Chapter 3

Edward chased after Charlotte with the same passion he once had for me.

He sent her flowers, showered her with expensive luxury gifts, and kept surprising her.

They wandered the night market hand in hand, sharing a cappuccino. He set aside his pride to eat street food with her.

He even went with her to meet her parents.

Charlotte came from a humble background, but Edward bought her parents a villa and made sure they'd never have to worry about money again.

He bought a luxury apartment in Rivergate's most exclusive neighborhood to live with Charlotte. And he even had a massive diamond ring custom-made just for her, the kind one gave only once in a lifetime.

Three days after Edward had that ring made, I finally got word about him and hurried over.

I pushed open the door to the private room, and a cloud of smoke and the sharp smell of booze hit me.

Edward sat at the head of the table, looked up into my eyes, and smiled, "I was just about to look for you."

Before I could speak, he handed me a signed divorce agreement in front of all his friends.

The room went dead silent, and everyone stared at me.

I felt like a total clown, being judged by this crowd of well-dressed elites and rich kids.

Embarrassment and humiliation crashed over me. "Are you sure you want to divorce me?" I asked, my voice dry and shaky.

Edward's voice faded in and out. "I know this is tough for you, but it's already happened. Charlotte's pregnant with my kid, and she refuses to be the other woman. I need an heir, so please, help me out here.

"Don't worry. Once the baby's born, I'll marry you again. The baby will be yours in name. I swear, you'll be the only Mrs. Lane for me."

He shoved a pen into my hand. "Just this once, Yvonne. Give me an heir."

My eyes started to well up, and all the words I'd practiced on the way here were caught in my throat.

The words I'd spent over a month thinking about choked me up, so badly that before I knew it, tears started flowing.

Edward used to hate seeing me cry and would do anything to comfort me. But now, he just looked annoyed.

"Yvonne, be good," he said. Thinking I was refusing to sign, he grabbed my hand, trying to force me to sign.

At this point, holding on was useless. All my sacrifices were just for me; he never really cared.

Happily ever after? What a lie.

I saw this coming two years ago. Why was I still clinging to hope?

I yanked my hand away from Edward, grabbed the pen, and signed the divorce papers.

As I wheeled myself out, I overheard one of Edward's friends say, "Aren't you worried she'll threaten you with suicide again?"

"Not at all," Edward scoffed, his voice laced with mockery. "If she really wanted to die, she wouldn't have spent the last two years running to the hospital all the time. Trust me, nobody's more afraid of dying than her."

How laughable it was.

I went to the hospital every day for therapy and training because I wanted to stand up and be by his side one day.

But he never saw it that way. He'd already grown sick of having a disabled wife like me.

He'd long broken every promise, and yet here I was, still foolishly waiting for him to turn back.

A guy who'd already changed his heart would never come back because of some old feelings.

Nearly twenty years of love came to an end today. There was no way I wasn't devastated.

Misfortunes never came singly. After finally seeing the real Edward, I got into a car accident on my way home.

The impact threw me clear out of the car window. I landed hard on the ground.

Blood dripped down my forehead, and pain shot through every part of me.

Before I passed out, a man picked me up.

The car sped away, and I heard a stranger on the phone, calling for a doctor.

He had a clean, rich cologne on him, kind of like the old sandalwood trees from my hometown.

The scent was the last thing I remembered as I faded out.

*****

I had no idea how long I'd been out. When I came to, I heard someone talking on the phone. "Mrs. Lane did get into a car accident.

"I checked with the doctor. Her spleen ruptured, and she lost a ton of blood. If she hadn't made it to the hospital for surgery in time, the outcome could have been fatal."

I'd just identified the voice as David White, Edward's assistant, when Edward's voice came through on speakerphone.

He scoffed, "She did this on purpose, didn't she? All just to make me change my mind, to stop the divorce.

"Same as her suicide stunt two years ago. She knew Lucy would find her, and with modern medicine, she'd never actually die.

"Tsk. I'm not falling for her games anymore. Make sure someone keeps an eye on her at the hospital. As soon as she wakes up, wheel her straight to the courthouse and get those divorce papers signed."

My body ached like a knife was scraping my skin, but that pain was nothing compared to what Edward's cruelty put me through.

He believed I'd gotten into that car accident on purpose to win him back.

Seriously, how could he even think that about me?

I was so upset, I lost consciousness all over again.