Chapter 1

My husband regretted our childfree choice in the twenty-fifth year of our marriage.

That year he was forty-seven. Successful, composed, at the peak of his career.

That year I was fifty and had entered menopause.

He knew I would never risk pregnancy at my age, so he asked for a divorce and volunteered to give me the larger share of our assets.

I didn't cry or make a scene. I accepted the divorce calmly.

What he didn't know was that I had regretted going childfree years ago, back when he had his first emotional affair. And the same year, I quietly did something about it.

By the time he finally regretted it too, my child was already in middle school.

*****

Sean Sterling's tone was cold when he brought up the divorce.

I sat frozen for a long time, unable to steady the storm inside me, and instinctively asked him why.

Our relationship hadn't been as close as before over the past few years, but we were both getting older. Even the best marriages can't stay sweet forever.

Sean looked up from his phone, his eyes evading mine. "Jane Harris, I'm forty-seven this year. My parents are in their seventies..."

He talked in circles for a long time, but the gist was simple. He didn't want his parents to die with the regret of never having a grandchild. He wanted a kid, and he now had the time and means to raise one.

To put it bluntly, at forty-seven Sean regretted the childfree life.

I was three years older than Sean, already fifty. I had always valued my own life, and there was no way I was going to risk my life by having a baby at this age.

Sean knew me well enough. At that moment he still felt some guilt toward me. "Jane, I'm sorry," he said.

Then his tone shifted. "If only you were three years younger than me instead."

Back when he was courting me, he used to say an older wife brought good fortune. Now that same line had become his sharpest weapon against me.

My face must have looked terrible, and I couldn't give him an answer. Sean left me with one line. "Think it over carefully. I don't want to drag this out."

Then he turned and walked out of the house.

*****

Once I finally calmed down, the first thing I did was hire someone to look into Sean.

That was how I learned the real reason he wanted a divorce. He had someone new.

He had been cheating on me for two years with an intern at his company. Now the girl was demanding that he make their relationship official, and Sean happened to want a child.

Looking at the pile of photos spread across the table, I couldn't put a name to what I was feeling.

This wasn't Sean's first affair. The first time was in the tenth year of our marriage, an emotional one. Back then he chose to come back to the family, and I forgave him.

Sure enough, when it comes to cheating, there are only two possibilities: never, or countless times.

This time he was more experienced. He had hidden it well for two whole years, and I hadn't caught a single trace.

I didn't contact Sean again. I focused all my energy on gathering evidence of his affair. The divorce was already a done deal. My only job now was to secure the biggest share for myself.

The company we built together was already running smoothly. Twenty-five years of marriage meant our interests were tangled deep. Pull one thread and the whole thing would unravel.

No matter how many years of love there had been, when things fell apart, money always came first.

It was more than two weeks before Sean came home.

The first thing he said when he walked in was, "Have you thought it through?"

We hadn't spoken once during that half month. He had another home to go to, and he was clearly enjoying it.

I laid all the evidence of his affair openly on the table. "The divorce isn't a problem," I said. "Let's talk about how to split the assets."

Sean's eyes fell on the photos, and his face changed instantly. "Jane, you had me investigated?"

I let out a cold laugh. "If I hadn't, how much longer were you planning to make a fool of me?"

Sean wasn't a generous man. He hadn't grown up poor exactly, but his family hadn't been well off either. So when it came to the settlement, he proposed splitting everything fifty-fifty.

I thought, 'How could that possibly be acceptable?'

Betrayal comes with a price.

When I said I wanted eighty percent, Sean refused. His face went dark. "Jane, that company is our life's work. You can't wipe out everything I've done for it because of one thing."

"One thing?" I looked at him with pure contempt. "Do I need to remind you how many times you've cheated on me, Sean?"

Sean clenched his fists at his sides, but he was in the wrong and had nothing to say back.

I pressed my advantage. "I looked at the photos. Your taste hasn't changed a bit. She looks a lot like Serena."