spread and even opened a bottle of red wine.

But I waited in the dining room until midnight, and Edward never showed up.

Later, a stranger added me out of nowhere and sent me a video.

The video was shot on the beach in Rivergate, where a strikingly handsome guy strolled hand in hand with a delicate girl.

As fireworks lit up the night, the guy leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

*****

Edward cheated on me again.

This time, though, it wasn't like the first. There was no heart-shattering pain.

Still, it hurt. After all, I'd been crazy about him for nearly twenty years.

I grabbed the medical report on the table, tossed it in the trash, and quietly ate the long-cold dinner.

The food that once looked and smelled amazing had lost all its flavor.

It was just like my relationship with Edward, too flavorless to enjoy, yet too hard to simply throw away.